Get in touch: +1 888 453 5021
Although your college may have a pre-med advising committee to answer your questions, getting credible information on how to manage your pre-med years can be challenging.
We’re committed to ensuring applicants have the tools they need to strengthen their profiles long before it’s time to apply to medical school. Our Pre-Med: How to Prepare for Med School Admissions Guide dives into everything you need to know:
Don’t miss this free pre-med resource - click the link above to download your guide today!
Here are a few things you can do as a high school student to prepare yourself for pre-med. There are plenty of opportunities out there for young future physicians!
If you’re considering a medical career, explore the different areas of medicine before choosing one path. It’s important to know how many years of education are required for each area you’re interested in, potential salaries, and job satisfaction rates. How long it takes to become a doctor depends on your chosen specialty!
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) offers an “Aspiring Docs” fact sheet for students to learn the ins and outs of medical school.
Remember, you don’t need to make any decisions now! You should do plenty of research to help yourself make an informed decision later. For now, focus on doing well in school and learning as much as you can.
Attending science or medical summer camps or pre-college summer programs are excellent ways to show initiative on your pre-med and medical school applications. These summer opportunities can range anywhere from a day to several weeks and typically take place from May to August.
Take a look at your local paper, science centers, hospitals, and universities to see if there’s a science or medical summer camp available near you (or online options).
An independent study or a “self-study” is a great option for high school students who don’t have many in-person opportunities nearby. To conduct a self-study, you simply have to set a goal and measure your progress.
Everyone has done some degree of independent learning in their lives. The difference here is that you measure success with benchmarks you set for yourself. Maybe you want to write 100 lines of working code, or you want to write your very own research paper – the sky's the limit with self-study.
Self-study looks excellent on a pre-med resume because it shows initiative and a passion for learning.
Tutoring is an excellent way to demonstrate a passion for learning and a thorough understanding of different subjects. While you don’t necessarily need to tutor in a science or math course, doing so can show your commitment and understanding of the scientific knowledge you’ll need for college and beyond.
There are several other high school jobs that may help you along your journey to medical school as well. For example, becoming a lifeguard can help you develop fast reaction time and basic health skills such as injury treatment and CPR.
When it comes to volunteering, you can’t go wrong. Committing your free time to assisting underserved communities or volunteer organizations is an excellent way to show your community spirit. Volunteering can reward you with perspective and fulfillment, and you may even make new friends along the way.
Pre-med students may want to search for volunteer opportunities that allow them to be in medical spaces, such as local hospitals or clinics.
Working in soup kitchens or community centers is also a great way to practice listening and learning about others. Ultimately, any volunteer opportunities you’re drawn to in your local community will look great on your pre-med CV.
Here are our recommended high school courses to become a doctor. Taking these courses can help boost your pre-med profile!
Participating in an IB program, AP courses, or any courses of elevated difficulty is an excellent way to prepare yourself for a pre-med track’s challenging curriculum. However, not all universities consider IB/AP courses when reviewing your GPA on an unweighted scale.
If you feel that maintaining an excellent GPA might be challenging due to the difficulty of your advanced courses, ensure you seek resources available to you, and do your best not to overload yourself with challenging coursework by taking on too much at one time.
You should take as many medical-related classes in high school as possible. Taking courses like biology, chemistry, physics, and calculus can give you a good head start in college.
Cultural and human sciences such as languages, health, social science, and history are also great courses to take before pre-med.
Medical schools search for many particular skills from pre-med students. The 15 Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students demonstrates which skills pre-med students should possess by the time they reach med school. It’s never too early to begin honing these skills! These are the core competencies:
The last two competencies are Living Systems and Human Behaviour, which you’ll cultivate as you navigate the pre-med track. In summary, focus on developing your communication, social, teamwork, leadership, and critical thinking skills – these will help you prepare for medical school!
Getting into a top pre-med program has never been easier with Inspira Advantage. Our counselors know what it takes to stand out in the admissions process as a pre-med student.
As a pre-med student, the road ahead is long, and it can be hard to keep track of everything you have to do for school. But don’t let this discourage you! To help you stay motivated, we’ve come up with a few key tips to make sure you persevere.
When attending pre-med, you want to remember that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. In total, doctors will spend at least ten years in school, meaning you have a long way to go as a pre-med student.
To help you keep up with your classes, without getting overwhelmed by how much work you have to complete, try doing something small towards your studies each day. Even reading five pages every night before bed will help you stay on track and avoid pre-med burnout.
Another way to avoid burnout is to give yourself one or two small goals to work towards each week. Having smaller goals will help keep you motivated as as a pre-med student. Remember that achieving goals feels good; being able to check things off your to-do list inspire you to work even harder towards your long-term goals.
Most pre-med students have a specific reason for wanting to study medicine. It could be that they love science, or that they have a need to help people. Focusing on whatever it is that brought you to the program can help keep you motivated.
Participating in a shadowing program or volunteering at a local medical clinic can remind you of why you want to be a doctor in the first place. Interacting with patients, for example, may allow you to recall the passion you have for helping others. These interactions can be a key motivating factor for any pre-med student.
What type of experiences brought you to study medicine? Once you’ve answered that question, you can find an activity that will enhance your pre-med motivation.
Building a solid community with other pre-med students can make all the difference when it comes to staying motivated. As people, we need to connect and feel a sense of belonging in order to survive. This becomes important when pursuing a program as challenging as pre-med.
Having other students around can help you see that you’re not the only one struggling. At times, it may seem like others are doing great while you're struggling, but there will also be times when you're thriving and can offer support to those in need of a bit more support.
Leaning on your community in these times can help you get a firmer grasp on the coursework you don’t understand, but also be extremely beneficial to your mental wellbeing. A good way to do this is to find a study partner or group you can join. Studying becomes easier when you can rely on each other in times of difficulty.
Having a motivated pre-med student around when you are feeling low can help raise your own motivation. They will remind you of what it is like to feel excited about your studies, and soon you’ll be feeling the same way, too.
When looking at the courses you need to take for your pre-med program, consider the difficulty level of each one and try to balance the workload in your schedule. Taking too many challenging courses at once can lead to feeling overwhelmed and stressed.
You may also want to consider which courses are your most difficult and try to spread them out over the four years. For example, if you are not the best at chemistry and math, try not to take both courses in the same semester.
Bringing some balance into your schedule will help you feel less stressed and your pre-med motivation should stay high.
This tip also applies to the extracurricular activities you might want to do to enhance your medical school application. Do not feel pressured to “get them over with” quickly. You can participate in them at different times, like work in a medical lab over the summer, and they will still make your medical school applications look good.
Give yourself permission to take breaks when needed. Even if they are just short five-minute intervals, make sure you take them. It’s easy to become overwhelmed if you do not allow your body and mind to have the rest it needs from your intensive school work.
No one can work all the time, so make sure you make room for things you enjoy outside of academics. Finding small ways to rest can reinvigorate your motivation for your pre-med school work; you will feel rejuvenated and ready to conquer your studies!
Allow yourself at least one day a week where you don’t do school work, it can help increase your pre-med motivation to work hard throughout the long road.
Inspira Advantage helps students like you succeed in even the most competitive pre-med programs. If you're struggling to keep up with the coursework or just need extra support, meet your own advisor today.
Here are our answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about how to prepare for pre-med in high school.
There are many ways a high school student can prepare for pre-med. The following are a few suggestions from our experts:
Don’t be afraid to get started! Showing initiative in your high school years in any way looks excellent on your resume.
The best extracurriculars for pre-med aren’t all medicine-related! In addition to shadowing a physician or volunteering at a clinic or hospital, you can also:
There are plenty of in-person and online opportunities for high school students interested in pre-med! Keep an eye on your local paper, hospital, and universities for camps and volunteer opportunities.
You should take all the science and math courses available to you in high school if you are interested in attending a pre-med program; with a specific focus on biology, chemistry, and physics. However, any AP classes in arts, languages, social sciences, and other areas make for a well-rounded high school transcript.
If you are nervous about becoming a pre-med, consider taking science or medical summer camps before starting school. Do your research, seek meaningful related activities, and hone your organizational skills for a smoother transition.
High school students can take advanced math and science courses through honors, AP, IB, or dual enrollment classes. However, don’t feel limited to only science and math classes – social sciences, history, language, and arts courses can help you build a varied transcript while pursuing your interests.
The key to staying motivated as a pre-med student involves finding a healthy balance between academics and non-academic pursuits. Make sure you take the time to rest, explore hobbies you enjoy outside of school, and connect with a study group to help keep you motivated throughout your pre-med program.
The number of hours students take to study depends on a number of factors, including the time of year, their schedule, and study habits.
During exam season, for example, pre-med students may dedicate up between six to eight hours a day. During other times of the school year, this may be reduced to between three to five hours. Meeting these demands is difficult, which is why staying high is so important.
Pre-med programs are challenging, but can be worth the extra effort once you get into medical school. Make sure to stay organized so your work does not become overwhelming.
Try to do at least one thing every day that contributes toward your studies. By breaking up your work into smaller goals, you’ll feel they’re easier to achieve and avoid unnecessary stress.
.svg)
