The Journey

Coursework

REQUIRED

RECOMMENDED

FRESHMAN YEAR

Take one or two sequences of required courses. The general trend tends to be a year of general chemistry and general biology.
Volunteer early. It does not matter if you are in a hospital, church, or serving the community. However, if you are serving the community you will have to complement with clinical experience later on.
Shadow a physician to know if medicine really is for you. It is recommended to be involved in a student organization as well. Medical school admissions want to see that their candidates have been involved in leadership.
Plan the coming summer carefully. It will be very wise of you to choose between research, volunteer work, clinical experience, paid positions or taking summer classes.
If you plan to apply to the Medical Scientist Program you are highly encouraged to work in a research lab your freshman year. Keep in mind that professors usually prioritize freshmen!

Sophomore Year

Complete remaining pre-requisites. It is recommended to take a year of organic chemistry and then take biochemistry junior year. Many take organic chemistry and general physics this year.
Keep up with volunteer work or research.
You could take the MCAT. Some take a quarter of biochem sophomore year and take the MCAT the following summer. Plan what works best for you!
At this point, start thinking of whom to ask for letters of recommendation. You are required to have letters of recommendation for the recommendation committee if you are applying to medical schools.

JUNIOR YEAR

Take one-quarter of biochemistry if you want to apply to Loma Linda School of Medicine. Take other upper-division biology courses such as cell & molecular biology or genetics.
Start asking for recommendation letters fall quarter & into winter quarter. You must apply to the recommendation committee by the end of winter quarter. Be ready to send all your letters to the committee. A minimum GPA of 3.3 is required to get invited to an interview from the committee.
Take the MCAT in the spring or summer. Start studying at least three to six months before the test.
The medical school application is done through the AMCAS website. You will need all the prerequisites and an MCAT score in order to submit an application. The AMCAS application will open in early May. We recommend starting as soon as possible so you can submit the application as soon as you can!

SENIOR YEAR

At this point, you have made it through the most stressful parts in pre-medicine. However, we strongly recommend that you take hard classes such as histology and human gross anatomy even though not required by your major. These classes will help you in medical school.
This might be your last chance to take a non-science elective.
Fill out your secondaries & prepare for interviews.
Pick a school and CELEBRATE!
Decide whether or not you will take a gap year. Some people do this in order to do mission work, travel, take their MCAT, or do their Master's.
If you get accepted in winter, take an easy load in the spring to get some good rest before medical school. Enjoy this summer before medical school!

plan b

However, if you are rejected by all schools you should think about these things:

Ask the schools why they rejected you.
If your GPA is low you should take more science electives to raise your GPA.
You could enroll in a one-year master's program in a science field to prove that you can handle a heavy course load.
If your MCAT score is low, you will need to retake the test. However, your second time around should be taken more seriously! Aim to have your second round MCAT score be higher than the first time you took it!
A common reason to be rejected is that you lack clinical experience. You could possibly get a paid position as a scribe in a hospital.
Look at your personal statement and essays. Is there anything you could have improved or taken more time to write?