Sophomore year is when you shift from exploring to building. You know which activities you enjoy. Now it is time to go deeper, take on more responsibility, and start experiences that connect directly to healthcare.

Course selection

Science: Chemistry (Honors or AP Chemistry if your school offers it and your biology grade was B+ or higher). Chemistry is the second pillar of pre-med preparation. If you struggled with biology, take regular chemistry and focus on mastering the fundamentals.

Math: Continue your math sequence. If you are in Algebra II, you are on track. If you are ahead and ready for Pre-Calculus, take it.

Consider your first AP: AP Biology is an excellent choice for sophomores with strong freshman biology grades. Other good options: AP Psychology (accessible, relevant to medicine, good GPA boost) or AP World History (builds the analytical writing skills the MCAT requires).

Info
You do not need to take every AP course offered. Two or three well-chosen AP courses per year with strong grades are better than five AP courses with mediocre grades. Colleges see through course-loading when grades suffer.

Start clinical exposure

This is the year to get your first real healthcare experience.

Shadowing: Contact a physician and ask to observe them for a few hours. Start with your own doctor, a family friend in healthcare, or call your local medical society. See our Finding Shadowing Opportunities guide for email templates and etiquette.

Hospital volunteering: Most hospitals accept volunteers at age 14 or 15. Call the volunteer services office at your nearest hospital. Typical commitment: 4 hours per week for a minimum of 6 months. This is real clinical exposure where you interact with patients, observe healthcare in action, and learn whether you are comfortable in a hospital environment.

Tip
Your first shadowing experience might bore you, excite you, or make you uncomfortable. All of those reactions are normal and valuable. The point is exposure, not confirmation that you want to be a doctor.

Deepen your activities

Do not add new activities. Deepen the ones you already have.

Leadership path: In your primary science club or organization, volunteer for committee roles. Offer to lead a project, organize an event, or mentor a freshman member. These small leadership steps position you to run for president or captain in junior year.

Volunteering: Continue your freshman-year service commitment. If you have been doing it consistently, you now have 12+ months of sustained involvement, which is meaningful on applications.

Standardized test preparation

Take the PSAT in October. This is a practice run for the SAT and the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program. You cannot study for everything, but reviewing the test format and doing a few practice sections on Khan Academy (free, official SAT prep partner) helps you know what to expect.

Financial Note
National Merit Semifinalists (top 1% of PSAT scorers) receive scholarship opportunities worth up to full tuition at some universities. The PSAT in junior year is the one that counts, but taking it sophomore year gives you a practice round.

Summer planning

Sophomore summer is ideal for a meaningful experience: a university pre-med summer program (search pathwaystoscience.org), a research internship at a local university or hospital (some accept high schoolers starting at age 15-16), or sustained clinical volunteering (aim for 50+ hours over the summer).

Apply to programs in January and February for summer placements. This is earlier than most students think.

Deadline
Most competitive summer programs have deadlines between January and March. Start researching in November of your sophomore year.
For Parents
Parents: sophomore year is when the college conversation starts getting real. Focus on encouragement, not pressure. Help with logistics (driving to volunteer sites, scheduling shadowing) but let your student own the process.
Last verified: April 2026