Many students are very academically competitive in their high school but have difficulty with pre-med courses in college. This is partly due to the fact that they were prepared on a local level but not competitive on a national level. Strong coursework and SAT preparation is required. If you are certain that you want to go to medical school, apply for a B.A./M.D program. Keep the following points in mind to be a successful pre-med student:

• If you can afford it, consider matriculating into a private high school or magnet public school that is strong in the sciences if your public high school science program is less competitive. Many students who studied in competitive high school programs tend to fare well in college and medical school. Also, competitive schools are more involved in the college application process and can better guide you.  Regardless of its fairness, competitive high school programs have direct connections with the admissions department of competitive college programs.
  
  
• If your high school offers AP courses, try to enroll in the science AP courses. The College Board administers the AP exams at the end of each year.  Many colleges and medical schools expect AP students to take advanced science courses when they enter college. 
  
  
• Consider taking college level science courses at your local university.  It will give you an edge upon entering college. You may have to submit these grades to undergraduate and medical schools upon applying, so don't take the courses lightly.  A less expensive option is to review college science textbooks.
  
  
• Practice for the PSAT as much as possible. Many consider the PSAT a practice for the SAT however, the PSAT qualifies you for the National Merit Scholarship. The scholarship is nationally recognized so it would make you a better candidate. Accolades are secondary to grades and SAT scores, but they help tremendously.  
  
  
• Prepare, prepare and prepare for the SAT. We cannot express the importance of this exam for college admissions. It is the one statistic that allows each candidate to be compared to another candidate. The College Board administers the exam. Some students use Kaplan and Princeton Review courses to prepare for the exam.
  
  
• Some students seek the help of private high school counselors and private tutoring. 
  
  
• Apply for scholarships, essay contests and research grants.
  
  
• Apply early decision to universities if you are set on only one school. With early decision, it is difficult to negotiate financial aid packages because you don't have other acceptances to use as leverage.  More and more, universities are trying to make early decision more lenient in order to attract highly qualified candidates.
  
  
• Overall, choose a university that is best suited for you.
  

Questions to Consider When Choosing an Undergraduate Program:

1. Will I excel at this university?
   
   
2. Do teaching assistants teach students more than the professors?
   
   
3. Does this school provide research opportunities?
   
   
4. Will they accept my AP coursework for credit or must I retake the courses?
   
   
5. What university financial aid is available?
   
   
6. Is the pre-med advisor friendly, available and approachable?
   
   
7. Do other pre-med students have good things to say about the university?
   
   
8. Consider having lunch with some of the pre-med students.
   How many students who begin as pre-med students actually matriculate into medical school?
   
   
9. What are the MCAT scores for the junior/senior class?
   
   
10. How many students matriculate into medical school? Sometimes this number may be misleading if the undergraduate school has a habit of discouraging less competitive pre-med students from applying to medical school so ask plenty of questions.
    
    
11. How are classes graded? Is it on a curve?

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