Medical School Preparation

www.aamc.org (MD)
www.aacom.org (DO)

Preparation for medical school requires, first and foremost, that certain pre-requisite courses be completed and that the applicant take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

You can choose any undergraduate major, provided that you include the required medical school prerequisite classes in your course of study. You must do very well academically in the area of study that you choose and also in all prerequisite courses. Requirements may vary by school, but the following courses are generally required:

Minimum Required Courses at Almost All Schools

Strongly Recommended Courses for MCAT Preparation and/or Certain Select Schools

Matthew Copeland Chemistry Major West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine	Lindsey Haney International Studies Major Chemistry Minor Bellevance Honors Texas Tech School of Medicine at El Paso
US army 2nd Lieutenant Sabrina Kunciw Biology Major Math Minor Chemistry Minor Bellevance Honors University of Maryland School of Medicine Recipient of US Army Health Professions Scholarship	Harsh Desai Biology Major Chemistry Minor Bellevance Honors University of Maryland Medical School

It is recommended that additional science courses be added to your course of study if you choose not to major in science. Suggested additional courses are: anatomy and physiology I and II (BIOL 215 & 216), cell biology (BIOL 350), molecular genetics (BIOL 370), and biochemistry (CHEM 417). This will ensure that there will be an overlap between courses you have taken in pursuit of an undergraduate degree, and those required in medical school.

In addition, since the requirements for medical school overlap substantially with other doctoral level health careers, it is often useful for pre-medical students to investigate other career avenues to see what courses are required. It's simply sound academic planning to investigate as many options as possible, and two popular options for those are optometry and podiatry.

Medical School applications will require a letter of recommendation from the Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) at Salisbury University. In order to be eligible for this committee letter, you must file an interview application to HPAC by March 15, the semester before you plan to apply to medical school.

It is very important for a competitive applicant to have extracurricular activities. There are a wide range of possibilities. It is important that you have some type of clinical experience and most applicants have research experience as well. Medical schools want to be certain that you have knowledge of the field and job of the physician. Research or clinical experiences that you initiate or develop yourself are particularly rewarding and viewed very positively. Community and campus service, participation in organized sports or arts, leadership, and well developed personal interests are all important in the admission process.