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Pre-Med School: Everything You Need to Know

Written by CB Community

Do you want to get into a professional medical occupation? There is more to it than you might know.

You need to ensure that you have taken the correct classes, achieved the right grades, got enough experience and have the right work ethic.

It can be a little overwhelming, this article will break down everything you need to know so that you are in the best possible position for medical school.

Classes and Majors

Something interesting to bear in mind is that there is no “pre-med” major that you must take in order to get into medical school. It is merely a term stating your career intentions.

There are many that have gone to medical school with a language major rather than a science one. Each can be helpful in the medical profession and whilst you don’t need to have a science major, it is always helpful to the application if you do have one.

Generally, you will be expected to have been educated in at least a year of biology, chemistry (organic and general), physics, all with labs as well as English and maths (statistics and calculus are usually the expected modules).

These are a bare minimum, and you will likely want to have more science requirements behind you for your application.

MCAT

The Medical College Admissions Test is a multiple-choice, computer-based test that is a requirement for access to medical schools in the US.

To get a good idea of what you are in for, read specific MCAT advisory articles.

A good score on this part of your application will definitely help as it displays your mastery of all of the subjects relating to your medical profession

It is a hugely long test and is taken over one day. Overall, the test lasts approximately 7.5 hours so you will need to be thoroughly prepared for this.

Extra-Curriculars

As well as all of your academic preparation, you will also be expected to have taken on extra-curricular activities that will give you a grounding in a hospital or research environment.

Not only does this show commitment to becoming a medical professional, it means that you have strong organizational skills and a basis of knowledge supported by real-world experience that will make you a perfect fit for the role of a doctor.

Letters of Recommendation

You would like to think that if you could provide all of the above information, that you would be a shoe-in for medical school.

However, you need to remember that you are facing lots of competition for spaces. You need to have letters from your teachers not only exemplifying your academic ability but your general persona and work ethic.

These often have to come from two science teachers and a non-science teacher. This also means that you cannot just focus on your science pursuits but need to be a general overall performer to get into medical school.

Getting Into Pre-Med

This may just be a term to define your career goals but the reputation that it has garnered shows that this is the beginning of a long road ahead.

Whilst it may be difficult, it will be worth it in the end.

About the author

CB Community

Passionate members of the College Basics community that include students, essay writers, consultants and beyond. Please note, while community content has passed our editorial guidelines, we do not endorse any product or service contained in these articles which may also include links for which College Basics is compensated.