What is Pre-Med and How Do You Get Ready for It?

Are you interested in becoming a doctor? It’s a long road from college to medical school to residency and you will need to research the education you need and find the best college to reach that goal. If you are planning to attend medical school and become a doctor, you need to understand the definition of pre-med and what pre-med students study.

What is Pre-Med?

“Pre-med” is just a description people use to focus their college courses when they want to attend medical school. Students say they are pre-med to let others and advisors understand their career goals and to plan a course sequence while in college. Pre-med tracks aren’t technically a major, but rather a program that ensures students are fulfilling all of the pre-requisite courses needed to apply for medical school, such as chemistry, physics, molecular biology, laboratory work, statistics and more.

Choosing Your Undergraduate Major

You can be a biology major and be pre-med, or an English or music major and still take the proper courses for pre-med. Majoring in science isn’t necessarily required or encouraged by many medical schools. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, just a little over half of all students applying to med school major in the biological sciences. The others majored in a variety of areas including:

• Humanities
• Math
• Social sciences
• Physical sciences
• The arts

“Go with your heart because it’s likely to show in your grades and your application that you’re passionate about something,” states Dr. Villares. Choosing a subject that excites you is a much better way to develop as a person and as a med school candidate.

Academic and Standardized Requirements

Even though you do not have to major in a specific subject to be admitted to medical school, you do need to take the right prerequisite courses during college. Most med schools want you to have a basis in medical science, with credits in both basic and advanced biology, anatomy, chemistry, physics, and social sciences (especially psychology and sociology). You should have lab experience with these subjects as well.

The MCAT

The MCAT is perhaps the most important exam a pre-med student faces. The MCAT is a 528-question test that applies your knowledge of medical science and problem solving to determine your clinical skills. Some med schools don’t require MCAT scores, but nearly all of the top ones (i.e. Stanford and Johns Hopkins) do and have very competitive score requirements.

The Value of Clinical Experience

Getting experience in the medical field before med school isn’t often required but highly recommended. A pre-med clinical experience provides you with the opportunity to shadow a U.S. physician so you can see how your school’s curriculum translates to a working healthcare system. This experience can include:

• Shadowing a doctor
• Becoming a CNA (certified nursing assistant)
• Doing clerical work in hospital administration
• Volunteering in your field

It is extremely important that you do everything you can to stand out and impress those reviewing applications. A pre-med clinical experience can show medical schools that you are serious about the field as you have invested your time and resources into an early experience.

Accelerated and Post-Baccalaureate Programs

While many students enter medical school with basic liberal arts or science degrees, some colleges offer programs designed to funnel students directly into medical school. For others, the path to medical school isn’t linear. A pre-med post-bacc program is designed for students who have already completed a bachelor’s degree and want to take or retake the courses required for medical school admission.

Below is an overview of specific medical tracks and post-baccalaureate programs mentioned in the material:

An Undergraduate Timeline for Pre-Med Students

The road to becoming a doctor is long and difficult. Many pre-med students aren’t sure what to expect and enter their freshman year unsure of what the next four years until med school will bring.

1. Freshman Year: Beginning your studies. Take this time to focus on adapting to college and start researching med schools you’re interested in.
2. Sophomore Year: Continuing your studies. You’ll definitely want to keep med school in mind as the MCAT is typically taken in your junior year and takes months to prepare for.
3. Junior Year: The MCAT and Preparing for Med School. Junior year can easily be your most important year of undergraduate college. The MCAT is typically taken in the second semester of this year, so you’ll want to start studying as soon as you can.