How to Succeed as an Emory Premed
/Everything you need to know about Emory premed, including premed requirements, the best extracurriculars, and the Emory premed acceptance rate
LEARN HOW TO GET INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL AS An emory PREMED
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Part 1: Introduction
What once began in the 1830s as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory is better known today as one of the nation’s most elite private research universities. Emory University sits in Atlanta, Georgia, and is broken up into nine academic divisions, one of which is the School of Medicine.
Emory Healthcare is the largest healthcare system in Georgia, and it includes Emory University Hospital along with six other facilities. With an abundance of healthcare facilities surrounding the school, Emory premed students are at a distinct advantage, especially when it comes to engaging in extracurricular activities such as research and physician shadowing (more on those later). Currently (for 2022-2023), Emory is ranked #22 among National Universities by U.S. News.
Physicians play an important role in shaping the healthcare of their communities, and for the greater Atlanta area, Emory University is well-positioned to prepare its premed students for a career in medicine. Whether students dream of continuing their educational journey at Emory University School of Medicine or another institution, there’s no denying that Emory University will put students on the right track. In this guide, we’ll talk about the course requirements for Emory premed students (including a sample plan you may want to follow), extracurricular activity ideas, and what students can expect when trying to gain acceptance into medical school. We’ll also discuss how you can maintain a high GPA as an Emory premed and what that will look like, as well as when you should consider taking the MCAT.
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Part 2: Emory premed requirements
If you’ve decided to attend Emory—or even if you’re just considering it—it’s important to be aware of what the school requires of its premed students so you’ll have a good idea of what you can expect to take. In addition, knowing the requirements will help you prepare for those specific courses, and it’ll enable you to do further research into specific courses.
If you have questions about any courses in particular, it can be helpful to reach out to the Pre-Health Advising department at Emory. There, you’ll find a group of individuals who can connect you with resources and contacts they know will assist you on your journey. They’re also available to help you chart your career plans, support you as you begin the med school application process, and lend a helping hand when it comes time to apply to med schools.
To begin, you’ll need to enroll in the following courses:
| Introductory Biology: Two semesters with lab | BIOL 141 and 142 with labs |
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| Chemistry:
1. General chemistry: Two semesters with lab 2. Organic chemistry: Two semesters with lab 3. Biochemistry: One semester |
One of the following sequences:
CHEM 150, 202, 203, and 204 (with labs), then BIOL 301 CHEM 150, 202, 203, and 204 (with labs), then CHEM 370 |
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| Calculus: One semester | MATH 111 (or higher level) |
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| Statistics: One semester | QTM 100 or ECON 220 |
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| Physics: Two semesters with lab | PHYS 141 and 142 (with labs) PHYS 151 and 152 (with labs) |
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| College-level English/writing: Two semesters | Courses that fulfill the requirement for this subject:
Any ENG course, some CPLT courses, and CWRT courses in the English language | |||||
| Psychology/Sociology: Two semesters | Any ANT, PSYC, or SOC courses | |||||
| Human Physiology: One semester | BIOL 336 | |||||
Keep in mind that the majority of these courses will be required for any medical school while some of the courses are only required for a few medical schools. Specifically, introductory Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and English/Writing courses are required for any medical school, whereas Biochemistry and Statistics are required for many medical schools. We seem to be seeing fewer schools actually requiring Calculus, and Human Physiology may be unique to Emory.
It’s also important to remember that AP and IB credits might count toward helping you fulfill gen ed requirements for your undergraduate degree, but they don’t typically eliminate the number of prerequisite courses required for med school. For instance, if you scored a 4 or a 5 on the AP Bio exam, you can likely bypass an introductory Biology course in college. However, if you’re a premed student, you’ll still need to take two semesters of Biology. This means your AP credit might enable you to skip BIOL 141 (Foundations of Modern Biology I) but since you’ll still need two semesters of Biology with a lab component, you might start college with BIOL 142 instead and still take another Biology course (with a lab). At Emory, you’d also still need to take BIOL 141L (the lab component for BIOL 141)—even if you use AP or IB credit for BIOL 141. Ultimately, different medical schools have different policies with regard to how they treat AP and IB credit, so it’s best to check with the school(s) you’re interested in attending to see how they would view it.
(Suggested reading: Medical School Requirements)
Sample Emory premed three-year course plan
By now, you may be wondering how you might fit all of this together in a course plan. As you think through the classes you’d like to take, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind:
Don’t overburden yourself. Be careful not to fill your schedule with multiple classes that may be more difficult for you. Balance your schedule with tough classes and lighter classes.
Prepare for the MCAT. Not only will you need to plan to spend a good amount of time in preparation for the MCAT but you’ll also need to decide when you’ll actually take it. Furthermore, if you’re like many students, you’ll want to take it more than once. With this in mind, plan your course schedule in such a way that it allows you ample time to study and take the MCAT.
Consider other general education requirements. Regardless of their major, all undergraduate students are required to take a specific number of courses in predetermined subject areas. These requirements are often referred to as “gen ed” requirements and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Though they may seem like a repeat of courses you took in high school, you’ll still be required to take them unless your school gives you credit for AP or IB courses in those subject areas. That said, you’ll want to plan ahead so you can fit in the gen ed courses you must take and balance those with your premed requirements.
While this may seem like a lot to take in, the Pre-Health Advising department is very experienced at helping students come up with a game plan for all four years of college, so you’ll be in good hands if you turn to them! Additionally, we’ve put together a sample three-year plan to get you started. Remember, this plan is just one way to fit in all of the premed requirements at Emory.
| Freshman Fall | BIOL 141 (and BIOL 141L) CHEM 150 (and CHEM 150L) ECON 220 |
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| Freshman Spring | BIOL 142 (and BIOL 142L) CHEM 202 (and CHEM 202L) MATH 111 |
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| Sophomore Fall | CHEM 203 (and CHEM 203L) ENG 150 PHYS 141 |
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| Sophomore Spring | CHEM 204 (and CHEM 204L) ENG 210W PHYS 142 |
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| Junior Fall | BIOL 301 BIOL 336 PSYC 110 |
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| Junior Spring | PSYC 111 | |||||
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Part 3: Emory premed extracurriculars
As a premed student, you’ll also be required to spend time involved in extracurricular activities. Typically, premeds are expected to engage in community service, research, physician shadowing, and clinical work or patient care. In and around the Atlanta area, there’s no shortage of opportunities for Emory premeds.
(Suggested reading: How to Choose the Right Extracurricular Activities for Medical School)
Emory premed clinical and community volunteering
Emory students may enjoy some of the following community service opportunities:
In addition, the following healthcare facilities provide even more opportunities for volunteering:
Paid clinical work can also provide students with worthwhile experiences. For instance, medical scribing enables you to follow a physician around throughout the day and provide them with a valuable service. Through scribing, you’ll have the opportunity to chart for physicians in real-time, such as during an office visit. ProScribe, ScribeAmerica, and SuperScribe, LLC are all organizations that hire people to perform scribe work.
Emory premed shadowing
Students who may be interested in either physical therapy, occupational therapy, or audiology may enjoy shadowing at the Rehabilitation Observation. Those who have served at least 60 hours with the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (a requirement to shadow) are encouraged to consider shadowing physicians there.
In addition to these resources, consider asking healthcare professionals you may already know, such as your own family practitioner or specialists. Perhaps you attend church with physicians or your parents may know of some who would be open to allowing you to shadow them. However you go about finding one to shadow, it’s certain to be an excellent opportunity for you to learn more about the career you’re interested in!
Emory premed research
Emory students are at an advantage when it comes to research opportunities. The following are some of the options available:
Emory Undergraduate Research Programs - Undergraduate Research Programs provide students with the chance to support both faculty members and other students through research projects and attending conferences thanks to research grants. They also provide a link between student researchers and mentors both on-campus and off.
The Council on Undergraduate Research - Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) members come together to provide high-quality and collaborative research opportunities for undergraduate students.
Office of International and Summer Programs - These programs provide students with the chance to study abroad. Students are able to learn about other cultures and societies in a way that complements their studies at Emory.
Handshake - Handshake is a platform available to most college students. It’s similar to LinkedIn, only it functions as a bridge between hiring managers and students at specific schools. Typically, students will need to register with Handshake through their school, then they can search the site for opportunities both paid and unpaid.
SIP: The Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research (SIP) is an opportunity for students to spend a summer working at the NIH alongside leading scientists in biomedical research.
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Part 4: Getting into medical school as an Emory premed
You may feel that none of what we’ve discussed so far would be worthwhile if it didn’t have the ideal end result most students reading this guide are interested in—acceptance into medical school. Whether you’re interested in attending Emory’s own School of Medicine or another school, it’s important that you feel confident and prepared, and you’ll get that as an Emory premed.
Emory premed acceptance rate and admissions statistics
In the past five years, the premed acceptance rate for Emory students has increased from 51.80% in 2018 to 54.13% in 2022, according to Pre-Health Advisor Kim Molee. This means that more than half of Emory’s premed students were accepted into medical school. Considering the national average for the same time period only moved from 42.84% to 43.41%, Emory’s preparing students for med school acceptance at an above-average rate.
Getting into Emory University School of Medicine as an Emory premed
Naturally, you may wonder if students who attend Emory University are at any sort of advantage when it comes to applying to Emory’s own medical school. While it’s safe to assume that Emory knows how to prepare its students for acceptance into its medical school, it’s also true that medical school acceptance is highly competitive. This means that where a student attends for undergrad in no way guarantees acceptance into medical school (except in cases where students are enrolled in specialized programs, such as BS/MD programs).
Emory states that they accept students from both state schools and private schools and that they don’t necessarily consider students from any school as being “more prepared” for med school than others. That said, they do realize that some schools are more rigorous than others. Ultimately, they are more concerned with how students spent their time during their undergraduate years
Final thoughts
Emory University will prepare premed students for medical school as well as for life as a physician. Sometimes, it’s not what students do that prepares them; rather, it's the foundation that’s laid that does the real prep work. At Emory, students will gain the knowledge they need to lay the groundwork for a life-changing career in medicine. Regardless of whether students pursue medical school at Emory or elsewhere, the footing will carry them throughout life.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.
