General Information for Pre-Medical Students

I. MAJOR
There is no preferred or required premedical major. Medical schools seek to admit students with diverse educational backgrounds. All medical schools recognize the importance of a broad education which includes a strong foundation in natural sciences (biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics) and a solid background in social sciences and humanities.
Premedical students are strongly encouraged to choose a major based on their academic interests and abilities. Strong grades, demanding courses, and a well-rounded curriculum are more important than a student’s choice of major.

II. REQUIRED COURSES
Although one particular major is not preferred or required, medical schools generally share four common requirements. These are: one year of biology, one year of general chemistry, one year of organic chemistry, and one year of physics. Many medical schools also require one year of English. Courses taken to meet medical school requirements should be rigorous and appropriate as a background for medical studies. All premedical science courses should contain a laboratory component. Requirements and Purdue equivalents are listed in the following table.

Requirements	Purdue Equivalents
One year of Biology (with laboratory)	Biol 110 and 111 or Biol 131-132 and Biol 231-232
One year General Chemistry (with laboratory)	CHM 115-116 or CHM 125-126 or CHM 123-124
One year of Organic Chemistry (with laboratory)	CHM 255-256 or CHM 261-262
One year of Physics (with laboratory)	PHYS 220-221 or PHYS 152-251
One year of English (required by 60% of US Medical Schools)

Students who have taken or are required to take Biology, Chemistry, or Physics courses, other than those listed above, should consult the Health Professions Advisor, as early as possible. Many schools have additional requirements. Medical School Admissions Requirements, available in the Biology Counseling Office, lists all US and Canadian medical schools and their requirements for admission. Students are urged to consult this book early in their premedical career.

III. SELECTION VARIABLES
The most important factors in the selection of a medical school class vary from school to school. In general, medical schools seek students who have a high level of scholastic achievement and academic potential. These qualities are most easily measured by undergraduate grades, MCAT scores, and faculty and advisor recommendations.

Medical school admissions committees also seek students with superior personal characteristics. They look for evidence of integrity, responsibility, motivation, maturity, and leadership ability. These qualities are not easily measured, but can be demonstrated by significant extra-curricular activities, work experiences, research activities, and involvement in volunteer projects.

In summary, medical schools do not have a strict formula, which if followed, allows a student to be admitted to their school. Certain medical schools attempt to look at candidates for admission individually. For instance, a twenty-two year old college graduate with a 3.2 GPA, and no significant extra-curricular or work experience would be evaluated differently than a 35 year old ambulance driver with the same 3.2 GPA, and lack of extra-curricular activities.

The following tables are included to give you an idea of how medical school admissions officers regard various selection factors. When asked to list preadmission variables, medical school admission officers accorded high importance to the variables in Table I and medium importance to the variables in Table II. The actual value placed on certain variables by specific medical schools will vary depending upon the school.

Table I SELECTION VARIABLES ACCORDED HIGH IMPORTANCE

Undergraduate Grade Point Average
MCAT scores
Quality of degree granting undergraduate institution
Letters of Evaluation
Medical school interview ratings
Involvement in extra-curricular activities
Involvement in and quality of health-related work experience
Breadth and difficulty of undergraduate course work

Table II SELECTION VARIABLES ACCORDED MEDIUM IMPORTANCE

Involvement in and quality of graduate and postgraduate work
Personal comments on the AMCAS and supplementary application
Status on demographic factors
Involvement in undergraduate research experience

IV. MEDICAL COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TEST (MCAT)

The MCAT is a standardized test required by most medical schools. The test is designed to assess understanding of science principles and basic analytical ability. Whenever possible the MCAT should be taken in April of the junior year, but should not be taken prior to completing all of the basic science requirements. Scores from the Fall MCAT may not be reported to some medical schools by their application deadline. Taking the exam in the spring of the junior year allows the medical school applicant to complete his/her application in a timely fashion. The April test date allows the premedical student the opportunity to retake the test in August of his/her senior year.

Unlike other standardized entrance tests, it is not always advisable to take the MCAT more than once. If you are considering retaking the MCAT you should discuss the matter with a medical school admissions representative or a health professions adviser.

MCAT registration is online. You may register online at:
http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/registration.htm

Should I take the MCAT again?

V. AMERICAN MEDICAL COLLEGE APPLICATION SERVICE (AMCAS)
The American Medical College Application Service is a centralized application processing service designed to facilitate the process of applying to medical school. The AMCAS application allows students to apply to many medical schools with only one application. The medical school applicant forwards one set of application materials and all official transcripts to AMCAS by the individual medical school’s deadline. AMCAS forwards the student’s complete application to all of the medical colleges to which the student wishes to apply. Individual medical schools may then request secondary materials (an additional essay, letters of recommendation, etc.) directly from the medical school applicant. The AMCAS application is only available online at: www.aamc.org/students/amcas/start.htm.

The application service fee in 2002 was $150 for the first school and $30 for each additional school. Students must apply directly to any medical schools that do not participate in AMCAS. Currently, 115 of the 126 medical schools participate in the AMCAS service.

This information is summarized from Medical School Admissions Requirements - 2003-2004, Association of American Medical Colleges.

Amy Terstriep
Health Professions Advisor
Purdue University
1-112 Lilly Hall of Life Sciences
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054
(765) 494-4747