Medical school is not something to take lightly.
If you dream of attending med school in the United States and becoming a medical doctor, then you have a very challenging path ahead of you. This path is made even more challenging if you want to get into one of the top med schools in the country. For all medical school programs, you will need to complete minimum requirements. However, to get into the top schools, you need to go above and beyond the minimum, in addition to performing exceptionally well in all academic areas and exams.
Instructions
1. Earn top scores in all required coursework. For most medical schools, you need to complete specific courses, including biology, physics, chemistry, organic chemistry, calculus and English, and science courses generally need to be taken with a lab. Getting the highest possible grade in these courses will help you get into a top med school.
2. Attain a top grade point average (GPA). Top med schools are unlikely to look at candidates who do not have at least a 3.5 GPA. The higher your GPA, the more you'll be able to stand out from the crowd. For example, the Duke University School of Medicine, as of 2011, starts its acceptance range at a 3.74 GPA.
3. Complete an MCAT test prep course. This is the exam that will be used to determine if your base of knowledge is impressive enough to handle med school. You want to receive the highest possible score you can, with the highest possible total being 45. According to the Princeton Review, Harvard accepts students with an average total MCAT score of 35, while John Hopkins University accepts students with an average total MCAT score of 34.9.
4. Obtain a position as a research assistant or complete research with a professor. This is an optional requirement for med school, but will go a long way in helping you get in to a top school.
5. Volunteer in the medical field. Hospitals and clinics could always use an extra hand. This hands-on experience can look impressive to the top med schools and can really help set you apart from other applicants.
6. Shadow a physician in a medical field in which you're interested. Shadowing can often be set up through your pre-med advisor. It shows a medical school that you're serious about your career path and have learned all you can before embarking on med school.
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