Your interest in Medicine must not go unnoticed and indeed requires the best facilities that the world has to offer. While considering a career in Medicine, one should not compromise on the quality of education that can be achieved in some of the best schools for pre med. To begin with your medical career, picking the top schools for pre med is absolutely indispensable. In this blog, we will explore some of the best pre med schools from around the world for you to kick-start your medical journey and save humanity one scalpel at a time!
Why Do You Need A "Pre Med"?
Well, to begin with, pre med is not a major but a track before you pursue a major or take another path! Consider this a preview of your upcoming medical journey. Although many colleges and schools offer pre med majors, they are not specifically a major course. Precisely, pre med is a set of courses and requirements that prepares students for medical school. Some of the best pre med schools also have more specific pre-health tracks that help students hone their skills in various disciplines.
What Makes A Top Pre Med School?
Given the need and demand of this field, many pre med schools and pre med colleges have popped up all over the world. However, your degree from the schools will distinguish you as a candidate in the work field. Below are the parameters that characterize the best schools for pre med.
1. Admission History
During your initial search for the top schools, be certain to review the numbers! It will give you a lot of information about the pattern of their candidates getting accepted into the best colleges or not. The percentage of pre med students from a particular school who actually end up in medical colleges is what matters!
The steps you can take to check:
- Online research: As we know, the first step starts with thorough online research. Try searching your preferred School Name pre med “admissions", on Google. Read various websites and student reviews, if possible.
- Look Into College's Class Profile: Another way to try is to shortlist the medical colleges you are interested in; go to their class profile and see which schools have the highest acceptance rate.
2. Research And Publication
Research experiences in STEM labs are of utmost importance for getting into pre med colleges. You must undertake as much research experience as possible which is likely to make you an impressive candidate for the colleges. The best pre med schools will have rich funding to support undergraduate research opportunities. You'll see later in this blog that the top pre med schools mentioned in our list are very highly ranked research powerhouses with excellent medical schools—this is no coincidence. The same research funding, facilities, and faculty that make a med school great also help make the best school for pre meds.
3. Clinical Experiment Facilities
The medical field thrives on practical experiences. You must gather hands-on experience in a clinical setup to join any pre med college. Pre med schools with limited clinical environments will make it difficult for you to volunteer in that field. Be sure to pick the top schools for pre med with ample clinical experiment facilities.
Top 5 Pre Med Schools
Now that we know what makes the top schools distinguished, let's discover the 5 best pre med schools! With all that stress about making the right decision and the right career path, we couldn't leave you with the job to find the most suitable schools, right? So here's a list of the top 5 schools for pre med, and you can definitely count on them for a bright future.
We have done the research and brought to you some of the best options from around the world to help you pick from the best!
1. Harvard University
Location: Massachusetts Hall, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States
QS Ranking: #1
Course Duration: 2 years
Course Fee: $2,040
Harvard's first rank in global universities is definitely why it is one of the best pre med schools you should try. The Harvard Medical School is based in the nearby city of Boston. The university manages 11 other degree-granting institutions, including the John F. Kennedy School of Government. The university's pre med school is affiliated with several teaching hospitals, namely Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Brigham Women's Hospital. According to Harvard's Office of Career Services- 17% of any one of its classes will apply to med school! They also have a peer pre med advising program whereby students are assigned a pre med tutor from sophomore through senior year. Being affiliated with several teaching hospitals nearby, they are great for both Research and clinical experience.
Scholarship/Fundings:
- Harvard Medical School Scholarships
- Dean's REACH Scholarship Award Program
- General Restricted Scholarships
- MD-PhD Funding
2. Johns Hopkins University
Location: Baltimore, MD 21218, United States
QS Ranking: #10
Course Duration: 2 years
Course Fees: $47,130 (spring), $9,400 (summer)
Founded in 1876, the pre med school`s main campus for undergraduates is the Homewood campus in north Baltimore. As the university is affiliated with one of the best teaching hospitals in the country, you will have access to impressive resources. Undergraduates here follow a pre med advising program track (it is not a major). Still, it includes individual appointments, small group meetings, and other special programs designed to succeed for aspiring med school students. You will also be able to build their med school résumés owing to the many health-related student organizations.
Scholarships/Fundings
- Martin D. Abeloff, M.D. Scholarship Fund
- Vivian B. Allen Scholarship Fund
- Warde B. Allan Fund
- Hodge Amemiya Scholarship
- American Medical Association Education and Research Foundation (A.M.A.-E.R.F.) Scholarships
3. Duke University
Location: Durham, NC 27708, USA
QS Ranking: #10
Course Duration: 4 years
Course Fees: $333,000
Established in 1838, the private institution didn't receive its current name until 1924. Three contiguous campuses (called East, West and Central) make up Duke's main location.
Not only is Duke one of the best pre med schools in the nation, but it also offers a robust pre med program loaded with incredible opportunities, including health-centered study abroad programs and hands-on research experiences. The med school acceptance rates for Duke undergrads are impressive! According to their report, 70-80% of college students get into med school, which is roughly twice the national average. This is exactly why Duke hosts a top-10 pre- ed school.
Scholarship/Fundings
- The Alumni Endowed Scholarship
- Benjamin N. Duke Scholarship
- Reginaldo Howard Memorial Scholarship
- Trinity Scholarships
4. Stanford University
Location: 450 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
QS Ranking: #3
Course Duration: 2 years
Course Fees: 82,000 USD
Founded in 1885, it is located in California's Bay Area, around 30 miles south of San Francisco, comprising seven schools, all highly ranked for graduate-level studies. More than half of the student body studies at the graduate level. Stanford offers special pre med advisers to discuss ideas, plan your coursework, and help you visualize your long-term objectives. They also have robust internship opportunities for undergraduate students; with a little hard work, you can get clinical hours and stellar letters or recommendations. Although one of the top schools in the world; Stanford does not have a pre med major! However, The U.S. is the hub of great colleges and universities; apart from Stanford, the country also has many other med colleges with great course structure. You can know everything about it in our blog, Top 15 Medical Schools In The US 2023.
Scholarship/Funding
- Knight Hennessy Scholarship (25 Lakhs for the entire course)
- TOEFL Scholarship Programme (8 Lakhs to 16 Lakhs annually)
- Stanford-reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship(78 Lakhs for the entire course)
5. University of Pennsylvania
Location: Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
QS Ranking; #15
Course Duration: 2 years
Course Fees: 61,710 USD
Established in 1740, this private, Ivy League institution's medical school is affiliated with the Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania-Penn Presbyterian, which are highly ranked. With a research budget of more than $875 million in a recent year, the university's Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships helps students find research projects that suit their interests. UPenn's Perelman School of Medicine is one of the best pre med schools in the US; it comes with tons of research opportunities. In 2021, 72% of Penn students, which is well above the national average of 38% that year, were accepted into medical colleges.
Scholarships / Fundings:
- Mayor's Scholarship
- Maguire Scholarship
- Pennsylvania Grants
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
Any successful journey requires a strong beginning. The same should apply to your medical journey. Pre med school is for an amateurish start to your medical career just before the storm hits! During this phase, well-guided supervision is needed, which is available in this list of best pre med schools. Once pre meds are covered, you would like to start your MBBS as soon as possible, right? While the U.S has the top 5 for pre meds, U.K and Australia offer great universities for medicine. Now, studying medicine can be financially overwhelming for most candidates. Although each university or school offers scholarships, you can also explore your options in more affordable countries by following our blog Top 15 Cheap Countries To Study Medicine 2023.