In the United States, medical school usually begins after a bachelor's degree, so for most students the road to becoming a doctor runs through a strong undergraduate pre-med experience. Yet American colleges don't offer a "pre-med" major. Pre-med is a track that students in any major follow while they prepare to apply to medical school.
That preparation has four parts:
- Required coursework in biology, chemistry and physics, taken alongside the student's major
- Grades and the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), both of which need to stay strong
- Clinical experience through hospital internships and volunteering
- Research experience, which the most selective medical schools treat as essential
Part 1 of CRI's pre-med roadmap explained how combined BS/MD programs work, why many are closed to international applicants, and why it often makes sense to prepare for the traditional route in parallel. Part 2 compared BS/MD programs with the four-year pre-med path; both are on the CRI blog. This third part profiles ten colleges known for pre-med, what it takes to be admitted to them, and the trends shaping medical school admissions, especially for international students.
Ten colleges known for pre-med
The ten universities below, listed in no particular order, are widely cited for the strength of their pre-med advising and medical school preparation.
Harvard University
Harvard gives pre-med students a structured advising system. From sophomore year, dedicated advisers and tutors guide each student through everything from choosing prerequisite courses to writing medical school applications. The life sciences curriculum provides a solid grounding in the required sciences, and nearby world-class hospitals, including Massachusetts General Hospital, offer abundant research and clinical opportunities. Students who reach graduation without the prerequisites can complete them through the premedical post-baccalaureate program at Harvard Extension School.
Johns Hopkins University
Tied to one of the world's leading medical schools and hospitals, Johns Hopkins is an ideal setting for medical research and clinical experience. Affiliations with major teaching hospitals let undergraduates take part in clinical work and research projects, and a dedicated pre-health advising program keeps students of any major on a structured path to medical school. For those who decide on medicine after college, Hopkins runs a post-baccalaureate pre-medical program in which participants complete the prerequisites through at least one year of full-time study.
