What it really means to be 'pre-med' at Yale

So, why pre-med? Do you have to aspire to be a fervent scientist who's willing to spend decades battling cancer? Or a M*A*S*H type saving dying soldiers on the front line? Or even a combination of Mother Theresa and Doctor Ross, saving and healing homeless children in Calcutta? The answer is no. Though the glory and the heroism are incentive for some, most physicians I know started with small-time dreams—dreams of seemingly mundane acts of healing and empathy that improve another person's life one day at a time. The world of a modern day doctor is in many ways inglorious: negotiating with managed-care groups that allow only four days of hospitalization for your patient who just had a stroke, filing pages of paperwork for every single procedure, and forcing relatives to admit patients to hospice care when you know there is still hope.

PATRICK MCGARVEY/YH The Yale Medical School was ranked No. 8 in the latest rankings.

Becoming a physician involves an arduous journey. You'll find yourself cramming for organic chemistry, multivariable calculus, and physics for days on end (while your suitemate, the history major, finishes studying for the "Physics for Poets" final in 30 minutes). You'll endure the "waiting game" when medical school decisions are mailed, having a near-fatal heart attack every time you approach the post office. You'll finish medical school carrying a gigantic debt. You'll survive on Rolaids and coffee and anxiety and sleep deprivation all through residency. If you're ambitious, there are another three years for the primary-care specialties, five years for general surgery, and as long as seven to 10 years for some of the surgical subspecialties. Clearly, people who make the best doctors are people who realize that they are probably not going to find the cures to cancer or AIDS and not going to perform miracles of reviving the dead. But all the seemingly insignificant deeds will result in an extraordinary end and compensate for every challenge you may have met along the way.

One doesn't need to pursue medicine with a religious fervor to be pre-med, nor does one need to apologize for being motivated by the fact that medicine is a "high-paying" field both in terms of financial and emotional rewards. Nowadays, it's very common for non-science majors to get into reputable medical schools. It's completely realistic to finish the pre-med requirements while majoring in something else you love. You do not need to sacrifice your personal interests for the sake of pre-med.

So if you are interested in pursuing a pre-med track, what courses do you take? It's always a clever move to finish your two-semester English requirement as a freshman (English being the prerequisite for so many other majors). If you have the background in chemistry, definitely take Freshman Organic Chemistry (Chemistry 125), a warm-and-fuzzy version of the dreaded Chemistry 225 sophomore alternative. Freshman Organic Chemistry will be extremely useful in placing you in higher level Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology classes later on.

As for calculus, most medical schools will accept one semester of multivariable and vector calculus (Math 120) and AP credits. But if you are not so advanced, take one semester of Math 112 and another of Math 115. A whole year of calculus sounds daunting, but—as my father would say—it builds character. Physics 151 or 180 are both great choices. Physics 200 and 260 are designed for physics majors or—according to my floor-mate—"people who enjoy torturing themselves."

For all the sciences mentioned, definitely take the accompanying laboratories during the year you take the lecture. Do not wait until a few years later when you retain minimal knowledge of that course to take the lab. As long as you finish everything mentioned by the end of your junior year, you're in good shape for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). But if you started in Freshman Organic Chemistry or took two sciences in one year, you may be able to take the MCAT during the summer after your sophomore year. This is actually highly recommended, as it does relieve a great deal of stress for your junior year and you get the opportunity to take the MCAT twice.

If none of this is sinking in, don't worry; remember, "pre-med" isn't a major, but rather a focus for your entire Yale career. There will be plenty of informational meetings about applying to medical schools as a Yalie, and of course Undergraduate Career Service can help you decide whether you're on the right track.

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