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April 20, 2020

50 Activities for Your Pre-med College Bucket List

50 Activities for Your Pre-med College Bucket List


Which activities and goals will you target as a pre-med in college?

Which activities and goals will you target as a pre-med in college?

By: Ryan Kelly

If you’re like me, you’ve been making a list of things to do once the COVID-19 quarantine is over--dining in at your favorite restaurant, attending belated birthday parties, traveling to see family across the country, etc.

Indeed, our coronavirus lockdown is an ideal time to formulate long-term plans. You’re definitely encouraged to find ways to get involved during the pandemic, but certain things just won’t be possible until stay-at-home measures are lifted.  

So, you have plenty of time to chart out your future plans, particularly when it comes to the remainder of your college career.

BUT WHAT ACTIVITIES SHOULD GO ON YOUR PRE-MED COLLEGE BUCKET LIST?

THE ACTIVITIES SHOULD SATISFY AT LEAST ONE OF THESE CRITERIA (BUT HOPEFULLY MORE):

  • Improve your med school application
  • Go outside your comfort zone
  • Make you a more interesting person
  • Immerse yourself in unfamiliar groups and settings
  • Have fun before med school consumes all your time/energy

50 Activities for Your Pre-med College Bucket List (in no particular order)

For the record, you don’t need to come up with 50!

Something like 10-15 would be enough.

DOWNLOAD OUR PRE-MED BUCKET LIST WORKSHEET

Our list is meant to serve as inspiring examples. Obviously, some of these will be more attractive or feasible depending on your personality, location, and goals. But feel free to steal any of them that you like.

1. Study abroad, even for a week

2. Learn a new language

3. Get published in the sciences or humanities, or both

4. Complete a minor in a non-medical subject you’re passionate about, like philosophy, ethics, religious studies, art, or music

5. Learn how to surf, ski, skateboard, ice skate, or rollerblade

6. Take a road trip to somewhere you’ve never been

7. Invite a professor to co-host an on-campus lecture with you

8. Shadow a Physician’s Assistant or Nurse Practitioner

9. Create a radio show or podcast

10. Run a marathon or Tough Mudder race

11. Do a work exchange in a foreign country

12. Start a blog about a topic you're passionate about and post once per month

13. Write a short story or collection of poems and publish it somewhere

14. Go to a farmer’s market and cook what you buy

15. Attend a political debate

16. Perform at an open mic

17. Start a business (for example, a tutoring business)

18. Become a wilderness survival coach or adventure tour guide

19. Treat a homeless person to lunch

20. Work on a farm for a day

21. Volunteer at an animal sanctuary

22. Become a pen-pal with a prisoner or shut-in

23. Coach a youth sports team

24. Become a resident assistant or crisis counselor

25. Give a conference presentation

26. Complete a comfort zone challenge

27. Perform as a DJ at campus events

28. Start a new club or organization on campus or in your community

29. Learn how to play a musical instrument

30. Become a TA for one of your favorite classes

31. Volunteer at the student wellness center

32. Create a Relay for Life team

33. Become a campus EMT

34. Learn how to perform magic tricks

35. Design and create a phone app

36. Take hip-hop dance classes

37. Canvass for a political campaign

38. Become a Big Brother / Big Sister

39. Backpack the Pacific Crest Trail or Appalachian Trail

40. Become a certified nutrition coach

41. Take a bike trip across multiple state lines

42. Paint a public mural on campus

43. Provide disaster relief for hurricanes, earthquakes, or wildfires

44. Create unique food recipes and share them online

45. Start your own YouTube channel

46. Run for a student government position on campus

47. Try a new sport like rowing, badminton, or powerlifting

48. Develop a habit or meditation, mindfulness, or yoga

49. Study different religions and attend services at churches, temples, mosques, etc.

50. Teach CPR classes to students and faculty

We hope that our examples help you construct a pre-med bucket list that you can be proud of.

Don’t forget to download the worksheet so that you can keep track of your list and check things off as you complete your goals.

If you think we left anything fun, interesting, or important off our list, let us know in the comments below!