Medical School Requirements

The best place to find information about medical school requirements is from the school itself. However, most schools have similar medical school prerequisites. Remember that just

• One Year of Physics

  • One year of physics is a medical school requirement by every school. This does not have to be a calculus-based physics class, and the MCAT does not test calculus-based physics. I took the basic classes and did well on that section of the MCAT.  Also, as you go through medical school, you will realize that for most fields a detailed knowledge of physics is not necessary, although always one of the requirements for medical school.  One of the main exceptions to that is probably radiation oncology, so it may serve you well to take advanced physics if you are leaning in that direction.
  • I enjoyed my physics class as a medical school requirement. I felt that it helped me understand what was happening in the world around me. You will learn about laws of motion, gravity, force, magnetism and other great concepts. Take your time to understand the material taught in this one of the medical school admissions requirements and you will have a better understanding of why things happen in the world.

• One Year of General Chemistry with Lab Work

Photo courtesy of Horia Varlan

• As with physics, this does not have to be an advanced class, just the basic general chemistry. Make sure it does have a lab component, however, as most schools will want this.
• General chemistry is a one of the medical school prerequisites, although you will not use a lot of chemistry as a doctor. It will, however, it will be one of the medical school admission requirements to understand this material well for the MCAT.
• In this one of the medical school prerequisites, you will again get to learn about the world around you. One thing that I enjoyed learning in this of the requirements for medical school was about melting and boiling points. I felt like it was information that I could think about immediately as I was cooking my Ramen noodles in college.

• One Year of Organic Chemistry with Lab Work

  • Again, same as the ones before. Does not have to be advanced, but does need a lab. This is one of the medical school admissions requirements and will give you some help in understanding pharmacology once you are in medical school.
  • In organic chemistry, you will be learning how chemicals react to form other chemicals. In this of the medical school admission requirements, you will actually make certain compounds in the lab. I remember actually making the smell of cinnamon as part of this medical school requirement. Pretty exciting stuff!

• One Year of Biology with Lab Work

  • This should include cell and molecular biology with the corresponding lab classes. Genetics and physiology generally fill this requirement as well, but check with the individual schools and the MSAR to be sure.
  • Part of this of the medical school admissions requirements might be biochemistry. Although biochemistry may or may not be part of the medical school prerequisites, I would recommend it as one of the unofficial requirements for medical school. Biochemistry focuses on the chemical reactions that happen in the body. This is a subject that may or may not be heavily taught in your medical school and your best medical school may not even list it as one of the medical school admissions requirements. But, it will give you a good basis for understanding some of the complex reactions that occur in the human body. Click here for more information about the medical school curriculum.

• Mathematics, Usually Calculus and Statistics

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• Most schools will require one year of calculus and many require at least one course in statistics. This requirement does vary by school, so best to check specifics in the MSAR.
• Although calculus is a medical school requirement, you will never use it during medical school. You will also not use it on the MCAT.
• On the other hand, having statistics as one of the medical school admissions requirements is a very wise idea. If your medical school does not list statistics as one of its medical school prerequisites, you should probably take it anyway.
• A big part of being a doctor is understanding clinical trials. Most of the time, this requires at least a basic knowledge of statistics. You need to understand what statistical significance means and understand when statistical significance translates to real-world significance and when it doesn't. This is definitely one of the more important requirements for medical school.

• English

  • Most schools list an English Composition class as one of their medical school admission requirements. Communication through writing is an important part of medicine and will serve you well. Some medical school requirements also include a literature class, though that is less common. For this requirement, make sure you check the MSAR for which classes count or do not count.
  • Knowing how to write well will help you in medical school as well. At some schools, a course called PBL is part of the medical school curriculum. For this course, you will be writing between one and two pages about a particular subject every week. Taking writing as a serious medical school requirement will prepare you to be able to write these "learning issues" as they're called quickly and effectively.

Those are the basic medical school requirements for most schools. They will give you a good base for medical school education. Here are a few other classes that I would suggest to really set yourself up well for medical school:

Mike's Picks

• Anatomy

  • This is generally not one of the medical school admissions requirements, but will definitely give you an advantage going into medical school. You will spend much of your first year and a good part of your second in the anatomy lab. The more familiar you are with the material, the easier this will be.
  • The anatomy lab is a big part of medical school. Making anatomy one of your personal medical school prerequisites will save you a lot of time. You will also be a big help to your peers. We had a group of four that worked together. One person in our group was an expert in anatomy. This was a huge help to the rest of our group and helped us understand the human body much better. If you have this as one of your requirements for medical school, that helper could be you!

• Histology

  • This is the study of human tissues under the microscope. Again, you will spend a significant amount of time your first and second years learning about histology. The more you know, the better.
  • Again, this is not one of the medical school admission requirements, but will give you a big head start in your medical education. Plus, it's pretty interesting to see all those things under a microscope. You'll learn what bone, cartilage, skin, muscle and other tissues look like up close and personal. You'll also probably learn what some of the diseases that affect tissues look like under the microscope. This will give you a better idea of what exactly you're learning about in your physiology and pathophysiology classes in medical school. Certainly a useful class and maybe a personal medical school requirement.

• Physiology/Pathophysiology

  • Most of your medical education hinges on your understanding of how the body works and what can go wrong with it. These classes will give you a good introduction and will put you a step ahead in medical school.
  • Physiology is the study of how the human body works. You'll learn a lot about metabolic pathways and the specialized functions of different organs in the body. It was one of my favorite classes in college and is sometimes a medical school requirement.
  • Pathophysiology is the study of disease and disease processes. You'll learn about genetic changes that can mess up those metabolic pathways, how cell growth can turn into cancer and many other interesting things in this one of my unofficial medical school admissions requirements.

As you can probably tell, most of these medical school prerequisites are science-based. Probably the easiest way to fulfill these requirements is to choose a science major. For my take on choosing a major, click here.

Remember: These are general medical school requirements that most schools have. For specifics, check the MSAR and double check with the school.

A great resource for requirements is the MSAR, or medical school admissions requirements. It is produced by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) and is the best guide to find out the specific requirements for schools, including the odd classes that other schools don't require. It also gives you the contact information for schools, the average GPA and MCAT, average debt, cost of tuition, how many in-state and out-of-state residents are accepted, and other very valuable information. You can also check out my advice on how to choose your best medical school here. The MSAR is sometimes called "The Bible" because the information is so good. I used it extensively while researching schools and choosing which schools to apply to. You can get more information and buy this must-have book here.

The last thing you want is to apply to a school and realize that the only reason you were not accepted is that you did not take a random one of their requirements for medical school. Or, to be accepted to a school, graduate, then get a letter from the school saying that you need to take a certain course in order to fill their medical school admission requirements.

Do your homework first to make sure you have what the school wants.

Also, as you take your medical school requirements, try to really learn the material. This is what will help you do well on the MCAT and to perform well on the medical school curriculum. The medical school admissions requirements will give you the base you need to succeed in medical school and more importantly as a doctor.

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