Pre-Professional Medicine

Sample Pre-Med Curricula

These sample curricula provide a conceptualization of the required coursework involved. Factors such as placement testing, course prerequisites, and course availability each semester may determine a student's actual navigation of a pre-med track program.

Admission to graduate school medical programs is competitive and is NOT guaranteed. Pre-med students should let their interests and curiosity decide their major from these suggestions or a curriculum developed in consultation with an advisor.

1. Biology major - pre-med track degree planning guide
   A classic pre-med major and curriculum. Heavily focused on biology theory and lab courses. Math and chemistry also meet medical school requirements. A focus on life systems permeates this sample pre-med pathway through college.
2. Chemistry major - pre-med track degree planning guide
   Chemistry and its emergent properties form some of the building blocks of life. A slight bias towards chemical studies in this pre-med sample curriculum will appeal to future oncologists and hematologists.
3. Biochemistry major 1 & 2 - pre-med track degree planning guide These curricula diverge at the 3rd year, one taking a more living systems focus, one focusing more on the base chemistry of life. Students should let their preference and passions guide their choice.
4. Applied Health Sciences major - Health Science Specialization pre-med track degree planning guide
   This broad-based pre-med curriculum includes all the prerequisites for many medical schools and practical courses looking at the healthcare industry like the structure of the healthcare industry and the psychology of aging.
5. Nutrition Sciences major - pre-med track degree planning guide
   This sample curriculum covers all the medical school prerequisites and delves into lifecycle nutritional needs, from infancy to later years.

With so many pre-med educational paths available, knowing where your preference and abilities lie is advantageous and something BGSU PPP advisors can help you discover.

Summer Virtual Academy - BGSU Future Meds: Exploring Health Careers

To help pre-med students find their preference, BGSU runs a Future Meds: Exploring Health Careers Summer Academy to expose high school students to BGSU resources and help make their choices easier. 

This program features interactions with current medical students who are BGSU alumni, medical practitioners, and teaching professors. Interactive demonstrations, Q&A’s and laboratory activities can help future pre-med students find their path at BGSU.

Applying to Med School(s)

There are currently 154 M.D. programs and 38 D.O. programs in the United States. Acceptance rates range from 18% to 1.9%. This level of competitiveness means planning your application well in advance and getting input from others is essential.

The AMCAS system makes a single application for multiple programs possible, but there are many moving parts to an application and careful preplanning is advised.

Elements to consider in your application include:

MCAT score

What is the MCAT exam? The Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT®) is a standardized, multiple-choice, computer-based test that has been a part of the medical school admissions process for more than 90 years. Each year, more than 85,000 students sit for the exam. Nearly all medical schools in the United States and several in Canada require MCAT scores.

The MCAT exam tests candidates on the skills and knowledge that medical educators, physicians, medical students, and residents have identified as key prerequisites for success in medical school and practicing medicine. The content is divided into four sections:

• Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
• Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
• Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
• Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills

The AAMC develops the MCAT exam and administers it multiple times each year, from late January through September, at hundreds of test sites throughout the United States and Canada.

There is a vibrant MCAT practice and prep community, many MCAT focused online discussion boards and, of course, advice available from advisors at BSGU.

College GPA  

Transcripts are required, including original grades for any classes that were retaken. Transcripts also need to match what is entered by the candidate, in chronological order, into the application.

GPA is converted into the AMCAS GPA; this is a standardized GPA that medical schools may use to fairly compare applicants’ academic records from undergraduate and graduate institutions that use different academic calendars and grading systems.

It also includes a biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics GPA. Grades from these essential subjects are used to calculate the AMCAS BCPM GPA.

Socioeconomic Status (SES) and Disadvantaged applicants

You might consider yourself disadvantaged if you grew up in a medically underserved area or had insufficient access to social, economic, and educational opportunities. If you believe you are a disadvantaged applicant, you will have a section in the application to explain why you consider yourself a disadvantaged applicant. This has no impact on the Socioeconomic Status (SES), which is calculated automatically.

Strong pre-professional experience

Your extracurricular activities will be added to the Work/Activities section of the application. The section is designed to give you the opportunity to highlight your work experience, volunteer activities, awards, honors, or publications that you would like to bring to the attention of the medical schools to which you are applying.

BGSU Pre-Professional Program Advisors have the latest information on available professional experiences and research opportunities throughout the country. Personal connections, however, are one of the most common ways to find meaningful pre-professional experiences in the medical area.

Most meaningful experiences

Medical school candidates may identify up to three experiences that they consider to be meaningful. One must be chosen as the most meaningful, though. If there is a logical tie to pre-professional experiences or extra-curricular activities, the application will be stronger.  

Selecting and writing strong experience statements is a perennial challenge that is difficult to accomplish on your own. Seeking editing assistance from someone who knows you well will help you to explain why the experience was particularly meaningful to you.

Letters of evaluation

These are letters written by a recommender that assesses your qualities, characteristics, and capabilities. They can come from committees of tutors or individuals and can be targeted to individual schools. Think about how they align with your meaningful experiences and extracurricular activities.

What if I don’t get in?

Students who decide not to go to medical school or who are not admitted the first time they apply have many other options. Some go on to earn an advanced degree and do research in that area. Others decide to work as a chemist, biochemist, microbiologist, etc. Still others obtain teaching certificates or pursue other health fields. Applicants whose primary interest is medical school take gap years and are often able to strengthen credentials and reapply successfully.

Medical School

Once admitted into medical school, med students can expect the first two years to be a mix of lectures and labs. Years 3-4 are spent in clinical rotations, working under close supervision in various medical settings affiliated with the medical school.

Students can try out medical specialties. They tend to work long hours and do a mix of basic medical tasks and challenging new procedures. It can be an exceptionally emotional and taxing period.

Most students make it through the rotations and the two parts of the board exams and become the new owner of an M.D. or D.O. qualification. Before practicing medicine, however, new doctors will still need to spend three to seven years as a resident in a teaching hospital, helping new medical students perfect their craft. Finally, all medical students must pass the final USMLE board exam to become a qualified doctor.

Career

The medical profession has an almost endless variety of specialties and provides challenges that can sustain several careers across a working life. The chance to work with patient groups from across every section of society make for rewarding and meaningful work.  

The high-value society puts on health means doctors can be well rewarded. From Doctors Without Borders to lucrative elective cosmetic procedures, the levels of responsibility are high, as are the rewards.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics found the median annual salary of doctors in 2020 was $208,000 per year or $100.00 per hour.

The BLS also predicts that although new positions will become available at an average rate of growth (4% over 2019 to 2029), the need for new doctors will rise due to an aging patient population and the retirement of current doctors. One recent study found that more than 2 of 5 active physicians will be 65 or older within the next decade.