Pre-Medicine Certificate

Admission to medical school is very competitive and depends on three important factors: (1) grade point average, (2) MCAT score, and (3) clinical experience. Your academic preparation controls the first two factors, but your volunteer/job experience in the medical field satisfies the third factor. All three areas are very important.

Competition for admission to medical school is keen, and admission committees are able to choose from among many talented students. The mean cumulative GPA for the entering the 2014 class at Allopathic Medical School was 3.76, whereas in Osteopathic Medical School, it was 3.51, and the science mean was 3.39. Students whose academic records fall well below the averages are unlikely to be accepted to medical school.

Most medical schools require the following courses:

• One year of Biology with lab
• One year of General Chemistry with lab
• One year of Organic Chemistry with lab
• One year of Physics with lab
• One year of English

It is always recommended that you check with medical schools to which you are applying because requirements vary for each school.

The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is a standardized, computer-based exam and is required for admission to both allopathic (M.D.) and osteopathic (D.O.) programs. MCAT scores help admissions officers identify and select students that are likely to succeed in medical school. Complete and up-to-date information about the new MCAT exam is available online at the Association of American Medical College's webpage, and it is crucial that students read that section before taking the MCAT exam.

The MCAT exam has four sections: biological and biochemical foundations of living systems; chemical and physical foundations of biological systems; psychological, social and biological foundations of behavior; and critical analysis and reasoning skills. Each individual section will have a score ranging from 118 to 132 with a midpoint of 125. The total score is created by combining section scores, and it ranges from 472- 528. The midpoint is 500. Many schools still accept earlier MCAT scores if it is taken within the past three years. The MCAT exam is 7 hours and 30 minutes, which includes the time for completing demographics, etc. (actual test time will be 6 hours, 15 minutes). Most students take the MCAT exam during the spring of the junior year or during the summer between the junior and senior year.

Important non-academic factors include good moral character, excellent interpersonal skills, a deep commitment to health care, evidence of leadership potential, and service to others. Successful applicants will likely have volunteered or worked in a health care setting with patient contact, job shadowed a physician, participated in organizations that serve others, taken advantage of leadership opportunities and learned how to conduct research and work independently.

Get involved and gain experience as much as you can while at school. On campus, you can be a tutor, mentor, and/or take a leadership position for the student organization. Volunteering experience in the community will be looked upon favorably by professional school admissions committees. If some of your volunteering is in a health care setting, you can combine volunteering with exposure to the field. It is important to track your volunteer hours, as most professional school applications will ask for details of the time you spent volunteering. Keep a record of your volunteer supervisor(s), including name(s) and title(s).