Hey guys,
I’m applying for pre-med to UPenn, and I was wondering, how does pursuing pre-med work there? Which school do I apply to and which should I take? Our college counselor is of no help, and I’m kinda out of my depth at the moment, with applications due right around the corner. Any form of advice/explanations on applying for pre-med courses in UPenn would be helpful. Thanks!
Hi I applied ED to Penn as a pre-med student with an undecided natural science major and I got accepted. From what I’ve gathered from their website, you can major in practically anything as long as you fulfill the requirements for med school. Counselors will be available at Penn to assist you in getting all the credits you need. I’m probably going to major in bio or chem as most pre-med students do. They do offer some kind of dual degree program in SEAS, but I didn’t want to complicate the process and just applied to CAS. If you search for pre-med on the Penn website, you will find more information. Hope this helps.
Definitely apply to CAS. There’s no pre-med major, but you just take whatever major and take classes that will help you satisfy the med school requirements.
I went to Penn originally for pre-med then transferred to Wharton, so during the process I met plenty of students who were interested in medical school.
One thing I noted was this: Make sure you take a relatively “easy” science major if you want to go the science route and then do medical school. I say this b/c if you apply to SEAS under engineering w/ the intent to go to medical school, your GPA will suffer and getting into a good med program is difficult w/ a low GPA. Within CAS, you can be a bio major, psych major, philosophy major… and still satisfy med school requirements b/c it’s all about the classes that you take.
If you end up applying for CAS, make it really clear why you’re interested in the major that you’re interested in. Here’s an essay example by a student who was admitted into CAS:
http://www.winningivyessays.com/college-essay-example-upenn/
Yup def apply to CAS. If u are in SEAS, youbwill have a much much harder time keeping ur GPA in the 3.6+ range that is absolutely necessary for a good med school.
What I am interested are the CAS dual-degree programs. I hope to apply to CAS for a BA in PPE and then apply for a BS in the Legal Management (I forget the exact terminology) tract.
For med school, SEAS will not be very useful. Well, I am sure it will at times, but I would recommend a Biology or Chemistry major. Then, you should take anatomy and physiology classes.
Good luck!
FYI I also lived in Philadelphia for the past 16 years until I was ripped from my homeland and sent to Cincinnati. 
Let me know if you have any questions, I have been on campus many times.