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Pre Med Requirements
Do you dream of becoming a doctor? This is a popular career option, and it’s also highly competitive. To become a doctor, you will need to complete a residency and go through rigorous courses as an undergraduate.
Although it is difficult to become a doctor, the journey can be very rewarding and lucrative. However, you might not know where to start if you are beginning your journey to becoming a physician. Continue reading to learn how you can prepare yourself for the challenges of medical school.
What does Pre-Med mean, and how long is it?
Many people mistakenly believe they can declare pre-med as a major. Premed does not count as a major but is a track. As long as you have completed your medical school requirements by graduation, you can choose any major that interests you.
Pre-med tracks typically last four years. To apply to medical school, you will need a bachelor’s degree. Some students opt to complete their pre-med coursework in three years by enrolling in accelerated BS/MD combination degree programs. For any students interested in BS/MD program, CollegeVine offers a blog section. You can also visit the CollegeVine resource for more information about the pre-med track.
What are the Pre Med Requirements Course’s?
Although requirements for undergraduate courses vary between medical schools, they generally include the following:
Biology – 2 semesters, with lab
Physics – 2 Semesters with Lab
General Chemistry – 2 semesters, with Lab
Organic Chemistry – 2 Semesters with Lab
Biochemistry – 1 Semester
English – 2 semesters
Math – 2 semesters
Writing is required in many schools.
Advisors at your undergraduate university are likely to help you finish your pre-med requirements in a timely manner. It is a good idea to look at different medical schools’ requirements to understand what you are up against. The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine M.D. The following are required for the program:
One year college biology with laboratory (8 semester hours).
One year general college chemistry with laboratory (8 semester hours).
Organic Chemistry with Laboratory, One Semester (4 Semester Hours)
Three to four semester hours in Biochemistry (Lab is not necessary).
24 semester hours in humanities areas (English, History and Classics, Foreign Languages, Philosophy, Arts, and so on). ), and social science (Sociology. Economics. Political Science. Anthropology. ), and behavioral sciences (Psychology, among others). Two writing-intensive courses must be included.
One year of statistics and calculus (6-8 semester hours).
One year general college physics with laboratory (8 semester hours).
Pre-med Courses Recommendations
While many courses are not required for medical school admissions, they are important for pre-med students. These courses are recommended for pre-med students, and they will be more attractive to medical school admissions. They will also likely have an easier time getting into medical school.
Hopkins suggests that pre-med students take at least four semesters in genetic principles and one semester in statistics or epidemiology. In addition, pre-med students are generally advised to take the following courses:
Genetics
Statistic
Calculus
Ethics
Public Health
Human Anatomy and Physiology
Psychology
Sociology
Popular Majors for Pre-Med Students
pre-med, as we mentioned earlier, is not a major. You might then be curious about what majors pre-med students usually declare. Here’s a list of pre-med majors that are most popular:
Biological Sciences & Human Biology: Over half of med school applicants studied biological sciences in their undergraduate years. Pre-med requirements and major requirements for biology will be closely related if you choose to major in biology. However, science can be exhausting and intense if you are a scientist. To avoid burnout, you might want to choose a unique minor or elective course if you plan to major in biology.
Physics and Chemistry: The majors in the physical science often overlap with pre-med requirements. Although the course content will vary slightly, the benefits and risks of physics and chemistry are similar to biology.
Economics, Psychology, and Social Sciences. About 10% of medical school applicants are from the social sciences. These majors may have overlap with pre-med requirements. However, students will need to complete most of their elective units in pre-med courses.
Philosophy and Humanities: Humanities majors tend to be less popular among pre-med students, as they do not require electives. This will require planning and communication with your advisors. However, students who study medicine as humanities major may be more rounded and approachable than those who only focus on the sciences. Pre-med students who study philosophy are a popular choice.
Statistics, Math, and Related Majors: Although math majors aren’t a very popular choice for pre-med students, they do have the highest MCAT scores, GPAs and are therefore often well-positioned in medical school admissions.
What are the other requirements for med school?
You will need to complete a primary application when you apply for medical school. This is usually done by the American Medical College Application Service. The school will send you a second application after you have submitted the primary application. In some cases, they may reject you. You will need to submit your transcript in order to be considered for either one or both of these applications.
Your MCAT Score
Some schools require applicants to meet minimum MCAT scores and GPA requirements.
Personal Statements
You will need to answer prompts for both primary and secondary applications. These topics can vary, but you will be asked to discuss your reasons for wanting to study medicine.
Recommendations letters
Three letters of recommendation are required by most medical schools. These letters should be from two science faculty members and one from someone from another discipline. However, this can vary from school to school. In addition, a letter from a pre-medical committee at your college is required to provide an overview of your undergraduate performance as well as your candidacy.
Extracurricular Activities
Many medical schools want extracurricular activities such as research, community service, volunteering, and clinical experience. Shadowing doctors, volunteering as a scribe, or helping with research can all help you gain exposure to the field.
Because medical schools want to see what kind of person they are, your application will include non-medical extracurriculars. This is a lot like the Common App, except that the activities section for medical school will be longer. You will need to write about 500 words for each of your most important extracurricular activities.
Be aware that each medical school may have different requirements and recommendations. After reviewing applicants’ applications, most schools conduct interviews and invite a few candidates to participate in an interview.
Pre-Meds: Important Resources
Which Pre-Med School is Best for You?
The right college could make a big difference in your pre-med career. Therefore, you should not only look for strong pre-med advisors. But you also need to ensure that the college is a good fit for your needs in terms of size, location, extracurriculars, and other factors.
You can use our school search engine to search colleges based upon your preferences, such as majors, finances, chances of acceptance, and other factors.
It is important to keep in mind that there are many outstanding pre-med program options. There are many great pre-med schools available at both technical and ‘party” schools, large and small schools, research universities, liberal arts schools, and other schools. Therefore, when choosing the best pre-med program, consider all the factors.
Pre-Meds: The Best Schools
These are CollegeVine’s top picks for the best pre-med schools:
Pre Med Requirements
| School | Location | Acceptance Rate |
| Harvard College | Cambridge, MA | 4.5% |
| Duke University | Durham, NC | 7.8% |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | 7.7% |
| Washington University in St. Louis | St. Louis, MO | 14% |
| Rice University | Houston, TX | 8.7% |
| Stanford University | Stanford, CA | 4.4% |
| Northwestern University | Evanston, IL | 9.1% |
| Brown University | Providence, RI | 7.1% |
| Amherst College | Amherst, MA | 11.3% |
| Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH | 29% |
Each college has an average acceptance rate of 3%, but they all offer a great choice and are accessible to everyone. CollegeVine also offers lists of the Best Non Ivy League Pre-Med Schools as well as the Most Underrated Colleges.
While it’s great to be interested in selective schools, it is equally important to have a balanced college list. A student should apply for 8-10 schools if possible. There are approximately 25% safety schools, 40% target schools, and 35% reach schools. Your chances of being accepted at the schools you apply to will determine which category you fall into safety, target, or reach.
Your chances of being accepted at these schools could be different from the average acceptance rate. We’ve made it easy for you to find which schools are in which category with our Admissions Opportunities Calculator. We’ll consider your grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities to estimate your chances of being accepted at different schools.
