<p>Some of the clearest and best pre-med advice I have seen comes from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine: </p>
<p>[Preparing</a> for Medical School | Lerner College of Medicine](<a href=“http://portals.clevelandclinic.org/lcm2/Admissions/PreparingforMedicalSchool/tabid/7398/Default.aspx]Preparing”>http://portals.clevelandclinic.org/lcm2/Admissions/PreparingforMedicalSchool/tabid/7398/Default.aspx)</p>
<p>for example, from “Maintain a High GPA”
“The national mean grade point average (GPA) for 2012 entering medical school students was 3.68. It is important to maintain a competitive GPA throughout college; you should avoid withdrawals or multiple repeated courses. (As you plan your schedule for the first year in college, be sure to balance your course load with one challenging course, two moderate and two less demanding courses.) Do not take two science courses with labs at the same time in your first year; allow time to adjust to college to determine what you need to perform well in college.
Unless you are disciplined, refrain from time-consuming extracurricular activities the first year of college; add those in subsequent years. Focus first on developing time management and study skills, and performing well academically.”</p>
<p>The site also includes advice on high school coursework (recommends 4 years of math and science), and the importance of shadowing, research and demonstrated self-sacrifice to others, and a discussion about attending a more or less competitive undergraduate institution and the impact on admissions, as well as a host of other issues often discussed in these forums.</p>
<p>Good reading as a basic resource.</p>