Medical School Admission: Entrance Requirements for
Medical School
Almost all medical schools require you to have a four year degree
before applying. However, some schools offer premed program which
provides students the opportunity to prepare for medical school
without gaining a four year degree. This program often takes three
year to complete.
Nowadays, medical schools look for individuals from diverse
educational backgrounds. Therefore, you should take a breadth of
courses from social science and humanities to natural science.
Remember that undergraduate may be your last chance to touch on
social science and humanities courses.
Although the choice of your major doesn't affect your acceptance
at all, you must complete the following basic natural science
courses in order to show your ability to handle heavy science
course-load in medical school.
This table is based on statistic from AAMC(96-97):
| Required Subjects |
Number of schools (over 110 schools)
requiring these subjects |
| Physics with lab |
107 |
| Inorganic Chemistry with lab |
105 |
| Organic Chemistry with lab |
104 |
| English (College composition) |
74 |
| Biology or Zoology |
55 |
| General Biology |
53 |
| College Calculus (1 year) |
22 |
| College mathematics |
21 |
| Behavioral and/or social sciences |
16 |
| Humanities |
15 |
Medical School Admissions Requirements
The following table provides the basic list of courses that are
required by all medical schools in the United States. There are
equivalent courses in all community colleges as well as four-year
schools. If you have any questions regarding courses at other
institutions, please consult with the pre-medical adviser.
Required Courses
General Chemistry (with lab)
Chemistry 1A-B-C (or 2A-B-C) plus 1AL-BL-CL
Organic Chemistry (with lab)
Chemistry 107A-B (plus either Chemistry 108 or MCDB 110)
or
Chemistry 130A-B-C
plus
Organic Lab: Chemistry 6A-B
General Physics (with lab)
Physics 6A-B-C plus 6AL-BL-CL
(calculus-based physics can be substituted as appropriate)
Biology (with lab)**
MCDB 5A-MCDB/EEMBB-EEMBC
plus the 5 series laboratories
**(some medical schools require as much as one year of additional
biology)
Mathematics
One year, which should include introductory calculus
Math 3A-B-C or
Math 34A-B plus P/Stat 5A (or other variants)
English
Most schools require one year, which may include any or all of
our
Writing 1-2-50 sequence (Writing 109 can be substituted for 3rd
quarter). You might also consider an additional writing or
literature course.
In addition to the above requirements, many former students
comment that the following courses are particularly valuable:
Biochemistry (MCDB 108A-B-C or Chem 142 A-B-C)
Genetics (MCDB 101A-B)
Psychology courses
Courses in ethics (e.g. Philosophy 7, Biomedical Ethics)
Developmental Biology (MCDB 112)
Clinical Internships (MCDB 182 or MCDB 184)
The Early Decision Program
About half of the medical colleges in the United States participate
in the Early Decision Program. Under this plan you choose one school
and one school only to which you wish to apply. You must have a
complete application including official transcripts on file with
AMCAS no later than August 1. There is no two week grace period for
tardy transcripts. You must take the MCAT test the spring prior to
your application or earlier. You must agree to apply to no other
medical school until you have heard from your chosen school, and if
you are accepted, you are legally obligated to attend that school.
The school agrees to notify you one way or the other by October 1.
If your chosen school rejects you, you may then apply to as many
other schools as you wish. You will also be automatically
reconsidered for acceptance under the regular decision program at
the original school. The fact that you were rejected under the Early
Decision Program in no way prejudices your chances for admission
later.
Schools generally select ten to twenty percent of their total class
under the Early Decision Program, and they naturally aim to admit
the most outstanding students. If either your GPA or your MCAT
scores are below par, you probably don't have a good chance at early
admission. On the other hand, provided you are sure what your first
choice medical school is, you don't have much to lose. If you are
accepted, you will save considerable time and money. You can relax
and enjoy your last year of college, secure in the knowledge that
you are accepted. If you are rejected, you are no worse off than if
you hadn't tried, and you may be somewhat the wiser for your
experience during the first interview. If, however, there is any
doubt in your mind as to what medical school you want most to
attend, you should not commit yourself to the Early Decision
Program.
You should be aware that many state-supported medical schools will
consider non-state residents only under the Early Decision Program.
If, despite the odds, you have your heart set on a state school
other than your own, you should definitely plan to apply early.
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