Majoring in pre-medicine does not guarantee admission to medical school. This program does, however, prepare you for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). It also provides a good background for graduate study in the natural sciences.

Medical school involves a lot of laboratory work, critical research skills, and patient care. You get a taste of this research know-how in your laboratory pre-medicine science courses. But you may also want to seek research assistant positions in laboratories during the summers of your undergraduate years. Or you might consider volunteering in a hospital or clinic.

A few schools offer programs where you can combine undergraduate pre-medicine studies with medical school. These programs fit into two categories. One is a "3+1" program, where you complete the pre-medicine curriculum during the first three years of college, and then start medical school in the fourth and last year. When you complete the first year of medical school, you also get a bachelor's degree in pre-medicine.

The second type is a combined pre-medicine and medical school program. When you apply and are accepted, you are accepted to both a college where you can earn a bachelor's degree in pre-medicine and a medical school where you can get a doctoral degree in medicine.

If you are considering medical school after you have already finished college and pursued another program of study, you have options. Many schools offer postbaccalaureate pre-medicine programs where you can complete the course work required to apply to medical school.