When talking to others about college majors, you probably hear tons of students who say “I’m going to be pre-med.” Typically, they are not referring to a major, rather the path that students are following in hopes to go to medical school or graduate school in the health field after receiving their undergraduate degree. Many schools offer specialized advising programs specifically for students hoping to go into the medical field to help you best prep for admission into these competitive programs. Here’s what the pre-med advising office can help with:
Choosing a Major
Anything! You were probably hoping we’d tell you exactly what you should choose, but no such luck. Instead, here are some things to consider:
If your goal is medical school or a graduate program in the health field, you are required to have earned a bachelor’s degree and complete certain prerequisite courses (math, science, social science, and even some english courses etc.) to lay the foundation for success in your med/grad school classes. What you ultimately decide to major in is up to you as long as you complete the required prerequisite courses. Traditionally, students choose majors like Biology, Health Sciences, Biochemistry etc. because they have the majority of prerequisite courses already built into the curriculum and give you lots of background in the sciences, but by choosing something more unique like history, bioethics, or economics, your application is likely to stand out among your peers. For more help on choosing a major, check out this article.
Pre-Med Academic Advising
Short answer: it helps you get into med school or grad school. Pre-med advising offices offer a wide array of services that you should take advantage of. Some things you may see include: individualized advising sessions, workshops, grad/medical/school visits on your campus, personal statement review, mock interviews, test prep resources for admissions tests, and much more!
As a pre-med student, you should schedule an appointment with your major advisor AND pre-med advisor once a semester to ensure you are on the right track for both graduation and admission to med/grad school. It’s also great to establish a relationship with both advisors because you will definitely be needing letters of recommendation to go along with your applications and they will be a great source for these.
Your pre-med advisor is another person on your team to cheer you on and provide support to help you achieve your dreams. Whether you enter college knowing you want to go the pre-med route or discover it later on, make it a priority to visit the pre-med advising office on your campus ASAP!