Pre-Health

Introduction

The Pre-Health Program is administered jointly by the Committee for the Health Professions and by the Career Center. Any student who is interested in a career in the health professions is welcome to be a part of the program. At the beginning of the academic year, first-year students who have expressed an interest in a health-related career receive a notice to attend an informational meeting and to be included on a list of Pre-Health students. Any other students interested in a health career should contact the chairperson of the Committee as soon as possible. The only requirement to stay in the Pre-Health Program is for the student to take the courses listed below and to maintain contact with her or his Pre-Health advisor.

Committee for the Health Professions: Each student is assigned to one of the Committee members who will advise the student on course requirements and who will draft the committee letter of recommendation when the student applies to professional school. The committee provides advice and prepares evaluations for students interested in any of the health professions (medicine, dentistry, optometry, veterinary medicine, nursing, etc).

Advice to Students preparing for the Health Professions

Courses work: Minimum Requirements

The following is a list of courses that are required by all medical schools and the majority of dental schools which must be taken during college. Individual schools may have additional requirements so this list is no more than a general guide to the minimum requirements.

Chemistry: 4 courses

CHEM 141 Foundations of Chemistry

CHEM 241, 242 Synthesis and Reactivity I and II

plus one additional course, preferably CHEM 244 Equilibrium Systems

Note: CHEM 109, 111, or 112 will not satisfy this requirement.

Biology: 2 courses

Any two of the introductory courses with laboratory (BIOL 120 level) will satisfy this requirement. It is recommended that students seriously considering a career in medicine also take Cell Biology (BIOL 313), Genetics (BIOL 317), and Physiology (BIOL 333).

Physics: 2 courses

PHYS 141, 142 Physics for the Life Sciences

Or

PHYS 131, 132 General Physics

Note: Although PHYS 131, 132 is acceptable, some topics on MCAT exam are not covered in these courses.

Mathematics: 2 courses

Two courses, one of which must be a calculus course (MATH 151, 152 or 161). A few medical schools require two semesters of calculus. (Note: MATH 151 & 152 are considered one course)

English: 2 courses

Any two courses are satisfactory. First-year Seminar counts as one English course.

Note: Except to satisfy prerequisites, the order in which the required courses are taken is not important. Thus, for example, CHEM 141 must be taken before 241, 242, but a student may take physics before or after chemistry, etc.

Course work: Recommended courses

In addition, many professional schools suggest specific courses such as sociology, psychology, advanced biology, or advanced chemistry, analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, anthropology, biochemistry, genetics, embryology, physiology and comparative anatomy, although none of these are required.

Timely completion of science courses

Ideally, students should plan to finish the science courses by the end of the sophomore year; in some cases it may be feasible to finish the science courses by the end of the junior year. This is to allow the student to prepare and study for the Medical College Admission Test or other professional exam, which should be taken in the spring of the junior year. This means that students planning on a career in the health professions should be prepared to take at least two science courses their first year at college. Students are encouraged to take chemistry and another science their first year.

Major Any major is acceptable. However, the science courses are still required for admission to medical school and membership in the Pre-Health Program. Students majoring outside the sciences and even those in the sciences must show their ability to do superior work in science. Medical schools use the science GPA in addition to the overall GPA in their admission decisions.

Required Tests

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

All applicants to medical schools must take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) that is given in the spring and summer of each year. The preferred time to take it is in the spring of the applicant's junior year, after completing the required science courses listed above.

Dental Admissions Test (DAT)

Applicants to dental schools must take the Dental Admission Test, given on computer year-round. Again, spring of the junior year is the recommended time to take this test.

Tests in other Health Professions

Other health professions have similar testing programs as well. Information is available from the Career Center.

Admission Factors Four important factors in determining admission to professional school are:

1. the undergraduate overall grade point average and science grade point average.

2. the score achieved on the professional exam

3. the letter or letters of evaluation from the undergraduate college, and

4. the outcome of a personal interview, offered by the school to applicants it is interested in.

The relative importance of these factors varies from school to school and from case to case.

Generally speaking, an overall academic average of 3.30 or better is needed to be a competitive medical school applicant.

Contributing Faculty:

Teresa Barber (Psychology)

Kerry Browne (Physics)

Dianne Bryan (Career Center)

David Crouch (Chemistry) (Chairperson)

Michael Holden (Chemistry)

Michael Roberts (Biology)

Charles Zwemer (Biology)

For additional information, see: www.dickinson.edu/bulletin/premed.html

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Updated June 21, 2005