What’s pre-med like? I’d love to go here for the biochem + molecular bio major + pre-med track, but it seems like there isn’t a hospital near campus for volunteering and it’s really hard to get research due to huge class sizes. Does anyone here have any experience with pre-med at Amherst? I was also wondering if Umass Med prefers applicants from the Umass undergrads? Maybe stupid question but just hoping 
Premed is an intention. And in my opinion…it’s not an easy one! You can major in anything you want but you need to take the required courses for medical school admissions. You can do this at UMass…or just about any other four year college in the country, arts conservatories excluded.
The hospitals are not within walking distance. But here they are.
You can do volunteer work at a clinic, it doesn’t have to be a hospital. Also, you can do much of that during the summers and on school vacations. Many many many colleges don’t have hospitals nearby.
WRT to research…that will be up to you to seek out. That is the case just about everywhere.
I’m not sure about this…but being a public medical school, they likely give preference to instate residents who qualify for admission. You won’t get in just because you graduate from UMass. You will have to have a strong GPA, sGPA, MCAT score, shadowing, volunteering with underprivileged populations, patient facing medical work, and great letters of reference.
What else would you like to know…
There is a whole section of this site for premed. You might want to get more info there.
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Adding…what makes you KNOW that pursuing a career as a doctor is right for you?
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While I do not have experience with UMass, I do have a lot of experience at other large public universities.
My daughter was premed all through college and changed her mind 2-3 years after graduating. She changed her mind after taking all of the classes, mcat practice, shadowing, volunteering, teaching in a title 1 school, hospital work etc……
She did not change her mind because she was a weak candidate. Rather…she changed her mind because she discovered the career path that suited her better.
Here is my advice:
Her school had a hospital on campus. While she volunteered there for 2 years, she did not shadow. Having a hospital on campus does NOT mean you will be permitted to shadow. It depends. Her advisor suggested that she call her pediatrician and begin there. She did, and from there she moved on to another office and then to teaching hospitals. She did this during school breaks and quickly accumulated hours.
Research- Ask your professors, knock on doors. This is what she did and it worked. She began in November of her freshman year and continued until a year after she graduated. The experience helped her decide what she liked…and didn’t like.
Large classes- Sit front and center. Attend office hours- even if you do not need to. This helps you get to know your professors.
Lastly- keep an open mind. Many HS students go to college with premed intentions. Some actually go to medical school, but many do not. Why? Well, some do not have the gpa, find the science classes to be difficult, don’t want primary care, etc. Others…they find/discover other interests that they pursue.
Good luck!!
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