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After completing undergraduate studies, pursuing admission to medical school in the US is often referred to as "pre-med." Pre-med students are those who plan to apply to medical school following their undergraduate education. During their undergraduate years, pre-med students tailor their coursework and accumulate relevant experiences such as research and internships to prepare for medical school.


 

Pre-Med Programs

Essential Qualifications for Pre-Med Students 

While pre-med is not an official designation granting qualification as a future physician in the US undergraduate system, it serves as an informal term for students aspiring to enter medical school. Various universities across the US have developed comprehensive programs to support pre-med students in multiple ways.
 

Most US medical schools require applicants to have experience in biology research labs, as well as labs focusing on general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and biochemistry. These qualifications are integral for pre-med students to prepare within the structured framework of their university, making it crucial for prospective medical school applicants to consider how well their undergraduate program supports pre-med students.

 

Brown PLME (Program in Liberal Medical Education)

Brown University is renowned for its well-developed pre-med track. The university offers the Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME), which is explicitly designed to confirm undergraduate students as prospective medical students. The PLME program systematically educates students to successfully transition into Brown's Warren Alpert Medical School, combining a four-year undergraduate degree with a four-year medical specialization, known as a combined baccalaureate-MD program.
 

Simply put, acceptance into PLME means there's no need to reapply to medical school after completing your undergraduate degree—you're automatically enrolled in Brown's Warren Alpert Medical School upon earning your bachelor's degree. PLME undergraduates engage in a wide range of liberal arts education before medical school, including sciences, humanities, social sciences, and behavioral sciences. They can also participate in local community service, medical shadowing programs, international health exchanges, and research fellowships.

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PLME ensures a stable path to a prestigious medical school, making it a popular choice among top students worldwide. To pursue PLME at Brown University, students need a meticulously crafted narrative starting from their eighth-grade year or earlier, along with rigorous tutoring and research activities, excellent high school grades, outstanding tutoring experience, a perfect essay, and excellent SAT scores, among other things.

 

NYU Prehealth Track

NYU is one of the top universities strongly supporting pre-med programs. Rather than a major, NYU offers the "Prehealth program" as a path for students to pursue a medical-related specialization while retaining flexibility for academic exploration. The Prehealth program at NYU prepares students for careers in various health fields and fulfills the criteria for admission to medical school, veterinary school, and dental school.

The program provides students with STEM courses (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and helps them meet the standards required for admission to medical, veterinary, and dental schools. This program also collaborates with the Dean of Medical School to host workshops and provide students with medical research and clinical volunteer experience. 


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Cornell Premed

During the 2021-2022 admissions season, Cornell University produced the second largest number of medical school applicants among private universities in the United States after Johns Hopkins University. It is because of the many advantages of Cornell University's curriculum and structure for premed students.
 

Cornell University is known for providing rich undergraduate research experiences and unique tutoring experiences for premed students to accumulate various medical-related experiences. Additionally, Cornell University offers a program in collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine, located in New York State downstate. Premed students work with specialized clinicians from Weill Cornell Medicine to learn professional content and conduct research together.

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