Switching to Pre-Med as an Upperclassman

I knew I wanted to be a doctor when I was 6. In my purple rimmed glasses with a pink heart the corner (yes, I was 6 with glasses…) I had already figured out my life career plan. But that’s not the story for everyone. Maybe you decided in high school that you wanted to be a doctor. Maybe you are a junior or senior in college and just decided last week that you want to be a physician. That’s okay. Don’t panic! You can still make this happen.

Have you looked at the pre-med checklist I created? If you haven’t seen it, what are you waiting on?!? If you have seen it and are following it, great! If you have seen it and are freaked out because you’re not on schedule, don’t worry. It can be modified to meet you where you are. You can still make this happen. (Yes, I’ve said that twice now…for emphasis!)

First of all, kudos to you for deciding you want to go to medical school and become a physician. You, as a future Black doctor, are going to not only change the lives of your future patients, but also of students who look like you who will come behind you. Now that we’ve gotten the kudos out of the way, don’t let anyone tell you that because you decided on this path a little later than others that you’re doomed. That’s not true. Here are a couple things to consider as you join us on this journey!

Required pre-medical coursework

If you’re deciding on this path as an upperclassman, the first step in turning pre-med is to look over the coursework you’ve taken already and determine which can “count” towards pre-med required classes.

Every medical school is going to require that you’ve taken biology, chemistry, orgo, and physics—you can’t get around those. Many also require a set number of English and humanities hours. Here is a link for required pre-medical coursework for most (if not all) medical schools in the country. I recommend you look through these, especially for schools you think you’d want to apply to, and determine what classes you still need. Then go, immediately, and meet with your college’s pre-med advisor and figure out a schedule—of how you can take some of those classes before graduating and/or post-graduation.

Even if you graduate soon, don’t waste these last few semesters, consider taking some classes as an undergrad if you can fit them in. Do not, I repeat DO NOT, load your schedule with 5 BCPM classes in one semester trying to get them all in before you graduate. The goal is not just to check off that you took the class, but to actually make a good grade and not lose your mind in the process. Slow your roll and be smart about scheduling.

What did you do as an undergrad?

Know that you don’t have to change your major to biology or chemistry tomorrow just because you’ve decided to be pre-med. You do have to fill schools’ certain course requirements but, remember, people are out here majoring in literally anything and everything and getting into medical school. So everything you’ve done up to this point isn’t a complete waste. And you also had life experiences, right? You didn’t have to be pre-med in order to volunteer, lead, be active on campus, etc. So don’t think everything you’ve done up to this point just doesn’t count. Start jotting down a list of things that you’ve done that will be important for your application. You can log those experiences here and start to build on them.

Graduate courses

Taking post-graduate courses is a great opportunity to get in the required classes that you need and to boost your BCPM GPA. This can either be taking individual classes that you need, working towards a degree, or as part of a post-bac program. Any of these options will allow you to get the coursework in without feeling too rushed to get them all in during the last few semesters of undergrad.

Other requirements

For a complete application, you have to have community service and medical exposure. As soon as you know you’re pre-med, whether it’s freshman year or senior year, you should start seeking out opportunities in these categories. Remember that your service needs to be meaningful and sustained, so go find something you’re passionate about now and dedicate yourself to it for at least 1-2 years. Research is a plus for your pre-med application but isn’t absolutely necessary. I do firmly believe that having research under your belt makes you a stronger applicant, and sometimes we need that extra punch. If you take graduate classes as part of a formal program, you can probably find research to do as part of that program. If you have another year of college left, you may be able to find an ongoing project on your campus to join. But again, it’s not make or break, so don’t stress about this as much as service, medical exposure, and being able to show that you work well with others.

You’re also going to need strong letters of recommendation. Review this post about whom to ask for these letters but, if you’re an upperclassman and newly pre-med, consider notifying a professor that you really bonded with (and in whose class you did well) about your intention to apply to medical school and ask if they’d be willing to write you a strong letter in the near future—and then stay in touch with them until you need that letter! It makes a lot of sense to plant this seed while you’re still on campus, even if you won’t need it until later.

The other big requirement that no one ever wants to talk about but is not going anywhere: the MCAT. You must (read: MUST) complete the pre-requisites before taking the MCAT. This is necessary. You also need to give yourself enough time to study for it. We are not in the business of donating money and time to this test by taking it when we’re not prepared for it. So plan for this accordingly and take it when you’re ready for it.

Framing your application

You will want to highlight parts of your story that will be appealing to admissions committees. Remember, we like a little variety in applicants- that’s what gives people who will go into various specialties. It would be boring if all the applications knew they wanted to be a doctor at age 6 and took a straight path to medicine.

One “nice thing” about changing your career plan later in the process is that you can really talk up your “aha” moment and what made you decide to pursue medicine. You can definitely turn that into a strength if you have a good enough story—and one that people who interview you and read your application will remember.

Gather information

Following this blog (shameless plug) is just the start of how you can find out more information about being a strong applicant, regardless of when you start. Also go meet with your pre-med advisor (I’ve said that 3 times in this post, I know, I mean it), talk to other pre-med students, and join your college’s pre-med organizations to gather as much information and contacts as you can.

Get started!

If you’re a junior or senior and have recently decided to be pre-med…get moving! You don’t have to wait to graduate to “start over” as a pre-med. Take advantage of the opportunities available at your college and in the surrounding community. Make a good plan for your path going forward and go out and execute it. Know that it won’t happen overnight. Many people are pre-med for a whole 3 years before applying to medical school, some 4 or 5. I say that to say don’t think you have to (or can) force that into 1 or 2 years. Take the time that you need to make your application as strong as possible.

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Remember, there are people who have a whole career—as accountants, teachers, cosmetologists, musicians, Army Rangers, you name it—then decide they want to go to medical school. You making this decision towards the end of your undergraduate career is not the worst thing in the world and certainly is nothing to freak out about.

You’ve got this.