How hard is it to get into Medical school?
About half the people who apply for med school get accepted. Nearly all of those who get accepted, complete the course work. The key then -if you want to be a doctor-is to get accepted, but what can you do to make it happen? It's a given that in order to get accepted you need to have good grades. What's considered a "good" GPA varies a bit, but generally GPAs of 3.5 or more are required. You might be able to get accepted with a slightly lower GPA if you attended a college known for its rigorous program or if you had an exceptionally high MCAT score or terrific community service or something similar. Conversely, someone graduating from a university known for grade inflation may need a GPA slightly above 3.5 to be considered a good candidate for med school.
Tied closely to your GPA will be the course work you've taken. Most medical schools require at least some course work in biology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and English. Your chances of being accepted will increase if you possess a strong foundation in mathematics and in the sciences that relate directly to medicine: biology, physics, general chemistry and organic chemistry. Your college transcript should also include some courses that indicate you are well-rounded and know more than just science. These could include courses in history, philosophy, sociology and psychology. A liberal arts education like that is viewed as a plus because it indicates that you understand a bit about the world and the people in it. A further plus would be an emphasis on communication. Courses that require substantial communication skills--both written and verbal-are considered to be beneficial.
A final area that med school acceptance committees consider is extracurricular activities. Volunteer work you've done at a hospital or clinic, humanitarian trips you have taken to foreign countries, or community service at a soup kitchen, a retirement center, or a shelter for battered women would all strengthen your chances to be accepted. But, don't discount the usual extracurricular activities associated with college; your participation in inter-collegiate or intra-mural sports, science clubs and campus publications all indicate that you did more with your college years than find a quiet place and study week after week. Extracurricular activities are often what tip the decision between two applicants whose other qualifications seem virtually the same, so they should be considered carefully, especially if you aspire to being accepted at a prestigious school.
