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30 Good Things President Trump Has Done for AmericaWayne GrudemAugust 21, 2020President Trump receives non-stop criticism in the press. I agree that criticism is necessary when a president makes mistakes, but where are the voices expressing appreciation for the good things Trump has done? It’s unfair always to criticize and never to recognize any of the good things a president has done.It might be a refreshing change to recall some of the remarkable, nation-changing good things that Trump has accomplished for America. Here is my personal list.Because of space limitations, I have not given extensive arguments explaining why I think these actions are good for the United States. But more extensive arguments can be found in my books Christian Ethics, Politics According to the Bible, and The Poverty of Nations.1. Judges: Trump has appointed two Supreme Court justices, 53 federal appellate judges, and 146 District Court judges (as well as two judges for the Court of International Trade ) who have been confirmed by the Senate so far. In addition, 64 more have been appointed and are awaiting Senate confirmation. All of them are committed to interpreting the Constitution and laws according to the original meaning of the words, rather than according to what a modern liberal judge thinks the law should have said.As an evangelical Christian, I am glad to see that Trump’s two Supreme Court appointments have already been responsible for highly significant cases that increase religious freedom, such as the decisions (1) to allow state aid that is given to non-religious schools to be given also to religious schools (Montana decision), (2) to protect the right of religious schools to hire and fire employees based on the school’s religious convictions, and (3) to allow religious groups to be exempt from government regulations that would otherwise cause them to violate their consciences in matters of birth control (and, by implication, probably in matters of abortion and same-sex marriage, but that has not yet been tested).2. Historic tax cuts and deregulation: After eight years of high unemployment and meager growth under President Obama’s administration, the Trump tax cuts of 2017 and Trump’s extensive canceling of excessive government regulations on businesses have given a tremendous boost to the American economy. An estimated 25,000 pages of regulations have been canceled, resulting in a savings of $3,100 per household per year. Another result of tax cuts combined with deregulation has been the addition of thousands of new jobs, so that unemployment (before the coronavirus crisis) fell to the lowest point in 50 years, and unemployment among African-American and Hispanic workers was the lowest it has ever been in history.On election day, 2016 (11-8-16), the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 18,332.74.This afternoon (8-21-20 at 2:29 p.m.) it stands at 27, 898.82, which is an increase of 52% in 3 ½ years, even including several months of the coronavirus epidemic. This is remarkable.These economic changes affect ordinary people’s everyday lives, not just wealthy people. Tens of thousands of people who were unemployed have recovered the dignity of steady employment (including getting paid during the coronavirus crisis). Millions of ordinary Americans whose retirement savings are partially invested in the stock market (including my wife and me) are finally receiving some protection and even growth in their savings.3. Building a stronger US military: Reversing the massive budget cuts that had seriously weakened our military under the Obama administration, President Trump has increased military spending by nearly $150 billion per year from $605 billion in 2016 to $750 billion, steadily rebuilding US military readiness.4. Protecting unborn babies: Numerous executive orders have increasingly restricted government funding for abortions (such as the reinstatement of the Mexico City policy). On February 22, 2019, the Trump administration announced that it would not allow organizations that provide referrals for abortions to receive federal family-planning money, which implies a cut in funding for Planned Parenthood (the nation’s largest abortion provider) unless they perform abortions in a separate facility and not refer patients to it. And on May 2, 2019, the Trump administration’s Department Of Health And Human Services issued a new rule protecting healthcare workers who decline on the basis of conscience or religious conviction to participate in procedures such as abortion or assisted suicide. Trump was the first president ever to personally attend the pro-life March for Life in Washington, DC on January 24, 2020.5. Expanding educational freedom: President Trump appointed Betsy DeVos, one of America’s leading advocates for greater school choice, to be Secretary of Education, resulting in rising support for charter schools, taxpayer-funded vouchers, and tax credits for private-school vouchers, programs aimed at expanding options for parents looking beyond traditional public schools as she brings attention to them.6. Standing with Israel: Reversing President Obama’s repeated marginalization and shunning of Israel, President Trump has reaffirmed our commitment to support and defend Israel. He decisively moved the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He recognized the Golan Heights as part of Israel. He has welcomed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House several times and has repeatedly reaffirmed our support for Israel. I recently read in the Jerusalem Post a statement that Israel has never had a better friend in the White House than Donald Trump.7. Negotiating a historic agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates: On August 13, 2020, President Trump announced that Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had come to a historic agreement to establish full diplomatic relations between the two countries, including the establishment of permanent embassies and the beginning of direct airline flights between the two countries. This is important because Dubai, the largest city in the UAE, is the leading financial center in the Middle East and plays a leading role in world air travel and tourism. The agreement will “strengthen regional checks on Iranian power.” It also has the potential to set a pattern for future agreements establishing peaceful relations between Israel and other Arab countries in the Middle East.8. Actually building a border wall: President Trump has relentlessly battled against Democratic stonewalling and liberal federal judges to build an effective, secure border wall along more than 200 miles of our southern border, and it could possibly reach as much as 450 miles by the end of 2020. Critics object that most of this construction is simply replacing old barriers that were already in place, but they fail to recognize that the government’s first priority has been to secure the highest traffic areas, and in many of those areas the old fence was not up to the job. An effective border wall is absolutely necessary to keep our nation secure and to gain some control over an immigration crisis that has spiraled out of control. It won’t stop all illegal immigration, but eventually it will likely stop over 95% of people who try to enter on foot.This is important, because once the American people feel that the border is secure, it will be much easier to gain the political consensus necessary for a humane and just solution regarding the undocumented immigrants who are already here, and for widespread support for the legal entry of large numbers of immigrants who will contribute much of value to this great nation.9. Comprehensive immigration reform proposals : President Trump has proposed and worked for sensible, comprehensive reform of our broken immigration system that would change our policy on legal immigration from a system based on extended family connections and randomness to a system based on merit, so that we prioritize admitting people who will be most likely to contribute positively to American society (as well as those who are escaping from genuine threats to their lives in their homelands).10. Religious freedom and freedom of conscience: President Trump’s administration has repeatedly and continually worked to defend religious freedom, and his Justice Department has defended religious freedom in numerous court cases, such as supporting the case of Colorado cake designer Jack Phillips at the Supreme Court (Phillips faced massive fines for politely declining to design a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding), and the right of faith-based organizations not to be forced to provide access to abortifacients through their health care plans, overturning the Obamacare HHS regulation that had forced them to do so.In addition, in the first year of Trump’s presidency, the Department of Justice issued a strongly-worded, 25-page memorandum detailing exceptionally strong protections for religious liberty.11. Withdrawing from Paris climate accord: President Trump wisely and decisively removed United States from the Paris climate accord, a radical environmentalist program which, according to a Heritage Foundation study, would have brought massive increases to US energy prices with no statistically significant benefit to the environment . Doubling or tripling of US energy costs (as under the Paris climate accord, according to the Heritage Foundation) would have harmed the poor most of all as they spend the highest portion of their budgets on energy. In addition, it would have cost America more than 206,000 jobs by 2040.12. Energy production and energy independence: President Trump gave approval to the Keystone pipeline, the Dakota access pipeline, and oil production from the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, , a vast uninhabited region which could produce up to 20 percent of our petroleum needs. His administration has also granted more permits for mining of oil, gas, and coal from federal lands. The result has been lower energy prices (which benefits everyone) and also US energy independence so that we are now becoming the leading exporter rather than a net importer of energy.13. Waterways of the US: The Trump administration’s decision to abandon the “waterways of the US” policy rightfully returned control of water on private lands to the owners of those lands, rather than the federal government seizing control over nearly all waterways in the United States. These rules have hindered farmers, ranchers, and developers. American Farm Bureau Chairman Zippy Duvall praised the action, saying: “Farmers and ranchers care about clean water and preserving the land, which are essential to producing healthy food and fiber and ensuring future generations can do the same. That’s why we support the new clean water rule. It provides clarity and certainty, allowing farmers to understand water regulations without having to hire teams of consultants and lawyers. We appreciate the commitment of the agencies involved and this administration to crafting a new regulation that achieves important regulatory oversight while allowing farmers to farm. Clean water, clear rules.”14. Halting the increase in Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards: The Trump administration decision halted the Obama-imposed harsh annual increases in projected average miles per gallon required in new cars every year. This decision will lead to more consumer choice and less expensive and safer cars, which is much better than the Democratic policy of ever-higher mileage goals, requiring ever-lighter and smaller cars, which means more dangerous cars and less consumer choice.15. Defeating ISIS: President Trump gave our military forces the freedom to defeat ISIS and drive them out of large sections of Iraq and Syria, which they did. This is far superior to the Democratic policy of inaction and appeasement, which had allowed ISIS to take over large areas of the Middle East. Under President Trump’s leadership, US military forces located and killed ISIS founder and terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Oct. 26-27, 2019. President Trump also directed the killing of Iranian terrorist mastermind Qasem Soleimani on Jan. 2, 2020.16. Persuading European nations to pay more for NATO: President Trump has insisted that NATO countries start to pay their fair share of defense costs, and some NATO countries have responded by increasing their defense budgets. In 2017, five countries met the goal of spending 2% of their GDP on defense and that has now increased to nine according to the alliance's latest budgetary data. The U.S. is set to spend over $750 billion (3.7% of GDP) on its military this year and leads the “above 2%” group, which now includes Bulgaria (3.25 percent), Greece (2.28 percent), the United Kingdom (2.14 percent), Estonia (2.14 percent), Romania (2.04 percent), Lithuania (2.03 percent), Latvia (2.01 percent) and Poland (2 percent)17. Protections against false accusation on college campuses: President Trump’s administration has restored many due process guidelines that universities must follow in processing title IX accusations of sexual assault on university campuses.18. Protecting freedom of speech on college campuses: President Trump issued an executive order giving more specific protections to freedom of speech on college campuses by threatening the loss of federal research dollars if they do not allow for free speech for all students and faculty members. On many campuses, conservative and religious students and faculty members have had their views censored or have faced retribution for expressing conservative or faith-based views19. Protecting boys’ and girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams: On February 22, 2017, President Trump directed the Department of Education to revoke the Obama-administration’s guidance letter that had directed schools to allow children who claim to be “transgender” to use the bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers of their choice, and to join sports teams of their choice, even when their choices differed from their biological sex.In a related decision President Trump issued an executive order banning transgender persons from entering our military forces, which would have allowed biological males free access to women’s bathrooms, locker rooms and showers, and similarly allowed biological females to enter men’s facilities. Present Trump’s order was upheld by the Supreme Court which lifted the block on the order by a 5-4 vote. While litigation will continue, the order stands for now.20. Negotiating new trade agreements that are more favorable to the United States: President Trump has negotiated new trade agreements with Mexico, Canada, and China, and all of them give more favorable treatment to the United States than the previous treaties did.21. Streamlining environmental reviews for major construction projects: In order to build a new section of highway, a new subway line, or a new gas pipeline, the necessary environmental impact statements have recently taken an average of 4.5 years, and many ran for six years or longer. These delays massively increased construction costs and delayed relief for over-congested highways for many years. But on July 15, 2020, President Trump’s White House released new guidelines limiting environmental impact studies to two years and limiting less-extensive environmental assessments to one year. The Wall Street Journal says these new rules “could literally cut thousands of years of cumulative delay” for construction projects. This will be a huge help in renewing America’s aging infrastructure.22. Sending weapons to Ukraine: Whereas President Obama sent only humanitarian aid, President Trump authorized the selling of actual military equipment to Ukraine, including Javelin missiles which were necessary to defend against Russian aggression.23. Standing up to China and Russia: Trump has been the first president to decisively denounce China’s blatant practice of industrial espionage and bullying, stealing of intellectual property, and violating international copyright protections. He has followed up with strong trade sanctions against China, an increased US naval presence in the South China Sea, and the closing of the Chinese consulate in Houston, which was a center of Chinese espionage. The Trump administration has closed several Russian consulates in the US and expelled over 60 Russian “diplomats” (espionage agents), issued sanctions against several Russian officials, and persuaded several European nations to increase their defenses against potential Russian invasion.24. Withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal: President Trump withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan for Action, which would have allowed Iran to build a nuclear bomb within the next few years.25. A wise COVID-19 response: President Trump imposed strict restrictions on travel from China on January 31, 2020, long before other leaders recognized the danger of this coronavirus. Then, when the COVID-19 virus began to spread rapidly within the United States, the dominant media narrative was a fear that we would run out of hospital beds to care for the sick. President Trump immediately mobilized the military to construct huge new hospital facilities in New York City and elsewhere, and soon there were enough beds. The next fear was that we would run out of ventilators. President Trump persuaded leaders of American industry to fast-track the manufacture of ventilators, and soon there were enough ventilators. Then the question was how soon to reopen buildings and meeting places, and President Trump wisely left the decision to local governors and other local officials who best know the different situations in their individual locations.Finally, the FDA has fast-tracked the trial and approval process for a vaccine, and the federal government has made commitments to purchase millions of vaccines from various companies as soon as they are approved for widespread use. Several promising vaccines are now in the advanced stages of testing on human subjects. The previous record for rapid FDA approval of a new vaccine was four years from initial research to final approval, but under President Trump’s leadership experts are now optimistically predicting that an FDA-approved coronavirus vaccine will be available as early as October 2020, which would be nine months from the time the outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China became known.In addition, President Trump, working with Congress, quickly passed three coronavirus relief packages, with the result that millions of Americans continued to receive pay in spite of their workplaces being temporarily closed.Unfortunately, many Democrats have decided to make the coronavirus tragedy a political issue, repeatedly criticizing President Trump’s response. With the benefit of hindsight, Monday morning quarterbacks can always claim they would have made better decisions in Sunday afternoon’s game, but they didn’t have to make instant decisions in the midst of the contest.We need to recognize that President Trump, in dealing with the coronavirus crisis, has repeatedly had to make hard decisions in a situation where he had incomplete information and conflicting advice from different scientific, medical, economic, and educational experts. Others may disagree, but it seems to me that in a very difficult situation he has done a commendable job of balancing the need to protect Americans’ health, the need to avoid destroying our economy, the need to protect businesses from bankruptcy, and the need to get children back to school so that they will not be deprived of many crucial months in their education.26. Reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs: On June 23, 2017, President Trump signed the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, which gave the Secretary of Veterans Affairs streamlined authority to fire unproductive employees and to appoint new medical directors at VA hospitals. But even before that law, the Trump administration had begun to clean house, and over 500 employees were fired from the Veterans Administration in the first six months of Trump’s presidency.27. Criminal justice reform: President Trump signed the First Step Act on December 21, 2018.This law gives judges more flexibility in reducing mandatory sentencing guidelines in individual cases, eliminates the “three strikes” requirement of life imprisonment for some offenses, improves opportunities for academic and vocational education within prisons, provides more support for the successful reentry of released prisoners into society, and requires prisoners to be placed in prisons near their place of primary residence where possible28. Reducing prescription drug prices: on July 24, 2000, President Trump signed four executive orders aimed at reducing prescription drug prices. These included requiring federal health centers to make insulin and epinephrine available at massive discounts to low income persons, prohibiting secret deals between drug manufacturers and pharmacy “benefit manager” middlemen, ensuring patients directly benefit from available discounts at the pharmacy counter. allowing more importation of prescription drugs from Canada and other countries where prices are lower, and reducing prices for Medicare Part B drugs if they are available for lower prices in other economically advanced countries.I personally doubt the wisdom of using price controls instead of fostering greater competition to reduce drug prices, but I’m still listing this as a good action because it may be a useful first step in providing a signal that Republicans are serious about solving the real problem of expensive drugs that many people cannot afford.29. Protecting federal property from rioters: The movement that began as peaceful and well-justified protests against the murder of George Floyd was soon co-opted by the presence of lawless rioters whose goal was destruction of property by looting and arson that began in Minneapolis and soon spread to Seattle, Portland, Chicago, New York, and other cities. In contrast to the weak Democratic mayors and governors who adopted a policy of appeasement that only encouraged more violence and even resulted in the burning of a police station in Minneapolis, President Trump announced in Washington, DC that any destruction of federal statues and monuments would result in fines up to $10,000, and suddenly the attacks on these statues came to an abrupt halt. When rioters threatened to destroy the US courthouse in Portland, and the governor and the mayor were not protecting this federal property, President Trump sent in federal officers learn to protect it, which they did. The courthouse was not destroyed and the slightly over 100 US marshals and DHS officers inside the building were protected until eventually the mayor of Portland sent local and state police to protect the building.According to the 1807 Insurrection Act, the president has the legal authority to take any measures (including deploying federal troops or other law enforcement officials) necessary to suppress any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination or conspiracy, even without an invitation or permission from the governor of the state in which that federal property is located. An example of this happened in 1957 when President Dwight Eisenhower sent federal troops into Arkansas, over the objections of Governor Orval Faubus, to enforce federal school desegregation orders and protect African-American schoolchildren from a mob that had gathered to stop them outside Central High School in Little Rock.In a further response to the violence threatening many of our cities, President Trump’s Department of Justice has now launched Operation Legend, in which over 1000 additional federal agents have been dispatched to work alongside local law enforcement officers in nine cities to apprehend the most violent instigators of these riots. They have now located and arrested 1485 suspects for violent crimes, including 90 homicides.30. Welcoming evangelical Christians into positions of influence: This may not be important to others, but, speaking as an evangelical Christian, I see it as a positive factor that, rather than marginalizing evangelical Christians (as was the practice of the Obama administration), President Trump has appointed a remarkably large number of evangelicals to high government offices. These include Vice President Mike Pence, Ben Carson (Secretary of Housing and Urban Development), Betsy DeVos (Secretary of Education), Rick Perry (former secretary of energy), Scott Pruitt (former administrator of Environmental Protection Agency), Dan Coats (former director of national intelligence), Mike Pompeo (Secretary of State), Russ Vought (Director of Office of Management and Budget), and Kayleigh McEnany (White House Press Secretary), and others.In addition, he has frequently welcomed evangelical pastors and other leaders to the White House, for both public and private conversations.The context: refusing to waiver in the face of the most biased reporting in American history: These 30 good actions have all been accomplished in spite of a remarkably hostile national media. The Media Research Center analyzed all the evaluative statements made by reporters, anchors, and nonpartisan sources (such as experts or voters but not people identified as Democrats or Republicans) during June and July of 2020 on “World News Tonight “ ( ABC), “Evening News” (CBS), and “NBC Nightly News” (NBC). They counted 34 positive evaluative statements made about President Trump and 634 negative statements during those two months. By contrast, there were eight positive statements and four negative evaluative statements about Biden during the same time period. (Biden had become the presumptive Democratic nominee on April 8 when Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign.)These numbers indicate that, for every time that viewers heard a negative evaluation of Biden, they heard 158 negative evaluations of Trump. For every positive statement they heard about Trump, they heard 18 negative statements. This is not balanced reporting, nor is it responsible journalism. Someone may object that the Media Research Center is a politically conservative content analysis organization, but that does not invalidate their tabulations, which I suspect would be consistent with the perceptions of any viewers who watch these newscasts for a few days. A similar kind of bias could also be seen on CNN or MSNBC.Research director Rich Noyes at the Media Research Center was quoted as saying, “I have been studying the news media and elections for more than 35 years. Trust me – there has never been anything like it.” He called this “the most biased presidential campaign coverage in modern media history.”I point out this media bias in order to observe that President Trump’s unwavering commitment to common-sense conservative political policies is remarkable. Few human beings would have the courage and strength of character to persist in the face of such overwhelmingly hostile mainstream news coverage. And he has not done this while avoiding the press but has held 17 solo press conferences and 44 joint press conferences in 3 ½ years (as of July 20th) plus numerous less formal interchanges with the press when he leaves or returns to the White House by helicopter.In addition, he has done all this while enduring 3 ½ years of “resistance” by a massive special counsel investigation (that came to nothing), impeachment by the House (that came to nothing), and numerous nationwide injunctions against his executive orders issued by individual US District Court judges. In this context, Trump’s resolute pursuit of the policies on which he campaigned seems to me to be commendable.Divine blessing or divine judgment? Speaking as an evangelical Christian, I believe that God exercises providential control over the history of nations. The Old Testament says, “The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men” (Daniel 4:17). Similarly, the New Testament says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1).But that doesn’t mean that all rulers are good. Sometimes God gives a nation oppressive rulers as a means of divine judgment, as when he led Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, to carry off the Jewish people into exile (2 Kings 24:10- 25:21). At other times he gives leaders who will bring blessing to a nation, as when God led Cyrus, king of Persia, to decree that the Jewish people could return to their homeland (Ezra 1:1-4).So here is a question for my fellow Christians: If you believe (as I do) that God is sovereign over the affairs of nations, do you think that Donald Trump’s presidency has been an evidence of divine blessing or divine judgment? I admit that perceiving divine purposes in human events is a task that cannot be proved with certainty one way or another, but when I look over this list of 30 actions, it appears to me to be far more characteristic of divine blessing than of divine judgment. If others disagree, I respect your right to have a different opinion, but that is my view.Conclusion: If President Trump is reelected (as I hope he will be), we can expect four more years of the same type of White House activity: more originalist judges, ongoing lower taxes and deregulation, continuing funding for a stronger military, further restrictions on abortion, more school choice, continued support for Israel, hundreds of additional miles of border wall, a humane and just solution to immigration, continuing protection of religious freedom and freedom of conscience, abundant safe energy production, continued protection against Islamic terrorism, a stronger NATO alliance, more free speech protections on college campuses, continued protection of separate boys and girls sports teams and locker rooms, more trade agreements that are fair to the US, accelerated renewal of our aging infrastructure, unflinching resistance to Russian and Chinese aggressiveness, continued isolation of Iran and multilateral containment of their hostile expansionist ambitions, normalization of relations between Israel and other Arab nations, and further solutions to the problem of high drug prices.No doubt more beneficial actions could be added to this list, but these should be enough to justify another four good years with Donald Trump as president.Wayne Grudem is Distinguished Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary in Arizona.The views expressed in this article represent the views of the author and should not be understood to represent the position of Phoenix Seminary.AB5 Victims

That’s ridiculously false that in 2010 things were good around the world with America , it doesn’t matter what other countries are thinking! business is business and of course different presidents will conduct business in different ways of course Trump as a very unorthodox way of doing things, of course I wouldn’t do things the Trump way because I have my own way but his approach like it or not it’s very effective30 Things President Trump Has Done for AmericaPresident Trump receives non-stop criticism in the press. I agree that criticism is necessary when a president makes mistakes, but where are the voices expressing appreciation for the good things Trump has done? It’s unfair always to criticize and never to recognize any of the good things a president has done.It might be a refreshing change to recall some of the remarkable, nation-changing good things that Trump has accomplished for America. Here is my personal list. At the end of this list, I address the question, “Are these actions an indication of divine judgment or divine blessing on the United States of America?”Because of space limitations, I have not given extensive arguments explaining why I think these actions are good for the United States. But more extensive arguments can be found in my books Christian Ethics, Politics According to the Bible, and The Poverty of Nations.1. Judges: Trump has appointed two Supreme Court justices, 53 federal appellate judges, and 146 District Court judges (as well as two judges for the Court of International Trade) who have been confirmed by the Senate so far. In addition, 64 more have been appointed and are awaiting Senate confirmation. All of them are committed to interpreting the Constitution and laws according to the original meaning of the words, rather than according to what a modern liberal judge thinks the law should have said.As an evangelical Christian, I am glad to see that Trump’s two Supreme Court appointments have already been responsible for highly significant cases that increase religious freedom, such as the decisions (1) to allow state aid that is given to non-religious schools to be given also to religious schools (Montana decision), (2) to protect the right of religious schools to hire and fire employees based on the school’s religious convictions, and (3) to allowreligious groups to be exempt from government regulations that would otherwise cause them to violate their consciences in matters of birth control (and, by implication, probably in matters of abortion and same-sex marriage, but that has not yet been tested).2. Historic tax cuts and deregulation: After eight years of high unemployment and meager growth under President Obama’s administration, the Trump tax cuts of 2017 and Trump’s extensive canceling of excessive government regulations on businesses have given a tremendous boost to the American economy. An estimated 25,000 pages of regulations have been canceled, resulting in a savings of $3,100 per household per year. Another result of tax cuts combined with deregulation has been the addition of thousands of new jobs, so that unemployment (before the coronavirus crisis) fell to the lowest point in 50 years, and unemployment among African-American and Hispanic workers was the lowest it has ever been in history.Please Support The Stream: Equipping Christians to Think Clearly About the Political, Economic and Moral Issues of Our Day.On election day, 2016 (11-8-16), the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 18,332.74. This afternoon (8-28-20 at 2:44 PM) it stands at 28,618.39 which is an increase of 56% in 3 ½ years, even including several months of the coronavirus epidemic. This is remarkable.These economic changes affect ordinary people’s everyday lives, not just wealthy people. Tens of thousands of people who were unemployed have recovered the dignity of steady employment (including getting paid during the coronavirus crisis). Millions of ordinary Americans whose retirement savings are partially invested in the stock market (including my wife and me) are finally receiving some protection and even growth in their savings.3. Building a stronger U.S. military: Reversing the massive budget cuts that had seriously weakened our military under the Obama administration, President Trump has increased military spending by nearly $150 billion per year from $605 billion in 2016 to $750 billion, steadily rebuilding U.S. military readiness.4. Protecting unborn babies: Numerous executive orders have increasingly restrictedgovernment funding for abortions (such as the reinstatement of the Mexico City policy). On February 22, 2019, the Trump administration announced that it would not allow organizations that provide referrals for abortions to receive federal family-planning money, which implies a cut in funding for Planned Parenthood (the nation’s largest abortion provider) unless they perform abortions in a separate facility and not refer patients to it. And on May 2, 2019, the Trump administration’s Department Of Health And Human Services issued a new rule protecting healthcare workers who decline on the basis of conscience or religious conviction to participate in procedures such as abortion or assisted suicide. Trump was the first president ever to personally attend the pro-life March for Life in Washington, DC on January 24, 2020.5. Expanding educational freedom: President Trump appointed Betsy DeVos, one of America’s leading advocates for greater school choice, to be Secretary of Education, resulting in rising support for charter schools, taxpayer-funded vouchers, and tax credits for private-school vouchers, programs aimed at expanding options for parents looking beyond traditional public schools as she brings attention to them.6. Standing with Israel: Reversing President Obama’s repeated marginalization and shunning of Israel, President Trump has reaffirmed our commitment to support and defend Israel. He decisively moved the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He recognized the Golan Heights as part of Israel. He has welcomed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House several times and has repeatedly reaffirmed our support for Israel. I recently read in the Jerusalem Post a statement that Israel has never had a better friend in the White House than Donald Trump.7. Negotiating a historic agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates: On August 13, 2020, President Trump announced that Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had come to a historic agreement to establish full diplomatic relations between the two countries, including the establishment of permanent embassies and the beginning of direct airline flights between the two countries. This is important because Dubai, the largest city in the UAE, is the leading financial center in the Middle East and plays a leading role in world air travel and tourism. The agreement will “strengthen regional checks on Iranian power.” It also has the potential to set a pattern for future agreements establishing peaceful relations between Israel and other Arab countries in the Middle East.8. Actually building a border wall: President Trump has relentlessly battled against Democratic stonewalling and liberal federal judges to build an effective, secure border wallalong more than 200 miles of our southern border, and it could possibly reach as much as 450 miles by the end of 2020. Critics object that most of this construction is simply replacing old barriers that were already in place, but they fail to recognize that the government’s first priority has been to secure the highest traffic areas, and in many of those areas the old fence was not up to the job. An effective border wall is absolutely necessary to keep our nation secure and to gain some control over an immigration crisis that has spiraled out of control. It won’t stop all illegal immigration, but eventually it will likely stop over 95% of people who try to enter on foot.This is important, because once the American people feel that the border is secure, it will be much easier to gain the political consensus necessary for a humane and just solution regarding the undocumented immigrants who are already here, and for widespread support for the legal entry of large numbers of immigrants who will contribute much of value to this great nation.9. Comprehensive immigration reform proposals: President Trump has proposed and worked for sensible, comprehensive reform of our broken immigration system that would change our policy on legal immigration from a system based on extended family connections and randomness to a system based on merit, so that we prioritize admitting people who will be most likely to contribute positively to American society (as well as those who are escaping from genuine threats to their lives in their homelands).10. Religious freedom and freedom of conscience: President Trump’s administration has repeatedly and continually worked to defend religious freedom, and his Justice Department has defended religious freedom in numerous court cases, such as supporting the case of Colorado cake designer Jack Phillips at the Supreme Court (Phillips faced massive fines for politely declining to design a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding), and the right of faith-based organizations not to be forced to provide access to abortifacients through their health care plans, overturning the Obamacare HHS regulation that had forced them to do so.In addition, in the first year of Trump’s presidency, the Department of Justice issued a strongly-worded, 25-page memorandum detailing exceptionally strong protections for religious liberty.11. Withdrawing from Paris climate accord: President Trump wisely and decisively removed United States from the Paris climate accord, a radical environmentalist program which, according to a Heritage Foundation study, would have brought massive increases to U.S. energy prices with no statistically significant benefit to the environment. Doubling or tripling of U.S. energy costs (as under the Paris climate accord, according to the Heritage Foundation) would have harmed the poor most of all as they spend the highest portion of their budgets on energy. In addition, it would have cost America more than 206,000 jobs by 2040.12. Energy production and energy independence: President Trump gave approval to the Keystone pipeline, the Dakota access pipeline, and oil production from the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, a vast uninhabited region which could produce up to 20 percent of our petroleum needs. His administration has also granted more permits for mining of oil, gas, and coal from federal lands. The result has been lower energy prices (which benefits everyone) and also U.S. energy independence so that we are now becoming the leading exporter rather than a net importer of energy.13. Waterways of the U.S.: The Trump administration’s decision to abandon the “waterways of the U.S.” policy rightfully returned control of water on private lands to the owners of those lands, rather than the federal government seizing control over nearly all waterways in the United States. These rules have hindered farmers, ranchers, and developers. American Farm Bureau Chairman Zippy Duvall praised the action, saying: “Farmers and ranchers care about clean water and preserving the land, which are essential to producing healthy food and fiber and ensuring future generations can do the same. That’s why we support the new clean water rule. It provides clarity and certainty, allowing farmers to understand water regulations without having to hire teams of consultants and lawyers. We appreciate the commitment of the agencies involved and this administration to crafting a new regulation that achieves important regulatory oversight while allowing farmers to farm. Clean water, clear rules.”14. Halting the increase in Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards: The Trump administration decision halted the Obama-imposed harsh annual increases in projected average miles per gallon required in new cars every year. This decision will lead to more consumer choice and less expensive and safer cars, which is much better than the Democratic policy of ever-higher mileage goals, requiring ever-lighter and smaller cars, which means more dangerous cars and less consumer choice.15. Defeating ISIS: President Trump gave our military forces the freedom to defeat ISIS and drive them out of large sections of Iraq and Syria, which they did. This is far superior to the Democratic policy of inaction and appeasement, which had allowed ISIS to take over large areas of the Middle East. Under President Trump’s leadership, U.S. military forces located and killed ISIS founder and terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Oct. 26-27, 2019. President Trump also directed the killing of Iranian terrorist mastermind Qasem Soleimani on Jan. 2, 2020.16. Persuading European nations to pay more for NATO: President Trump has insisted that NATO countries start to pay their fair share of defense costs, and some NATO countries have responded by increasing their defense budgets. In 2017, five countries met the goal of spending 2% of their GDP on defense and that has now increased to nine according to the alliance’s latest budgetary data. The U.S. is set to spend over $750 billion (3.7% of GDP) on its military this year and leads the “above 2%” group, which now includes Bulgaria (3.25 percent), Greece (2.28 percent), the United Kingdom (2.14 percent), Estonia (2.14 percent), Romania (2.04 percent), Lithuania (2.03 percent), Latvia (2.01 percent) and Poland (2 percent)17. Protections against false accusation on college campuses: President Trump’s administration has restored many due process guidelines that universities must follow in processing title IX accusations of sexual assault on university campuses.18. Protecting freedom of speech on college campuses: President Trump issued an executive order giving more specific protections to freedom of speech on college campuses by threatening the loss of federal research dollars if they do not allow for free speech for all students and faculty members. On many campuses, conservative and religious students and faculty members have had their views censored or have faced retribution for expressing conservative or faith-based views19. Protecting boys’ and girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams: On February 22, 2017, President Trump directed the Department of Education to revoke the Obama-administration’s guidance letter that had directed schools to allow children who claim to be “transgender” to use the bathrooms, locker rooms, and showers of their choice, and to join sports teams of their choice, even when their choices differed from their biological sex.In a related decision President Trump issued an executive order banning transgender persons from entering our military forces, which would have allowed biological males free access to women’s bathrooms, locker rooms and showers, and similarly allowed biological females to enter men’s facilities. Present Trump’s order was upheld by the Supreme Court which lifted the block on the order by a 5-4 vote. While litigation will continue, the order stands for now.20. Negotiating new trade agreements that are more favorable to the United States:President Trump has negotiated new trade agreements with Mexico, Canada, and China, and all of them give more favorable treatment to the United States than the previous treaties did.21. Streamlining environmental reviews for major construction projects: In order to build a new section of highway, a new subway line, or a new gas pipeline, the necessary environmental impact statements have recently taken an average of 4.5 years, and many ran for six years or longer. These delays massively increased construction costs and delayed relief for over-congested highways for many years. But on July 15, 2020, President Trump’s White House released new guidelines limiting environmental impact studies to two years and limiting less-extensive environmental assessments to one year. The Wall Street Journal saysthese new rules “could literally cut thousands of years of cumulative delay” for construction projects. This will be a huge help in renewing America’s aging infrastructure.22. Sending weapons to Ukraine: Whereas President Obama sent only humanitarian aid, President Trump authorized the selling of actual military equipment to Ukraine, including Javelin missiles which were necessary to defend against Russian aggression.23. Standing up to China and Russia: Trump has been the first president to decisively denounce China’s blatant practice of industrial espionage and bullying, stealing of intellectual property, and violating international copyright protections. He has followed upwith strong trade sanctions against China, an increased U.S. naval presence in the South China Sea, and the closing of the Chinese consulate in Houston, which was a center of Chinese espionage. The Trump administration has closed several Russian consulates in the U.S. and expelled over 60 Russian “diplomats” (espionage agents), issued sanctions against several Russian officials, and persuaded several European nations to increase their defenses against potential Russian invasion.24. Withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal: President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan for Action, which would have allowed Iran to build a nuclear bomb within the next few years.25. A wise COVID-19 response: President Trump imposed strict restrictions on travel from China on January 31, 2020, long before other leaders recognized the danger of this coronavirus. Then, when the COVID-19 virus began to spread rapidly within the United States, the dominant media narrative was a fear that we would run out of hospital beds to care for the sick. President Trump immediately mobilized the military to construct huge new hospital facilities in New York City and elsewhere, and soon there were enough beds. The next fear was that we would run out of ventilators. President Trump persuaded leaders of American industry to fast-track the manufacture of ventilators, and soon there were enough ventilators. Then the question was how soon to reopen buildings and meeting places, and President Trump wisely left the decision to local governors and other local officials who best know the different situations in their individual locations.President Trump wisely left the decision to local governors and other local officials who best know the different situations in their individual locations.Finally, the FDA has fast-tracked the trial and approval process for a vaccine, and the federal government has made commitments to purchase millions of vaccines from various companies as soon as they are approved for widespread use. Several promising vaccines are now in the advanced stages of testing on human subjects. The previous record for rapid FDA approval of a new vaccine was four years from initial research to final approval, but under President Trump’s leadership experts are now optimistically predicting that an FDA-approved coronavirus vaccine will be available as early as October 2020, which would be nine months from the time the outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China became known.In addition, President Trump, working with Congress, quickly passed three coronavirus relief packages, with the result that millions of Americans continued to receive pay in spite of their workplaces being temporarily closed.Unfortunately, many Democrats have decided to make the coronavirus tragedy a political issue, repeatedly criticizing President Trump’s response. With the benefit of hindsight, Monday morning quarterbacks can always claim they would have made better decisions in Sunday afternoon’s game, but they didn’t have to make instant decisions in the midst of the contest.We need to recognize that President Trump, in dealing with the coronavirus crisis, has repeatedly had to make hard decisions in a situation where he had incomplete information and conflicting advice from different scientific, medical, economic, and educational experts. Others may disagree, but it seems to me that in a very difficult situation he has done a commendable job of balancing the need to protect Americans’ health, the need to avoid destroying our economy, the need to protect businesses from bankruptcy, and the need to get children back to school so that they will not be deprived of many crucial months in their education.26. Reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs: On June 23, 2017, President Trump signed the Veterans Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, which gave the Secretary of Veterans Affairs streamlined authority to fire unproductive employees and to appoint new medical directors at VA hospitals. But even before that law, the Trump administration had begun to clean house, and over 500 employees were fired from the Veterans Administration in the first six months of Trump’s presidency.27. Criminal justice reform: President Trump signed the First Step Act on December 21, 2018.This law gives judges more flexibility in reducing mandatory sentencing guidelines in individual cases, eliminates the “three strikes” requirement of life imprisonment for some offenses, improves opportunities for academic and vocational education within prisons, provides more support for the successful reentry of released prisoners into society, and requires prisoners to be placed in prisons near their place of primary residence where possible28. Reducing prescription drug prices: on July 24, 2020, President Trump signed four executive orders aimed at reducing prescription drug prices. These included requiring federal health centers to make insulin and epinephrine available at massive discounts to low income persons, prohibiting secret deals between drug manufacturers and pharmacy “benefit manager” middlemen, ensuring patients directly benefit from available discounts at the pharmacy counter. Allowing more importation of prescription drugs from Canada and other countries where prices are lower, and reducing prices for Medicare Part B drugs if they are available for lower prices in other economically advanced countries.I personally doubt the wisdom of using price controls instead of fostering greater competition to reduce drug prices, but I’m still listing this as a good action because it may be a useful first step in providing a signal that Republicans are serious about solving the real problem of expensive drugs that many people cannot afford.29. Protecting federal property from rioters: The movement that began as peaceful and well-justified protests against the murder of George Floyd was soon co-opted by the presence of lawless rioters whose goal was destruction of property by looting and arson that began in Minneapolis and soon spread to Seattle, Portland, Chicago, New York, and other cities. In contrast to the weak Democratic mayors and governors who adopted a policy of appeasement that only encouraged more violence and even resulted in the burning of a police station in Minneapolis, President Trump announced in Washington, DC that any destruction of federal statues and monuments would result in fines up to $10,000, and suddenly the attacks on these statues came to an abrupt halt. When rioters threatened to destroy the U.S. courthouse in Portland, and the governor and the mayor were not protecting this federal property, President Trump sent in federal officers learn to protect it, which they did. The courthouse was not destroyed and the slightly over 100 U.S. marshals and DHS officers inside the building were protected until eventually the mayor of Portland sent local and state police to protect the building.According to the 1807 Insurrection Act, the president has the legal authority to take any measures (including deploying federal troops or other law enforcement officials) necessary to suppress any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination or conspiracy, even without an invitation or permission from the governor of the state in which that federal property is located. An example of this happened in 1957 when President Dwight Eisenhower sent federal troops into Arkansas, over the objections of Governor Orval Faubus, to enforce federal school desegregation orders and protect African-American schoolchildren from a mob that had gathered to stop them outside Central High School in Little Rock.In a further response to the violence threatening many of our cities, President Trump’s Department of Justice has now launched Operation Legend, in which over 1000 additional federal agents have been dispatched to work alongside local law enforcement officers in nine cities to apprehend the most violent instigators of these riots. They have now located and arrested 1485 suspects for violent crimes, including 90 homicides.30. Welcoming evangelical Christians into positions of influence: This may not be important to others, but, speaking as an evangelical Christian, I see it as a positive factor that, rather than marginalizing evangelical Christians (as was the practice of the Obama administration), President Trump has appointed a remarkably large number of evangelicals to high government offices. These include Vice President Mike Pence, Ben Carson (Secretary of Housing and Urban Development), Betsy DeVos (Secretary of Education), Rick Perry (former secretary of energy), Scott Pruitt (former administrator of Environmental Protection Agency), Dan Coats (former director of national intelligence), Mike Pompeo (Secretary of State), Russ Vought (Director of Office of Management and Budget), and Kayleigh McEnany (White House Press Secretary), and others.In addition, he has frequently welcomed evangelical pastors and other leaders to the White House, for both public and private conversations.In ContextPresident Trump has refused to waiver in the face of the most biased reporting in American history: These 30 good actions have all been accomplished in spite of a remarkably hostile national media. The Media Research Center analyzed all the evaluative statements made by reporters, anchors, and nonpartisan sources (such as experts or voters but not people identified as Democrats or Republicans) during June and July of 2020 on “World News Tonight “ ( ABC), “Evening News” (CBS), and “NBC Nightly News” (NBC). They counted 34 positive evaluative statements made about President Trump and 634 negative statements during those two months. By contrast, there were eight positive statements and four negative evaluative statements about Biden during the same time period. (Biden had become the presumptive Democratic nominee on April 8 when Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign.)These numbers indicate that, for every time that viewers heard a negative evaluation of Biden, they heard 158 negative evaluations of Trump. For every positive statement they heard about Trump, they heard 18 negative statements. This is not balanced reporting, nor is it responsible journalism. Someone may object that the Media Research Center is a politically conservative content analysis organization, but that does not invalidate their tabulations, which I suspect would be consistent with the perceptions of any viewers who watch these newscasts for a few days. A similar kind of bias could also be seen on CNN or MSNBC.Research director Rich Noyes at the Media Research Center was quoted as saying, “I have been studying the news media and elections for more than 35 years. Trust me – there has never been anything like it.” He called this “the most biased presidential campaign coverage in modern media history.”I point out this media bias in order to observe that President Trump’s unwavering commitment to common-sense conservative political policies is remarkable. Few human beings would have the courage and strength of character to persist in the face of such overwhelmingly hostile mainstream news coverage. And he has not done this while avoiding the press but has held 17 solo press conferences and 44 joint press conferences in 3 ½ years (as of July 20th) plus numerous less formal interchanges with the press when he leaves or returns to the White House by helicopter.In addition, he has done all this while enduring 3 ½ years of “resistance” by a massive special counsel investigation (that came to nothing), impeachment by the House (that came to nothing), and numerous nationwide injunctions against his executive orders issued by individual U.S. District Court judges. In this context, Trump’s resolute pursuit of the policies on which he campaigned seems to me to be commendable.Divine blessing or divine judgment?Speaking as an evangelical Christian, I believe that God exercises providential control over the history of nations. The Old Testament says, “The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men” (Daniel 4:17). Similarly, the New Testament says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1).But that doesn’t mean that all rulers are good. Sometimes God gives a nation oppressive rulers as a means of divine judgment, as when he led Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, to carry off the Jewish people into exile (2 Kings 24:10- 25:21). At other times he gives leaders who will bring blessing to a nation, as when God led Cyrus, king of Persia, to decree that the Jewish people could return to their homeland (Ezra 1:1-4).So here is a question for my fellow Christians: If you believe (as I do) that God is sovereign over the affairs of nations, do you think that Donald Trump’s presidency has been an evidence of divine blessing or divine judgment? I admit that perceiving divine purposes in human events is a task that cannot be proved with certainty one way or another, but when I look over this list of 30 actions, it appears to me to be far more characteristic of divine blessing than of divine judgment. If others disagree, I respect your right to have a different opinion, but that is my view.ConclusionIf President Trump is reelected (as I hope he will be), we can expect four more years of the same type of White House activity: more originalist judges, ongoing lower taxes and deregulation, continuing funding for a stronger military, further restrictions on abortion, more school choice, continued support for Israel, hundreds of additional miles of border wall, a humane and just solution to immigration, continuing protection of religious freedom and freedom of conscience, abundant safe energy production, continued protection against Islamic terrorism, a stronger NATO alliance, more free speech protections on college campuses, continued protection of separate boys and girls sports teams and locker rooms, more trade agreements that are fair to the U.S., accelerated renewal of our aging infrastructure, unflinching resistance to Russian and Chinese aggressiveness, continued isolation of Iran and multilateral containment of their hostile expansionist ambitions, normalization of relations between Israel and other Arab nations, and further solutions to the problem of high drug prices.No doubt more beneficial actions could be added to this list, but these should be enough to justify another four good years with Donald Trump as president.Wayne Grudem is Distinguished Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary in Arizona. The views expressed in this article represent the views of the author and should not be understood to represent the position of Phoenix Seminary.

Q. What are the top pre-med schools in Michigan?A. There are several lists for top national premed programs, but none for Michigan. To stay local, there should be some preference for graduates from institutions that share a name. There may also be combined BS/MD pathways/assured admission. Otherwise, the higher ranking schools in the state of Michigan should be more competitive (Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan State, Kalamazoo, Michigan Dearborn then Andrews).Medical Schools in Michigan Ranked (6 total)University of Michigan Medical School -- Ann ArborNational:Top 10 Universities for Pre-Med Students (College Magazine)Top Premed Colleges (College Love to Know: By GPA/MCAT and by # Applicants)Best Universities for Pre-Med Students: List of Top SchoolsMichigan:The Best Colleges in Michigan for 20162017 Michigan University RankingSchools & Programs25 Undergraduate schools & programs found matching: Pre-Medical Studies (List of schools in Michigan with premed concentration)Choose the Right Undergraduate Major for Medical SchoolPre-Med: The Awful TruthMedical Schools › MichiganMichigan Medical School: # Rank / Tuition / MCAT / GPAUniversity of Michigan at Ann ArborAnn Arbor, Michigan#7 / $30,150 / 36.0 / 3.84William Beaumont School of MedicineOakland UniversityRochester, Michigan#81 / $46,249 / 31.0 / 3.72Michigan State University College of Osteopathic MedicineMichigan State UniversityEast Lansing, Michigan#83 / $40,112 / 28.0 / 3.59Wayne State School of MedicineWayne State UniversityDetroit, Michigan#96 / $31,790 / 32.0 / 3.82Central Michigan University College of MedicineCentral Michigan UniversityMt Pleasant, Michigan#132 / $36,036 / 28.0 / 3.71Western Michigan University Homer Stryker School of MedicineWestern Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, Michigan#147 / $49,000 / 31.0 / 3.66University of Michigan--Ann Arbor#11 Tie Best Medical Schools: Research#4 Best Medical Schools: Primary Care2017 Quick StatsAddress1301 Catherine RoadAnn Arbor, MI 48109-0624Students710 enrolledTuition$32,428 (full-time, in-state)$50,854 (full-time, out-of-state)• More InformationMedical School OverviewThe Medical School at University of Michigan--Ann Arbor has an application deadline of September 30. The application fee at University of Michigan--Ann Arbor is $85. Its tuition is full-time: $32,428 (in-state) and full-time: $50,854 (out-of-state). The faculty-student ratio at University of Michigan--Ann Arbor is 2.6:1. The Medical School has 2,121 full- and part-time faculty on staff.Students see patients within the first month of starting medical school at the University of Michigan through the Initial Clinical Experience. The hands-on academic experiences continue through the medical school’s four-year Doctoring Course. In the third and fourth years, students participate in more advanced clinical experiences and have more than 200 electives to choose from. The school has a Clinical Simulation Center for hands-on learning as well.Medical students can also complete an MBA or another advanced degree, such as a master’s in public health or public policy, through joint programs with other highly ranked professional schools at Michigan, including the Ross School of Business and the School of Public Health. The medical school also offers a Medical Scientist Training Program that allows students to earn an M.D. and Ph.D. in about eight years.Michigan medical students are not required to complete research projects, but those who are interested have opportunities to participate in research that ranges from investigating specific diseases to figuring out ways to improve the delivery of health care services. And there are dozens of medical student organizations to check out, too.The medical campus is home to the highly ranked University of Michigan Health System, as well as the Taubman Health Sciences Library, which features a clinical skills suite that gives students the opportunity to practice on trained medical actors and actual patients. Students can also get involved in community service projects like the Student-Run Free Clinic. Housing is available to graduate students on and off campus.Programs and Specialties#8 in Family Medicine#4 in Geriatrics#6 in Internal Medicine in Pediatrics#6 Tie in Women's HealthAcademics Full-time faculty 1,827Full-time faculty-student ratio 2.6:1Student BodyTotal medical school enrollment 710Gender distribution Male (47.2%) Female (52.8%)Costfull-time: $32,428 (in-state)full-time: $50,854 (out-of-state)CM’s Top 10 Universities for Pre-Med Students - College MagazineBy Alyssa Aguero |March 21, 2016As exciting (and scandalous) as Grey’s Anatomy may be, becoming a doctor is no walk in the park. But before you even begin thinking about what medical school you want to go to, you’ll have to survive undergrad first. While pre-med isn’t exactly a major, many universities offer a track that’ll prepare you for med school. Pre-med clubs, shadowing opportunities and special programs should be considered when you’re deciding how you want to begin your medical career. College Magazine took some of the load off your shoulders (you guys have a lot of work ahead of you) and ranked the top universities for pre-med students.1. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILLNinety percent of UNC’s students who apply to medical school get in…let that sink in for a second. One of this university’s gems is their 9-weekMedical Education Development (MED) summer program. This rigorous program allows students to shadow physicians and participate in lectures and seminars for professional development. MED also mirrors a first-year medical student curriculum—it’s like getting a little taste of med school. Although there is no specific pre-med track at UNC, these students still receive a lot of guidance. “I think that the way all pre-med students, regardless of their declared majors, are accommodated and assisted throughout the process is [unique],” said Danielle Jamieson, a psychology and Hispanic linguistics senior.2. GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITYThe pre-med students at GW aren’t limited to studying within the U.S. The university offers a study abroad program in the United Kingdom where students are given the option to either study at Kings College University of London or Oxford University. GW also offers an all-in-one program where students can earn their bachelor’s degree and medical degree. However, this is a selective program. Only students who have demonstrated leadership and academic excellence, and have healthcare experience are permitted in this program. These lucky students get their MCAT waived and are admitted into GW’s Medical School at a fixed tuition (big emphasis on lucky students).3. HARVARD UNIVERSITYEver wish you had a mentor who was also a doctor and always available for you? Well, Harvard does for their pre-med students. “At Harvard, we have three separate pre-medical advisers, one of whom is a doctor, available at any time, in addition to a pre-medical advisor who lives in the same dorm as you once you get to sophomore year, which is not common at other colleges,” said Bryan Peaker, a freshman studying human developmental and regenerative biology. And the advising doesn’t stop there. Harvard has a handbook for students on the pre-med track that tells them what classes they need to take, when to take them and how to get into medical school.4. BOSTON UNIVERSITYRemember when Charlie got a golden ticket to get into Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory? This is a similar case for the students at BU, except instead of a chocolate factory it’s med school. With their Early Assurance Program, students are guaranteed a ticket (provisional admission) into BU’s Medical School. This university also offers a duel liberal arts and medical degree path that gives students the chance to earn both their Bachelor of Arts and medical degree in seven years, as apposed to eight. To get into their accelerated program (different from the early assurance one) you need to complete the SAT or ACT plus Writing and SAT Subject Tests in Chemistry Math 2 and, if you’re feeling brave, Foreign Language. This place keeps sounding more and more like a chocolate factory.5. GEORGETOWNImagine finding out you got into medical school during your sophomore year of college—that’s what we call a stress reliever. The pre-med students at Georgetown get this privilege with the university’s Early Assurance Program. This program is for students who want to attend Georgetown’s School of Medicine and have excelled in their studies and have completed four semesters and classes in biology, chemistry, organic chemistry. These brainiacs can apply at the end of their sophomore year if they have completed four semesters at Georgetown and have taken four pre-med courses. Another plus from this program is that the students’ MCAT is waived. Georgetown also has a few pre-med clubs like the Pre-Medical Society and the Pre-Dental Society. The Pre-Medical society not only provides advising for pre-med students, but also sponsors mock interviews and brings in guest speakers from the medical field to talk to the student members.6. JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITYSome say the best learning happens outside of the classroom, and that’s the case at Johns Hopkins University. Occasionally the professors let their students into their labs for research. The students here can get even more outside learning by taking a 15-minute shuttle ride to Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, where they can shadow doctors and conduct research. With all these opportunities, the pre-med students here don’t feel the need to compete with each other. “As undergrads, we encourage and assist each other in all of our coursework. [It’s] definitely not a cut-throat, competitive environment like some say,” said George Bugarinovic, a public health and natural sciences senior.7. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIAIf you’re in no rush to start med school, you’ve stumbled upon the perfect university. U Penn doesn’t believe in giving their pre-med students a fast track path into medical school. They want their students to complete their degree in four years so they can take additional classes that will make them more prepared for med school and beyond. U Penn is also located near several large medical institutes, like the Pennsylvania Hospital, which provide them with opportunities to shadow doctors and volunteer at hospitals. Clearly, this university knows what it’s doing since 76 percent of U Penn students get into medical school.8. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTONAs one of the top medical schools in the nation, it’s no surprise that the University of Washington has one of the best pre-med tracks in the nation as well. With a large number of premedical clubs (Alpha Epsilon Delta is a big one) and numerous shadowing opportunities, these students will be wearing white coats in no time. “The shadowing opportunities and your ability to get into research your freshman year is unreal, it’s [one] you can’t get everywhere. My winter quarter of my freshman year I got to shadow a mitral valve replacement [surgeon],” said Alec Sullivan, a competitive history of ideas sophomore.9. CORNELL UNIVERSITYHere’s a shocker: another Ivy landed on our list. With its two-year pre-med track program, Cornell prepares students by offering courses—introductory biology and chemistry courses to name a few—on sciences that are related to medicine. Students also have the chance to volunteer at the Cayuga Medical Center—a non-profit hospital right by the university. One of Cornell’s greatest resources is their PATCH club—a student-run organization that brings together pre-med and pre-health students. PATCH welcomes all pre-health students and offers a supportive environment and beneficial opportunities for its members such as bringing in guest speakers to talk about their experience in the health care field.10. NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITYThe pre-med track is not an easy one, and Northwestern University gets that. Its pre-med peer mentor program (NU PPMP) selects upperclassmen with a strong academic standing to guide and support underclassmen on the pre-med track. This university is also big on research. Students are allowed to conduct their own independent study.“I joined a lab for two years and was able to take a really active role in research and actually got a Nature publication out of my time there,” said Jane Wang, biology major and 2014 graduate.Top Premed CollegesBy Joe ThomasTop premed colleges can be ranked several ways, but the title of best academic program is indicative of the overall quality of medical students that a premed college produces. There are several ways to rank top premed colleges, such as MCAT and GPA, United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores or applications received, but the fact remains that you should find a school that is a good fit for your personality and in a location you would enjoy attending. Some feel that for many students, their success, or lack of it, might be largely unrelated to the individual medical school.Using Student Scores and GPAWhen you consider MCAT scores that are greater than 31.5 and GPAs of greater than 3.5, the list gets narrower and can give you a better indication of competitive med schools that turn out the highest achievers and therefore, get more prestigious academic acknowledgement. The average USMLE scores are better statistics to consider than USMLE pass rates, but med schools don't publish board scores for confidentiality reasons. There are some premed colleges that have high pass rates, but lower average USMLE scores. It is a combination of several factors that make up the top premed colleges on this listing of colleges.The Ten Top Premed Colleges by MCAT and GPAWashington University St. Louis: 1 Children's Place, #4S20, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, Phone (314) 454-6120, http://www.medschool.wustl.eduHarvard Medical School: 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, Phone (617) 432-1000, http://www.hms.harvard.edu/hmsJohn Hopkins University School of Medicine: 733 N. Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, Phone (410) 955-5000, Home | Johns Hopkins UniversityVanderbilt School of Medicine: 215 Light Hall, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, Phone (615) 322-2145 Vanderbilt University School of MedicineYale School of Medicine: 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, Phone (203-785-2696), Yale School of MedicineDuke University School of Medicine: DUMC 3710, Durham, North Carolina 27710, Phone (919) 684-2985, Office of M.D. AdmissionsStanford School of Medicine: 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, California 94305, Phone (650) 723-4000, Stanford MedicineMayo Medical School: 200 First Street S.W., Rochester Minnesota 55905, Phone (507) 284-2316, Mayo ClinicNew York University: 550 First Avenue, New York, New York 10016, Phone (212) 263-7300, Education and TrainingUniversity of Pennsylvania: Suite 100, Stemmler Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, Phone (215)898-8001, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of PennsylvaniaRankings of Premed Colleges by Student ApplicationsThe number of student applications gives an indication of the most popular choices made by premed students, but a larger portion of students will not be admitted due to admissions limits. Harvard and Stanford also make this listing, but the other eight choices are not in the top ten that are ranked by MCAT and GPA scores.University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine: 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90095, Phone (310) 825-4321, University of CaliforniaUniversity of California Berkeley Medical School: 110 Sproul Hall, #5800, Berkeley, California 94720, Phone (510) 642-6000, University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of Michigan Medical School: 1301 Catherine Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, Phone (734) 763-9600, Michigan MedicineUniversity of Texas Medical School: 6431 Fannin Street, MSB G420 Houston, Texas, Phone (713) 500-5116, http://www.uth.tmc.eduUniversity of Florida Gainesville: P.O. Box 100235, Gainesville, Florida 32610, Phone (352) 273-7500, University of FloridaUniversity of California San Diego: 9500 Gilman Drive, LaJolla, CA 92093, Phone (858) 534-2230, University of California San DiegoHarvard School of Medicine: 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, Phone (617) 432-1000, http://www.hms.harvard.edu/hmsUniversity of Wisconsin Madison: 750 Highland Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53705, Phone (608) 265-6344, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public HealthUniversity of Virginia School of Medicine: P.O. Box 800725, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, Phone (434) 924-5571, UVA Health SystemUniversity of Illinois Medical School: 601 S. Morgan Street, Chicago, Illinois, Phone (312) 996-7000, http://ww.uic.eduStanford School of Medicine: 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, California 94305, Phone (650) 723-4000, Stanford MedicineChoosing a CollegeThere are many fine colleges for premed students and while some names are more recognizable than others, there is a good selection in a variety of regions across the country. The best advice when searching for the premed college choices that offer the best programs, is to find the ones that are best suited to all facets of your life and your medical education goals. Accredited colleges offer similar basic programs, but some might offer more specialized courses that are tailored to different healthcare fields. This is a consideration that most premed students use when determining the best premed college to meet their medical career goals.Best Universities for Pre-Med Students: List of Top SchoolsAlthough medical schools are often indifferent to an applicant's major, they usually look for prerequisite coursework in general and organic chemistry, biology, English, and physics. A strong undergraduate grade point average and competitive Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) scores can also help students gain entry to a good medical or dental school. Some of the best universities for pre-med students include Harvard University, the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and the University of Pennsylvania, all of which are highly ranked by U.S. News & World Report.Harvard University in Cambridge, MAHarvard University was ranked as the best medical research school for 2015 by U.S. News World Report. It is an Ivy League institution and has over a dozen groups for pre-med students, such as the Harvard Premedical Society, Harvard Hippocratic Society, and Latinos in Health Careers. The Office of Career Services provides pre-med planning for undergraduate students who want to apply to medical school upon graduation. Harvard also assists students in planning for careers in dental medicine, public health and advanced nursing.University of North Carolina in Chapel HillAs designated by U.S News & World Report in 2015, the University of North Carolina's medical program ranked second in primary care. Pre-med students get assistance from the Health Professions Advising Office in choosing programs and classes, applying to medical schools, and preparing for the MCAT. UNC also offers the Medical Education Development program (MED), a rigorous 9-week summer program for select students that mirrors a first-year medical school curriculum. Of the MED students who apply to medical school, 90% are accepted.The University of North Carolina has an active chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the pre-professional health honor society.University of Pennsylvania in PhiladelphiaIn 2015, US News & World Report ranked the University of Pennsylvania eighth among national universities and fifth for medical research. A member of the Ivy League, this university offers advising and planning for undergraduate students preparing to attend allopathic or osteopathic medical schools. It also offers guidance for students interested in dental school. Through the College of Liberal and Professional Studies, Penn also provides a post-baccalaureate, pre-health program for students who have earned an undergraduate degree in a non-science major or who want to be better prepared for advanced medical study.The University is home to several medical research institutes studying Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and AIDS, as well as cardiovascular health, developmental biology, and head injuries.Top Schools for Pre-Med StudentsLet's take a look at some of the other top schools for pre-med students.Columbia University in New York, NY provides a comprehensive pre-medical handbook for students planning a pre-med curriculum.Cornell University in Ithaca, NY was named 11th best university in the world by the Center for World University Rankings.Johns Hopkins University encourages students to take a year off between undergraduate and medical school to gain additional experiences or conduct research. The school is located in Baltimore, MD.Northwestern University, located in Evanston, IL, has an undergraduate research grants program that provides pre-med students with funding to conduct independent research.The University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in Minneapolis, MN offers an online interactive workshop for students called Planning for Medical School.The University of Washington in Seattle, WA has an online guide to help students prepare for medical school admissions.The University of Wisconsin - Madison advises students wishing to pursue studies in physical or occupational therapy, pharmacology, physician assistance, and nursing in addition to medicine and dentistry.The best university for pre-med studies really depends on what you want from a school, because each of the top-ranked schools has unique aspects that help to make it one of the best.The Best Colleges in Michigan for 2016Picking the right college is not easy. This is true everywhere and Michigan, with more than 100 schools to choose from, is no exception. From large research universities to small liberal arts colleges, Michigan is home to a spectrum of higher education institutions. To find the right school, you’ll need to weigh tuition costs, academic offerings, financial aid and many other factors. To help, we have applied our rigorous methodology to the latest education data to rank the best colleges in Michigan, including the top four-year and two-year schools.To provide the best list possible, we have accounted for all of the factors students value when choosing a college. Key measures incorporated in our algorithm include acceptance, retention, graduation and enrollment rates. We have also included each school’s student loan default percentages, as we know how important it is for students to repay their debts upon graduation. The list below highlights the top two-year and four-year colleges in Michigan.2016 Online Education Trends Report: Learn how online programs are changing the face of higher education.Best Colleges in MichiganMichigan’s schools have a long history of providing an excellent education to students. The state’s oldest institution, the University of Michigan, was founded before statehood, and many four-year colleges in Michigan are among the top-ranked schools in the nation. Graduates from a Michigan college can expect to earn a significantly higher salary than non-degree holders throughout their careers.Recent initiatives have increased public awareness and involvement in postsecondary education in Michigan. The Getting to Work program has produced plans and improvement suggestions for career counseling, college affordability, student debt and hands-on training. Considering Michigan’s reputation as a bastion of education, these developments bode well for enrollees in the state’s colleges.As you’re researching the state’s various four-year options, we invite you to pursue our ranking of Michigan’s best colleges, presented below. Here you’ll find a short profile for each school, including a brief rundown of their academic strengths and campus attractions.1 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN – ANN ARBOR 3/5Ann Arbor, MIWith esteemed schools and colleges, internationally recognized faculty and 250 degree programs, the U-M is one of the premier learning institutions in the nation. Several undergraduate offerings and graduate degree programs are available, including law, kinesiology, biophysics, business, and art and design.Research and discovery are integral parts of the institution's mission. U-M conducts extensive research spanning science, engineering, medicine, social sciences, and the humanities. The school is also a leader in online learning and offers many free courses.2 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY 3/5East Lansing, MIMSU is among the world's top 100 universities with more than 200 undergraduate, graduate, and pre-professional programs of study. It is internationally well known for its research initiatives and is home to leading research centers.On campus, Spartans have the opportunity to be part of a vibrant community, with numerous service-learning opportunities and more than 600 student organizations to choose from. MSU has a long history of international engagement and offers more than 275 study abroad programs in more than 60 countries. MSU produces many Fulbright scholars.3 KALAMAZOO COLLEGE 5/5Kalamazoo, MIKalamazoo College is nationally known for the K-Plan, in which four points are addressed in learning: depth and breadth in the liberal arts and sciences; learning through experience; international engagement; and the senior individualized project.Kalamazoo offers 31 majors and enrolls 1,450 students; admission is selective. Between 80-85% of students participate in an immersive international and intercultural experience. Kalamazoo ranks highly among U.S. institutions for graduates earning doctorates in areas such as life sciences and the physical sciences.4 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN – DEARBORN 3/5Dearborn, MILocated on 200 acres of the original Henry Ford estate, the University of Michigan-Dearborn is an inclusive, student-focused institution rich with academic, research, and civic engagement opportunities. The university offers 78 bachelor's, 33 master's, and 4 doctoral/specialist degree programs. It has a student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 15:1.UM-Dearborn offers more than 40 graduate programs in areas ranging from psychology and automotive systems engineering to educational technology. Many of these programs have evening and online options. The school also ranks highly among Michigan colleges in the number of co-ops and internship opportunities available-more than 700 annually-and on campus safety.5 ANDREWS UNIVERSITY 4/5Berrien Springs, MISince its inception in 1874, Andrews University has placed an emphasis on scholarship and research, with a focus on practical Christianity. Through its eight schools and colleges, Andrews offers about 130 undergraduate and 70 graduate programs.The university has extension schools in 19 countries on five continents. Through these schools students can transfer approved credits to Andrews. Highly invested in research, Andrews University is tracking eye movement in cognitive psychology labs, searching for gravitational waves, and more. Lifelong learning opportunities are available, including for teachers, retirees and pastors. The School of Distance Education coordinates off-campus/online programs.2017 Michigan University RankingRank University Location1 University of Michigan Ann Arbor2 Michigan State University East Lansing3 Wayne State University Detroit4 Michigan Technological University Houghton5 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo6 Calvin College Grand Rapids7 Grand Valley State University Allendale8 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti9 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant10 Oakland University Rochester Hills11 Northern Michigan University Marquette12 Ferris State University Big Rapids13 Andrews University Berrien Springs14 Hope College Holland15 Hillsdale College Hillsdale16 Baker College Flint17 Lake Superior State University Sault Ste. Marie18 University of Detroit Mercy Detroit19 Saginaw Valley State University University Center20 Kettering University Flint21 University of Michigan-Flint22 Albion College Albion23 Northwood University Midland24 Lawrence Technological University Southfield25 Davenport University Grand Rapids26 Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo27 Northwestern Michigan College Traverse City28 Aquinas College Grand Rapids29 College for Creative Studies Detroit30 Spring Arbor University Spring Arbor31 Alma College Alma32 Cornerstone University Grand Rapids33 Adrian College Adrian34 Olivet College Olivet35 Marygrove College Detroit36 Cranbrook Academy of Art Bloomfield Hills37 Walsh College Troy38 Concordia University Ann Arbor39 Cleary University Howell40 Siena Heights Universit Adrian41 Finlandia University Hancock42 Madonna University Livonia43 Rochester College Rochester Hills44 Great Lakes Christian College Lansing45 Kuyper College Grand Rapids46 Grace Bible College Wyoming47 Michigan School of Professional Psychology Farmington HillsSchools & Programs25 Undergraduate schools & programs found matching: Pre-Medical StudiesLake Michigan College Public Benton Harbor, MI School Size 4,548 students Non-competitive admission.Calvin College Private Grand Rapids, MI School Size 3,869 students Moderately Difficult admission.Bay de Noc Community College Public Escanaba, MI School Size 1,853 students Non-competitive admission.Andrews University Private Berrien Springs, MI School Size 1,733 students Moderately Difficult admission.Adrian College Private Adrian, MI School Size 1,647 students Moderately Difficult admission.Northern Michigan University Public Marquette, MI School Size 8,001 students Minimally Difficult admission.Madonna University Private Livonia, MI School Size 2,887 students Moderately Difficult admission.Concordia University Ann Arbor Private Ann Arbor, MI School Size 509 students Moderately Difficult admission.Saginaw Valley State University Public University Center, MI School Size 8,763 students Moderately Difficult admission.Grand Valley State University Public Allendale, MI School Size 21,972 students Moderately Difficult admission.Michigan State University Public East Lansing, MI School Size 39,143 students Moderately Difficult admission.Lansing Community College Public Lansing, MI School Size 17,562 students Non-competitive admission.Southwestern Michigan College Public Dowagiac, MI School Size 2,348 students Non-competitive admission.Mid Michigan Community College Public Harrison, MI School Size 4,885 students Non-competitive admission.University of Michigan-Flint Public Flint, MI School Size 6,868 students Moderately Difficult admission.Henry Ford College Public Dearborn, MI School Size 17,542 students Non-competitive admission.Alpena Community College Public Alpena, MI School Size 1,950 students Non-competitive admission.Ferris State University Public Big Rapids, MI School Size 13,323 students Minimally Difficult admission.Lake Superior State University Public Sault Sainte Marie, MI School Size 2,432 students Moderately Difficult admission.Monroe County Community College Public Monroe, MI School Size 3,144 students Non-competitive admission.School craft College Public Livonia, MI School Size 11,687 students Non-competitive admission.Wayne County Community College Public Detroit, MI School Size 16,654 students Non-competitive admission.Macomb Community College Public Warren, MI School Size 22,182 students Non-competitive admission.Central Michigan University (International Students) Public Mount Pleasant, MI School Size 19,923 students Moderately Difficult admission.Cornerstone University Private Grand Rapids, MI School Size 2,025 students Minimally Difficult admission.Choose the Right Undergraduate Major for Medical SchoolA major that challenges you and in which you can excel may be better than going premed.By Edward Chang | Contributor Sept. 11, 2013, at 9:30 a.m.Admissions data suggests that a student’s choice of major matters less in medical school admissions than MCAT scores. ISTOCKPHOTOWhen I was applying to colleges as senior in high school, I thought that I had to be a "premed" major if I wanted to go to medical school.I was surprised when most of the schools I planned to apply to did not offer premed as a major. It was at that point I realized one of the essential rules of being premed: You do not need to be any particular major in order to go to medical school.So if there is no premed major at your school, is there a best major for premeds? Are there any majors that will give you an advantage in the admissions process? Unfortunately, the answer is much more complicated than a simple yes or no.[Find out when to apply to medical school.]Why Don't Majors Matter?The Association of American Medical Colleges has data to suggest that your major simply does not matter when it comes to getting accepted to medical school. According to their data, only 51 percent of students who enrolled in medical school in 2012 majored in biological sciences. That means the remaining medical school matriculants majored in humanities, math or statistics, physical sciences, social sciences or specialized health sciences.When they broke down the MCAT and GPAs of these matriculants by major, all the categories have essentially the same GPA, science GPA and MCAT score. Matriculants who majored in biological sciences had a mean MCAT of 31 and GPA of 3.69. Humanities majors had a mean MCAT of 31.8 and GPA of 3.66. The numbers for math and statistics, physical sciences, social sciences and specialized health sciences majors were similar.In a sense, medical schools do not really care what major you choose, as long as you finish your prerequisites and do well in school overall.No matter what major you studied in college, everyone will learn the same material in medical school, and the majority of the material will be new for everyone. In looking at your GPA and MCAT, admissions committees simply want to know that you can handle the intellectual rigors of medical school.[Infographic: See what to ask about undergrad majors for med school.]Why Do Majors Matter?Although majors do not matter on the macroscopic admissions level, your major does matter on a personal level. As a premed, you need to balance three main factors when choosing a major: difficulty of classes, level of interest and convenience.Majoring in the biological sciences is desirable because not only is it interesting, it is also very convenient since most biological science majors have already incorporated all the medical school prerequisites. Unfortunately, one downside for some people could be finding biology classes difficult.But even that is all relative. Students have different strengths and the difficulty of a major depends on what your strengths are.There are two common mistakes that you should avoid when choosing a major. First, no matter how interesting or convenient a major is, do not choose it if it is too difficult for you. You may be fascinated with bioengineering, but if you are getting B's in all your classes, it may not be the best choice for you.[Discover which medical schools get the most applications.]You still need a GPA high enough to get into medical school and admissions committees will not cut you slack just because you majored in something difficult.The other mistake to avoid in choosing a major is doing so simply because it is easy or convenient. College is a special time to explore various academic interests. It is a time to challenge yourself and figure out whether you really enjoy learning.As a medical student, you will be studying anywhere from 15 to 40 hours a week, not including lecture. Your undergraduate years are a good testing ground to see if you could not only handle those rigors but also enjoy them.I majored in molecular, cell and developmental biology as an undergraduate at UCLA. Although I have strengths in the humanities and social sciences, I found biology to be more interesting and less subjective.My major was perfect for me because it meshed well with my lab research, taught me about cancer biology and the material came naturally to me. In addition, the class schedules were flexible and I was able to take electives outside my major that counted toward graduating.When choosing a major, remember that there is no one right choice for everyone. I believe my major made me the strongest applicant I could have been. Another applicant may need to be a humanities major in order to reach his or her potential.In the end, the right major for you truly depends on the balance of what you are passionate about, what you can intellectually handle and what is practical.Edward Chang is a graduate of UCLA, where he attends the David Geffen School of Medicine. In addition to managing ProspectiveDoctor.com, he also counsels prospectivemedical school applicants. Contact him at [email protected] or follow Prospective Doctor - The premier resource for future doctors on Twitter, @ProspectiveDr.Tags: college admissions, health, medical school, medicine, college majors, colleges, education,graduate schools, MCAT, studentsPre-Med: The Awful TruthBy Sakib Jabbar on November 2, 2012EmailI could easily find a handful of students who announce their major with the ubiquitous “I’m pre-med” during my freshman year at the University of Michigan. As years went on, a good amount of them veered from their medical paths. Surprisingly enough, it was not to pursue a more self-fulfilling career path they are passionate about. The negative experiences have demoralized pre-med students and forced them to abandon their goals of medicine, aiding the ill…and often times, cash. But how does this happen anyway?Many who used to be pre-med will give you this default response: “It was too hard.” Biology, chemistry, physics, and calculus are some commonly complained-about pre-med requirements. UM science professors are notorious for giving hellishly difficult exams, which discourage students as the GPA dwindles.Of course, the professors and the curriculum aren’t the only blames for the decreasing pre-med pool. Many students enter college thinking that just with a decent MCAT score, GPA and application essay, getting into medical school is as “simple” as getting into college. Doing well in college-level organic chemistry, calculus, and biology isn’t as easy as doing well in high school science classes. “Weeder classes,” the introductory classes in these subjects, “weed out” students who can’t hack the pre-med path so that they don’t waste numerous semesters taking higher pre-med classes that won’t suit them in the future. LSA junior Renne Hanna, biochemistry major and pre-med, couldn’t agree more, reflecting,“High school calculus was a joke compared to the calculus I’ve taken here.”Realistically, wouldn’t many, many more people in the world be doctors if the path to medical school were as easy as how incoming freshmen picture it? Everyone in pre-med classes face the fiery competition. “Competition” in this sense involves anyone walking into the lecture room, looking to score high on tests as to not only raise their grade but also the class curve. Pre-med students often major in various sciences in order to complete their pre-med requirements without facing the fierce competition. Technically, one does not have to major in biology, chemistry, or the like in order to apply to medical school, as long as one has the designated classes under the belt.My question is, what happens when one majors in science simply to fulfill pre-med requirements and dismiss any other major they would potentially be interested in, only to be rejected from medical school and left with a degree they’re heart isn’t 100% in? Sure, they could teach, go to grad school and research. However, when medical school doesn’t pan out for them, was teaching, grad school or research what they pictured themselves to be doing after college? Junior Hassan Ahsan is double majoring in economics and biology, with a pre-med emphasis.“If I don’t make it into med school,” Ahsan reasons, “I still have my econ degree. I love econ, and it’s a solid major for me to work with, even if my goal is to become a surgeon.”So what’s the moral of the story? Pre-med is hard, plain and simple. It takes passion. It takes more work than you’ve ever put into anything in the past. It takes strategy. Sometimes a back-up plan. As a college junior, whenever an incoming student tells me that they’re pre-med, I immediately become skeptical. Know what you’re getting yourself into and Godspeed, little one.