January 26, 2026
Written By
Michael Minh Le
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If you're a UCLA premed, you've probably already realized how easy it is to get overwhelmed. There are hundreds of classes to choose from, dozens of clubs claiming to boost your application, and no clear roadmap to make sure you're on track. You want to stand out, but it’s hard to know what actually matters to medical schools.
In this article, we’ll cover exactly what you need to know to succeed as a UCLA premed: the academic requirements, most common premed majors, MCAT prep timelines, extracurriculars that actually matter, and what to do if you’re considering a gap year. You’ll also learn how to avoid the “GPA cliff” that catches too many UCLA students off guard.
If you want a clear structure to follow from day one, download our 4 Year Plan Template. It’s completely free and designed to help you organize your coursework, clinical work, research, and leadership year by year. Use it to build a competitive med school application without second-guessing your every move.
Get your free resource here.
Welcome to the jungle.
Every fall, well over a thousand UCLA students enter with the intention of pursuing medical school and completing premed requirements. Thousands more flirt with the idea, then ghost the thought somewhere between Chem 14A and their first midterm panic attack.
By senior year? Only a few hundred actually apply to medical school. Even fewer get in.
UCLA churns out more med school applicants than almost any other university in the country. Why? Because it attracts the best: valedictorians, AP-slaying high school legends, community service warriors.
But here’s the twist: you walk onto campus thinking you’re a standout. Then you sit in a lecture hall with 300 other "standouts."
But the real difficulty isn’t just competition with your peers. It’s the system. The curves that punish instead of reward. The research labs that won’t email you back. The shadowing gigs that go to someone else. The counseling office that means well, but isn’t really helping you.
So, how do you thrive as a UCLA premed and become competitive for med school?
Let’s get into it.
At UCLA, there’s no official “premed major,” but there is a very real premed checklist, and it’s not for the faint of heart.
To apply to most U.S. med schools, you’ll need to check off these course requirements:
Your chem and physics series choices matter. A lot. They set the tone for your GPA, your study habits, and how med schools perceive your academic rigor.
For physics:
Why choosing the right courses matters in the long run:
Year 1:
Year 2:
Expectations from Insiders:
Because “premed” is not a major, you’re free to major in anything, from Biology to Philosophy, as long as you complete the required courses for medical school. But what you choose to major in can either make your premed life go smoother or make it way harder than it needs to be.
Most UCLA premeds default to majors, like:
These majors overlap heavily with med school prerequisites, which means fewer extra classes to take outside your major. Sounds efficient, right? It is.
But there’s a catch: everyone is doing it. These departments are packed, the classes are curved, and the competition is fierce. So while it’s efficient, it’s also high-pressure and often GPA-hostile.
To avoid some of that competition and rigor, you can pursue different majors like:
Why? These majors:
Med schools love applicants who bring diverse experiences and intellectual curiosity. A philosophy major who aces Biochem and crushes the MCAT? That’s memorable.
Another option: pair a STEM-heavy major with a lighter minor (or vice versa). For example:
This lets you keep your academic profile well-rounded without overloading yourself with redundant science classes.
Your major dictates your upper-division course load. If you choose something like Neuroscience, expect courses like neuroanatomy, upper-div chem, or lab-intensive electives.
If you go with a humanities major, your upper-divs will be reading- and writing-heavy, but not lab-based. That means more schedule flexibility for clinical experience, research, or MCAT prep.
Let’s be real: a GPA under 3.5 at UCLA isn’t just a bad number. It’s a flashing red warning sign on your med school application. Nationwide, the average GPA for accepted med students is around 3.7. So if you're hovering below that, especially in your science courses, you’ll need to get it up if you want to stand out to med schools.
UCLA’s science classes are the definition of academic warfare:
And when you're competing with valedictorians for every A, there's no room to wing it.
Don’t study blind. UCLA student orgs like AMSA, PAD, and premed frats often maintain test banks. These are collections of past exams that show you exactly how professors test. Use them. Master the pattern, not just the content.
Before you lock in a schedule, talk to someone who’s survived it. Upperclassmen know which professors are fair, which combos are GPA suicide, and which GE classes are easy wins. A 10-minute convo can save your GPA from a 10-week nightmare.
Summer classes = smaller class sizes, more direct access to profs, and fewer distractions. Also, consider spreading your hard science classes out. Don’t stack Chem, LS, and Physics in the same quarter unless you’re trying to speedrun burnout.
Before you enroll, check Bruinwalk. Look for profs with good reviews and grade distributions that don’t make you want to cry. One professor's Chem 14B might have a 20% A rate, while another’s sits at 35%. That difference matters, especially when you’re on the GPA edge.
Office hours aren’t optional. Go early. Go often. Even if you’re not confused, build a face-to-name connection. This pays off when you're asking for a regrade, a letter of rec, or just trying to understand how to survive the next midterm.
Cramming doesn’t cut it. Learn how to study for retention, not just exams.
Your classes might get you to the GPA threshold, but your extracurriculars tell med schools who you are. At UCLA, you’re in one of the most resource-rich campuses in the country. That means access to world-class hospitals, high-impact community orgs, and cutting-edge research labs.
UCLA has some well-known clinical orgs that sound great on a med school app:
Everyone applies to these. What sets you apart isn’t just getting in. It’s how early and how consistently you show up. If you start as a freshman or early sophomore, you get leadership roles. And leadership, not participation, is what med schools notice.
Med schools don’t just want future doctors. They want future leaders, listeners, and advocates. UCLA has deep roots in community service, and the non-clinical orgs are where you can prove you’re more than just your resume.
Think:
This is where you show maturity and empathy, two things you can’t fake in interviews. It’s also where fewer premeds go, so standing out becomes a lot easier.
You don’t need a publication to get into med school, but you do need to show intellectual curiosity. Research at UCLA is abundant, but access isn’t.
Start with:
Expect to be ghosted. It’s part of the process. Follow up politely after a week. Ask upperclassmen where they found labs that actually mentor undergrads. And once you’re in? Be reliable. Professors write rec letters for students who take initiative, not those who wait to be told what to do.
Here’s the hardest truth: UCLA doesn’t make shadowing easy. No centralized program. No built-in hospital pass. And HIPAA laws make cold-calling clinics almost useless.
So here’s how you hack it:
And remember: med schools don’t need you to shadow 20 specialties. Even 20 hours of intentional, well-reflected shadowing can show insight and commitment. It’s not the quantity; it’s what you learned and how it motivated you to pursue real experiences.
The MCAT is more than just another test. It’s the gatekeeper. Score well, and doors open. Miss the mark, and you're looking at gap years or reapplications. At UCLA, timing your MCAT and prepping for it alongside a brutal academic schedule is a strategy game. And there’s no single right answer.
Ideally, you should take the MCAT the summer before your junior year, so you can apply the following summer. But that only works if:
Some students take it after junior year, or even during a gap year and still get into top schools. The real rule? Shoot to take it once, so take it when you're prepared to crush it.
Before touching the MCAT, you should have completed:
If you're missing any of these, you'll be playing catch-up while studying, which adds unnecessary stress.
Most Bruins use a mix of:
You don’t need to study 10 hours a day for 6 months. That’s how you get burnout, not brilliance. Instead, think in phases:
If you’re studying during a quarter, aim for 10–15 hours/week max. If you’re prepping over the summer, you can push 30–40 hours/week, but only if you’re not taking classes.
With 30,000+ undergrads, UCLA can feel like a factory. But buried under the crowd and chaos is a system of support if you know where to look. These resources won't chase you down, but if you show up, ask smart questions, and follow through, they can completely change your premed experience.
UCLA technically doesn’t have “premed advisors,” but here’s what you do have and how to use each:
At UCLA, taking a gap year isn’t a backup plan; it’s often the smartest move you can make. With the quarter system’s breakneck pace and a brutal GPA curve, many students leave undergrad needing more time to strengthen their applications.
That’s not failure. That’s strategy.
If you can relate to any of these, you’d likely benefit from a gap year:
A gap year gives you space to breathe, build, and refocus. Med schools want applicants who are ready, not rushed.
The key is not just staying busy. It’s staying relevant. Here are common gap year roles that can keep you moving toward med school:
The best gap years are the ones that add depth to your story, not just hours to your resume.
Own your timeline. Med schools don’t care that you took a year; they care why and what you did with it.
Bad: “I didn’t get in, so I took a year off.”
Better: “I chose to take a gap year to deepen my clinical experience and strengthen my application, which included working as an EMT while continuing my community service work in health equity.”
AdComs don’t care if there was a delay as long as there was development.
Not everyone walks out of UCLA with a med school–ready GPA. That doesn’t mean you’re out of the game. It just means you have options.
You can do postbacc or SMP (Special Master’s Programs) if you want to keep going:
And if you decide to choose an alternative route, you have plenty of options there too:
These aren’t “less than” careers; they’re just different. They still let you help people, work in healthcare, and make an impact. And in some cases, they’re a better fit.
Being a UCLA premed means you're surrounded by opportunity, but also drowning in options. Classes, clubs, research, volunteering, and MCAT prep all add up fast. And without a clear plan, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, fall behind, or burn out trying to do everything at once.
That’s why structure matters.
At Premed Catalyst, we created the UCLA Premed 4-Year Plan Template to give you exactly that. It breaks down what to do each year, like what classes to prioritize, when to start your clinical and research experiences, how to time your MCAT, and how to position yourself for leadership.
Whether you're a first-year trying to get your bearings or a junior thinking about gap years, this template helps you stay focused on what actually matters to med schools.
Get your free resource here.
