How to Get In to Medical School

Pick the right undergraduate institution:

Obviously there is no single "right" undergraduate school. Successful medical school applicants come from a wide range of schools. Basically, you should enroll in a 4-year university or college where you are comfortable, challenged and given opportunities to pursue meaningful extracurricular activities. In short, you should enroll at a school where you can excel academically and recreationally.

You may be able to begin at a community college, but make sure that most, if not all, of your pre-requisites (generally: 2 years of each of the following with a lab: biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics) are completed at a 4-year school. Most medical school admissions offices will tell you that they prefer your core science prerequisites be taken at 4-year schools.

Pick the right undergraduate course of study:

The right course of study is one in which you are generally interested-one that engages you intellectually for the many hours you will have to devote to it. You do not have to major in biology, chemistry or physics to be a competitive applicant. If you earn good grades and master the underlying concepts in the science pre-requisites you may major in anything you want.

Some majors other than Biology, Chemistry and Physics to consider are: Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology (i.e. disciplines concerning people). You may also consider majoring in Spanish, an increasingly useful language for clinicians.

Some of the classes outside of the core science pre-requisites that are required or recommended by some schools include: English, Biochemistry, Genetics, Calculus. To make sure that you meet a school's specific requirements, contact the school directly.

Pick the right extracurricular activities:

Medical School Admissions officers want to know that you know what you're getting into. Therefore, they want to see that you've had some exposure to the field of medicine. So, volunteering or working in a setting that allows you to experience firsthand what physicians do on a daily basis is highly recommended.