Pre-medical

Choosing a Major

  • Pre-medical students must choose a major (pre-med is not a major).
  • Commonly chosen majors include biology, biochemistry, chemistry, neuroscience, physics.
  • Any major is acceptable, so long as the student completes all pre-medical requirements.
  • Consult the pre-professional health advisor – Francie Renschler.

Recommended Attributes of Medical School Applicants

  1. Competitive GPA of 3.6 or higher, especially in science courses
  2. High score on MCAT (500 or over)
  3. Strong letters of recommendation from professors
  4. Active in volunteer or work experience and leadership in extracurricular activities
  5. Clinical experiences through shadowing, academic research, employment, or volunteering

Common Pre-requisites for Admission to Medical School

Biology

  • BIOL 107 or BIOL 119 (General Biology or Introduction to Biology - Molecular Perspectives)
  • BIOL 120 (Introduction to Organismal Diversity)
  • BIOL 331* (Genetics)

Chemistry

  • CHEM 118 (Principles of Chemistry)
  • CHEM 240 (Organic Chemistry I)
  • CHEM 280 (Inorganic Chemistry I)
  • CHEM 341 (Organic Chemistry II)
  • CHEM 370 (Biochemistry)

Physics

  • PHYS 210 or 121 (Calculus Physics I or Algebra Physics I)
  • PHYS 211 or 122 (Calculus Physics II or Algebra Physics II)

Mathematics

  • MATH 221* (Calculus I) or MATH 134* (Survey of Calculus)

Sociology

  • SOC 105 or 230 (Introduction to Sociology or Social Problems in the Modern World)

Psychology

  • PSYC 121 (Introduction to Psychology)

*Strongly recommended for MCAT preparation.
Course requirements for medical schools may vary, please check the website for your school of interest. Additionally, requirements for admission for the majority of US medical schools may be found at MSAR.

AP/Dual Credit

Most medical schools will not accept AP or Dual Credit for science and/or prerequisite courses.

Admissions Timeline

  • Take the MCAT exam spring/summer after junior year.
  • Applications (completed through AMCAS system) to medical school accepted June through mid-November with early decision applications June 1 - August 1.
  • Interviews conducted August - November.
  • Early decision notification around October 1.
  • Traditional notification mid-October - March.
  • Final interviews January - March.

Academic Advising

All pre-medical students must meet with an academic advisor in their major department in addition to meeting with the pre-professional health advisor during time of registration each semester!

About the MCAT

The MCAT is computer-based and administered approximately 30 times per year. Results of the MCAT are available approximately 30 days after it is taken. One schedule is to take the MCAT during the spring term of the junior year and enter medical school in the fall following graduation. Students may elect to apply for admission for later years and take the MCAT spring term of the senior year or later. This will allow more flexibility in your course schedule.