How To Succeed In The UCLA Premed Track

The UCLA Premed and Prehealth programs don’t lead to a specific degree, but they offer a flexible course path designed to meet the entrance requirements for graduate programs in medical and health fields. Although UCLA doesn’t offer a dedicated pre-med or pre-health major, it’s highly regarded for preparing students for a wide range of careers in medicine and healthcare.

This blog aims to provide an overview of what UCLA premed track looks and feels like. We provide the required UCLA premed courses before enrolling in medical school and some tips to help you navigate this challenging track.

• The Premed Track at UCLA
• UCLA Premed Requirements
• Is Joining a Cluster a Good Idea for a UCLA Premed Student?
• What is the Best Major for a UCLA Premed?
• Tips for Maintaining a High GPA
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Takeaways

The Premed Track at UCLA

Inside the UCLA campus, it can often feel like everyone around you is premed, and for good reason. The university consistently produces over 1,000 medical school applicants each year, more than any other school in the U.S.

There are plenty of reasons why so many students here are aiming for medical careers. UCLA offers outstanding academics, research opportunities, and hundreds of pre-med organizations and programs. Plus, with its hospital system ranked #1 in California and #3 in the nation, UCLA is one of the top premed schools in the state.

While having over 1,000 medical school applicants a year sounds like a lot, keep in mind these are mostly seniors or alumni. The number of premeds among incoming freshmen is even higher. This raises a couple of questions: why do so many start with this goal, and what happens over the next four years that narrows down the pool?

There are a few common reasons. With so many pre-meds on campus, the competition can feel intense, and large class sizes can make it easy to feel lost. The pressure to meet the UCLA premed requirements, choose the right major, join the right extracurriculars, and prepare for the MCAT can feel overwhelming.

On top of that, the science courses required for pre-med are notoriously challenging, and not everyone is able to earn the grades needed for a competitive medical school application. Unfortunately, many students face the tough reality that not all who start the pre-med journey will make it to the finish line.

UCLA Premed Requirements

What classes are required for UCLA premed students?

As mentioned, The UCLA Premed and Prehealth programs aren’t tied to a specific degree. The university, fortunately, provides a flexible course plan that helps you meet the entrance requirements for medical and health-related graduate programs. While there isn’t a designated pre-med or pre-health major, UCLA is well-known for preparing students for diverse careers in medicine and healthcare.

UCLA offers a suggested course plan for premed students, outlining specific classes that meet each category and cover the necessary prerequisites. Although exact academic requirements can vary from one medical school to another, the recommended courses should generally meet the criteria for most programs.

Take a look at the detailed list of UCLA premed requirements as prescribed by the university itself.

There are several ways you can approach your UCLA premed requirements. You’ll notice that some of the core requirements, like biology and biochemistry, are covered by a standard set of courses all pre-meds take. However, when it comes to math, chemistry, and physics, you’ll have a few different course sequences to choose from. While all options are acceptable for medical school applications, the best fit for you may depend on your major.

For instance, if you’re a chemistry major, you’d be required to take the Math 31 series, along with the Chemistry 20 and 30 series, and the Physics 1 series. On the other hand, if you major in biology, you could stick with those same courses or opt for alternatives designed for life sciences majors, such as the Life Sciences 30 series for math, along with the Chemistry 14 and Physics 5 series.

As you plan your course schedule, keep these factors in mind:

• Major requirements. Some may overlap with pre-med courses, but not all.
• General Education requirements. These are university-wide and should be factored into your planning.
• Cluster courses. If you choose to enroll in a cluster, these courses will need to fit into your schedule (more on clusters later).
• Prerequisites for pre-med courses. Refer to the pre-health recommendations and course descriptions to make sure you’re meeting them.
• MCAT timing. If you’re not planning a gap year, you’ll likely aim to take the MCAT by the fall of your junior year, which impacts how soon you’ll need to complete certain courses.
• Course difficulty. Some classes are known to be more challenging than others, so balancing them in your schedule is key (we’ll cover this in more detail later).

Is Joining a Cluster a Good Idea for A UCLA Premed Student?

UCLA’s Cluster Program offers freshmen the opportunity to join a group of about 200 students who take year-long classes centered around a specific theme (like “America in the 60s” or “Frontiers in Human Aging”). Clusters are a great way to build a close-knit community and fulfill several General Education (GE) requirements, which can give you more flexibility in your course selection later on.

However, clusters do have potential downsides if not chosen carefully. Since you’ll be focusing on one subject for an entire year, it’s important to pick a topic that genuinely interests you. Being part of a cluster also limits your ability to pick and choose individual classes. 

While you can drop out of a cluster after the first or second quarter and still receive GE credits for the classes you completed, staying for the entire year also fulfills your Writing II requirement and earns you an additional GE credit—so it’s usually worth sticking with it.

It’s also important to ensure that the GEs you complete through the cluster don’t overlap with the ones you’ll need for your major, or you may end up taking extra courses to meet all your requirements. For example, if you’re a science major, a cluster focused on the humanities might be a better fit.

As a UCLA premed student, you’ll need to consider whether a cluster will impact your ability to maintain a strong GPA and excel in your pre-med courses. Some clusters are known to be more demanding than others, so it’s a good idea to research beforehand. Participating in a cluster isn’t a requirement, and many premeds successfully follow either path.

What is the Best Major for a UCLA Premed?

There’s no single “best” major for pre-meds. Despite what you might think, choosing biochemistry over something like art history doesn’t give you a significant statistical advantage when applying to medical school.

That being said, certain majors are more popular among premeds than others. Unsurprisingly, biological sciences lead the pack nationally in terms of the number of medical school applicants and students who get accepted.

At UCLA premed, psychobiology is the most common major for premeds. This is mainly because its required courses overlap with the pre-med classes you need to take anyway, and many students believe it’s one of the easier science majors for maintaining a strong GPA.

Other popular majors for UCLA pre-meds include:

• Biochemistry
• Biology
• Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution
• Human Biology and Society
• Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics
• Neuroscience
• Physiological Science

You’ll also find UCLA premed student who major in fields like anthropology, sociology, English, history, and other non-science disciplines.

When deciding on a premed major, it really comes down to two important questions:

• Are you genuinely interested in the subject?
• Will you be able to keep a high GPA in that major?

Tips for Maintaining a High GPA

It’s no secret that UCLA is known for its challenging academics, which can make keeping a high GPA difficult, especially in the sciences. Many STEM courses are graded on a curve, making it harder to earn top marks, while classes in other subjects often use a straight grading scale. These tough science courses are often called “weeders” because students who struggle in them tend to fall off the pre-med track.

To make things harder, many students get lower grades during their freshman year as they adjust to college life and attempt to develop better study habits.

Considering how crucial your GPA is when applying to medical school, it’s understandable why a low GPA (typically under 3.5) causes many UCLA premed hopefuls to give up on their dream of becoming a doctor.

To help you avoid that outcome, here are some tips to maintain a strong GPA:

• Prepare to work hard. Even if high school didn’t require much effort, UCLA will. Be ready to step up your game as a premed.
• Utilize office hours and TA (teaching assistants) sessions. Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you’re struggling with the material. Waiting too long can cause you to fall behind.
• Join or create a study group. Working with other pre-meds can help reinforce your understanding of difficult topics.
• Plan your course load carefully. Spread out your most challenging courses over different semesters. Use resources like UCLA’s Reddit community and Bruinwalk (similar to Rate My Professor) to research professors and specific courses. Talking to older UCLA premed students can also give you feedback into what to expect.
• Consider summer classes. Taking courses over the summer can help lighten your regular semester workload.
• Don’t overload yourself unnecessarily. Being a premed is tough enough without adding extra difficulty. While it’s good to push yourself academically, medical school admissions committees care more about your GPA and whether you’ve met their prerequisites than how challenging your course load was.
• Choose clusters wisely. Be mindful when selecting cluster courses. Research about them and ask around.
• Use test banks. UCLA’s Student Activities Center provides access to past midterms and finals for certain courses, which can be incredibly useful study tools.

Keep these strategies in mind to have a better shot at maintaining a high GPA as you navigate the UCLA premed path.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is UCLA a good medical school?

Yes, UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine is highly regarded as one of the top medical schools in the U.S. It is ranked #11 for research and #10 for primary care by U.S. News & World Report for 2024. UCLA’s medical school stands out for its excellence in specialties like internal medicine, pediatrics, and psychiatry, and it’s consistently ranked as one of the top schools for diversity.

On top of that, it benefits from strong research funding and great clinical opportunities at UCLA Health. With connections to top hospitals like Ronald Reagan, it’s a great place for students looking to gain experience in a variety of medical fields.

2. What is UCLA’s premed acceptance rate?

The UCLA pre med acceptance rate to medical schools is quite strong. In 2020, 53% of UCLA premed students who applied to medical schools were accepted, which is about 10% higher than the national average. This high acceptance rate reflects the robust preparation and resources available to pre-med students at UCLA, assisting them to achieve an average MCAT score of 513.6 and an average GPA of 3.7.

3. What is the easiest premed major?

At UCLA, psychobiology is often considered the easiest pre med major by many students. This is because its course requirements align closely with premed prerequisites, and it is perceived as more manageable compared to other science majors like biochemistry or neuroscience​.

4. What can you do with a premed degree?

A premed degree doesn’t lead directly to a career, but it is a strong foundation for medical school and various health-related fields. With a pre-med degree, you can pursue:

• Medical Doctor (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO).
• Dentistry or Pharmacy (if you apply to dental or pharmacy school).
• Physician Assistant (PA), Nurse Practitioner (NP), or Nursing.
• Medical Research or Public Health roles.
• Healthcare Administration or Medical Writing.

In short, a pre-med background prepares you for a variety of healthcare and science-related careers.

Takeaways

UCLA offers top-notch academics, tons of research opportunities, and hundreds of pre-med organizations and programs to get involved in. Plus, with its hospital system ranked #1 in California and #3 in the nation, UCLA is easily one of the best pre-med schools in the state.

• UCLA’s Premed and Prehealth programs don’t give you a specific degree, but they offer a flexible course path to help you meet the entrance requirements for medical and health grad programs.
• UCLA offers a suggested course plan for premed students, outlining specific classes that meet each category and cover the necessary prerequisites.
• A high GPA is needed to qualify for medical school. While doing UCLA premed, this should be your priority.
• To ensure a higher chance of getting accepted to UCLA and ultimately to a medical school of your dreams, consult a college admissions expert.