<p>Hi, I just started thinking about going into pre-med and was wondering how pre-med worked at Pitt. If someone could answer any of these questions that would be great!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I'm thinking about majoring in Bioengineering, so when I apply, do I just select Bioengineering or is there a pre-med option?</p></li>
<li><p>Is there anything different about the application? For example, do I have to write any extra essays, or is it basically like applying to Pitt.</p></li>
<li><p>Would I just take extra classes on top of what I would be taking for Bioengineering in order to fulfill the pre-med requirement?</p></li>
<li><p>Is the difficulty of getting in for pre-med higher than the normal school (sorry if this is a dumb question)?</p></li>
<li><p>How many years does med school take? Does it depend on the major? For example, I was thinking about Biomedical Informatics or Dermatology. (again, sorry if this is a stupid question; I literally just started thinking about pre-med/ med school)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Pre-Med isn’t a major. You would select BioE when you applied. Keep in mind that you won’t actually declare yourself as a BioE until the end of freshman year.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Nothing extra. Anyone can be pre-med, so there’s no extra part to the application.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Pre-meds should take Calc 1 and 2, Physics 1 and 2, Chem 1 and 2, OChem 1 and 2, and Bio 1 and 2. Those are all part of the BioE curriculum ([About](<a href=“http://www.engineering.pitt.edu/Bioengineering/Undergraduate/About/]About[/url]”>http://www.engineering.pitt.edu/Bioengineering/Undergraduate/About/)</a>) so you’re not taking any extra classes. Note that there isn’t any sort of “pre-med” class requirement, these are just classes you should take to help you prepare for your MCAT. Note: You WILL need 150 (I believe) CLINICAL hours to apply for med school. This means either working in a medically-related research lab or volunteering at a hospital. YOU MUST HAVE THESE HOURS.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It’s probably slightly easier since you aren’t the typical med school application (i.e. Chem, Neuro, Bio major). But among engineering, I’d say BioE and ChemE are the most common med school applicants. You will need to still maintain a good GPA for med school, but you will get a little bit of a break since the med schools understand you had a harder undergrad curriculum.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>4 years of classes. Then at least 1-2 years of residency. If you want to specialize that could take another 1-2 years. You’re looking at anywhere from 5-10 years after undergrad for med school and post-med school/pre-profession.</p>