One of the most common questions I get when I mention that I’m premed is how manageable it is, and how I’m going through it. Honestly? I couldn’t say exactly. That would suggest that I knew for sure what I am trying to do is working. I don’t — but I can tell you how I have decided I am going to (attempt to) navigate premed at Scripps!
The first thing you should know is that there’s no premed major. After speaking with some of my friends also involved in premed at other colleges, I realized that this was a semi-common possibility. Premed isn’t a major, but it is a “track”, similar to pre-law. Pre-med is a subsection of the pre-health track, which is essentially the same thing but includes more classes and is aimed at more general options, like dentistry and other health-related fields.
The second thing you should know is that the premed track is a similar workload to a major, with 13 courses necessary (two of them being generic English courses). Most majors have somewhere between 10 and 13. These courses are mainly STEM courses, which would be taken through Keck science, the institution where Scripps, CMC, and Pitzer students can take STEM classes through one common organization.
A lot of people who are doing premed take a major that has a lot of overlap with premed courses — since premed is a track, you’ll need a major as well, and it’s just easier when you can use your courses for multiple requirements (especially since Scripps has other courses that are required in order to graduate). I am personally not taking this route — but because I’m not, I had to speak pretty seriously with my premed advisor. I have also had to plan out my classes from the very beginning — my plan, as it stands, is to take at least five classes every semester, and carefully decide when each of them will be. There’s also always the possibility of getting involved in the post-baccalaureate program after college and before med school, which has a very high acceptance rate into med school.
Being on the premed track does mean a lot of unfortunate things. You’ll often be in class longer than other students, and you’ll have very different types of homework. You might have labs during the time other activities are going on, which can limit a lot of things. You can really help yourself by getting involved in study groups and getting to know the faculty at Keck. There are also groups on campus specifically for STEM students and premed students that can help you out. It is a daunting task — but know that you’re not alone! There are premed students of all types with all sorts of other things they’re getting involved in, and if you want to, you can be one of them!