I’m starting to decide what schools I want to apply to, but I’ve run into a bit of an issue. I’m interested in health but quite unsure whether that will last. I like chemistry, but am not really an engineering person. I’m not really opposed to a lot of various fields of study, I’m just unsure which one I might want to go to. So for now, I’m setting premed as the track I want to go down, but does anyone know a good school that is well-rounded enough to allow for options, should I change my mind? I was considering pursuing a more liberal arts type education, maybe with a core curriculum, but am worried that that could then interfere with premed in case I find out that I do want to continue going down that route…
There is good news: Many universities have very good premed programs. We do not know your state, but it is likely that your in-state public universities probably have very good premed programs.
More good news: You can major in almost anything and take the premed requirements at the same time. Depending upon your major, you might have a lot of overlap between your major requirements and the premed classes (Biology is one example, but Chemistry is probably pretty good also, Animal Sciences might be a third choice) or you might have very little overlap (Music performance comes to mind).
Also, a lot of students change their majors. This is very, very common.
Four questions that come to mind before we suggest schools: (i) What is your budget? What you can afford without debt would be helpful; (ii) What is your home state? (iii) What are your stats? (iv) What do you want in a school? For example, would you prefer a large school or a small school?
Based on the tentative nature of your interests, schools with notably flexible curricula such as Brown, Amherst, Hamilton, Smith and Grinnell might be suited to you. For a range of further ideas, you may want to search “The 25 Best Colleges for Pre-meds.”
Like you touched on, many students don’t know for sure what they want to pursue at the beginning of their college career, and the students who do, more often than not, change their mind at least once throughout their time in college. Apply to schools you think you would thrive in academically, socially etc, and don’t focus on which was the best pre-med program.
As a pre-med student myself, I can tell you that medical schools care very little (most don’t care at all) where you went to undergrad or how prestigious the program was, as long as you work hard, complete the pre-requisites and get good grades.
I also cannot speak more highly of a liberal arts education, especially for a pre-med. My mom (who is a doctor herself) always told me this advice: You’ll have your whole life after college to study health and medicine and science (med school, residency, fellowship, CMEs etc etc etc), so in undergrad, take that time to explore other fields you might be interested in.
A liberal arts education will allow you to take more classes, foster better relationships with your professors (more research and LOR opportunities for med school apps!) and have a more tight-knit, community-based social life.
That being said, private LACs are expensive, and medical school is also very expensive. So, if money is an object for you and your family, it also might be worth considering going to your state school for undergrad to save money. However, since you’re not completely sure you want to go to med school yet, I wouldn’t take that advice to heart.
Get a broad education in topics you love, whether or not they have to do with medicine. This philosophy can also help you determine if medicine is what you really want to pursue. If you take a cool anthropology class, for example, you might fall in love with that field instead.
So, I suggest you research schools holistically and apply broadly, because pre-med tracks can be accomplished successfully at nearly every college!
Best of luck 
1 Like
Any college in the country offers the dozen or so lower-division science and math classes needed by premeds. Whether a kid works for good grades, get to know some profs so they get strong recs, take part in appropriate ECs, and develop compelling essays is up to them.
It’s not unusual for HS kids to be uncertain about what they want to do for a career. While you may have an interest in medicine, keep in mind doctors are far from the only ones in the health field that help people. Physical therapists, radiology techs, nurses, speech pathologists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, to name but just a few. as you can see on http://explorehealthcareers.org
Until you’ve considered the alternatives and has spent time actually working in a health care setting (which is an unwritten requirement to get into med school and is explicitly required for some other medical fields) its better to think of medicine as just one future option among many. Start working with the career center at whatever college you attend to explore other career areas early on so you’re making an informed choice. Many HS kids are unaware of just how many different fields are out there since in their daily life they just encounter a few (teachers, doctors, etc)
I’d say a key thing to do when the Covid restrictions let up is to get a job or volunteer position in a medical setting (volunteer in a hospital, etc). This will give you a better sense if medicine is a fit, and if being a doctor is the right choice in medicine. An additional benefit will be increasing the motivation to persevere thru the hard work it takes as a pre-med. A lot of kids that throw in the towel (maybe 4 out of 5 entering as pre-med) because they were never that committed in the first place.