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Academic Preparation
Preparing for Medical School
The following questions and answers will help you plan your curriculum as you
prepare for medical school. Also visit
www.aspiringdocs.org for a wealth of information on
the medical profession.
What are the requirements for medical school?
Specific requirements can vary from school to school;
however, virtually all require at least two semesters
each of:
- Biology (Tufts Bulletin)
(Biology 3 or 13 & 14, offered each fall and spring
respectively)
- General Chemistry (Tufts Bulletin)
(Chemistry 1 & 2, offered each fall and each
spring, as well as the summer OR Chemistry 11 & 12;
Chemistry 16 is another alternative for the first
semester of chemistry, offered each spring)
- Organic Chemistry (Chemistry 51/53 & 52/54, offered each
fall and spring respectively as well as the summer)
- Physics (Tufts Bulletin)
(Physics 1 & 2, offered each fall and spring
respectively as well as summer OR 11 & 12, offered each
fall and each spring)
- English (2 courses)
- A very small number of schools require biochemistry, but
many suggest some additional biology coursework beyond
the two introductory courses.
All these courses must be taken for letter grades and
almost all schools require laboratory participation for
all of these science courses. It is assumed, and usually
required, that you take the lab concurrently with the
lecture.
English
The English requirement is typically two courses in
English. Some schools are flexible, allowing students to
enroll in almost any two reading/writing-intensive
courses at Tufts (including English 3 & 4 taken by
international students). But some rigidly require two
semesters of English. If you receive an 'A' in Eng 001
it is still possible that you will need to take a second
English course. If you prefer not to take English 2 at
that time you can opt to wait until application and see
if schools will require another English course.
Math
Many medical schools require mathematics. The exact
math requirement, one or two semesters and whether they
specify Calculus, varies among these schools.. It is
most important for students to have strong college
algebra skills to perform well in their science courses.
Prehealth students should plan on at least one semester
of calculus, either Math 5 or 11, and should do that
very early in their college career. Virtually all
medical schools will accept AP credit in fulfillment of
this requirement. Any student
considering a major that requires two semesters of
calculus should take Math 11 and Math 12. Prehealth
students should also consider taking a statistics
course.
The best resource for specific medical schools'
requirements is the Medical School Admissions
Requirements book available in the Resource Library at
Dowling, or directly from the American Association of
Medical Colleges (www.aamc.org)
The above requirements apply to both allopathic and
osteopathic medical schools.
Can I use my AP credits for these requirements?
Students receiving AP credit for Biology, Chemistry
and Physics will be required by many medical schools to
show college level coursework in that subject on their
college transcript. Students can either forfeit their AP
credit (check the Tufts bulletin to determine what Tufts
will award you) and take the introductory course, or take additional intermediate or upper
level courses in those subjects. A student's choice of
major, as well as the strength of his/her background,
will influence this decision. First year students with
AP credit in one science are urged to take another
introductory level science rather than choosing an
intermediate course for their first college experience
with science. For example, those with an AP of 5 in
chemistry should try Biology 13 first before opting for
organic chemistry.
What medical schools require more than the standard
premed science courses?
A few medical schools actually require an additional
science course beyond the standard 8. They are listed
below. However, many more recommend additional biology –
e.g. biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology,
physiology. This is more a way to build a stronger
foundation in the sciences, than something used in
admissions. Hence, many students will take a science or
two after they have submitted their applications but
prior to matriculation into medical school.
California
Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern
California: Biochemistry: 1 semester, Social Sciences,
and Molecular Biology: 1 semester
University of California, Irvine : Biochemistry: 1
semester and 1 semester of upper level biology
Florida
Florida State University College of Medicine:
Biochemistry: 6 semester hrs.
University of Florida College of Medicine: Biochemistry:
4 semester hrs.
Georgia
Emory University School of Medicine: Behavioral sciences
and Social Sciences
Hawaii
University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of
Medicine: Biochemistry: 3 semester hrs., Cell and
Molecular Biology: 4 semester hrs. and other biological
science
Illinois
University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine:
Behavioral sciences: 3 semesters
Iowa
University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College
of Medicine: Advanced biology: 1 semester
Louisiana
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center of
Medicine in Shreveport: One other science course: 6
semester hrs.
Maryland
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine: Behavioral
Sciences: 8 semester hrs. and Social Sciences: 8
semester hrs.
Michigan
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine: 1
Upper level Biology course: 3-4 semester hrs.
University of Michigan Medical School: Biochemistry: 3
semester hrs.
Minnesota
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine Mayo Medical School:
Biochemistry: 1 semester
University of Minnesota Medical School: Behavioral
sciences, Biochemistry: 1 semester, Psychology: 1
semester and Social Sciences
Nebraska
University of Nebraska College of Medicine:
Biochemistry: 3 semester hrs. and Genetics: 3 semester
hrs.
Nevada
University of Nevada School of Medicine: Behavioral
sciences: 6 semester hrs.
New Mexico
University of New Mexico School of Medicine:
Biochemistry: 3 semester hrs.
New York
University of Rochester School of Medicine and
Dentistry: Social Sciences: 1 year
North Dakota
University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health
Sciences: Psychology: 3 semester hrs.
Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma College of Medicine: Genetics: 1
semester
Oregon
Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine:
Biochemistry: 1 qtr., Genetics: 1 qtr. and Social
Sciences: 6 qtrs.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine:
Behavioral sciences: 1 semester
Puerto Rico
Ponce School of Medicine: Behavioral sciences: 12
semester hrs.
Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine:
Social Sciences: 12 semester hrs.
University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine: Behavioral
sciences: 6 semester hrs. and Social Sciences: 6
semester hrs.
Rhode Island
Brown Medical School: Behavioral sciences: 1 year,
Biochemistry: 1 semester, Social Sciences: 1 year and
Probability & Statistics: 1 semester .
Utah
University of Utah School of Medicine: Social Sciences:
1 semester
West Virginia
Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine:
Behavioral sciences: 6 semester hrs.
West Virginia University School of Medicine: Behavioral
sciences: 6 semester hrs. and Social Sciences: 6
semester hrs.
What are the specific math requirements for Allopathic
medical schools?
As stated above, the math requirement for medical
schools varies significantly from school to school.
There are still some medical schools that do require
calculus (typically only one semester) and they are
listed below:
California
University of California, Irvine College of Medicine:
Calculus: 1 semester.
Maryland
John Hopkins University School of Medicine: Calculus: 6
semester hrs. Advanced Placement credit for
calculus, acceptable to the student's undergraduate
college, may be used in fulfillment of one semester of
the Hopkins' math requirement.
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F.
Edward Hebert School of Medicine: Calculus: 3 semester
hrs.
Massachusetts
Harvard Medical School: Calculus: 1 year. Advanced
placement credits may satisfy this requirement (Calculus
AB - 1 semester, Calculus BC - 2 semesters)
Minnesota
University of Minnesota Medical School: Calculus: 1
semester
Missouri
Washington University School of Medicine: Calculus: 1
year; however, statistics can be substituted for one
semester of calculus
Nebraska
University of Nebraska College of Medicine: Calculus: 3
semester hrs.
New Hampshire
Dartmouth Medical School: Calculus: 3 semester hrs.
North Carolina
Duke University School of Medicine: Calculus: 1 semester
of calculus plus one semester of an additional
college-level math, such as statistics
Rhode Island
Brown Medical School: Calculus: 1 semester
Texas
Texas A&M University System Health Science Center
College of Medicine: Calculus: 3 semester hrs. and
Math-based Statistics: 3 semester hrs.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of
Medicine: Calculus: 3 semester hrs. and Statistics: 3
semester hrs.
University of Texas Medical School at Galveston:
Calculus: 1 semester
University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio:
Calculus: 3 semester hours
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at
Dallas Southwestern Medical School: Calculus: 1 semester
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