Pre Med Education Confusion

Hello all,

I am a first time poster to this group so please tell me if this topic
would be better suited for a different group.

I have a couple of questions but first let me give some background on
me.

I'm 25 years old / Male / Married / No kids. I've been attending
college off and on for the past 8 years (wow ... that long) and have
accumulated enough credits that finally amounts to getting all of my
pre requisite class requirements out of the way. For most of my life
I settled on the fact that I would major in Computer Science and be a
programmer. I have since changed my mind and decided that I would
like to become a doctor. Particularly, at this time, I would like to
specialize in the area of Neurology. I say at this time, as I am not
naive enough to believe that my choice in specialty could very well
change as I move through school. I currently have a 2.2 GPA and am
starting pre med in the fall. I anticipate that it will take me
roughly two years before I will finish my degree, which brings me to
my first question.

Is there a preference in major for pre med students? I have been told
no by my adviser, but wanted the opinions of people who are, perhaps,
in the field. I have chosen a major, currently, in Biology with a
minor in Computer Science (I would very much like to explore the
correlations between computing technology and the brain, thus
utilizing my inherent knowledge of computers and programming and
applying that to the field of Neurology).

Secondly, is my previous history of lackluster grades going to affect
how a medical school evaluates me? I know that i need at least a 3.5
GPA or higher to gain admittance to most medical schools, so that is
already an undeniable goal. Am I going to be penalized, however, even
if I reach that goal?

I will, more than likely, think of other questions, but would be most
appreciative if someone could touch on those two and perhaps impart
some of your experience. Thank you in advance.

Paul

.