Timeline and Suggestions for Preparation and Application to Med School

High School

• Take the maximum number of science, math and English classes
• Talk with health care professionals, and seek work and volunteer opportunities that are medically-related
• Explore health careers at http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/home

Freshman Year:

• Meet with pre-med adviser
• Select a major and course of study. Choose a major that interests you, and it is OK to change majors.
• Develop excellent note taking and study skills
• Begin with a competitive GPA! Successful applicants to MD programs have an average GPA of 3.65-3.70 and to Doctor of Osteopathic (DO) programs an average GPA of 3.50.
• Participate in extracurricular activities. Develop your personal, interpersonal and leadership skills!
• Join Premed Club and also talk with upper class students
• Gain medical experience through volunteering and/or working in health/clinical settings (including summer experiences)
• Review the following resources, and if you have questions consult with premed adviser
  • “Considering a Medical Career” and “Applying to Medical School:” https://www.aamc.org/students/
  • AAMC Member Medical Schools: www.aamc.org/medicalschools 
  • UI Allied Health web site: http://www.webs.uidaho.edu/alliedhealth/ 
  • UI Premed Manual: http://www.sci.uidaho.edu/biosci/faculty/Pre-Med%20Manual.pdf 
  • Review preferred medical schools, admissions criteria, etc. as found in the AAMC Medical School Admission Requirements (2012-2013) and AACOM Osteopathic Medical College Information Book (2012) that can be purchased on-line or borrowed from the premed adviser. 
• Take courses: Carefully check specific admission requirements at your med schools of most interest, as the courses tend to be similar but not identical. In general, med schools require a year of chem., organic chem., biology, and physics with accompanying labs. A typical first-year sequence for a new freshman would be: 
  • Fall semester: Chem 111 (Principles of Chemistry I), math, English, and courses for your major and general education 
  • Spring semester: Chem 112 (Principles of Chemistry II), Bio 115 (Cells and the Evolution of Life), and courses for your major and general education
• Begin to develop strong relationships with faculty, physicians and other professionals who may be writing letters of reference

Sophomore Year:

• Meet with/check in with pre-med adviser
• Maintain a competitive GPA! 
• Continue to participate in extracurricular activities, to include Premed Club. Develop your personal, interpersonal and leadership skills
• Gain medical experience through volunteering/working in health/clinical settings (including summer experiences) 
• Continue to review pertinent medically-related web sites and the UI Pre-med Manual
• Take courses and carefully review specific admission requirements at your preferred med schools. A typical second-year sequence would be as follows: 
  • Fall semester: Bio 116 (Organisms and Environments), Physics 111 (General Physics I), and courses for your major and general education 
  • Spring semester: Physics 112 (General Physics II) and courses for your major and general education
  • However, for a student who decides later in their college career to purse medical studies, consider first fall: Chem 111 and Biol 115, spring: Chem 112 and Biol 116. Then second fall: Chem 277/8, Phys 111, and MMBB 300, spring: Chem 372/4 and Phys 112. Then, take the MCAT immediately thereafter. 
  • Chemistry majors should probably take the organic chem sequence during their sophomore year.
• Continue to develop strong relationships with faculty, physicians and other professionals who will be writing letters of reference
• Consider/investigate getting involved in a medically-related undergraduate research project, an internship, a summer NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) etc.
• Begin preparing for Medical College Aptitude Test (MCAT) over summer 

Junior Year:

• Check in with pre-med adviser and begin to think about the application process and develop a list of medical schools that you want to apply to
• Continue to maintain a competitive GPA! 
• Continue to participate in extracurricular activities to include Premed Club. Develop your personal, interpersonal and leadership skills
• Continue to gain medical experience through volunteering and/or working in health/clinical settings, research, internships etc. (include summer experiences)
• Take courses and carefully review specific admission requirements at your preferred med schools. A typical third-year sequence would be as follows: 
  • Fall semester: Chem 277/278 (Organic Chem I and lab, taught fall and spring), strongly consider taking MMBB 300 (Survey of Biochem), and courses for your major and general education 
  • Spring semester: Chem 372/374 (Organic Chem II and lab, taught spring only) and courses for your major and general education
  • MMBB 380 (Introduction to Biochem can be substituted for MMBB 300. No need to take the lab. Additional courses that would enhance your med school preparation include Statistics 251, Biology 212 (Molecular and Cellular Biology), MMBB 250 (General Microbiology) and Bio 310 (Genetics). Based on AAMC preliminary recommendations, the MCAT for 2015 will likely change significantly to include a new section on behavioral and social sciences that will likely require a general introductory sociology and psychology course. 
• Continue to develop strong relationships with faculty, physicians and other professionals who will be writing letters of reference
• Make sure that you have a back-up plan in case you don’t get admitted to med school 
• Review web information:
  • AAMC Member Medical Schools: www.aamc.org/medicalschools
  • Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and available test dates: www.aamc.org/mcat
  • Applying to med school: https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/
  • AMCAS fee assistance program: www.aamc.org/fap
  • AAMC minorities in medicine: www.aamc.org/students/minorities
  • UI Pre-med Manual: http://www.sci.uidaho.edu/biosci/faculty/Pre-Med%20Manual.pdf
• Prepare for, register for, and take the MCAT, typically in late spring/early summer. The MCAT assumes that you have had one year of biology, chem., organic chem. and physics. If there is a year or more gap between organic chem. and the MCAT, consider some heavy duty review and discuss options with premed adviser. 
• Apply for med school over the summer. In consultation with your premed adviser, develop your application, write your personal statement, request transcripts, request letters of recommendation, and submit the application on-line through AMCAS and/or through AACOMAS.

Senior Year:

• Update pre-med adviser on your progress
• Continue to maintain a competitive GPA!
• Continue to participate in extracurricular activities to include Premed Club. Develop your personal, interpersonal and leadership skills
• Continue to gain medical experience through volunteering and/or working in health/clinical settings
• Review the UI Pre-med Manual at http://www.sci.uidaho.edu/biosci/faculty/Pre-Med%20Manual.pdf
• Complete academic coursework: Carefully review specific admission requirements at your preferred med schools and complete remaining courses for your degree and any desired electives
• Continue to develop strong relationships with faculty, physicians and other professionals who will be writing letters of reference
• Complete secondary, supplemental applications (summer, early fall)
• Schedule a “mock interview” through your pre-med adviser (fall)
• Interview at med schools, complete FAFSA financial aid application and any financial planning steps
• Receive admission notifications from med schools and make interim and final decisions on your choice of medical school. Immediately notify med schools that you will or will not be attending, and write thank you notes to all people who helped you through the process (fall/spring)
• Summer – celebrate and get ready for your first year of med school!
• FYI, it’s OK to skip a year or two between graduating and enrolling in med school, but remember that most med schools do not offer deferrals of admission. Since the MCAT scores are only good for three years, you must apply within two years of taking the MCAT or re-take it.

This handout was adapted from information available in AAMC Medical School Admission Requirements (2012-13), ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools (2011), and AACOM Medical College Information Book (2012).