Introduction to Medical School (Pre-medical)
Pre-medical (often shortened to pre-med) is a term used to describe a track an
undergraduate student in the United States pursues prior to becoming a medical student.
It refers to the activities that prepare an undergraduate student for medical school, such
as pre-med coursework, volunteer activities, clinical experience, research, and the application process.
In most colleges and universities, students do not have the option
of a pre-medical major. A student on a pre-med track is permitted to choose any
undergraduate major in any field of study, so long as certain required courses
are completed. Such courses are generally focused in scientific fields of biology
and chemistry and are necessary for an individual to be permitted to take the Medical
College Admission Test (MCAT) and satisfy medical school pre-requisite requirements.
It is for this reason students on a pre-med track generally undertake a major associated
with one of those fields, however a large percentage of medical school applicants do not
major in a science field at all as an undergraduate and still be able to apply to medical
schools if they satisfied the pre-medical requirements. Nevertheless, it is preferable to
major in scientific fields.
Requirements
Medical schools want that you complete certain pre-medical classes as undergraduate.
The "pre-med" classes required by virtually all schools in the US are :
- A year of Freshman Chemistry along with the appropriate laboratory courses
- A year of Organic Chemistry along with laboratory courses
- A year of Biology along with laboratory courses
- A year of Physics along with laboratory courses
- A year of English
- A year of Calculus or other advanced math classes, including Statistics
The courses should include adequate laboratory experience.
Mathematics course work is also required or strongly recommended by most schools.
Some schools also require that you take Biochemistry, Psychology, and Philosophy.
In addition, studies in the humanities and the social and behavioral sciences, with
an emphasis on the development of effective writing skills, are suggested or even
required in some instances. Make sure that you have a well-rounded undergraduate
experience. More emphasis is placed on your ability to meet the basic requirements
than your major. Consult particular medical schools (or look at their web sites) to
find out the specifics.
Pre-med requirements play a very important role in admissions
for several reasons. Pre-med requirements make the bulk of the science classes you will
take in college and determine your Science GPA, which one of the determinants of your
chances of admission. While it's not bad to have one particular school in mind, there is a lot
of competition for admission, so be careful not to limit your options. Also, remember to keep
the admission requirements in mind when planning your academic schedule and make sure you can
meet these requirements once application time rolls around.
Before You Apply
Before choosing medical school as a path to your career goal, you should ask yourself some questions:
- Why do I really want to become a doctor?
- Do I care deeply about other people, their problems, and their pain?
- Do I often dig deeper into a subject than my professor requires? Do I understand the value of learning beyond just making good grades?
- Am I interested in how the human body functions? Am I intrigued by the ways medical science can improve life?
- What kind of physician do I want to be?
- Is there something I like about this job that can be found in another medically related field? Could I be happy doing one of these other health-related jobs?
- Am I committed to the time and work demands of a medical school student?
- Am I committed to the time and work of a physician? Veterinarian? Dentist?
These questions are all a part of evaluating your skills, identifying your values and seeing how your interests relate to your potential career choice of medical doctor. Answering these questions will also allow you to explore some of your options as you determine the full range of choices available to you.
