The Pre-med Program

"Pre-med" is shorthand for the academic program students take to prepare for entering medical schools. (One should not talk of a "pre-med major" but should say "pre-med program" or "pre-med student" or just "pre-med") Students in the pre-medicine program must obtain a major from a department such as chemistry, biology, mathematics, history, etc. Although medical schools require a major, they do not specify what that major must be. Medical schools list specific courses only. The specific courses that they list are:

If the student has no choice of major in mind, we suggest chemistry or biology because they do occupy a major place on the MCAT. Other majors are fine provided the specific courses above are taken.

Admission to medical school is very competitive and depends on three major factors:  (1) grade point average, (2) MCAT score, and (3) clinical experience.  (1) and (2) are controlled by your academic preparation and (3) is controlled by your volunteer/job experience in the medical field.  All three areas are very important.

Suggested Curriculum

 Listed below is a possible schedule of courses for the Pre-med major. Actual schedules may differ. Each student should consult an adviser when planning a schedule.

 FRESHMAN Year

Fall 

Total Credits: 16-18

 Spring

Total Credits: 15

SOPHOMORE Year

Fall

Total Credits: 16

 Spring

Total Credits: 15

JUNIOR Year

Fall

Total Credits: 15

Spring

Total Credits: 14

Senior Year

Fall

Total Credits: 14

Spring

Total Credits: 16

Other suggested biology and chemistry courses include human physiology, analytical chemistry, and physical chemistry.

The MCAT

The MCAT should be taken during the spring of the junior year or during the summer between the junior and senior year. The dates are usually in mid-April and mid-August and are announced well in advance each year. There is an application form and process for taking the MCAT, including a fee to pay. The test must be taken at specific testing centers. In this area, that is usually Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky University or University of Memphis. It’s an all-day affair done on a Saturday.

The MCAT is divided into four sections: reading comprehension, biological science (biology and organic chemistry), physical science (physics and general chemistry), and essay writing. The first three of these sections are graded on a scale of 0-15 comparing the student with all others taking the test on the same day. In other words there is no "passing" score but a comparison score rating one against the current cohort of pre-meds. Med schools definitely want students who are in the upper half (above eight) in all sections. Currently, state-supported schools in the south are looking for 9.5 to 10 in all sections. Very selective schools demand and get students in the 11-13 range. The essay is graded by a panel of readers on a scale of J through T; on a recent take, the median score was O and the 75^th percentile was Q nationwide.

Many review books on MCAT are available and are very helpful. Professional review courses are good but are expensive and usually located in Nashville. Basically, bright students who are adept at taking standardized tests and who do a lot reading fare well on the test.  Much time should be given to preparation for this exam.

Application

The application process itself is rather lengthy. With very few exceptions, schools use the AMCAS application service. This involves filling out a lengthy application form and telling them what schools to send it to. At the same time, the student must arrange for official transcripts, from all colleges attended, to be sent to AMCAS. They will not process the application until transcripts are received. The application should be sent in as early as possible.

Some think that it is advantageous to take the MCAT in April  rather than August. Med schools will process a student’s application as soon as both the AMCAS package and the MCAT scores are received. It is possible that several slots of a class will be filled before the August MCAT scores are received, so those applicants are vying for the remaining slots in the class. All med schools overbook their classes with the knowledge that a certain percentage of those accepted will decline and go elsewhere. To replace these, certainly some of the late applicants (i.e., August MCATs) will get in; but the odds of being accepted may be better for the early applicants. On the other hand if the student is not ready in April and needs the summer to review and prepare, then by all means he/she should wait until August. Many APSU students are in that situation.

Most of our successful applicants go to one of five medical schools: UT Memphis, Quillen (ETSU), Kentucky, Louisville, and USUHS. We get several people via fort Campbell who do their pre-med work here then go to Uniformed Services University for Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD. We have a good record at all these schools in that our graduates are well prepared and survive. We have had students to go to various other schools such as Utah, Minnesota, Pritzger, Meharry, etc., but not in large numbers.

The medical schools get the AMCAS application and the MCAT scores at roughly the same time. If they like what they see, they will get back in touch with the student and ask for supplemental information. This is the time that recommendation forms/ letters of recommendation go in. Our procedure is to give the student a minimum of three check-sheet recommendation forms to pass out to faculty of his/her choice. At least two of these should go to science faculty. These forms will come back to the pre-med advisor. When all three have been returned, the advisor makes a composite, writes a cover letter and forwards the letter and composite to the medical school.

If the student "passes" the initial application and the supplemental, he/she is invited to the school for a personal interview. This usually involves a one-day tour and an interview by at least two people: the first by someone connected with admissions and the second usually by a practicing physician. Often, a third interview is done by a medical student at the school.

Finally if the student "passes" this hurdle, he/she is offered a place in the class. The whole process from application/ MCAT to acceptance takes six months or longer.

A very good reference is Medical School Admission Requirements, published each year by Association of American Medical Colleges. The first part of the book (yellow pages) is general information that you will find very helpful. The remainder of the book is a description of all the medical schools in the country, listed alphabetically by state. Each school has a two-page spread covering General Information, curriculum, Entrance Requirements, Selection Factors, Financial Aid, Minority Information, deadlines, tuition, data re: number applicants and number acceptances, and other information. Other books, such as Plantz, Getting into Medical School, are very informative from the student’s standpoint.

Acknowledgement: Part of the above information was provided by our long time, dedicated APSU Pre-Med Advisor, Dr. Durward Harris, whose support is greatly acknowledged.