A Music Major in Medical School

Lazaro Zayas has always had a calling for medicine. In high school, he was voted Most Likely to Be a Criminal Psychiatrist. Gifted in science and blessed with a desire to heal, Lazaro thought that he would go to college, major in science, and go straight to medical school. But his road to medical school took an unusual detour.

Lazaro also loves classical music. At Yale, he fell in love with his music history and Italian opera courses, so much so that he considered becoming a music professor. He finally decided to major in music, but he made sure to take enough courses to fulfill premed requirements. He wanted to at least have the option of medical school. At Yale, he managed to juggle orchestra, music history, organic chemistry, physics, endless labs, and MCAT prep courses.

After considering a music career, he finally chose medical school. His love of children may have factored into this decision. At Yale, he volunteered with Instrumental Connection, an organization offering music lessons to underprivileged children. Lazaro hopes to become a child psychiatrist. He sees child psychiatry as an exciting but often neglected field. "There is a lot of mystery about how the mind works, so much that science has yet to discover. Each patient's case is so individualized. You could have so many different manifestations of the same disease. There are people out there who are really suffering. I love knowing that I'm learning skills I'll later use to improve the lives of other people."

Majoring in music at Yale did not hurt him in the application process. Like Lazaro, many medical students to come from liberal arts and humanities backgrounds. Medical schools often appreciate well-rounded students who can think outside the box. Even the MCAT tests analytical writing and verbal reasoning.