Applicant pools to the most selective schools in the country are filled to the brim with students with dreams of becoming doctors. Naturally, these students want to receive the best undergraduate education possible to set them up for long, lucrative, and compassionate careers in medicine postgrad. But where should these students turn in order to receive the best pre-med education available? The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might hope.

There’s no such thing as a college major in “medicine.” Students with intentions of applying to med school have to take it upon themselves to fulfill their premedical requirements and complete the coursework their majors require to graduate. It’s no small feat, which is why we at Ivy Coach don’t blame our students for wanting to choose a college based on the strength of its premedical program. However, we quickly redirect these students to a different goal: attending the best college possible — not in terms of premedical programs, but overall prestige.

The Best Pre-Med Program is at a Highly Selective School

It’s time we bust a common misconception in college admissions. Medical schools don’t care that you went to a school with a top pre-med program! Choosing your college based on the ranking of their pre-med program is ill-advised, as medical schools would much rather admit students who have attended a highly selective college where they explored their intellectual interests. The local state university might have a well-regarded pre-med program that allows students to fulfill all requirements efficiently. Still, it won’t make much difference to medical schools if this school doesn’t have anything else going for it.

Moreover, students who apply to a college based on the strength of its premedical program typically talk about their medical aspirations in their application, which, unfortunately, is a surefire way to earn a rejection letter from your top school. It might be a tough pill for some of our readers to swallow, but admissions officers are sick of the clichéd application full of anecdotes about sick relatives and cancer cures. Praising the school’s premedical program is another wrong move — just about every school in the nation has students on campus who are completing premedical requirements. Instead, focus on the unique culture, history, traditions, and activities that set your target school apart!

Indian American Pre-Meds Can Overcome College Admissions Bias

Applying to a school based on its premedical program is already the wrong move, but doing so when you’re an Indian American applicant opens up a whole new can of worms. Admissions officers at elite schools discriminate against Indian Americans who want to become doctors. They must sift through a lot of applications with this narrative, and even for applicants who aren’t Indian American, it’s yawn-inducing! It’s essential that Indian Americans set themselves apart so as not to open the door to discrimination.

Don’t get us wrong. Wanting to become a doctor is incredibly admirable. We’re not in the business of discouraging anyone from this path! We suggest that you simply do not state your intention to apply to med school on your college application. It’s a surefire way of getting admissions officers to write you off unfairly, especially if you’re Indian American. The same goes for applications full of activities such as HOSA or shadowing physicians. 

How to Stand Out as a Future Doctor in College Admissions

Instead of spinning the same old story about wanting to do your loved ones right by going into medicine, flip the script and present colleges with a competitive singular hook highlighting how you’re already changing the world in a highly unique, wonderfully weird, and often small way. 

Ivy Coach’s team of former elite college admissions officers will help your child optimize their odds of admission not to the best premedical program but to the best college, setting them up on a path towards future medical success without putting the cart ahead of the horse. Fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch with an outline of our services.