If youre applying to medical school, or even considering it, you should approach the process with all the essential information. There are some assumptions that youll findonce you get into your researchjust dont hold up.

A recent series of episodes in the AMAs Making the Rounds podcast examine medical school admissions and shed light on some myths surrounding the process. In the episodes, experts from medical school admissions consultancy MedSchoolCoach LLC, discuss some of the common misconceptions premeds hold about the application process.

Science majors are more common, but many admissions offices value well-rounded students who follow their passions.

I thought going into my undergraduate that I had to pick one of those hard science majors, said Kathryn Henshaw, a Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) coach at MedSchoolCoach who earned her bachelors degree from the University of Miami in 2018.

I ended up picking two of those, Henshaw said. I've studied biochemistry and neuroscience, but I really wish I had studied creative writing and that's one of my biggest regrets is not realizing that I could have studied creative writing and written poemswhich is something that I love to doand also pursued my premedical track. I think students should be more aware of this, because it is something that would be fun, add to your education and overall make it a more positive experience for your undergrad.

Grades matter. In fact, surveys of program directors put them at the top of the list of factors that evaluate the strength of an application. That having been said, you dont need four years of straight As to be a physician.

A good GPA is a 4.0, but not everybody can get there, said Sahil Mehta, MD, the founder of MedSchoolCoach. He noted that the Association of American Medical Colleges puts out these stats every single year, which I think gives a super helpful starting point for people to understand how competitive it is. The average applicant has around a 3.5.

The average of those admitted is around a 3.7, Dr. Mehta said. You really, as a premed, need to have even a 3.5 to even have a whiff of an opportunity. Really, I would say a good GPA, you're aiming more towards a 3.7, 3.8.

The MCAT is broken into four sections: biological and biochemical foundations of living systems; chemical and physical foundations of biological systems; psychological, social and biological foundations of behavior; and critical analysis and reasoning skills. A strong undergraduate course load in one of the traditional sciences will not prepare you for all of them. In fact, basic science knowledge, when paired with diligent MCAT prep, can probably be enough.

The MCAT tests basic science, Dr. Mehta said. These are sciences that you can do in one-year classes, right? The MCAT doesn't test biology 301. It tests biology 101. Even if you're a nonscience major, you're going to take biology 101 as a premed and you're going to have all the knowledge you need to do well on the MCAT.

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3 misconceptions undergrads have about applying to med school - American Medical Association