Medical School “Checklist”
In regards to all things premed, your starting point should always be AAMC’s website. That website has general information on pursuing a career in medicine as well as the things to do while in college to prepare for medical school.
Before deciding to apply to medical school, it’s important to properly evaluate yourself to ensure you are ready and are putting your best foot forward. I don’t want students to see getting into medical school as a checklist, however, there are certain things you should have that will make you competitive.
Completed Prerequisite courses (Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Physics, Math (Calc or Stats), and Psychology)
Always aim to do as well as possible in all your courses, these ones in particular, but I promise you, a B (or C) here or there won’t be the SOLE reason you don’t get in.
You don’t have to complete all the prerequisite courses before applying, but you do need to have them all completed before matriculating into medical school. I recommend having 70-100% of them done before at least taking your MCAT.
MCAT
Truly a beast of an exam, but necessary for admission into medical school.
You should dedicate at least 350 hours of study time to this exam. I mean it.
Letters of Recommendation (usually 2-3 science professors, 1-2 people who know you outside of classroom or a committee letter)
What others think of you say a lot about who you are, be sure to build relationships with professors, PIs, and supervisors, because their opinions can matter.
Completed Personal Statement
Don’t wait until May to start writing this.
Up to 15 extracurricular activities
I spoke with a dean of admission and he suggested that any number below 9 activities can look a little lit, but it’s more so of the impact/reflection from your experiences.
Money Saved
Chile applying to medical school will cost you an arm and leg, literally. So start saving.
Head over to my other blog posts for advice and organization templates to help you keep track of all these things.
Also check out AAMC’s resources as well.
