I can't agree more with this, especially with respect to undergrad. I've taught hundreds of undergrads about ohm's law so that they could go on to become doctor

I can't agree more with this, especially with respect to undergrad. I've taught hundreds of undergrads about ohm's law so that they could go on to become doctors. And that was one of the more useful skills they learned. They also took classes on western legal theory and renaissance art and modern Russian literature. Don't get me wrong: some doctors need hard science skills, but while I want my neurologist to understand ion channels I don't need that from my orthopedic surgeon. As for the liberal arts base, personally I'd rather have a doctor who entered medical school 4 years earlier, and had a chance realize that med school wasn't for them 4 years earlier. With our current system, acing the MCAT means that you will be a doctor if you want to be one. And once you're in medical school you've sunk too much into education to back out and try something else.