If you dream of becoming a successful doctor, you must know that getting into a medical school is an arduous task in this competitive landscape. In fact, many applicants have to face rejection from medical schools every year due to fierce competition and low acceptance rates. The common reason for an application rejection is average grades or MCAT scores.
A report published by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) indicates that only 42 percent of applicants enrolled in the United States’ medical schools for the class of 2020-2021. The number of applicants is rising, and acceptance rates are plunging at medical schools in the United States. Unfortunately, the average medical school acceptance rate is 7 percent in the United States, data show. Therefore, you must have the prerequisite skills besides a competitive medical school application to maximize your acceptance chances.
Through this blog, you will learn about the standard medical school prerequisites needed to secure a seat. So, let’s talk about these medical school prerequisites thoroughly in this blog.
1. Passion and confidence
If you believe that you have what it takes to become a doctor, then you’ve already taken a significant step towards fulfilling your dream. Confidence and passion are the most basic and essential requirements in the journey of becoming a skilled physician.
2. MCAT
The Medical College Admission Test, popularly known as MCAT, is an entrance test for getting into the US, Canadian, Australian, and Caribbean medical schools. Suppose you are planning to attend a top-tier Caribbean medical school. So, taking the MCAT is strongly recommended to all applicants and those who belong to the United States. In addition, taking the MCAT is compulsory for applicants with outdated required science coursework (older than five years), those who completed science coursework from a community college or have scored ‘C’ grades or lower in the science courses.
3. Graduate or doctoral degree from an accredited college or university
Applicants must have completed at least three years of undergraduate studies from a recognized college or university to apply to a medical school. Notably, students with an advanced or doctoral degree will be given more preference by the admissions committee.
4. Pre-medical coursework
Applicants must have completed pre-med coursework to apply to medical colleges. Courses like General biology or zoology, Inorganic chemistry (with laboratory), Organic chemistry (with laboratory), and English are mandatory for admissions to the MD program. Some top-ranked medical schools also offer a highly structured pre-medical program to applicants who lack the pre-med coursework.
5. English proficiency
English is the medium of instruction at most of the reputed medical schools. Therefore, applicants must be prepared academically to study the curriculum. English is also required in communication with peers or tutors. So, those students whose native language is not English need to take the TOEFL to prove their proficiency.
Now that you have learned the standard medical school prerequisite explore the top-tier medical schools on the Caribbean Island to make a well-informed decision for a rewarding career.
