Attend the TRANSFER TRANSITION SEMINAR - offered during week 1 of Fall quarter. Check our FB Events page for more details closer to the beginning of the year.
Meet with a Health Beat advisor - visit our drop-in hours or schedule an appointment with an advisor. An advisor can help plan out your timeline and develop a strategic plan to becoming a competitive applicant.
Join the Transfer and Non-Traditional Students for Health - learn from your peers who are going through the same experience as you! This will offer a community of support as well as insight on how to best navigate your pre-health journey at UC San Diego.
Develop a timeline - this is essential. When you want to start your health professional school determines when you should apply. *If you are a non-bio transfer or have not taken o-chem, please see a Health Beat advisor ASAP to help develop your timeline.
Complete the pre-requisites - finish the pre-reqs for your health professional school of choice. This will prepare you for you standardized test requirement.
Prepare, study, and take the required standardized test - select a date to take this test (after you've taken the pre-reqs). Make sure to register early! Decide how you want to study (i.e. self-study, Kaplan/Princeton Review prep, etc.)
Take FMPH 95: Medical School Prep 101 during Winter quarter. This course is designed for students who are interested in pursuing medicine and becoming physicians. Learn what it takes to prepare for medical school as well as what it takes to be a competitive applicant. We’ll cover everything from academic requirements, timeline and MCAT to obtaining relevant experiences (i.e. healthcare, service, leadership, and research), letters of evaluation, the 15 core competencies and more! Follow our Health Beat Facebook page to learn of opportunities, events, and resources.
Get to know your professors! - you have two years to develop meaningful relationships with your professor. Start early! Check out our suggestions.
Get involved and do something! Healthcare, service, leadership, research, student orgs - take advantage of your summers to accrue hours.

There is a lot to do once you arrive! The above should help get you started. Make sure to see an advisor during your first quarter. This will be critical to developing a successful timeline.

Check out our Health Beat Events Calendar for all pre-health related events and programming happening around campus.

It takes years to prepare for any health professional school. See the steps below to start preparing for your health professional school journey.

For a comprehensive guide on healthcare, service, leadership, research, and other experiential learning opportunities, please see our PRE-MED/PRE-HEALTH EXPERIENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES GUIDEBOOK

For next steps with more detailed information, visit the PREPARE page or go to the specific health professions page you are interested in.

Prospective Transfers

If you are considering transferring to UC San Diego, we recommend the following course sequence to maximize your two years (6 quarter) here.

Suggested Pre-Requisite Course Sequence prior to transferring:

Year 1: General Chemistry+lab, Biology+lab, Math (calculus + statistics)
Year 2: Organic chemistry+ lab, Physics+lab
Also recommended: Sociology and Psychology

*Pre-requisites: If you do not take organic chemistry prior to starting at UC San Diego, expect to take two gap years after graduation. This will allow you to enroll in biochemistry your first quarter during your junior year (Year 3) at UC San Diego.

Experiential Opportunities: Prior to attending UC San Diego, volunteer at a hospital or with underserved or disadvantaged communities. Consider any leadership opportunities with student clubs/organizations or with faculty.

Once at UC San Diego:

Year 3: Biochemistry, Genetics, Physiology, Cell Biology
Year 4: GE's, major classes; Graduate; apply to medical school or other health professional school (1 gap year)