Many students entering college want to be reassured that the major they choose puts them on the right path toward their future career. The uncertainty of the job market and the intimidation of choosing a specific field of study to work in for a lifetime leads many students to forego choosing a major right away and declaring themselves “undecided.” But for students who are decided, a lack of structure in their undergraduate, pre-professional study can make classes feel scattered and inapplicable. This is the present situation for pre-medical students at the University of Minnesota.

Surprisingly, the University doesn’t have a pre-med major or program for undergraduate students. Instead, many students wishing to pursue a career as a physician choose some sort of biological science as a major, attempting to fulfill medical school requirements. Although students do not need to choose a science major in order to apply to medical school, the intensive science requirements mandated for entrance into medical school — as well as patient care and research experience — make fulfilling a non-science major less desirable.

Academic advisers and the Health Career Center are helpful resources for students pursuing medicine, but the existence of a pre-med program at the University would add needed structure and give students a stronger connection to the medical world they seek entrance to. Hamline University and Macalester College both have pre-med programs, and with the University’s high-ranking medical school, it only makes sense to have a pre-med program that adequately prepares our students to continue their education after completing their undergraduate degrees.