Located within walking distance to Lake Erie and bordered by a lush nature preserve, Case Western Reserve University is one of Cleveland’s most beautiful places.
Priding themselves on innovation and producing inventive students, Case Western has a lot to offer students interested in a hands-on learning experience. For those looking to begin their premed journey at Case, opportunities abound for clinical work and research projects, both of which will be required for med school. Plus, its proximity to some of the best medical research institutions in the U.S. means even more chances to excel ahead of medical school applications.
This small school may not be one of the most prestigious colleges you could attend, but the world-class facilities and the extra attention you’ll get is well worth the trade-off. Case has an 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio and 62% of courses have fewer than 20 students in them.
At Case Western, you’ll be able to form relationships with professors, medical professionals, and people in leadership roles on a level that simply isn’t possible at bigger schools. Everything at Case Western is designed to help you be your best self and as a premed student, that means acing courses, the MCAT, and extracurriculars. By staying focused and taking advantage of the programs available at Case Western, you can graduate as an impressive med school candidate with an acceptance letter in hand!
Planning your premed journey is absolutely essential, and as such you’ll need to know exactly which courses to take during each semester.
Case Western’s premed advising site offers valuable information for students, which we’ve gathered in the tables below. In order to apply to med school, you’ll need to complete a number of math, science, and humanities courses in addition to the requirements for your chosen major. It’s a lot to balance, but you don’t need to go it alone. Let’s begin by taking a look at the basic requirements for medical school. You’ll need to research the specific requirements for your top med school choices—since different schools may have slightly different requirements—however, these guidelines should cover most U.S. allopathic (MD) medical schools and ensure that you’re well prepared for the MCAT.
*Both Phys 123 and Phys 124 include labs.This course list isn’t very long, but the content of each promises a challenge. You’ll want to have completed most of these courses before you take the MCAT, which will mean multiple, rigorous courses every semester.
Along with med school prerequisites, you’ll also need to fulfill the requirements for your major. Your choice of major matters much less than how you perform through its requirements. Choose a major that you are honestly excited about. The best major for medical school is the one that inspires you to share knowledge and grow as a student and as a professional. It’s almost impossible to fake passion in an application, so having a major that you’re happy to talk about will put you ahead of many high-achieving applicants.
Case Western has developed a number of sample course plans based on different types of majors. Let’s take a look at their sample for biological and chemical sciences majors.
We adjusted this schedule a bit compared to the one produced by Case Western so that you can have the option of taking the MCAT as your junior year begins rather than afterwards, which is how Case Western has their sample set up.
Taking the MCAT is a huge step and deserves a large chunk of your time. If you’re going to be taking a gap year, waiting until after junior year is certainly a good option. Otherwise, you’ll want to be prepared to take the test in the fall of your junior year so that you can begin planning your medical school applications.
As you can see, being a science major does lead to a lot of overlap on the requirements side of things, but it also causes extremely heavy loads each semester. We don’t suggest taking more than two science classes during your first semester, but after that you’ll need to complete three science courses almost every semester in order to become a competitive med school applicant.
If you have an aptitude for the sciences and truly enjoy learning about them, a science major is perfect for you. However, if you’re only pursuing a science major because you think it will look good on an application, you may find yourself struggling with this kind of schedule.
At the end of the day, there are two things that matter more than anything when it comes to your premed major: completing all med school prerequisites and keeping your GPA up. The latter may be difficult to do if you’ve chosen a major because you think it’ll look good to med school admissions committees.
In recent years, medical schools have begun using holistic admission processes, but this hasn’t reduced the importance of a strong GPA. A low GPA (below 3.5, generally speaking) remains one of the most common reasons students fail to be accepted to medical school, to the point that many students give up without even trying if they have a low GPA, often opting to take a gap year or gain additional degrees.
It’s important to remember that transitioning from high school to college presents its own set of challenges, regardless of whether you’re premed. Getting adjusted to a whole new world of self-sufficiency and demanding coursework is a journey all on its own. But again, it’s all about balance.
There are many strategies and resources available to you as a Case Western premed. Here are a few of the most important ones:
As we discussed earlier, there isn’t a “best” major for premeds. You should aim for a premed major that allows you to complete your premed coursework while still studying something you’re interested in.
You won’t gain any advantages on your med school application through your major alone. Students often think that the science majors (biology, chemistry, or biochemistry) are the best simply because they cover information needed for studying the MCAT. However, your med school prerequisites will cover what you need to know, regardless of your major.
Your major basically doesn’t matter to anyone but you. Are you interested in the subject? Can you keep your GPA high throughout the program? Can you complete your med school requirements while pursuing this major? Are you comfortable talking and writing about the subject to adcoms?
If you’re still unsure about which major to pursue, research other elements of the major. For example, computer science was the most popular major at Case as of 2021, meaning that you’d have plenty of peers to study with and ask for help from with this major.
The simple answer to this question is that the best time to take the MCAT is once you’ve mastered your prerequisite courses and feel ready to tackle the test. What does that really entail though? Preparing for the MCAT is not simply studying for another tough exam. You’ll need to plan around your courses and your med school application timeline.
If you’re jumping right into medical school after undergrad instead of taking a gap year, the fall of your junior year is the optimal time to take the MCAT. By this time, you’ll have been able to take all the necessary prerequisite courses and will have ample time to study over the summer. Taking the MCAT in the fall of your junior year also leaves enough time before med school applications are due that you can retake the exam if you don’t score in your target range.
There are a number of study resources and tutoring options available to help you prepare for the MCAT, but nothing can replace a solid foundation in the subject matter. That’s why it’s critical that you take the MCAT after you've studied the following subjects:
We also strongly encourage you to complete introductory courses in biochemistry, psychology, and sociology in order to maximize your chances of a high score. However, if you can’t fit these subjects into your schedule, simply studying them should provide you with enough information on these subjects.
