3 Unusual Classes You Should Take Before Med School

One of the most frequent questions premeds ask is “what classes should I take before going to medical school?” The AAMC and AACOM require (at a minimum) a year of biology, English, and chemistry, but there are a few non-traditional classes I wish I took in college. With medical school experimenting with more holistic approaches to admissions, perhaps these 3 classes will be more favorably looked upon by admissions committees in the future.

Acting
Every few weeks, 1st and 2nd year medical students from around the country knock on doors, ask to come in, wash their hands, and pretend to be doctors for 15 minutes. They take medical histories and perform physicals on real people, but the catch is that these “patients” are actually actors. Standardized patient encounters are increasingly being used as a part of pre-clinical medical education and offer medical students the chance to “practice” being a doctor before heading out to hospital rotations.

If the “patients” are trained as actors then, wouldn’t it make sense for the “doctors” to have some training in acting as well? While it won’t help memorize the different cranial nerve exams, a background in acting could help students get into the “character” of a physician and develop “on the feet” thinking.

Public Speaking
Nearly 75% of people experience some anxiety about public speaking, but it is a critical skill to develop for a successful medical career. Whether presenting cases to an attending on the wards, giving a lecture at a research conference, or teaching the pathophysiology behind a disease to a crowded classrooom, public speaking opportunities are at every level of medical education. Furthermore, so many medical student are so bad at public speaking that even being marginally good can pay off huge dividends.

Writing
Well of course the guy with the blog is going to suggest taking a writing class. Besides the obvious bias though, consider that in the past two years I’ve had to write essays for medical school applications, secondaries, ethics class assignments, scholarship applications, summer project proposals, and leadership position openings. Simply put, the essays don’t stop in college and nearly every competitive opportunity is going to require persuasive writing skills.






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