Path to Medical, Law, or Grad School

Medical School

Tips for choosing your path

  1. Choose courses that interest you (you’ll tend to do better!)
  2. Keep your marks as high as you can but realize you can improve them in other years.
  3. Research the schools and their admission requirements/histories - each school has different requirements

FAQs about your path to med school

  1. Do I need to take certain majors (such as life sciences) if I want to study medicine later? The quick answer is NO. The majority of medical schools accept ANY arts or science major as an excellent base for further studies in medicine. Furthermore, students do best when they choose the major that interests them the most.
  2. Really - any Arts or Science degree prepares you for a medical career? Yes. As long as you choose your courses wisely, any of our programs can thoroughly prepare you for applying to medical school — and for any other academic opportunities you decide later on. Any undergraduate art or science degree in any discipline can serve as a stepping stone to a medical career.
  3. What are medical schools looking for? Med schools are interested in diverse applicants with diverse backgrounds.

See full tips on preparing for med school from career services.

Law School

Some law schools require only two years of university study while others prefer an undergraduate degree. Generally, you should select courses or a degree in which you have a strong interest and include courses that will enhance and develop your skills in critical analysis, logical reasoning, written and oral communication.

FAQs about your path to law school

  1. What undergraduate program should I study to prepare for law school? There are no prescribed "pre-law programs" or program pre-requisites. Students at law school have completed undergraduate degrees in a wide range of disciplines including political science, sciences, philosophy, language studies and literature, economics, biology, sociology, music, fine art and international relations to name just a few.
  2. Where can I find a list of specific courses required to apply to Law School? Admission requirements to Law programs vary from university to university. It is your responsibility to ensure courses or degrees taken will be accepted at the university you want to attend. You can view lists for Canadian or American Law Schools.

Grad School

There are numerous routes to grad school depending on what you study in your undergrad and what you would like to study afterwards. Graduate school is an excellent opportunity for you to either continue down the area of study you choose in undergrad, or to find a stream that branches off in a different direction.

See a list of Arts and Science graduate programs here. You can find requirements for each of these programs, as well as all other graduate programs at Queen's, by exploring the grad program pages on the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs website. If you are interested in graduate programs at other schools, you should research their specific program requirements and prerequisites.

Visit this page of the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs website for helpful information about preparing to apply to grad school.