<p>I am an international student hoping to apply for pre-med in the states. I know that work experience is very highly regarded as part of your application for pre med in the UK but does the same go for the US as well? I am asking this because I have an oppurtunity to spend around 2 weeks with a cardiologist during the summer which counts as excellent work experience for the UK . But will it boost my application for top colleges in the US as well? Are colleges really looking for these kinds of things in applications? Simply put, should I spend my time and money on this experience if I want to apply for pre-med in the US?</p>
<p>Thanks :)
(sorry if this kind of question has been answered before, I am new to this website )</p>
<p>In the US, a pre-med program is any 4-year undergrad degree that can be in any major (biology, history, music, etc). Because of this, all you need to do is get accepted to college and then give yourself the label “pre-med”. Spending time with doctors could potentially boost your application to medical school while you are still in college, however. This definitely isn’t necessary to be admitted to college as a pre-med.</p>
<p>Allright, i heard that for extracurricular activities colleges like to see these kinds of things on high school aplicants? so thats only for applying to med school, not college before that?
along with that there is no such major as pre-med? so I can get into a good college, major in biology and minor in economics and still apply to a high ranked med school?</p>
<p>You don’t even have to go to a “good” school (whatever that may mean), go where it’s cheap and where you’ll be happy. Extra curriculars are looked at when applying to college, but aren’t as important for lesser-known schools if you have good grades as they are for med school applications. These definitely don’t need to be medically related whatsoever, but having something (sports, music, clubs, etc) isn’t a bad idea. </p>
<p>You are correct, pre-med is not a major. Major in biology and minor in economics as you wish, it doesn’t matter as long as you take the prereqs for med school.</p>
<p>In extracurriculars, schools in the US will be looking to see that you have accomplishments in your activities. As well, they like to see that you display leadership qualities (which at this point is too late for you to work much on). They want you to be well-rounded, but they also want to see that you have an interest (or interests), and that you pursue it and excel in it.</p>
<p>Well that’s a relief because I feel that I do have many extracuriculars that have made me a well rounded person. So if I understood correctly, I could go to any college that I find affordable and happy to be at and still stand a chance to be admitted to a top med school if my grades, MCAT scores are high? In other words, med schools dont care which college you have been to for 4 years unless you have completed the pre-med requirements and your grades are high? :)</p>
<p>Yes. However, you may find it difficult being an international student applying to med school in the US. Is there a reason you want to come to the US and become a doctor? I’m not asking for an answer, just letting you know that it’ll probably be a bit more difficult here as opposed to applying to medical programs closer to home. Depending on your reason for wanting it, you may or may not have other options.</p>
<p>Sorry for the late reply… 
My home country is India, but as my mom works for the Ministry of External Affairs I have been travelling around the world since I was born. So it will be hard for me to apply to colleges in India becasue I have not studied in an Indian school since 8th grade. As I have been to schools with American and British systems and now am in an IB school, the process of application would be much smoother for me in the US and UK for example.
So do you guys think that these kind of extracurriculars will work well in my favor in the US:
- Been in student council since 8th grade
- Volunteered in an orphanage
- Volunteered in an old people’s home
- Volunteered with children in a scouts group
- Held leading roles in school play productions since 9th grade
- Event manager of an upcoming event which involves 15 schools
etc. ?</p>
<p>Sounds like you’ve had quite the interesting life so far. 
Any EC is fine as long as you put a decent amount of effort/time into it, especially if you’re just looking to get into a regular college (as in, not a hyper-competitive one). For undergrad, grades matter most for these types of colleges. Just remember that most of the EC’s you’re in in high school won’t be able to be put on your med school application. This may not be the case if you continue to be involved in them, for example if you kept volunteering at the same orphanage.</p>
<p>thanks for the reply,
But what about for a hyper-competetive ones, do those require more time/effort/quality of ECs?
Also is this the order in which colleges view applications to select candidates:
- grades
- personal statement
- SAT (I’ll be applying for financial help)
- ECs</p>
<p>anyone have an answer?</p>
<p>Sorry, I have no real answer here. Get involved in activities you are truly passionate about and spend time in those rather than being involved in a dozen different clubs hoping to make it look good. You need good grades and SAT scores, along with strong letters of recommendation from teachers, supervisors, etc. Work on your writing skills to better your personal statement and don’t forget to apply as soon as possible when the time comes. I don’t think there’s so much weight given to one of these areas that you’ll be fine by lacking elsewhere. Try to be a well-rounded student and succeed in what you do (this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be valedictorian and the manager of the store you work at during high school).</p>
<p>My cousin just finished his pre-med as a bio major with good grades (mostly As), but did absolutely no volunteer work, so he got rejected from the med schools he applied to. While that’s partially his fault (he only applied to a few schools), I think it’s worth noting that it’s important. Honestly, I feel like you should take up that opportunity, and then maybe do some volunteer work related to the subfield you want… I’m still in high school though, and I’ve been pushed to volunteer and work since I was still in elementary school haha, I’m a bit biased.</p>
<p>Also, someone else might be able to answer this for you, but I had another cousin that’s going to be a reconstructive surgeon tell me that your ACT or SAT score really matters when you’re going for med school? (Moreso than say, a 4.0 GPA?)</p>
<p>Neither of those matter, but the MCAT will.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the answers :)</p>
<p>shygirlswin: you are talking about volunteer work for applying to med school in your cousin’s case right? I’m still in high school, so I was only concerned about the volunteer work I need to do (specifically work experience in this case) for the 4 year college degree I’ll be applying to this year. So far I understood that showing commitment and leadership skills in any normal school wide activity (eg: drama) would do the trick for that.
Also if I understood correctly, the SAT scored are only needed for applying to college/undergraduation, not med school right? The exam for med school will be the MCAT?</p>
<p>nate763: I was wondering if you could tell me the SAT score ranges that good colleges (not Ivy league but still well reputed) look for. (If it differs for different colleges I’ll look at them myself)</p>
<p>Neither the ACT or SAT is used in med school application. They use the MCAT which is even more fun. The range of scores will vary school by school, and to be honest I never took the SAT so I don’t really know much about it. You can probably look at the admission statistics on each college’s website that you’re interested in, or on a different website for college searches.</p>
<p>thanks so much for your answer. I’m now thinking about retaking the SAT in October and also looking up universities I would like to attend(which is turning out to be a hard process!) I’ll also put up a thread in the what are my chances forum and see what comes up there.</p>