As you select a college, remember that a good liberal arts education is a key ingredient to becoming a health care professional. You'll need a strong foundation in mathematics and the sciences that relate most to medicine: biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics.  It's important for your college experience to be broad.

Taking courses in the humanities or liberal arts will help you prepare for the "people" side of medicine. Bates College is a small, liberal arts institution that prepares students for careers in a variety of fields, including medicine and health sciences graduate school programs.

There are many factors affecting your choice of college. You may be looking at the quality of the institution, class size, location, extra-curricular activities, academic special programs, and financial aid. But truly the quality of your education depends on what you put into it.

Medical schools might look at where you completed your under-graduate studies, but they are more interested in factors such as your academic performance, the medically related experience you have acquired, letters of recommendation, research you've been involved with and/or the summer jobs and internships in which you have participated.

If you are considering Bates College for your education, please review the frequently asked questions about pre-medical preparation.