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Getting a High Premedical GPA: Getting a high premedical GPA is not as challenging as it seems if you plan your courses appropriately. Whether you are an undergraduate or you have returned to school to pursue medicine, consider planning your coursework early on. This means having a general idea of what courses you are going to take and when you are taking each course. It is very important to be realistic in this process. Students sometimes get ambitious and take three or four challenging science courses in one quarter/semester, which can be overwhelming. We suggest you balance difficult courses with less challenging ones and take a combination of science and non-science courses together. Thinking about scientific concepts requires using a different part of your brain than thinking about the humanities. When you combine different types of courses, you are not just putting pressure on one part of your brain to always work in overdrive. We always encourage students to talk to upperclassmen and seek their advice about what combination of courses are most realistic to do well in.
Doing Well on the MCAT: The MCAT is another aspect of the application that is absolutely crucial to getting into medical school. The science sections of the MCAT are covered in your premedical coursework, so if you do well in your science courses, you will already have the knowledge base to succeed on the MCAT. The verbal reasoning section of the MCAT is more challenging because there is not a single class you can take to prepare for this section. This section requires an ability to read passages in a range of non-scientific fields, understand the concepts, and answer critical questions about these passages. Students who have a strong background in the humanities and those who read often tend to do better on this section of the test. The text in humanities passages is different than those encountered in the sciences and requires a different approach. If you are not used to reading this type of material, we encourage you to start early and begin reading books, magazines, and novels. It is difficult to improve your reading skills in a few months, so if you need to improve on this section, you should get started early!
Most undergraduate students take the MCAT during their junior year of college. It is wise to give yourself about 3 months of focused studying for the MCAT before you take the test. Many students choose to take an MCAT preparatory course, where you can practice MCAT practice passages and learn strategies for answering MCAT type questions. If you are taking the MCAT during the school year, make sure you keep your courses lighter during the quarter/semester that you are preparing for the MCAT. This way you can focus on preparation for the test and ensure success.