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What is the best path to medical school

I graduated from high school in Mexico in 2017. I’m attending a community college, this is my first quarter.
I would love advice in what path to take
Thank you
#college #medicine #premed #healthcare

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Yasemin’s Answer

Hi Ana! Very interesting question, so to be honest there's a lot of different paths one may take to get to medical school, I'm not sure if there is one path that is best. The traditional path is completing college, taking the MCAT, strengthening your application by volunteering both clinical and non-clinical, shadowing a physician and possibly doing research and then applying to medical school junior year and beginning right after college. Since you are in community college you have already begun to pave the path as a premed, for now I would advise for you to do as well as possible in your classes. The key is to maintain a strong 3.7+ GPA for medical school, so you really want to study hard and stay focused. Make sure to attend lectures, take notes and get to know your professors as they can give advice and be a mentor on this path. I would also recommend to check out some volunteer opportunities because it is favorable to volunteer in medical school. For clinical opportunities if you can shadow a physician that is great as it can give you some face time with patients and get a practical view of the medical world. You can also volunteer in a hospital and aid in certain patient interactions. I think both would be helpful because you want to see the experiences an actual physician has as well. It's also nice to give time to other volunteer opportunities as well that are non-clinical but remember to find something you are passionate about. In medical school it's quality not quantity, so let's say doing something that you really love a couple hours a week for four years will make more of a difference than doing 10 different activities. If you like to tutor you can volunteer to be a tutor, or you can work in a soup kitchen or help children with disabilities in their reading; there are many opportunities so be sure to see if your community college has any or you can search online. Pointsoflight.org is very helpful and Student Doctor Network has a great platform for answering basic questions about the medical path especially which volunteering opportunities can be helpful.

I don't know if you have an adviser for the premed path but once you get to a university college there are premed advisers that can help you with courses and keep you on track. You can also speak to them about the paths to medical school , but for now keep up your GPA and try to get in some clinical/nonclinical volunteering. Once you get to a university college there is also research opportunities, some that are offered by professors or some where you can reach out to the department and see if there is available openings. This will give you experience in lab work! I would also advise to check out AAMC.org, this is the site for medical school students, and premed students as well. It gives you advice on many topics by certified individuals. You really want to be careful in who you listen to because many people can say many different things, definitely speak with a premed adviser, see if you can find a physician you can shadow and get advice from them on their path and check out AAMC.

Best of luck!!

P.S. Because of the pandemic volunteering is affected a bit. There are some remote activities from home you can do and clinical is very difficult so if you hold off for now don't worry because everyone is being affected.

Yasemin recommends the following next steps:

See AAMC.org
Research volunteering opportunities
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Jayvaughn’s Answer

I do think medical management would be great for you, help make a lot of difference in this field if you want to see change in this world. This is for your associates or try medical assistant, surgical tech etc.

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Jessica’s Answer

The word "medicine" is a very broad word and means a lot to the medical field. I think before you start planning your classes you should think more about what you want to do in the field of medicine. Do you want to work with kids, adults, animals, old people? Or do you not want to work with people or animals but work in a lab? Once you have these answers you'll need to think about what you want to do in your career. Do you want to do surgeries? Operate on organs? Work in the emergency room? Do you want to work with kids who have cancer? Do you want to be a nurse? A nurse practitioner? Do you want to research cancer? Do you want to become a veterinarian? For a specific animal? Do you want to hang out in labs researching medicines? Do you want to have relationships with regular clients? What interests you about medicine? The mind? The body? Do you want to work in a hospital? Or a clinic? Your answers to these questions will help you figure out how long you'll need to go to school, and only then should you start planning your classes. :)

Jessica recommends the following next steps:

Think about what is driving you to the medical field. The patient you want to have. The work you want to do. Then do some research about the schooling needed to get those types of jobs.
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Keith’s Answer

HI Ana, your question was forwarded to me. Although some 38 years I had considered becoming an OBGYN my life took a different direction. I would advise talking to those how are in the field you are considering. For instance talk to an EMT, your nurse, your doctor...the people you come in contact with. Additionally the web sites for medical schools can also provide you great advice. For example the University of Washington has a list of advisors who I am sure can provide you some guidance.

UW Medicine Admissions - https://www.uwmedicine.org/school-of-medicine/admissions
Advisors - https://www.uwmedicine.org/school-of-medicine/admissions/advisors
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Richard’s Answer

I graduated from high school in Mexico in 2017. I’m attending a community college, this is my first quarter. I would love advice in what path to take Thank you college medicine premed...

In the US, to apply to medical school, you need a bachelor's degree. Any 4-year university should suffice.

Pick a major that interests you so you don't mind devoting a majority of your hours to studying. You will need to get good grades in college in order to apply for medical school. At the medical school I attended, the average GPA is reported to be 3.85, so even one or two B's can hurt your chances of acceptance.

Aside from this, any major is acceptable as long as you complete the prerequisite courses.

Typical medical school prerequisites include:
Biology: Lecture – 4 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
General Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Organic Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Biochemistry: Lecture – 1 semester
General Physics: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Math: Statistics – 1 semester
English: Rhetoric (Composition) and Literature – 2 semesters

Try to find opportunities to pursue research.

Volunteer at your local hospital or low-income clinic. Ask physicians, PAs or other clinical providers if you can shadow them.


During college study for and complete the MCAT. Devote an entire summer to studying for the MCAT and consider paying for a prep course if you can afford it.

My son used MCAT Complete 7-Book Subject Review 2019-2020: Online + Book + 3 Practice Tests (Kaplan Test Prep) Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep
Sold by: Amazon.com Services, Inc
It was about $140 and he achieved his goal score.



Apply to medical schools during your last year of college.
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