How to Succeed as a Princeton Premed
/Everything you need to know on your journey through Princeton premed, including Princeton premed requirements and extracurriculars, the best premed major, and the Princeton premed acceptance rate
Learn how to get into medical school as a princeton premed
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Part 1: Introduction
Hearing the name Princeton conjures images of world-renowned research facilities, gorgeous historical buildings dotting a sprawling 600-acre campus, and a prestigious club of luminaries calling it their alma mater. Having educated 2 US presidents, 11 supreme court justices, physicists and business leaders such as Richard Feynman and Jeff Bezos, it’s no wonder the institution is synonymous with success and academic excellence.
Princeton’s reputation also means it’s highly selective, admitting just 4% of applicants in 2021. According the US News and World Report, it’s currently ranked #1 in the National Universities category with a full suite of undergraduate and graduate courses as well as a commitment to cutting-edge innovation.
Students interested in pursuing a career in medicine would do well to choose Princeton for undergrad. The student-to-faculty ratio of just 5:1 means you’ll get lots of individualized attention and guidance in your studies.
However, as the only Ivy League university without an associated medical school, you may be wondering if it’s possible to truly succeed as a premed at Princeton. As with any top-tier academic institution, your courses will be intense, meaning focus and determination will be necessary to keep your GPA up while studying for the MCAT and engaging in extracurriculars.
In this guide, we’ll cover exactly what it takes to be successful as a Princeton premed, from the requirements to gain entry into medical school to extracurriculars and shadowing, as well as tips to keep your GPA up while still getting the most out of your time as a Princeton Tiger.
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Part 2: Princeton premed requirements
At such a storied institution, your options for intellectual inquiry and study are practically limitless. Delve into neuroscience through the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, or choose majors such as ecology and evolutionary biology, chemical and biological engineering, or even comparative literature.
Since there is no “premed major” you’ll be able to study what interests you. Keep in mind that depending on your choice, you may need to take classes outside of your major in order to satisfy premed requirements. The classes for your degree may overlap with these requirements, but not always.
That said, the most popular majors for premeds from 2018-2022 for Princeton undergraduates that were accepted into medical school tend to be science-based with molecular biology, ecology and evolutionary biology, and chemistry in the top three.
Choosing what you will spend the next 4 years studying can be a daunting task and even more so as a premed, since you’ll be creating a course plan that will take you beyond undergrad and into medical school. The exact courses you’ll need to take vary by school. Furthermore, careful consideration should be given to when you should take these courses so that you are best prepared for the MCAT and graduate on time. If you’re currently a Princeton student, four-year planning guides are available to assist you in mapping out your path.
The table below lists the Princeton courses that satisfy most medical schools’ premed requirements.
| General Chemistry: One year with lab | CHM 201 CHM 202 |
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| Biology: One year with lab | MOL 214/215 EEB 211 |
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| Organic Chemistry One year with lab | CHM 301 CHM 302/304 |
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| Biochemistry: One semester | MOL 345 | |||||
| Physics: One year with lab | PHY 101 + PHY 102 OR PHY 103 + PHY 104 |
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| Math: One year | One semester to one year (calculus and/or statistics)
MAT103 Calculus I Princeton recommends any of the following statistics courses: ECO 202 ORF 245 POL 345 PSY 251 SML 201 SOC 301 SPI 200 |
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| English/writing: One year | Writing Seminar will fulfill one semester of this requirement.
Suggested: ENGLISH 9CI or ENGLISH 16Q |
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Sample Princeton premed plan
When considering how to traverse your premed path at Princeton, it’s necessary to create a course of action. Princeton suggests the sequence in the table below for premeds. However, this sequence assumes that you will not take a gap year, will apply to medical school during the summer after your junior year, and wish to take the MCAT during the spring semester of your junior year. Keep in mind that you’ll also need to take the classes for your major in addition to the classes listed below.
| Freshman Fall | CHEM 201 Writing credit such as ENGLISH 9CI or ENGLISH 16Q Math credit such as MAT103 Calculus I |
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| Freshman Spring | Chem 202 MOL 214 or PSY/SOC |
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| Sophomore Fall | CHM 301 Physics OR EEB 211 |
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| Sophomore Spring | CHM 302/304 Physics OR MOL 214 Statistics |
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| Junior Fall | Physics OR EEB 211
MOL 345 |
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| Junior Spring | Physics OR PSY/SOC MCAT Prepare your application |
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| Senior Fall | English/Literature
Interviews |
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| Senior Spring | Interviews
Graduate |
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How to maintain a high GPA as a Princeton premed
When you’re part of a cohort at an elite institution such as Princeton, the pressure you feel to perform academically at the highest level can be intense. Add to that the weight your GPA puts on the decisions of med school adcoms, and it’s enough to make you visibly more stressed than your non-premed classmates.
Your courses at Princeton will engage your intellect in ways you haven’t experienced before and require you to stretch your brain to make new connections. As you develop new skills, you’ll need to ensure the information you absorb sticks if you want a chance of being accepted into medical school.
The following tips can help you do just that.
Make the most of the resources available to you. Princeton is awash in helpful guidance for students trying to keep their GPAs up. The McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning offers individual tutoring support as well as workshops on academic strategies, and even consultations on learning strategies covering premed issues, time management, and work-life balance. If you’re just looking for help with a writing assignment, you can sign up for 50-minute appointments at the Writing Center. These appointments can cover anything from an essay for class to a job application.
Set aside dedicated time to study. With all of the adjustments that come with college life, you will be tempted to skip study time in favor of social activities. While you don’t need to be a hermit, make sure you schedule dedicated study time free of distractions and stick to it. Your GPA will thank you.
Plan Plan Plan. As a Princeton premed, you’ll need to balance the requirements of your major with the requirements for medical school. It’s important not to overload yourself and consider spreading out your work so that heavy science courses coincide with easier electives. This will allow you space to focus and make retaining vital information easier.
What is the best Princeton premed major?
Premed students are often looking for anything that will grant them an advantage on their medical school applications. One of the first things they consider is whether their major is likely to be favored by adcoms.
However, looking at AAMC’s MCAT and GPA data for applicants and matriculants by undergraduate major, we can see that there’s no statistical difference among matriculants as it pertains to choice of major. While more matriculants majored in the biological sciences than the humanities, the average GPA and MCAT scores for each are quite similar.
While you may think that you should major in the sciences as a Princeton premed, the truth is that humanities majors do just as well. The best advice is to major in something that interests you and enhances your critical thinking skills. This way, you’ll more easily keep your GPA up and gain valuable skills applicable to medicine.
To help you in your decision, the Princeton Health Professions Advising office has created a slideshow allowing you to see how the requirements of various majors and premed classes line up. Depending on whether you choose a science or humanities major, some of your classes will overlap with premed requirements.
For a little extra help in choosing a major, the Princeton Center for Career Development offers assessments aimed at narrowing down your interests and discovering your talents with their CareerExplorer. After receiving your results, you can book an appointment with an advisor to further discuss your options.
When should you take the MCAT?
One of the most consequential decisions you will make as a premed is when to take the MCAT. You’ll want to maximize your chances of achieving your highest score while leaving plenty of time to complete other coursework.
For students who intend on continuing straight to med school after graduation, the typical schedule is to take the MCAT during junior year. We usually suggest that students take it during the fall semester, just in case they wish to retake the test before sending off their applications. This may mean trying to fit premed courses in during the summer to adhere to this schedule.
However, it’s becoming increasingly common for students to take a gap year before applying to medical school. This allows extra prep time before taking the MCAT, not to mention an opportunity to enhance your extracurricular profile and gain more clinical or research experience.
Whether you choose to take a gap year will likely affect when you take the MCAT, but regardless, you should ensure that you’ve been exposed to certain information beforehand, either by taking courses or through self-study MCAT prep. We generally recommend that you’ve taken the following courses at Princeton before sitting the MCAT to be fully prepared.
General Chemistry: CHM 201 + CHM 202
General Biology: MOL 214/215 + EEB 211
General Physics: PHY 101 + PHY 102 or PHY 103 + PHY 104
Organic Chemistry: CHM 301 + CHM 302/304
Biochemistry: MOL 345
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Part 3: Princeton premed extracurriculars
At Princeton, the opportunities you have to engage in extracurriculars are practically limitless. Options for volunteering, research, student organizations, and clinical engagement with the community are plentiful.
Princeton has over 500 student groups on campus covering interests as varied as juggling, a model congress, neuroscience, and quantum computing. Involvement in student groups is a fantastic way to signal to adcoms your well-roundedness while honing your collaborative working skills.
Furthermore, if you have a particular interest without a group, it’s possible to start your own by applying to the Student Group Recognition Committee. Your leadership ability and ambition will be on full display to adcoms with this approach.
It’s important to remember that belonging to more groups is not necessarily better. Adcoms want to see dedication in how you use your free time, therefore it’s usually better to commit to one or two groups so that you can speak to your passion for the subject. It’s also a good idea to tie your interests together with other extracurricular activities. For example, if music is a passion of yours, you could try to shadow an audiologist or work on a hearing-related research project.
Princeton premed volunteering
While some student groups offer the potential for volunteering opportunities, going off-campus and seeking out ways to help in the community can enhance your application. When seeking out volunteer opportunities, be sure to sign up for the Princeton Health Professions Advising (HPA) Vitals newsletter, which routinely lists new clinical opportunities.
The Student Volunteers Council at Princeton is another great place to look. It connects students to an array of possibilities from assisting with hospice care, helping the elderly or those with disabilities, or tutoring younger students in preparation for college.
Other possibilities for volunteering around Princeton include the Penn Med Princeton Medical Center, which requires volunteers at Penn Med Hospice, and Penn Med Princeton Medical Center hospital volunteering, which can vary based on current needs. To get a sense of the current conversation in healthcare, Princeton premeds can also attend Grand Rounds, a weekly Zoom session where physicians discuss various topics in medicine.
Furthermore, the New Jersey Medical Reserve Corps is always seeking volunteers to help with public health issues, the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad is in need of assistance, and the St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Center has positions assisting with providing rehabilitative services.
Additionally, we’ve listed some other organizations that could use your talents below.
Princeton premed shadowing
All premeds will need to obtain significant shadowing experience to have a shot at being accepted into medical school and at Princeton, this is no different. We strongly recommend getting at least 150-200 hours of shadowing time to be a competitive candidate.
However, finding a physician to shadow can be a daunting task. Is there a right way to approach them? How do you ask to shadow a doctor?
As a Princeton premed, there are a number of options for gaining shadowing experience that make these issues a bit easier. These include clinical opportunities during the summer, such as the Overlook Summer Internship Program (OSIP), a shadowing program with rotations in different departments and the Summer Clinical Internship Program at Rutgers University (placed on hold in 2022, but may reopen in 2023).
Furthermore, there are many hospitals in the northeast near Princeton where you can look for shadowing opportunities. From Boston and New York to Philadelphia, the hospitals listed here should be on your contact list.
If you’re still having trouble finding a shadowing role, don’t rule out smaller practices in the area that may not be associated with a university. These can still offer you experiences in a clinical setting and tick off those all-important shadowing hours for your application.
(Suggested reading: How to Ask to Shadow a Doctor)
Princeton premed research
As an undergraduate at an elite ivy league institution, the resources available to you for engaging in research are plentiful. For research during the summer months, the Princeton HPA office provides a convenient list of research opportunities. These range from jobs and internships to AAMC, the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP), and National Science Foundation opportunities.
Additionally, there is a searchable database maintained by the Princeton Office of Undergraduate Research for summer research programs.
Other research programs in and around Princeton include the Princeton Bioengineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program, the Summer Exploration in Epigenetics and Data Science (SEEDS) at UPenn, and the Pediatric Clinical Summer Research Internship Programs at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New York.
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Part 4: Getting into medical school from Princeton
When it comes time to put together your application to medical school, you’ll work with HPA through a preapplication process that includes an applicant information session, a self-assessment, a meeting with an HPA advisor, and participating in a preapplication interview.
This process helps your advisor to craft a solid committee letter explaining your suitability for med school and also gives adcoms a fuller picture of you as an applicant. The committee letter is like a unique evaluation that is submitted alongside your letters of recommendation from professors. Not all schools offer a committee letter for their students but, at Princeton, this is a required process.
Working with HPA is incredibly beneficial as they will assist you in collecting your application materials, advise you when to apply, and how to ask for letters of recommendation. Additionally, they keep your letters of recommendation on file for 6 years after you graduate, should you decide that attending medical school immediately following graduation is not for you. In fact, over 75% of med school applicants from Princeton take a gap year.
Princeton premed acceptance rate and admissions statistics
Princeton’s access to research opportunities, its incredibly thorough Health Professions Advising office, and its ivy league pedigree all combine to make it a top school for premeds. Graduating as a Princeton premed will have given you access to a world-class education and guidance second to none.
It’s no wonder then that from 2018-2022 83 percent of applicants from Princeton were accepted to a US or Canadian medical school. That’s substantially higher than the roughly 36 percent national average. Among those accepted, the average cumulative GPA was 3.64 and the average MCAT was 517.
Princeton premeds have successfully gained entry and flourished at some of the best medical schools in the country with Icahn, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins all in the top 10 destinations for graduates.
Final thoughts
Hard work and maintaining phenomenal grades should be your core focus while completing your undergrad at Princeton. You will need to rise above your non-premed classmates to ensure you keep your GPA up, ace the MCAT, and get enough volunteer experience to demonstrate your passion for medicine to adcoms.
However, with proper planning and taking advantage of the resources available to you, donning your white coat is only a matter of time.
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.
