Pre-Medicine Study

There is keen competition for the limited number of places available in medical schools. Therefore, prospective applicants are urged to plan an alternate career option as they pursue a bachelor’s degree. The degree programs listed below are designed to meet the requirements for most medical schools and to provide in-depth courses that also qualify students to work in the area of study. Students are also advised to obtain exact information from prospective medical schools concerning requirements for admission.In general, medical schools stress scholastic achievement, especially in the sciences, as a major criterion for admission. Premed students may major in any discipline so long as the requirements of the medical program to which they are applying are fulfilled. Medical schools are looking for well-rounded students with broad, liberal arts backgrounds. Such a background can be demonstrated by pursuing a non-science major or minor, or focused sequences of courses in multiple disciplines. Such factors as the quality of the undergraduate college and the recommendations supplied by its faculty, results of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), and residence are also considered. Personal qualities such as integrity, motivation, leadership, and maturity are often discernible through the applicant’s record of nonacademic activities, an autobiographical statement, and a personal interview at the medical school