As with many decisions made during pre-med, declaring a minor is a choice that’s dependent on each student’s unique situation. Since declaring a minor likely involves a higher course load, it is important to first think about if you will be able to manage more classes.

 

If you are on track to finish general education, major, and pre-med requirements with extra space in your course load, then a minor may be a good idea. Keep in mind that declaring a minor does not necessarily have to be something you do right away, you can take some time to explore your interests and work through your major and then take the time to assess if you have space to minor midway through. If your minor requirements overlap with pre-med requirements (e.g. a minor in Biochemistry), then maybe taking on the minor may not do too much damage in terms of time commitment. However, if you still have a lot of required classes left to take, it may be overly ambitious to commit to a minor, especially if it’s unrelated to any of those required classes. This is especially important to think about if you know you are going straight through to medical school and are worried about getting in all of your requirements, which you need to generally have completed by the time you apply in June of the year before you would start medical school.

 

On the other hand, if you have completed your requirements and have a lot of space for classes, you may even consider a double minor, depending on your interests. In that case, it would be important to weigh out the pros and cons of adding a second minor as opposed to turning your first minor into a second major instead. Finally, if you’re unsure about declaring a minor, it’s a good idea to reach out to others that may have experience with minoring. Whether it’s other pre-med friends, mentors, or even your academic advisor, talking through your decision to minor with someone else can help make the decision easier.