Everything You Need To Know About Taking Pre Medicine
Most Med Schools require the following from their students:
- 1 year of Biology with Lab
- 1 year of Chemistry general with Lab
- 1 year of Chemistry organic with Lab
- 1 year of Physics with Lab
- 1 semester of Biochemistry
- 1 semester of Psychology
- 1 year of Maths (some schools want Calculus and Statistics)
- 1 year of English
If you have not taken the Pre Med track throughout your undergraduate degree, then taking a Pre Med course will give you the opportunity to take all the classes you need, resit your MCATs (if needed), and include extracurricular activities and medical volunteering.
If you need to fine-tune or boost your transcript before applying for Med School then post-bacc Pre Med is the perfect opportunity to do so.
What Is Post-Baccalaureate Study?
A post-baccalaureate course is any course that you take after you have achieved the undergraduate degree that will help you to transition into a professional school.
The most famous time of post-bacc course is Pre Med, but there are others including Pre Law and Computer Science post-bacc programs.
They are designed to give you more specialized knowledge and skills that will help you to perform better when you arrive at the professional school.
Other countries use different systems – for example, in the UK they go straight from high school to 7 years of medical school.
What Is A Pre Med Course?
After completing your undergraduate degree, you may find yourself focusing on getting into Med School but not having taken the right classes during your degree.
Pre Med offers these students to take Math (remember some Med Schools require you to have taken statistics and calculus classes), Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, and English.
As there is a way to major in Medicine at university, prospective medical students may take the Pre Med course to display their aptitude in the subject to prospective Med Schools.
Med Schools can be incredibly competitive and some of the top schools expect students to take the Pre Med track during their undergraduate degree and get a Pre Med master’s degree – on top of extracurricular activities.
Do I Need Pre Med To Go To Med School?
Not all Med Schools require a Pre Med post-bacc qualification. Some will accept people who have taken the Pre Med undergraduate track if they are impressed by their transcript. Some more exclusive Med Schools will expect you to have a Pre Med post-bacc or master’s degree before you apply.
However, Pre Med post-bacc qualifications will improve your chances of getting into Med School. Georgetown University showed that 85% of the people who graduated from their course get accepted into Med School within 10 months.
However, you need to do well in your Pre Med post-bacc if you want it to improve your chances. You should try to take more advanced coursework assignments to improve your transcript.
Pre Med also offers coaching classes for MCATS and the chance to resist them – you need an average score of 509/528 to get into Med School.
Which Pre Med Course Should I Take?
The best way to get the answer to this question is to talk to your pre-health adviser, or to talk to the admissions office of the Med School you hope to attend. They will be able to point you in the right direction for Post Bacc programs.
For some Med Schools, the qualification you get at the end of Pre Med is more important than the school that you go to – i.e. they want you to get a Pre Med master’s degree.
How Long Does It Take To Complete A Pre Med Course?
This will depend on if you are studying full time or part time. It will also depend on whether you are looking to achieve a master’s degree from Pre Med.
For a certificate, you would be looking at around 1 year of full time study. For a master’s degree, you’d be looking at around 3 years of full time classes.
Do I Get An Award After Completing Pre Medicine?
The answer to this question will vary depending on where you study and how long you study for.
Some schools will offer you a certificate of completion for doing the course. While others will offer you a master’s degree.
If you want to take Pre Med but do not plan on going to Med School then you should consider taking a course that offers a master’s degree at the end.
How Much Does It Cost To Complete Pre Medicine?
Again, this will depend on how long you study for and where you study.
Post-Baccalaureate courses can be very expensive and most people will need to take out a loan to cover the costs of the course.
It is possible to take out federal loans to complete a Pre Med course, but not everyone will be eligible. Those who aren’t eligible will need to take out private loans or pay out of their own pocket.
It will take at least one year of full time studying (or three years of part time) to complete the Pre Med course.
