By now you probably have a good sense about what’s in store for the next 3 years of pre-med classes. Your counselors have lined up your academic path and you’ve taken and completed a year’s worth of courses. However, there is still plenty of work to be done and you want to make sure you’re prepared for the rest of pre-med college life. At this point, many students start to second-guess their decisions and wonder what they should do next or what they should be doing now. Below is a list of “to-do” items you can check off to make sure you’re on track for your pre-med studies.
Tips to Help Pre-Med College Students Succeed
- Know Your Pre-Med Requirements
- Meet with Your Counselor Regularly
- Maintain at Least a 3.5 GPA
- Find Internships or Hospital Jobs
- Diversify Your Pre-Med College Coursework
How These Tips Culminate to Success
It’s easy for new pre-med students to be pulled off track and it’s important to know which classes you need to excel in for your requirements. By meeting with your counselor on a regular basis, you can continually verify that you’re on track to graduate pre-med school and adjust if any problems should arise. You can also talk to your counselor about taking new electives that will look appealing to med-schools. These schools have their set standards for application. They like to see exceptional GPAs and know that you excelled in your prerequisite courses. However, they also hope to see a little more.
A few of the best ways to impress med-schools is by having real hospital experience. Find internships or job positions with hospitals in your area. This is sure to blow them away during the interview process. Another way to impress them is to showcase a diverse course schedule by filling your electives with humanities credits. This will illustrate that you have skills in multiple areas and are able to adapt to a med-school environment.