Premed Planning and Preparation

This unit guides students through turning the goal of medical school into a concrete plan by exploring medical careers, mapping college coursework and timelines, planning meaningful extracurriculars, and surveying the application and MCAT landscape. It builds on prior self-assessment and career-exploration activities and prepares learners for deeper application strategy, intensive MCAT preparation, and clinical/research experience development in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze personal motivations, strengths, and readiness for a medical career and produce a written readiness checklist that identifies academic, experiential, and financial barriers and supports
• Apply UCOP A-G and common premedical course requirements to create a personalized four-year college map with semester-by-semester coursework, GPA targets, and major/minor decisions
• Demonstrate the ability to plan and prioritize extracurricular, volunteer, clinical, and research activities by developing a multi-year timeline and reflective documentation strategy aligned with medical school expectations
• Evaluate the components and timeline of the medical school application process (primary/secondary apps, letters, interviews, and AMCAS/AACOMAS) and construct a targeted MCAT study plan with measurable milestones and a target score