Today the New York Times published an article detailing one medical school's decision to allow non-science majors to be admitted. (article here )
Many of my colleagues and school friends are upset by this decision, and I'm not sure why. Medicine, while adhering to some rules of science, is not as hard and fast as any other science. It is an art, as we've all heard before, that adage coming from the inability to fix rules on the ever changing and unique human being.
I was a biology major and I can testify that hard science gets people stuck in a rut. They expect the same thing to work for the same problem over and over, that the same lab procedures should work for the same experiences. These are not unfounded beliefs, but they only work in an artificial environment. People won't start behaving "average" just because scientifically minded people are examining them.
While Mount Sinai medical school is the first to do away with the scientific pre-reqs entirely, the well rounded physician has been a goal for many years, and the idea that humanities majors (while having the science requirements and taking the MCAT) are more compassionate and flexible doctors has been out there for a while.
The game is changing, folks. While it takes a specific kind of mind to handle the rough sciences, other majors are not "dumber" than the science majors. One only has to look at each major objectively to see that even the sciences manage to graduate at least one dumbass with no social skills every year, usually because of that jerkwad's parent's pockets. (Those of you who took senior seminar with me probably know who I'm talking about, for our class.)
Some of the smartest people I know are religious studies majors, english majors, and music majors. They are just as driven, and often spend just as much time on homework as "us science majors".
And as for the MCAT, well...
The MCAT itself is merely an economic barrier designed to eliminate those who can't afford preparatory courses and those who have trouble with standardized testing. I personally did not take it, and I don't feel like I missed out at all, granted that I was accepted to my number one choice medical school without it.
Why should it be a big deal, that the field is opening to compassionate and qualified applicants? Are you worried? Is the apprehension and derision just a mark of insecurity towards those who can pipette the hell out of organic chemistry, but can't write an essay to save their life? We should welcome the insurge of well rounded applicants and trust that the rigors of pass/fail medical school standards will weed out the unsuited.
No comments:
Post a Comment