How to prepare for medical school

To prepare for medical school you need to take pre-med courses, gain field-related experience, and obtain letters of recommendation. Here are some details on these ways and others to prepare for medical school:

• Take pre-med courses

You need to obtain a bachelor's degree to get into medical school. It is recommended that you major in pre-med or take pre-med-related courses. Some other appropriate majors include:

• Biology

• Chemistry

• Life sciences

• English

• Psychology

If majoring in a somewhat related or non-related area, then you must make sure you fulfill the prerequisite course requirements for medical school. Some of these courses include:

• Biology

• Chemistry

• Physics

• Physiology

• Genetic organic chemistry

• Psychology

• Calculus

• Human anatomy

There are a few more prerequisite courses for medical school, so make sure you do your proper research into what you need to take if you are majoring in an unrelated field.

• Gain field-related experience in medical school

You should gain field-related experience during your undergraduate degree at medical school. This will increase the likelihood of you being accepted to a medical program. To do this you can either seek out medical-related internships or somewhat medical-related internships, or volunteer for organizations that participate in the medical field.

• Gain research experience

During your undergraduate degree, you should also try to complete some medical research. This can be a term paper or research project that relates to medicine. Gaining research experience prior to medical school is a great way to enhance your application for a medical program. This shows the program your interest and commitment to the field of medicine.

• Obtain letters of recommendation

It is strongly encouraged that you gain at least one, ideally several, letters of recommendation from pre-med advisors, medical industry professionals, or undergraduate instructors to validate your work ethic and suitability for a medical school program. Having a mixture of recommendations from professors and professionals from your internship is the best option.

• Keep your GPA high

Ideally, you should keep your GPA in the 3.7 to 4.0 range during your undergrad career when knowing you are going to be applying to medical school. Having a high GPA is one definite way to increase your chances of acceptance into a medical program. While you can enhance your application in other ways, this is a simple goal to shoot for.

After you obtain a bachelor's degree you must take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), which is notorious for being a very complex and difficult exam. It is a test that many people have to take two or three times to pass. To avoid taking several times you should do as much studying as possible, and consider getting the assistance of a tutor or service.

• Research different medical school programs

You should also research different medical school programs to find the one that is the best fit for you. There may also be ones that make more sense to apply to because of your specific qualifications.