Liberal Education

To be competitive, take a wide range of courses in humanities, sociology, psychology, and art.  In your personal statement, point out where you've demonstrated broad interests; show you can speak and write articulately and candidly; and that you are socially adjusted and friendly. 

Exceed Minimum Qualifications

Every year, nearly 60% of applicants nationwide are unsuccessful in gaining admission to medical school, even though they meet the minimum requirements for admission. These students are not unqualified, but they are not as well qualified as other applicants; they are not as "competitive." 

For this reason we encourage you to exceed minimum qualifications, both quantitatively and qualitatively.  That means:

1) taking challenging courses beyond the minimum needed

2) earning a GPA or 3.5 or better

3) having work or volunteer experience in a medical field

4) earning a good score on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

We want to help you maximize your chances for admission to the program of your choice.

Upper Level Biology Courses

Some medical programs require upper level biology courses. If you are not a science major, you should take upper-division biology courses, with laboratory. After all, medicine is applied biology.

Maintain a Competitive GPA

It may be worth taking a little longer to graduate if that allows you to fulfill some other goals such as maintaining a competitive GPA (minimum 3.5), majoring in a nonscience, and/or taking a greater diversity of liberal arts courses.

Qualifying Test Scores

Many students take the MCAT or its equivalent in April of their junior year and apply to medical schools the summer before their senior year.  Requirements can change rapidly; make sure that you familiarize yourself early with the specific requirements for the schools that you are interested in attending.