Dreaming of becoming a pediatrician, cardiologist or dermatologist? You'll want to consider majoring in pre-med.
In order to become a doctor, you will need to attend medical school --- possibly some of the most demanding years of your life. Most people attend medical school after receiving a bachelor's degree, so plan on spending at least eight years working on your advanced degree after high school. "Pre-med track" refers to the coursework or the major that you will pursue as an undergraduate student in order to help prepare you for medical school.
Pre-Med Basics
In order to apply for medical school, you need to take coursework in general chemistry, organic chemistry, biology and physics. Many undergraduate colleges, but not all, have pre-medicine majors that will allow you to tackle many of the required courses for medical schools. Pre-med tracks vary by college, so check with your college or university before you enroll in courses each semester. You can major in anything that you want as an undergraduate, but make sure you've completed all the required coursework for the medical school where you want to apply. It's recommended to major in biology, because many pre-med requirements fall into this major.
Pre-Med First Year
During the first year of your undergraduate career, many pre-med programs recommend taking introductory-level courses in the physical sciences. These courses will include courses in chemistry and biology. Some schools recommend taking courses in calculus and physics.
Pre-Med Second Year
During your second year of undergraduate studies, you will still need to take lower-level coursework in the science, including organic chemistry and more biology courses. By this time, students will most likely have a better idea of the type of science that they're interested in concentrating in for the remainder of their undergraduate degree. Other courses that may be required for the pre-med track might include neuroscience and genetics.
Pre-Med Track for the MCAT
Before you begin your path in the medical field, you need to attend an undergraduate college, take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and then apply for graduate school. The MCAT is as important as your undergraduate GPA and will test your aptitude in the physical and biological sciences. In order to perform well on the MCAT, you need to take coursework in science and mathematics, which the Pre-Med track offers, helping you to succeed.
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