Pre-med: what it really means

When I came to Yale, it seemed more like summer camp than school—all of these things vying for attention, none of which were school work: singing groups, parties, IMs, volunteer opportunites, the girls upstairs, parties.... You can complete the list. I didn't expect to do much difficult work in a pre-med program. I'd whizzed through biology, chemistry, and math in high school and done well on those annoying tests. I thought that surely college could not be that different. I was wrong.

At Yale, you're in a much bigger pond with a lot of brilliant fish. The courses are harder, the tests are harder, and your classmates are smarter. Although many Yale programs are admittedly hard, pre-med programs have the reputation for being particularly hard. I don't want to scare you, but, just let you know that science A's are more elusive here than in high school. Although initially I was worried by this competitive atmosphere, every time I've asked for help, my classmates have happily provided it and vice versa. Here's some concrete advice:

You only go through college once, and you're at the best one in the world. Take advantage of the opportunities available to you. This may be your last chance to learn about history, philosophy, or any other non-science discipline, and Yale has incredible teachers in all of these fields.

You must know about medical school requirements. Attend information sessions and look up schools that you're interested in to make sure that you don't find yourself scrambling to take 10 courses senior year to fulfill requirements. Beyond that, good luck—and relax!

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