/sci/ - Science & Math

>>10428813
And if you look at the acceptance rates for each of the AAMC's arbitrarily chosen categories:

-Biological sciences majors have 40.3% acceptance rate
-Humanities majors have 47.1% (slightly higher MCAT and slightly lower GPA in matriculant pool) - these are the bulk of students applying to medical school so I'll use it as reference

-Math and stats have 47.5% (higher GPAs and higher MCATs too)

-Physical sciences have a 46.1% acceptance rate with higher MCAT+GPA in applicant pool and higher MCAT in matriculant pool

-Social sciences have about 41.0% acceptance rate with equivalent MCATs and lower GPAs in both applicant and matriculant pools

-Specialized health sciences (that includes NURSING per AAMC definition) have 36.2% and both lower MCAT and lower GPAs in applicant and matriculant pools - these are the lowest in numerical scores in the cohorts, which probably factors into the lower acceptance rates

Bottom line: These are subtle differences in majors, and being part of one such major doesn't mean you'll necessarily have the same GPA as the average applicant in that major, but, assuming you're not averse to that, say, math or humanities major, it may be just as good at preparing you and yield you a higher chance of being in the accepted pool.

>>10429030
I believe most prep courses start ~4-6 months before target test dates, unless you get into an intensive course which can take maybe like a month or two and some people do over their winter breaks. Both engender high scores, but a longer one might be the safer choice unless you're killing the practice tests or have a stellar GPA and are not afraid to go in the fast lane.