Most premedical students major in one of the sciences, although this is not mandatory. A student who loves composing, for instance, may choose to major in music while also taking science courses. It should be noted that Yale students majoring in one of the humanities or social sciences have enjoyed the same rate of acceptance to medical schools as science majors. The philosophies of education, specific premedical course requirements, and other qualifications for enrollment vary among the nation's medical schools. Most medical schools require one year each of biology, physics, chemistry, and organic chemistry with laboratories.
Most schools further require a year of college level mathematics and English.
An Advanced Placement course from high school is not a substitute for any of these, but may be used to qualify for a higher level course in a particular department. Although not required by most medical schools, advanced biology courses with particular relevance to medicine such as biochemistry, cell biology and genetics may be helpful. Experience with computer science, statistics and psychology is becoming increasingly important to those who wish to engage in virtually any health career. The basic requirements for admission to medical school in the United States are listed below. Some require additional coursework.