Frequently Asked Questions
The Medicine & Society minor is open to any and all undergraduates at UH who are interested in gaining a deeper understanding of health and disease-related issues from a variety of perspectives. We have many Honors students, and many pre-meds or students planning on a career in the health professions — but we also have many, many students from numerous other majors and colleges as well. In fact, with well over 300 students, it’s one of the biggest minors on campus.
Since everyone is impacted by issues of health and health care in countless ways, we believe it is important to examine such “hard science” topics through a variety of lenses from the humanities and social sciences — literature, history, sociology, philosophy, psychology and more — and this of course means that having classrooms full of diverse backgrounds, disciplines and interests is key. No matter what your major, if becoming well-versed in the historical, economical and cultural forces that inform medical practices today is appealing to you, then there’s a place for you in MedSoc!
Don’t simply take our word for it, though. Here are links to recently published articles that also speak to the growing demand for elements of a liberal arts education to help strengthen one’s success as a medical school candidate:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/02/18/we-dont-need-more-stem-majors-we-need-more-stem-majors-with-liberal-arts-training/
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/how-arts-education-can-help-create-better-doctors/article25802902/
https://today.duke.edu/2015/09/adapanel
If you’ve already Googled “Changes to MCAT,” those searches have no doubt led to extensive information outlining everything from a greater focus on social and behavioral sciences, the expectation that students should now read broadly in the humanities and social sciences, and a greater emphasis on critical analysis and reasoning skills. All of these elements are an inherent part of the kinds of thinking and discussions encouraged and emphasized in the Medicine & Society minor.
For more information about changes to the MCAT, see this link for the actual recommendations for changes to the MCAT from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Or, here is another essay entitled “Building a Better Physician — The Case for the New MCAT”, from The New England Journal of Medicine.
As for when to declare the minor, it’s really up to the individual student. Some incoming freshmen declare it their first semester, while others wait until their sophomore or junior year once they have more time to focus on MedSoc courses. The main thing to remember, though, is that the MedSoc minor requires 15 hours of coursework to be completed. Also, as the availability of certain courses varies each semester, it can be a good idea to start this coursework earlier so you will have ample time to take the specific classes you are most interested in.
Simply follow the links or stop by the front Student Services Office at the Honors College if you would like further info:
Graduation Requirements
Honors Admissions
Medicine & Society students are always welcome to make appointments with Honors advisors Megan Prather and Aaron Reynolds via Navigate to discuss such questions.
Reynolds is also available to discuss personal statement essay drafts with MedSoc students in the middle of their professional school application process — a process also covered in depth in his course HON 4330 / "Narratives in the Professions."
In addition, we highly recommend students also make use of the many resources and appointments available at the UH Pre-Health Advising Center (especially their excellent email list) along with exploring the websites for the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service and Association of American Medical Colleges.