Students participating in Brown’s summer program for high-schoolers can choose from a huge variety of medical and health-related courses, including Introduction to Medicine: Do You Want to Be a Doctor? and Hands-On Medicine: A Week in the Life of a Medical Student. The length of the program is between 1 and 3 weeks, depending on the course, and there are both residential and commuter options. 

Brown also has a distance learning program for students unable to travel to Brown’s campus (see “Distance Learning Options,” below). 

Transcripts, personal statements, and sometimes teacher recommendations are required for students applying to either the online or on-campus program. Students must be 15 or older to participate.

The Penn Medicine Summer Program is a week-long experience modeled after Penn Medical School’s actual first-year curriculum. Each morning, students attend interactive lessons on the topic of the day, which could be emergency medicine, cancer, kidney disease, or any number of other topics. Each afternoon, students participate in interactive virtual medical experiences. Additionally, students go on two hospital trips and two academic field trips. 

Any student who has taken or is taking a high school biology class at the time of their application can apply.

The SMYSP is a five-week residential program open to high school sophomore and junior low-income and/or underrepresented minorities who live in Northern and Central California. The program includes anatomy and pathology labs and courses, college admissions help, a research project, lectures by Stanford faculty and other medical professionals, and insight into the day-to-day operations of a hospital. Applicants should have a demonstrated interest in a career in medicine and/or science and a B-average in their science classes; however, applications are reviewed holistically, meaning that a low science GPA won’t necessarily preclude participation. Each accepted applicant will receive a full-tuition scholarship for the program. 

Wake Forest University Summer Immersion Program: Medicine Institute

The Medicine Institute at Wake Forest University is a one-week program with a non-residential option in Charlotte and residential option in Winston-Salem. The program covers topics such as obstetrics and gynecology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, pediatrics, and other medical topics. Students visit local healthcare facilities, learn about the latest medical technology, practice taking blood pressure and suturing, participate in a dissection lab, and learn minimally invasive surgery techniques. 

Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors are welcome to apply.

Georgetown has 1-week and 3-week Medical Academy programs, and students can either stay on campus or commute. Both programs provide an introduction to the field of medicine and a glimpse at Georgetown School of Medicine. Students participating in the 3-week program also register for one of three tracks: Anatomy and Physiology, Neuroscience, and Emergency Medicine. Each track will give students classroom, lab, and case study experience with their chosen topic. To apply, prospective students must submit a 300-500 personal essay and the contact information of a school counselor, teacher, or administrator who can speak to their academic readiness and confirm their GPA. This program is open to students who are freshmen, sophomores, or juniors at the time of application. 

National Student Leadership Conference on Medicine & Health Care

The NSLC on Medicine & Health Care is a nine-day experience available at many different university campuses across the United States including Vanderbilt, the University of Washington, Northwestern, and Harvard. You’ll explore different medical career paths, visit medical facilities, diagnose and treat simulated patients, identify public health concerns and come up with potential solutions, and hear from guest speakers from the medical field. You’ll also gain some clinical skills such as suturing, testing vital signs, and surgical knot-tying. And, true to its name, the NSLC Medicine and Health Care program will teach you leadership skills that you can apply to any field you go into. 

This program is open to any high school student with demonstrated academic and leadership abilities. Students are either nominated by a teacher or counselor, invited to apply by a talent identification program such as the College Board Student Search Service, or apply of their own accord. There are also summer Nursing and Psychology & Neuroscience programs available. 

Sometimes preexisting summer plans, finances, or other personal circumstances prevent students from being able to participate in on-campus summer medical programs. Luckily, there are distance-learning options available for students in these situations. Read on for information about two such programs. 

Wake Forest University - Making the Rounds: An Insider's Guide to Becoming a Doctor

Students 13 years old and older are eligible to participate in Wake Forest’s online pre-college medical course. This 30-hour program—completed over the course of two or four weeks, depending on the dates selected—focuses primarily on the life cycle of a heart attack. Students will also get a virtual tour of a working hospital, learn about what it’s like to work in the medical field, and complete a final Capstone project demonstrating what they’ve learned in the course. 

The class is taught by Wake Forest School of Medicine faculty, and students are assigned a Wake Forest mentor to encourage them, provide direction on assignments, and help brainstorm for the final Capstone project. Although the class is online and asynchronous, students will have many opportunities to connect with their mentor and fellow classmates. This course is ideal for students interested in learning about the inner workings of a hospital, how to prevent and treat heart attacks, and/or what it’s like to have a career in medicine in a completely flexible way.

Students participating in Brown’s online summer program can sign up for classes such as Neuroscience in Action: Understanding Our Brains and Nervous Systems and Biomedical Engineering: The Smart Design of Medical Implants and Devices that range from 3 to 5 weeks. Classes are asynchronous and take approximately 10 hours per week. Despite the fact that all coursework is completed online, Summer@Brown Online courses provide ample opportunity to connect with instructors and other students. 

For high school students who are considering a career in medicine, a great way to learn about the medical field and get a head start on the clinical skills requisite for medical careers is to participate in an immersive pre-med summer program. Many universities and other organizations offer summer opportunities for high school students to learn more about medical school and medical professions. Here are some of the top programs.  

Medical Summer Programs for High School Students

Science Classes. This might seem obvious, but take lots of science classes, and take them seriously. Some high schools only require students to take 2 years of science, but you should take more than that to get comfortable with the topics you’ll be diving into as a pre-med and medical student. Biology, chemistry, and physics are three nearly universal medical school prerequisites that most high school students have access to. Take them in high school to get a head start on the material.

Calculus and/or statistics. One or both of these advanced mathematics courses is usually required for medical school. Again, taking them in high school will help familiarize you with the material so that when you take them in college you’ll be confident and prepared.

Student government. The medical field requires doctors to be good leaders. Whether a doctor is the attending physician at a teaching hospital, the owner of a small practice, or just managing their own careers, opportunities for leadership pop up regularly in medical careers. In an effort to prepare future doctors for these roles, many medical schools have programs dedicated to fostering leadership skills and providing leadership opportunities to medical students. Participating in high school student government, whether as an elected officer or a committee member, will give you a running start. You’ll learn how to communicate with others, understand the needs of the people you’re serving, and confidently make decisions that will impact others.

Foreign languages. There are a couple ways taking a foreign language in high school will help your medical career. First, it’ll expand your reach as a medical professional. If you’re working in a diverse community, the ability to speak Spanish or Mandarin or any other language will allow you to communicate with many more patients than if you speak only English. Some jobs even require you to speak multiple languages. Second, foreign languages teach you to be confident and not fear mistakes. If you’re paralyzed by the fear of making mistakes as a doctor, you’ll never be able to confidently treat patients. You’ll inevitably make some mistakes practicing medicine, just as you’ll inevitably make mistakes learning a foreign language. But if you learn how to get past the mistakes and focus on the message you’re communicating, or the patient you’re treating, you’ll be much more successful.

AP and Honors classes. Your pre-med and medical school curricula are going to be rigorous. High school is a good time to develop good study habits and get used to doing lots of reading. Although medical schools may not accept credit earned from AP test scores, AP and honors classes will teach you analytical skills and help you get used to intaking a high volume of information, which you can carry over to undergraduate and medical school.

English. Communication--both written and verbal--is key to being a good doctor. Whether you’re writing notes about a patient or working on a research paper, presenting patients for rounds or explaining a diagnosis to a patient and his/her family, you need to be able to communicate your ideas clearly and succinctly. English classes will teach you to formulate ideas and present them in a concise, direct way.

Any medical electives offered by your high school. No matter what medical electives your high school offers, taking one or more is a great way to get your feet wet in the medical field.

While it’s true that taking classes on this list will prepare you for an education and future career in medicine, keep in mind that you have plenty of time. BA/MD programs are great options for students who are already absolutely certain they want to be a doctor, but most people don’t apply to medical programs until much later. You’ll spend all of your undergrad and all of medical school taking classes and gaining experiences that will prepare you to be a great doctor, so don’t stress yourself out by trying to develop all the skills and learn all the knowledge while in high school. Enjoy high school and do lots of things that interest you.

Your high school coursework will provide you with a great foundation for your pre-med classes and beyond. While your high school grades won’t count for your medical school prerequisites, getting a feel for the content you’ll be diving into as a pre-med and medical student will help you decide if a career in medicine is right for you. Here’s a list of classes you can take in high school to prepare you for a career in medicine. 

What High School Classes Will Prepare Me to Become a Doctor?

Take your high school science classes seriously.

Undergraduate pre-med requirements include classes in biology, chemistry, psychology, physics, and more. Although you won’t be able to use high school classes to count towards these requirements—often even if you receive AP credit,—you can use high school science classes to build a strong foundation for your college pre-med classes. If you do well in your high school science classes, you’ll be more comfortable in your undergraduate science classes, which are the ones that will count for medical school applications. 

When you were younger you might have said that you wanted to be a doctor when you grow up. But now that you’re getting a little closer to beginning your medical studies, you should do some research to learn more about what kind of doctor you’d like to be. If you don’t know yet, that’s okay! You won’t need to make a decision about your specialty until well into medical school, and you’ll likely change your mind a few times before then. But there are many, many different opportunities in medicine, and having some idea of what you’d like to pursue will help guide your studies. Consider what about being a doctor appeals to you. Is it...

long-lasting doctor-patient relationships? 

the excitement of saving lives in an ER or ICU? 

Depending on what interests you, you might choose to be a medical researcher at a university hospital, a family medicine provider, or an emergency medicine or internal medicine doctor in a hospital.

Once you have an idea of what medical subspecialties might interest you, look for shadowing opportunities. Ideally these opportunities would come through people you already know; perhaps your own doctor, or family members or friends working in medicine. If this isn’t an option, though, you can always call nearby doctors offices or hospitals and ask if there are any doctors willing to let you shadow them. Many doctors have experience being shadowed, so it’s often not an inconvenience for them to have you tag along for the day. That being said, you should give them plenty of notice so they can plan for you to come on a convenient day. 

Here are some ways to make a good impression while you shadow:

Don’t be late. Doctors have busy schedules, and to be respectful of their time you should arrive early. 

Come prepared with some questions. You’ll likely have some time to chat with the doctor about his/her profession in between patients, and you should use this opportunity to learn as much as you can about being a doctor.

Be fully present. Turn off your phone and take notes. 

Dress professionally. You may be given scrubs to wear, depending on where you’re shadowing, but if not, err on the side of business casual (with comfortable shoes!). 

Keep in mind that these shadowing hours won’t count towards the amount of hours medical schools expect you to have; however, it’s worth it to pursue shadowing opportunities just for the experience.

Look for volunteer opportunities that align with your interests. Don’t worry right now if the service opportunities you find aren’t medical, since these community service hours won’t count for your medical school applications, anyway. The most important thing is to find something you enjoy and stick with it for a while. Volunteering will make you more well-rounded, give you leadership opportunities, and show that you’re interested in helping others—all things medical schools like to see in an applicant. 

While you’ll need official clinical experience with patients to be a competitive medical school applicant, for now it’s enough to focus on getting familiar with medical techniques and medical facilities. Whether you’re working with actual patients or practicing sutures and surgical knots on an orange, early hands-on medical experience will help you get a feel for the medical field. You could choose to get certified as a CNA or EMT, which would put you in direct contact with patients in a medical setting, or volunteer in clinics, nursing homes, or hospitals. Another option for clinical experience is a pre-med summer program. Many universities and other organizations have immersive week-long (or longer!) programs in which high school students spend time on a college campus attending classes by medical school faculty, participating in labs and dissections, and learning about medical school. 

Decide what degree(s) you want and where you want to get your undergrad

While there are several BA and BS/MD programs in the U.S., most pre-med students get a bachelor’s degree and then apply to medical school separately. It’s a common misconception that in order to qualify for medical school you need to get a science major. As long as you complete the medical school prerequisites, you can major in anything! In fact, medical schools often like to see that applicants are well-rounded—that means that if you want to major in Art History and supplement your studies with your pre-med requirements, you might stand out more than applicants who focused solely on science.

Although most of your pre-med experiences will take place during your undergrad, you don’t have to wait until you start college to begin gaining skills and knowledge that will help you in your future medical career. Here’s a list of steps you can take that will help you prepare for a career in medicine before you even start your undergrad. 

How can I get ready for medical school in high school?

Keep in mind, though, that these programs never offer unconditional acceptance into medical school upon completion of an undergraduate degree; students must take the requisite pre-med coursework, maintain a high overall and science GPA, and sometimes even take the MCAT.

BS/MD and BA/MD programs are very competitive; students generally need to be in the top 5-10% of their high school graduating class and have extremely high SAT/ACT scores. Some programs are accelerated, condensing the undergraduate and medical degrees into 6 or 7 years instead of the standard 8. 

We’ve compiled a list (in no particular order) of some of the best Bachelor’s/MD programs in the United States. 

Brown University Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME)

Students participating in the PLME BA/MD program are granted acceptance to Brown University as undergraduate students and conditional acceptance to Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School, provided they fulfill certain requirements while in their undergrad. This is not an accelerated program; the completion of both degrees will take at least 8 years. Students are encouraged to pursue a bachelor’s degree in whatever they want—not just science—, and they have the option of deferring medical school while they pursue other career and educational opportunities. While in medical school students may also pursue a second graduate degree.

This program is open to approximately 50 incoming freshman. Students apply for the PLME program at the same time as applying to the Brown undergraduate program. If you’re not accepted to the PLME program, you will still be considered for admittance to Brown University as an undergraduate student. The average ACT score for matriculants in the last 5 years was 34, the average SAT ERW score was 742, and the average SAT Math score was 770.

Rutgers offers two different BA/MD programs. The first is a 7-year program for incoming undergraduates granting conditional admittance to Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS). Applicants must be ranked in the top 10% of their graduating high school class and have a score of at least at least 1400 on the SAT and/or 32 on the ACT in order to be considered for admittance to the BA/MD program. Students accepted into this program can choose from six undergraduate majors: English, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Psychology, and History. 

The second BA/MD program at Rutgers offers pre-med college sophomores conditional admittance to Rutgers’ other medical school, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Also a 7-year program, this program requires that admitted students complete their undergraduate core requirements at an undergraduate institution affiliated with Rutgers New Jersey Medical School by the end of their junior year so they can use their senior year to start first-year medical school curriculum. Students can receive both undergraduate and medical school credit for some of the classes they take in the senior year of their undergrad/first year of medical school.

Case Western Reserve University: Pre-Professional Scholars Program in Medicine

The Pre-Professional Scholars program at Case Western offers conditional admission to CWRU School of Medicine to 15-20 incoming first-year undergraduate students. Students not accepted to the Pre-Professional Scholars Program will still be considered for admittance to CWRU. Students can major in whatever they’d like, but they must take a full four years to complete their degree. If they finish early, they’re required to supplement their undergraduate education with study abroad experiences, internships, and/or extra elective courses. In order to be officially accepted to CWRU Medical School upon completion of their undergraduate requirements, students must have a 3.63 science and overall undergraduate GPA and at least a 94th percentile MCAT score, if they choose to take the MCAT (though it’s not a requirement for CWRU pre-professional scholars).

This 8-year BA/MD program with Baylor College of Medicine is extremely competitive: only 6 incoming college freshmen are accepted each year. To be considered, applicants should be in the top 5% of their high school graduating class or have at least a 3.7 GPA, and have an SAT score of at least 1430 and/or an ACT score of at least 32. Once accepted to the program, students must maintain an overall and science undergraduate GPA of at least 3.5, complete all the traditional pre-med requirements, and score a 501 or higher on the MCAT.

Of the six students admitted to Baylor’s dual degree program, two receive a $40,000 undergraduate scholarship and the other four will receive $12,000 undergraduate scholarships. Upon entrance to medical school, two students receive another scholarship of $40,000. 

Virginia Commonwealth University Guaranteed Admission Program: Medicine

The Honors College at VCU offers multiple Guaranteed Admission Programs, all related to health sciences. The Guaranteed Admission Program for Medicine is an eight-year program made up of a four-year bachelor’s degree and a four-year medical degree. In order to maintain Guaranteed Admission status, participants must graduate with university honors, submit an honors dossier, take several prerequisite classes, maintain a 3.5 science and overall GPA, score 505 or higher on the MCAT, complete community and healthcare-related service hours, and engage in a one-semester clinical mentorship with a faculty member from the VCU college of medicine.   

Only high school seniors with a minimum SAT score of 1330 or ACT score of 29 and an unweighted GPA of 3.5 or above will be considered for admittance. 30 incoming VCU freshmen were offered admittance to the Guaranteed Admission Program for Medicine in 2019. Students who do not gain admittance as incoming college freshmen, either because they did not apply or because they were not accepted to the program, may apply to the Guaranteed Admission Program for Medicine at the end of their sophomore year at VCU.

The number of BA/MD and BS/MD programs changes from year to year. Here’s a list of BA/MD and BS/MD programs existing in the United States in 2019. 

City College of New York School of Medicine

The College of New Jersey / Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Drew University / Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

George Washington University Columbian College of Arts and Sciences

Georgia Regents University / Medical College of Georgia

Montclair State University / Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

New Jersey Institute of Technology / Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute/Albany Medical College 

Stevens Institute of Technology / Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Brooklyn College / SUNY-Downstate Medical Center

Caldwell University / American University of Antigua College of Medicine

Rice University / Baylor College of Medicine

St. Bonaventure University / George Washington University School of Medicine

If you’re a high school student or a college freshman or sophomore with a strong desire to pursue a career in medicine, consider applying to a BS/MD or BA/MD program. BS/MD and BA/MD programs offer admittance to both an undergraduate program and an MD program at an affiliated medical school. Depending on the program, students either apply as high school seniors when they apply to college or as pre-med undergraduate students, after they’ve already completed a year or two of college. The fact that a medical school space is reserved for each student in a BS/MD or BA/MD program is enough to lift the major stress of completing medical school applications. 

Medicine

Top BS/MD and BA/MD Programs

Medical Summer Programs for High School Students

What High School Classes Will Prepare Me to Become a Doctor?

How can I get ready for medical school in high school?