Pre-Med

• What do you mean, I'm not a premed major?
• What is the best major for a premed student?
• What courses are required for medical school admission?
• Does Willamette University offer all of the courses required for the MCAT and for admission to medical schools?
• Must these courses be taken in a particular sequence?
• Does Willamette University guarantee that all courses that premeds desire to take will be offered in a semester when the student would like/need to take them?
• Can I substitute AP or CLEP courses from high school for any of the premed curriculum?
• How can I determine whether a particular medical school requires additional courses?
• What if a school requires courses in "English"; do we offer those at Willamette?
• Should all courses required by medical schools be taken for a grade?
• Should I take human anatomy and human physiology as an under- graduate?
• What is the MCAT?
• What are the medical schools "looking for"?
• How many letters of recommendation should I have and who should write them?
• What if a school asks for a letter from the premedical committee or from the premedical advisor?
• Will Willamette University "get me into medical school"?
• What percentage of applicants from Willamette are admitted?

What do you mean, I'm not a premed major? Although most students interested in a career in medicine refer to themselves as premed majors, it should be understood that "premed" is not an actual major. Premed students must take a set of courses, commonly referred to as the premed curriculum, in order to meet the admission requirements of medical schools. However, this set of courses does not constitute a major at Willamette, or at other schools.

What is the best major for a premed student? The best major is the one that you will enjoy and for which you have aptitude. You may choose any major and still be premed. Medical schools do not care what your major is, as long as you take their prerequisite courses and complete an undergraduate degree. The advantage of majoring in one of the sciences is that most of the premed curriculum will be encompassed by the courses required for your major. If you choose a non-science major, you will have to fit many of the premed courses into your schedule in addition to the courses required for your major. In doing so, students often tend to take the minimum number of courses required. These students often do not do as well on the biology section of the MCAT as science majors.

What courses are required for medical school admission? Medical schools require both science and non-science courses. In general, the non-science courses that medical schools require (such as a year of English) are requirements that you will have to take to satisfy Willamette's general studies requirements. Some require other, upper division non-science courses (see requirements of Oregon Health Sciences University and requirements for the University of Washington.

The following courses are the science core of the premed curriculum and are the minimum that should be taken before taking the MCAT.

Two years of chemistry with laboratory:

Introductory Chemistry I (Chemistry 115) & Introductory Chemistry II (Chemistry 116)
Organic Chemistry I (Chemistry 225) & Organic Chemistry II (Chemistry 226/228)
*Biochemistry (Chemistry 351) is required for most schools)

One year of physics with laboratory:

Introductory Physics I (Physics 221) and Introductory Physics II (Physics 222) - both require calculus as a prerequisite

One year of biology:

Cell Biology and Genetics (Biology 130) and Gene Structure and Function (Biology 333)

Many medical schools require additional science and non-science courses (For example, see the requirements of Oregon Health Sciences University). Many require calculus and biochemistry (The University of Washington has a strong biochemistry requirement). You should determine whether the schools you plan to apply to require any additional course work. If they do, you will need to plan your academic schedule accordingly.

Does Willamette University offer all of the courses required for the MCAT and for admission to medical schools? Yes.

Must these courses be taken in a particular sequence? Yes and no. It does not matter, for example, whether you take organic chemistry or physics in your sophomore year, as long as you have the prerequisite courses for each. If you plan to take the MCAT in the spring of your junior year, however, it is important to have finished (or nearly finished) the required courses (or most of them) before you take it. There is asuggested course sequence for each year, but it is only a suggested sequence that will not fit the needs of all students. For example, if you have already had Calculus I or are a transfer student.....need we say more?

Does Willamette University guarantee that all courses that premeds desire to take will be offered in a semester when the student would like/need to take them? No, ....and neither do other colleges. Courses required for the major are usually offered more frequently than those that are not required for the major. Therefore, there is no guarantee that in any particular semester that is convenient for the student that either the desired course will be offered and/or that seats will be available in the course if it is offered. Careful planning can often prevent disappointment. If you want a particular course, see the professor who teaches it and let him/her know well in advance that you would like to take the course. There are still no guarantees, but you can increase your chances of being given a seat in the course.

Can I substitute AP or CLEP courses from high school for any of the premed curriculum? Some medical schools accept them, and some do not. Some medical schools require a letter from the teacher of an AP course detailing the course content, how examinations were given, etc. If in doubt, don't try to substitute these credits. Work taken at community colleges may also be viewed differently than work done at 4-year colleges and universities.

How can I determine whether a particular medical school requires additional courses? An excellent source is:

"Medical School Admissions Requirements - United States and Canada" published by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

It can be ordered from:

http://www.aamc.org or found in the Career Office and from the Premed Advisor

This book also profiles the students admitted to the previous year's class so that you can find those medical schools that best fit your profile and increase your chances of an interview!

AAMC also publishes books on minority student opportunities in the U.S. medical schools, an MCAT student manual, practice MCAT tests, and an AAMC curriculum directory with data about instructional programs at each U.S. and Canadian medical school and matriculating students during the current academic year.

What if a school requires courses in "English"; do we offer those at Willamette? Our writing-centered curriculum incorporates these courses into your four-year program of study. At your request the pre-med advisor will send a letter to any medical school that requires standard English courses explaining the nature of Willamette's writing program (see a copy of this letter).

Should all courses required by medical schools be taken for a grade? Yes.

Should I take human anatomy and human physiology as an under- graduate? In general, medical schools discourage students from taking courses as an undergraduate that overlap those offered by the medical schools. However, some knowledge of physiology is tested on the MCAT and a physiology course of some type (animal physiology, human physiology, etc.) can be very helpful.

What is the MCAT? A standardized exam (Medical College Admission Test) required by virtually all medical schools for admission. You can say "I don't do very well on those standardized exams." all you want - no one is listening. You need to prepare for this exam and do as well as possible.

What are the medical schools "looking for"?
For the initial evaluation of candidates:

1. A strong grade point average
2. Strong performance on the MCAT

If these two are not strong, you will not receive an interview. The MCAT is heavily considered because:

1. It is the single best predictor of whether a student has the aptitude to pass the medical board examinations at the end of the second year of medical school
2. It is a measure of whether the student's grades are inflated.

For further evaluation and movement into the interview process:
Strong recommendations, evidence of service and/or leadership, volunteer experience in which the student had contact with sick people (list of volunteer sites in the Salem area), undergraduate research (especially for M.D./Ph.D. candidates), athleticism, musical ability, foreign travel, an unusual family history or circumstance, experience in the military or the Peace Corps....in short, anything that would make your application "stand out".

Evidence of maturity is very important. The average age of an entering medical student is now 26. If you are a "grade grubber", a "whiner", or "can't get up for an 8 o'clock class", ...or.... if fraternity events, social events, etc. are more important to you than good grades, your professors remember such things when they write your letters of recommendation. These are marks of immaturity that also come out in medical school interviews. Medical schools want students who have made medicine their priority and who are disciplined and willing to "pay the price." If you earn poor grades or are lukewarm about your career goals, you may be limiting your future opportunities. For students who are uncertain, we usually recommend that they do as well as possible academically so that their options are open should they eventually decide that they want to apply to medical school. Of course, you can always finish a degree at Willamette and then take the required courses elsewhere later in life should you decide you want to go to medical school.

How many letters of recommendation should I have and who should write them? In the spring semester of your junior year you should ask for letters of recommendation. If you ask for the following, you should be able to meet the requirements of most schools when they ask for letters as part of the secondary application process.

• Ask for three from faculty who have had you in science courses or with whom you have done research;
• Ask for one from a faculty member outside of the sciences;
• Ask for one from someone who has supervised you in a health professions setting.
• Do not ask for one from a family member, clergyman, or politician.

The best letters come from faculty members/supervisors that know you personally and can write of things of interest to an admission committee, e.g. motivation, perseverance, leadership, compassion, etc. - that is, personal characteristics that cannot be gleaned from your grades and MCAT scores. Admission committees already know the applicant's academic abilities, so recommendations from professors who can only discuss how well you did academically in their classes are of little value.

What if a school asks for a letter from the premedical committee or from the premedical advisor?See the letter to such schools. Willamette University does not have a premedical committee and, thus, we do not provide such letters. Instead, for any school that requests committee letters or a composite letter from the premedical advisor, we send the attached letter of explanation.

Will Willamette University "get me into medical school"? No. You will be admitted based on evidence of strong aptitude (GPA and MCAT), a well-written personal statement, recommendations that point out your unusual strengths, and your maturity. Hanging around outside the premed advisor's office or trying to use influence through a friend of a friend of a friend who supposedly knows someone on the admissions committee are doomed to fail.

What percentage of applicants from Willamette are admitted? Last year's admission was 75%, but this is moot. Admission really depends on you (see our previous paragraph!) BE ORGANIZED, METHODICAL, DISCIPLINED, AND OPTIMISTIC. Many Willamette alums are now physicians, dentists, or workers in allied health professions. Thus, your chances of being admitted from Willamette are at least as good as they would be from any other college, if not better. Enjoy the challenge of the experience and educate yourself to the process. We wish you the best and stand prepared to help!