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Pre-Health Myth Busting

There is a great deal of information available about preparing for a health professions program. While some of that information can be helpful, there are also many misconceptions that can create unnecessary stress and confusion. Below are some of the most common myths we hear from Northwestern students, along with facts and data that help put these topics into perspective.


MYTH: “I have to major in science!”

  • Not at all! Students can follow a pre-health path simultaneously within a vast majority of major / minor combinations at Northwestern. Your choice of major and/or minor is not a factor in admissions decisions, and one major is not better in the eyes of health professions programs than any other. Health professions schools expect to see a variety of majors among applicants and do not prefer any major over another. Students are encouraged to pursue a major that interests them.

FACT: Our pre-health population represents over 70 different unique majors across all undergraduate schools!

MYTH: “It looks good to have multiple majors/minors!”

  • Professional schools want you to major in what interests you, always ask yourself “Am I doing this for me? or am I doing this because I think admissions committees will want to see this?” If it’s the latter, it’s worth pausing and reflecting on if this will truly enhance your own potential. We encourage you to choose a path that you are passionate about!

FACT: 64% of accepted MD applicants in the 2025 cycle had only one major. 36% had two majors. No applicants with three majors were accepted to an MD program.

MYTH: “My GPA needs to be 3.8 or better for this to happen for me!”

  • Professional schools accept a range of GPAs into their programs, factors such as academic trends, entrance exams, extracurriculars, clinical experiences and personal attributes all weigh into the admissions decision. The GPA range expected can vary significantly across the schools you may be applying to, it is not a one-size fits all approach.

FACT: The science GPA range for NU students applying to MD programs (without additional post-graduate coursework) in the 2025 cycle ranged from 3.0-4.0.

MYTH: “A no-gap year plan and going straight through is better!”

  • Professional programs do not discriminate against one or even multiple gap years, often applicants have strong applications with an additional year or two of experiences & perspectives. Due to the high number of applicants taking gap years the availability for gap-year positions is in abundance.

FACT: 80% of applicants are taking a gap/bridge year or two before starting their professional programs.

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT: In the 2025 MD cycle the acceptance rate for no-gap year NU applicants was 52% while the acceptance rate for one or more gap year NU applicants was 73%.

MYTH: “My research involvements should be STEM focused / wet lab work!”

  • While we cannot predict the preference for every admissions committee, in general, health professional schools value applicants who have engaged in research and scholarly endeavors outside of the classroom. They especially value seeing applicants pursue activities about which they are truly passionate. This can be wet lab/bench/STEM research as well as social science / humanities / arts research. Schools are hoping that through your experience and exposure to research you understand the process of quality research, have learned how to synthesize literature and apply to a problem, and are a good consumer of research – all things that are accomplished in all types of research!

FACT: You do not have to do any research for admissions to health professional programs.

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT: Because Northwestern offers extensive research opportunities, we encourage students to explore research experiences that genuinely interest them. Health professions programs value the experience. Some students engage in research for a summer or an academic year and then decide that they would rather focus on other things, which is acceptable.  CAVEAT: if students are truly interested in an MD/PhD pathway, we advise that they are active in research over multiple years and can show growth in their research skill set. Additionally, it’s important to be realistic about the schools you plan to apply to, and how your application aligns to those schools. I.e. If a school highly values research experience then that school will want to see research.