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The Wonder Years (Also known as College)
Major and Classes
No, you don’t have to be a biology major to go to med school, or a science major at all! Just make sure to take all the prerequisites. It’s a good idea to at least take a few advanced courses in Bio or Chem to show your interest in science. But you don’t have to go crazy with taking all the bio courses your school offers.
Should I take super advanced chemistry or just regular chemistry? The vast majority of med school admissions officers know which schools are tough, and which are party schools. So, if you are at a tougher school, use that reputation to your advantage. Take regular chem and get a solid A grade, instead of risking a B or lower in super chem! Your GPA will thank you!
Be well rounded, and take your art appreciation stuff, history, economics, and languages. Med schools want to get people who are scientists, but not just scientists. They will ask you at your interviews about which classes you enjoyed, which ones challenged you, etc… You want to have more to talk about than just your pig dissection class!
Should I take anatomy, and physiology and other med school classes? You definitely do not have to take these classes, you will get enough of them at med school. If you have a keen interest, then you should do it, but don’t do it in order to “prove” to med schools that you can hack a med school class.
Extracurriculars
While it would be great to participate in all possible activities, and start an orphanage while maintaining a 5.0 GPA, it’s just not possible or expected. Try to focus your efforts on a few solid community service or hospital service activities and concentrate your time into leadership positions. Being part of a Pre-Med Society is neither a requirement or much of a resume builder. Working in underserved areas, or with youth groups is always a good idea.
It is a good idea not only for your application, but your personal learning and development to at least spend some time in a clinical (hospital) setting. You can easily find things to do in most hospitals by visiting their volunteer office. This way you can get to see the inner workings of a hospital or clinic to better understand what you are getting yourself into, as well as have some extra ammunition for your paper application and your interview. Try to volunteer in areas that involve real patient contact, not just handing out magazines to inpatients, but hands-on stuff! How about helping with taking vital signs and triage at a local community clinic? Shadowing a doctor in an office is another good way to see what Docs do on a day to day basis.
Don’t forget to take part in sports, intramurals, and outdoor activities. At your med school interviews, people WILL ask you what you like to do for fun, and what do you do when you are not reading about mitochondria and oxidative phosphorylation!
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