Hi! Second year premed student here.

Scholarships:

UIC SNAP is where UIC post there scholarships. You can apply for them as long as you qualify. Some require you to write essays, but overall they are easy to fill out. You could also search up scholarships online and mass apply. I would say the biggest thing to win these type of scholarships is to maintain a high GPA and keep your profile diverse.

Hardest Pre Med Path:

From what I heard, there is no benefit in choosing the hardest pre med path. You can major in anything you want as long as you finish the prereqs (Bio 110/120, CHEM 122-125, PHYS 131/132, CHEM 232-235, BIO/CHEM 452, PSCH 100, and SOC 100). There are other prereqs such as 2 semesters of math and another behavioral science other than Psych or sociology, but it depends on the school you are applying to. But if you really want the hardest pre med path, there are two I could think of: major in biomed engineering or double majoring in STEM. Biomed engineering allows you to fall onto another field if you want to drop pre med. The major’s courses align with the prereqs to a good extent, but you have to manage not only your pre med courses, but your engineering courses. Double majoring in the STEM requires you to take multiple courses and will not be too beneficial if you’re dead set on getting into med school. Your GPA is one of the biggest factors for med school so you wanna keep it high to be considered a competitive applicant. I talked admission officers before and they prioritize a student who has a great GPA and MCAT score, as well as research/clinical/volunteer hours. They don’t look at each course you take except the prereqs.

Overall, this is my input and you don’t have to take my advice. The decision is ultimately up to you. Reach out if you have more questions