Applying To Medical School? Here’s How To Stand Out!
A lot of my clients come to me with well-formed ideas about what they want to pursue in college, so I decided a series of newsletters addressing some of the more common majors would be helpful. This one is for all of my future physicians!
If you're planning to go to medical school, your college years will play a crucial role in shaping your application. In this newsletter, I’ll cover everything you need to know to stand out as a competitive applicant for medical school with tips straight from the Magnolia Method. Let’s get started!
Choosing a Major: Beyond chemistry and biology
Many students believe they must major in Biology or Chemistry to get into medical school. While these majors cover many prerequisites, medical schools welcome applicants from all academic backgrounds.
Majors like Philosophy, Theater, Engineering, and Religion can be just as valuable, if not more so! Here's why:
Diverse Perspectives: A non-traditional major can help you develop critical thinking, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities—all key traits for a physician. Good doctors are intuitive, perform well under pressure, are creative problem-solvers, and are independent in their thoughts and actions. Many majors develop these skills more adequately than a science major.
Passion Matters: Medical schools appreciate applicants who genuinely enjoy their studies, as this leads to better academic performance and well-rounded applications.
Stand Out from the Crowd: A unique major can differentiate you from thousands of Biology majors applying to medical school. In many ways, this is very much like acceptance into an undergraduate college.
What you must do in college
Regardless of your major, you’ll need to complete the prerequisite courses, typically including:
Biology
Chemistry (General & Organic)
Physics
Biochemistry
Math (Statistics and/or Calculus)
English/Writing
Social Sciences (Psychology/Sociology are helpful for the MCAT)
Additionally, focus on:
Strong GPA & MCAT Scores: Medical schools consider both heavily. Some classes (like organic chemistry) have the reputation of being “weed-out” classes - classes intended to get you to drop out of the pre-med or pre-health track. If this worries you, consider auditing the class at a local community college the summer prior to taking the class at college. This will build confidence and allow you to be your most competitive academically. A low grade can really derail your GPA and imperil medical school acceptances.
Regarding the MCAT: Consider carving out a summer to prepare full-time for the MCAT. Treat the preparation like you would a full-time summer job!
Clinical Experience: Shadowing doctors, working as a medical scribe, or volunteering in hospitals.
Research: Particularly if you're interested in academic medicine.
Leadership & Extracurriculars: Clubs, student organizations, or community involvement. As soon as you get to campus, seek clubs that support pre-med students and join organizations like pre-med fraternities (which can be joined in addition to social Greek organizations). Popular organizations to look for at club fairs include Alpha Epsilon Delta or Phi Delta Epsilon.
Service & Volunteering: Demonstrating a commitment to helping others is key.
Choosing the right college
Prestige vs. Fit: A prestigious school can help, but it should not be your only priority. Medical schools care more about your performance than where you received your undergraduate degree.
Honors Colleges: If you’re at a large university, an honors college can provide smaller class sizes, research opportunities, and mentorship. During the application process, some schools explore what is required to be considered for honors college admission.
Smaller Schools & Faculty Connections: Attending a smaller college or an honors program can allow you to build closer relationships with professors, which is beneficial when seeking strong letters of recommendation. Often, my clients at smaller (even much less known universities) have faculty with whom they partner very early and end up getting published, presenting at national conferences, or being asked to be a TA for their classes.
Support for Pre-Meds: Look for schools with strong advising, undergraduate research access like Rollins, and a history of high med school acceptance rates. Also, universities like Furman offer highly specialized mentoring through The Furman Advantage experience.
What opportunities are nearby? Universities like Emory, George Washington University, U Pittsburgh, and Case Western are surrounded by many area hospitals and internationally renowned medical research centers that offer access to undergraduates as early as freshman year. Explore these opportunities on your campus tours!
Are there unique partnerships with area hospitals? For example, at Rhodes College, there is an incredible partnership with St. Jude’s Hospital, The St. Jude Summer Plus Fellowship.
important questions to ask college admissions
When researching potential schools, consider asking:
Does the school offer 1:1 pre-med advising or mentoring?
What percentage of students are accepted into medical school?
Are there opportunities for undergraduate research in the sciences?
How accessible are professors for mentorship and recommendation letters?
Are there hospital affiliations or clinical experience opportunities for undergraduates nearby?
There is no single “right” path to medical school. Choose a major that excites you, maintain strong academics, and seek meaningful experiences. Your journey to medicine should reflect who you are.
Your “why” for wanting to be a physician should be well-developed and focused on how you can make an impact on health practices. The journey to being a doctor typically includes over a decade of learning, researching, practicing, and being open to the unexpected.
It isn’t for everyone, but if it is for you, finding a good undergraduate program with supportive faculty and a wide range of opportunities will make the likelihood of you getting into medical school much greater!
An update from the University of Georgia: ACT Science Section
With the science section of the ACT now optional, students might be curious about its impact on UGA’s admissions process. Rest assured, this change will not affect our process. We will continue to focus on the English and Math subscores of the ACT, which correlate with the SAT subscores we consider.
Starting with the 2026 admissions cycle, UGA will calculate the ACT Composite score for freshmen applicants using only the English, Math, and Reading sections, in accordance with ACT's new scoring method.
Whether you’re a student, parent, teacher, or advisor—you recognize the tremendous benefit of higher education and its impact on shaping one’s future. And no matter your role within this incredibly defining decision-making process, it can be a stressful time for you.
I’m here to be your advisor, organizer, tutor, cheerleader, friend, and compass through this journey. I’ve helped over 2,000 students locate and gain acceptance to the college of their dreams, and I’m so excited to help you, too.
Let’s get to work!
-Allie Pierson, Founder