Steps Towards Medical School

The road to medical school can be long and complex. A common place where students get stuck is where to start. There is a whole list of tasks that need to be done, but which step comes first? Where do you put your focus? Who are you supposed to meet with? What do you need to keep track of, and how? Below is a list of phases with steps toward medical school that students can refer to.

Keep in mind that no one's journey to medicine is the same. Using this guide, you can gauge an idea of where you can start, whether you are an incoming Freshman pre-med or recently decided to switch your career path to a non-traditional pre-med. These steps can help set you up for success and make the process less complicated and stressful.

Though we recommend following this guide, some circumstances make certain steps come before others, and that's okay! Regardless of the outcome, just know that HPAC is here for you! We can help guide you through the processes of planning, execution, and application.

Phase 1 - Setting Yourself Up For Success

• Create a list of potential medical schools
  • Get an idea of the medical schools that you would like to attend!
• Review/Plan out prerequisite courses
  • Grades are a priority, so ensure you do well in all your courses
  • Remember: extracurriculars can be made up, but grades cannot
  • Choose a major that has some overlap with the required prerequisites, as this will help to ease your course load
• Meet with your university pre-health advisor
  • Planning multiple appointments is a good idea, as the road to medical school can be long and confusing!
• Create a Mappd.com account
  • This account will help you track the progress of prerequisite courses, grades, extracurricular hours, and other relevant experiences

Phase 3 - Execution / Ongoing

• Build relationships with professors/advisors/university faculty
  • Essential for getting letters of recommendation
• Strengthen your extracurricular experiences
  • Volunteer, shadow, clinical hours, non-clinical hours, artistic endeavors, etc.
• Narrow down the list of potential medical school
  • Now that you have a list, narrow down which schools are the best fit for you (location, mission statement, demographics, realistic vs reach acceptance)
• Self-care!
  • Make sure to make time for yourself, friends, and family. The risk of mental burnout as a premed is real, so don't let it negatively impact your mental well-being, physical health, and overall progress!