hi there! i was pre-med, and i have many friends who are currently pre-med as well. I’ll do the best i can to answer your questions.
1.) I’m not well versed in the volunteer opportunities, so i can’t speak on behalf of them, I’m sorry. if you want to know about this specifically, i would email the admissions office and ask them to put you in touch with someone who can provide you with more information. now, in terms of research opportunities, they’re pretty plentiful. lots of students will complete MAPs (mentored advanced projects) or MIPs (mentored independent projects). both allow students to gain research experience during the academic year or the summer term with a fellow faculty member. by the end of the project, you’ll have your name on some pretty significant research, which is pretty nice and looks good on medical school applications. i would say they’re pretty easy to get if you know the professor and/or care about the research they do! professors care so much about MAPs and MIPs because they not only want to provide you with that research experience but also see you flourish in something you’re passionate about. anyone can get a MAP or a MIP. i know some people who secured a MAP their first year at Grinnell.
furthermore, i know people who have gotten internships at the UofI hospital during the summer as well as secured externships (two-week long internships with an alum that are sponsored by the college) related to their potential future career. the CLS (center for careers, life, and services) is a very good resource for putting you in touch with opportunities (especially if you join the pre-health career community!), you just have to make the effort to go and talk with someone about them. I’m not part of the pre-health career community, but as i said up there ^ about emailing someone in admissions about volunteer opportunities, feel free to include questions about the pre-health career community as well! it’s their job at the CLS to reach out to students about opportunities, so they probably know more than i do.
your introductory science classes (biology, specifically) will have you start doing research on the first day of class. also, there’s a pre-med group designated for underrecognized students pursuing health-related studies. if you’re interested in public health, Grinnell has a program with UofI that allows students to graduate with a BA from Grinnell and a MA in Public Health from UofI in five years instead of six.
2.) keep in mind that the people who completely pursue pre-med/health at any college or university are extremely dedicated and self-selective because, as you know, it’s hard as hail, and the classes will weed out people (like they did to me). about half of the people who apply to medical school from Grinnell are alumni who take a year or so off. most take the MCAT their fourth year, and by that time, many are well prepared to take it. Grinnell does a great job of preparing students for it. i don’t know the average MCAT score at Grinnell off the top of my head, but I’m sure it’s impressive.
one of the founding principles at Grinnell is to provide rigorous academics, and it definitely holds true. the academics are no joke, and they will push you. I’m going to be honest, obtaining a 3.7 will be hard, especially if you major in a STEM field outside of bio or chem (such as physics or compsci). obtaining a 3.7 GPA at nearly any college when you’re pre-med is hard (except at maybe Brown & Harvard lmao). however, it’s not impossible.
one of the best pieces of advice i can provide is DO NOT RUSH YOUR PRE-MED REQUIREMENTS. DO! NOT! RUSH! YOUR! PRE-MED! REQUIREMENTS! many students think they need to get them done as soon as possible, and that is such a mistake. plan them out over your eight semesters. students take bio and chem their first year at Grinnell (they stress that you take one your first semester and one your second semester), then you’ll be taking bio & orgo both semesters of your second year. the second year is when many people struggle and when many people decide to not continue with pre-med. if you get through the second year, you’ll be fine. one of the beautiful things about Grinnell is our open curriculum, so should you decide to attend, take advantage of it. i know people who are pre-med who are majoring in fields such as anthropology, sociology, gwss, econ, and religious studies. it allows you to get your feet wet in so many areas outside of the strict sciences (it also allows you to help pull up that GPA if need be).
3.) not at all! you don’t need a masters before applying to med school from Grinnell.
4.) very supportive! i think i answered this in my first answer.
5.) i think it’s all up to you to decide! I’m not familiar with UW-Madison at all, so i can’t provide any pros and cons for choosing it, but i say if Grinnell is your top choice, and the costs are comparable, take a leap of faith. all schools have an abundance of research opportunities (and let’s be honest, since UW-Madison is much bigger than Grinnell, they more than likely do have more), you just have to be willing to work to pursue them.
i hope this looong post helped you a tiiiny bit! PM me if you have any other questions. i sincerely hope I’ll see you next fall! 