To qualify for med school, you need to be an undergraduate and have a college degree. So before a student gets into a med school, they will take courses to qualify. Pre-med is a term students use to let everyone around them (teachers, guidance counselors, advisors, etc.) know about their plan to pursue a medical profession. It’s a term that states a goal and helps the student plan a course sequence while in college.
Although majoring in biology helps, it’s not the only way to get into med school. That may sound counterintuitive, but you can get into med school with majors in humanities, math, social sciences, physical sciences, or the arts. The choices are varied, but some courses are more challenging than others.
Required Prerequisites
Although med school may not need a specific major to get in, you can take courses that will get you in. The courses include biology, chemistry, mathematics, arts, English, and physics.
Colleges offer programs that funnel students into med schools, like Boston University’s Seven-Year Liberal Arts/Medical Education program. If students complete the first three years with a minimum GPA requirement, they can enter the med school in their fourth year; after the seventh year, they can get their medical degree after passing the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT).
Some colleges may not provide a program, but they will have a med school track that you can use. For example, Baylor University’s ‘Baylor2 Medical Track Program’ is a combined eight-year baccalaureate and MD program for high-achieving high school students.
If you have a medical school in mind, you can look up their prerequisites on school websites. You can also find information on the Medical School Admission Requirements online database (MSAR), a resource courtesy of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
The Most Difficult Pre-Med Courses
Generally, a medical school will ask for the following college course as prerequisites:
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Biology
- Biochemistry
- English
- Organic chemistry
- Psychology
- Genetics
- Calculus
Biology is suitable for forming the foundation of knowledge used through med school. Chemistry also gives you foundational knowledge and prepares you for the medical field. Mathematics or calculus are integral to the sciences and medical research studies.
English helps you improve your candidacy; it lets the admissions office know that you will have good language skills and be able to communicate well. Social sciences are also important because they will give you the ability to think and understand a complex world.
Half of all students admitted into med school have biology as a major, which works for them. But medical schools like diversity in thinking. So it’s not in their interests to fill an entire class with biology majors. You can get into med school with an art degree.
So choose a prerequisite that you will enjoy studying and be passionate about. That will make it easier to be enthusiastic about learning and improve your chances of excelling in it.
Passing Pre-Med Prerequisites
The essential requirement is academic performance. No amount of community activities or research shadowing can make up for a low GPA or MCAT entrance exam score. So whatever you plan to use to pad your application cannot compromise your academic performance.
If you need to shore up your studies, then you use MCAT tutoring in person and study old materials (tests and coursework) from previous years for each course. If you find the sciences difficult, focus on doing well in the lab portion of each course.
Some medical schools set minimum GPAs and MCAT scores, so students can’t get in without attaining them. The scores are vital because the medical schools need proof that you can handle the vigorous and challenging science courses they have in store.
Once you meet the academic requirement, other factors may come into play. A high academic score doesn’t guarantee you a place; other factors like life experience, research work, and letters of recommendation are what will add weight to your application.
Choose a Prerequisite That Interests You
The medical profession is an honorable one, but it is also difficult. Don’t get dismayed at the amount of work ahead of you, do your best to prepare for it, and you will get through it. Take a course you will enjoy for your pre-med, if it adds an exciting dimension to your profession or life, even better.
Your social activities, letters of recommendation, work on research, or any clinical experience will also add to your application; just make sure your academic scores are strong first.
