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Chemistry to Pre-Medicine Track
Hi, I'm currently wanting to become a Chemistry major and apply for medical school. What are some advice that you can give me pertaining to what classes I should be taking, study materials (such as books, internet sources, etc.), and internship opportunities? Please let me know what your experiences are as you were getting into pre-med programs while you were in college! Also, what should I expect in college? I'm an upcoming senior, are there any advices you can give me regarding writing essays for the common application?
#medicine #premed #college #chemistry #common-app #college-admissions
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Richard’s Answer
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. I chose to major in biochemistry because there was overlap with the premed requirements and I wanted to complete my degree in 3 years.
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
It was about $140 and he achieved his goal score.
Aside from this, any major is acceptable as long as you complete the prerequisite courses. I chose to major in biochemistry because there was overlap with the premed requirements and I wanted to complete my degree in 3 years.
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
It was about $140 and he achieved his goal score.
Updated
Saul’s Answer
Hi Minjung,
What I can advise you to do is become very good friends with your academic advisor as he will be your point of contact as to which classes are required for graduation. That will cover your chemistry degree. And because chemistry is a science, being a pre-med track student will be no different. You may have to to take a human anatomy class or medical terminology that would not be required for your chemistry degree but may be beneficial to take.
You will find that many pre-med track student will spend all of their time shadowing a nurse or doctor during their down time and while that is good and does expose you to the field, I cannot emphasize enough how much research experience is also extremely useful. Getting the research experience will make you stand out when it comes time to apply for med school and it will also expose you to another side of patient care. It may even expose you to the posibility of a MD/PhD degree in the future where you can be a researching clinician.
To get research experience you will want to search professors that are in the chemistry, biology, or neuroscience department and are seeking undergrate students. Some professors are willing to pay you while others will recommend that you take a course for credit that will count towards your degree. All I can say is that dont be afraid to reach out to professors. They understand who you are and what you are trying to do. We were there at some point in our lifes and the one thing we all want is to make student succeed in life.
Good luck in the upcoming school year and in college.
What I can advise you to do is become very good friends with your academic advisor as he will be your point of contact as to which classes are required for graduation. That will cover your chemistry degree. And because chemistry is a science, being a pre-med track student will be no different. You may have to to take a human anatomy class or medical terminology that would not be required for your chemistry degree but may be beneficial to take.
You will find that many pre-med track student will spend all of their time shadowing a nurse or doctor during their down time and while that is good and does expose you to the field, I cannot emphasize enough how much research experience is also extremely useful. Getting the research experience will make you stand out when it comes time to apply for med school and it will also expose you to another side of patient care. It may even expose you to the posibility of a MD/PhD degree in the future where you can be a researching clinician.
To get research experience you will want to search professors that are in the chemistry, biology, or neuroscience department and are seeking undergrate students. Some professors are willing to pay you while others will recommend that you take a course for credit that will count towards your degree. All I can say is that dont be afraid to reach out to professors. They understand who you are and what you are trying to do. We were there at some point in our lifes and the one thing we all want is to make student succeed in life.
Good luck in the upcoming school year and in college.