What English course should I be taking for medical schools?

HPPLC website says:

“The majority of medical schools require one or two semesters of English.  Although some students are exempt from the IU English Composition Requirement on the basis of SAT or ACT scores, you should be aware that an exemption from a requirement is not considered to be equivalent to course credit by most medical schools.
Recommended Courses:
ENG-W 131 (Reading, Writing, Inquiry I) , ENG-W 170 (Intro to Argumentative Writing), ENG-W 270 (Argumentative Writing), ENG-W 350 (Advanced Expository Writing), or any other writing or literature courses offered by the English department. Many medical schools will also accept courses that fulfill Intensive Writing requirements taken in humanities or social science disciplines at IU. You may be asked to provide documentation to the school that the course fulfills a writing requirement at IU.”

What difference would it make or how much more would it help/not help if I took an beginner level English class like 131 as opposed to 350 when it comes to preparing for the MCAT or medical schools looking at my transcript?

My other choice is to take Intensive Writing (“taken in humanities and social science disciplines”)? Should I take this type of course instead, and if so, what are some good courses that could help me?

What’s your student immigration status? That probably matters. I think @WayOutWestMom understands US med school requirements, so she might have some insights.

The purpose of the med school English requirement is to insure that the applicant has strong expository writing skills and can communicate clearly and fluently in written English. (Ambiguity or a lack a clarity in written instructions can kill patients!)

None of the writing classes will prepare you directly for the MCAT.

If you are an international student, I would strongly recommend that your first writing class be the standard freshman composition class (English 131). Additionally, you will need a second semester-long writing class–English 350 or the writing intensive for the sciences–would be my recommendation.

(Writing for humanities and writing for social science both assume that you will be pursuing advanced coursework in those fields and teaches you how to write professional journal-type articles for those fields.)

Do not take argumentative writing. It does teach the skills med schools are looking for.

If you enjoy reading English language literature and doing analytical writing about literature, then an advanced literature classes WITH writing would be OK IF AND ONLY IF that class fulfills your college’s graduation requirements for composition/writing skills.


If you are an international student, please be aware that the chances of gaining an acceptance to a US medical school are extremely poor 

Per AAMC data, last year only 124 international students in total were accepted into all US medical schools combined. The vast majority (~85%) of those internationals were Canadians.

<a href="https://www.aamc.org/system/files/2019-11/2019_FACTS_Table_A-4.pdf">https://www.aamc.org/system/files/2019-11/2019_FACTS_Table_A-4.pdf</a>  

There are numerous obstacles for internationals hoping to attend a US med schools--starting with the fact that most US med school do NOT consider international applicants. 

IUSOM does NOT consider international applicants for admission. 

[quote]
**Does IU School of Medicine accept international students?**
IU School of Medicine does not accept international students. Applicants must have a permanent resident visa at time of application or be a U.S. citizen.

[/quote]

<a href="https://medicine.iu.edu/md/admissions">https://medicine.iu.edu/md/admissions</a>

Plus there is little or no financial aid for internationals. International students must demonstrate that they are able to pay 100% of the COA  for med school before being allowed to enroll. You will be required to place 1-4 years' worth of tuition &  living expenses in a escrow account in a US bank (typical minimum is  US$250,000) or produce a letter of guarantee from your home country government stating that they will pay your medical school costs.

International students are not eligible for US government student loans (which is how US students finance their medical educations), nor are they eligible for funding through MSTP programs (which use US government funds) or most MD/PhD programs (which use US government and state government funding). Getting a private loan for medical education requires an international to have a fully qualified US citizen co-signer for the loans. 

If you want to practice medicine in the US, the most straight-froward path is to study medicine in your home country, then apply for a US medical training residency. Last year (2019) about 4000 foreign trained medical graduates matched to a US medical residency.