Medicine

MEDICINE: COURSES

For additional useful information, please visit the AMCAS Tools and Tutorials site https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/applying-medical-school-process/applying-medical-school-amcas/amcas-tools-and-tutorials/

These are the courses required by most medical schools:

  1. Four semesters of chemistry. At Wake Forest those courses are CHM 111 (general chemistry I), CHM 122 or 123 (organic chemistry I), CHM 223 (organic chemistry II) and CHM 280 (general chemistry II). Most students take the courses in that order; in other words, general chemistry 2 is the last course taken. Please be aware that these courses are only offered in one semester of each academic year, so if you skip a semester, you will need to either take the course in the summer, or wait a year to take it.
  2. Two semesters of biology, BIO 150/L and 160/L. However, these courses do not cover all of the biology content cover that is on the MCAT exam. Also recommended are HES 350 (Human Physiology) and a course in cell and molecular biology.

Bio 150/L and 160/L are offered every semester, but not every summer.

  1. Two semesters of physics. The physics offered at Wake Forest is calculus-based. Some medical schools recommend calculus, and since it is a prerequisite for PHY 113/L and 114/L, or PHY 123/L and 124/L,  you should plan to take it if you do not have AP credit for it.
  2. Social science. At least one social science, such as psychology, anthropology, or sociology is recommended. Two or more would be better.
  3. Biochemistry. This course can be taken through either the Biology or Chemistry Departments. You can use the credits for both the Biology and Chemistry majors and minors (it counts towards both).
  4. Statistics. Recommended by many but not all medical schools.
  5. English. Two semesters of English are required by some but not all medical schools.

These are the traditional requirements. However, there is a movement among medical schools towards what is called “competency-based” admissions, which has been recommended by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), in collaboration with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).  These recommendations have resulted in some medical school reassessing and becoming more flexible about admissions requirements. Medical schools are trying to identify students based on a more holistic approach, one that recognizes Interpersonal and Intrapersonal competencies. These competencies are listed below. 

Interpersonal Competencies Intrapersonal competencies
Service orientation

Social and interpersonal skills

Cultural competence

Team work

Oral communication

Integrity and Ethics

Reliability and Dependability

Resilience and adaptability

Capacity for improvement

 

Despite the increased emphasis on competencies, most schools still require the traditional prerequisite coursework, and the content of these courses is covered on the MCAT exam. Most pre-medical students apply to ten or more medical schools, so it is very likely that one of the schools that you apply to will still require these courses. Also, the material covered in these courses is covered on the MCAT exam, a standardized test required for admission to almost all medical schools.

 

MEDICINE: COURSE PLANS

Your goal is to be accepted to medical school. In order to do that, you need to be the most competitive applicant that you can be. In 2018, Wake Forest School of Medicine had over 11,000 applications for 130 spots in the entering class. Of these, only 450 received interviews, and about half this number was accepted.  The point is clear. You need to rise to the top of that pile of applications. Here are some important statistics:

  • In the 2018 application cycle, the average GPA for students admitted to allopathic medical school was 3.71; to osteopathic medical school, 3.6.
  • In the 2018 application cycle, the average MCAT score was over 511.
  • The average age of students entering medical school is just under 25 years. According to the American Association of Medical Colleges, more than 60% of matriculants to medical school now have had one or more gap years.

It is possible to complete all of the courses required to apply for medical school and take the MCAT exam in the first three years of college. In your spare time you need to shadow physicians, consistently participate in community service, and acquire some clinical experience. This is a Herculean task. Many students see this as the only option, but in fact many prestigious schools have designed pre-medical programs that use the full four years of college to prepare their students for admission to medical school. These include Duke, Davidson, and Princeton. Other schools also recommend that students complete college before applying. These students take a “gap year” between graduation and matriculation to medical school.

What are the advantages of applying to medical school at the end of four years, as opposed to three? Medical schools are looking for students that have demonstrated that not only are they good students, but that they are committed to service and have a breadth of life experiences. Every year, you will become more mature and have more life experiences that will make you a more competitive applicant. Some advantages to the four-year plan are as follows:

  • You do not have to squeeze all of the prerequisite courses into three years. Many of the prerequisite courses are very challenging, and if you do not try to take them all at once, you are likely to do better in them. Your GPA is an important factor in consideration by medical schools.
  • Your senior year grades will be included in the consideration for medical school. In the fourth year, you will be taking mostly courses in your major and elective courses, in which students generally do very well. This is an opportunity to maximize your GPA.
  • You will have the opportunity to study abroad. Studying abroad is one of the greatest growth experiences that you can have as an undergraduate. Where you choose to study abroad, how you use that time, and how it has changed you are assets when writing a personal statement for or interviewing for medical school.
  • You have more time for service activities and shadowing.
  • If you use your gap year wisely, you will be engaged in an activity which enhances your competitiveness for medical school and that can help you “rise to the top” in the interviewing process. 
  • Not trying to do it all at once allows you to take advantage of all of the amazing opportunities that college offers. Medical schools are not simply looking for the best students. They are looking for the best people (who happen to be good students).  With the movement towards a more holistic view of admissions and medical education, that final year in college gives you the opportunity to develop more as a person. 

If you have a grade point average of 3.85, have had your poetry published in a national magazine, have won awards for service, and climbed Mount Everest, you should consider applying after your third year. Otherwise, give serious consideration to taking the full four years to make yourself the most competitive applicant you can be.

Below are some options for how you might plan your science courses. You would work basic and divisional courses and major courses around these courses.

 

Due to changes in the Biology curriculum, the prerequisite courses are different for students entering in 2019 or later than for earlier classes

 

Here are the plans for students considering a career in medicine:

 

An option for students who do not plan to major in biology, chemistry, or physics

Fall

year 1

Spring year 1 Fall

year 2

Spring year 2 Fall year 3 Spring year 3 Fall year 4 Spring year 4 Right after graduation
*CHM 111/L CHM 122/L

MTH 111?

CHM 223/L

BIO150/L

CHM 280/L

BIO160/L

Study abroad? BIO 370 or CHM 370

HES 350 or BIO 245

PHY 113/L, or PHY 123/L

BIO 265

PHY 114/L, or PHY 124/L

Prepare for and take the MCAT exam

Apply to medical school

Basic and divisional courses and courses in the major can be easily worked into this schedule. Study abroad can be done on either fall or spring of the junior year.

 

For students who place into CHM 123*

Fall

year 1

Spring year 1 Fall

year 2

Spring year 2 Fall year 3 Spring year 3 Fall year 4 Spring

year 4

Right after graduation
*CHM 123/L BIO 150/L

CHM 223/L

BIO 160/L CHM 280/L

HES 350 or BIO 245

Study abroad? BIO 370 or CHM 370

BIO 265

*PHY 113/L, or PHY 123/L *PHY 114/L, or PHY 124/L

Prepare for MCAT exam

Apply to medical school

*Students who select certain concentrations in the Chemistry or Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) majors need to take Physical Chemistry, which is only offered in the fall. This means that they will need to take at least one course in physics in the summer in order to spend a semester abroad.

 

 

For students interested in a pre-medical curriculum who are considering the biology or chemistry major 

Fall

year 1

Spring year 1 Fall

year 2

Spring year 2 Fall year 3 Spring year 3 Fall year 4 Spring year 4 Right  after graduation
CHM 111/L

Or CHM123/L

Bio 150/L

CHM 122/L

BIO 160/L

CHM 223/L

HES 350 or BIO 245

*PHY 113/L, or PHY 123/L

CHM 280/L

PHY 114/L, or PHY 124/L

Study abroad? BIO 370 Prepare for MCAT exam Apply to medical school!

*Students who select certain concentrations in the Chemistry or Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) majors need to take Physical Chemistry, which is only offered in the fall. This means that they will need to take at least one course in physics in the summer in order to spend a semester abroad. 

 

For pre-medical students considering a major in physics 

Fall year 1 Spring year 1 Fall

year 2

Spring year 2 Fall year 3 Spring year 3 Fall year 4 Spring year 4 Right after graduation
CHM 111/L

MTH 111

PHY 113/L, or PHY 123/L

CHM 122/L

MTH 112

PHY 114/L, or PHY 124/L

CHM 223/L

PHY 215

MTH 205

CHM 280/L

BIO 150/L

PHY 262

PHY 230

Study abroad? BIO 160/L HES 350 or BIO 245

BIO 265

BIO 370 or CHM 370

Prepare for and take the MCAT exam

Apply to medical school!

 

 THE THREE-YEAR PLAN 

With this plan students will have to double up on lab sciences more often, will not have time to study abroad during the academic year unless they take physics during the summer, and they will have less time for service, shadowing, and other experiences that will make them a more competitive applicant.

Fall

year 1

Spring year 1 Fall

year 2

Spring year 2 Fall year 3 Spring year 3 Summer

year 3

Fall

year 4

Spring

year 4

CHM 111/L CHM 122/L

BIO 150/L

CHM 223/L

BIO 160/L

CHM 280/L

HES 350/L or BIO 245

PHY 113/L, or PHY 123/L

BIO 370

PHY 114/L, or PHY 124/L

BIO 265

Prepare for MCAT

Apply to medical school Complete divisionals and major Complete divisionals and major

 

 MEDICINE: CHOOSING A MAJOR

At the end of your second year, you will choose a major. There is no particular major that will make you more competitive for medical school. You will learn what you need to know to be a physician once you get to medical school. Medical Schools clearly delineate their prerequisite courses. After that, you’re on your own. 

A double major in chemistry and biology has no more value than a double major in Art and Philosophy, and a double major does not have any greater value than a major and a single minor. What is most important is that you are good at what you do. Major in what you feel most passionate about. If you love the subject, you will do better academically, and you will enjoy your time in college more. 

Medical Schools are looking for broadly educated students. At Wake Forest, it is hard NOT to be broadly educated! Consider the Divisional Courses as a shopping expedition to find out what it is that you want to know more about. What is most important is that, once you have chosen your major, whatever it is, excel in it. 

 

MEDICINE: THE APPLICATION PROCESS

How do I know if I am ready to apply to medical school?

You should apply to medical school once you feel that you are a competitive applicant. Remember that the average age of matriculation to medical school is over 24 years. When are you ready? That could be during or after your college career. Different people take different paths to medicine, but once you decide to apply, you need to be organized. Make a schedule and stick to it. 

There are many factors taken into consideration when reviewing candidates for admission to medical school, but the only objective data available is on GPA and MCAT scores.

Data provided by the American Association of Medical Colleges on the entering class of 2019-2020 was as follows:

Average MCAT score Mean GPA Mean science GPA
Matriculated to medical school 511.5 3.73 3.65

 

Admission to medical school is very competitive. In 2019, nationally 53,371 students applied to schools of allopathic medicine, and 21,869 matriculated (40.98%). 

WHEN TO APPLY: APPLICATION TIMELINE

Applying to health profession schools takes time. One way to increase your chances of admission is to apply early in the process. Most health profession schools have rolling admissions. Applications begin to be reviewed in early July or August. The earlier you apply, the more likely you are to get an interview.

 

Medical School Application Plan Timeline

 

Checklist for Students Applying to Medical School Spring 2024

THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS COMMITTEE (HPC) LETTER

Medical and dental schools ask for a letter from the students’ undergraduate institution(s) that expresses the degree of institutional support for the student’s application and an explanation of that support. This is the Health Professions Committee (HPC) letter.

In the fall of the year in which you plan to apply to medical or dental school you must attend one of the mandatory meetings held in the fall designed to prepare students for the HPC letter and medical/dental school application processes.

The Health Professions Committee will only write letters for students whose application they can support.  Except in exceptional circumstances, the Health Professions Committee cannot write a strong letter for a student whose overall or science GPA falls below 3.4. 

Students who have serious honor or judicial violations also will not receive a health professions committee letter. In some circumstances, a letter will be written, but will contain a reference to the violation.

It is important to note that you do not have to have an HPC letter to apply to medical or dental school. But generally, the lack of a committee letter indicates that your undergraduate institution could not strongly support your application. However, medical schools expect an HPC letter if your school offers one.

The HPC is composed of eight faculty from different disciplines. The members of the HPC are listed in the front of the handbook. All the members of the committee have experience in health professions advising. 

In May, the health professions  committee will review your letters of recommendation, and academic record as well as review your record of community service, clinical experiences, shadowing hours, and research experience. A level of support for your application will be assigned by the committee. The committee ranks all the candidates into one of five categories: highest confidence, high confidence, good confidence, confidence, and no letter. The committee will not write a letter for a student that it cannot be confident will successfully complete medical school and/or be an excellent physician.

To rank the students, the HPC uses a rubric which assesses the GPA and evaluates the characteristics used by the medical schools in the admissions process. 

It is essential that you meet the assigned deadlines to guarantee that your committee letter reach the medical schools in a timely fashion. Medical schools have a rolling admissions policy, and it is important that you take these deadlines seriously.

Requesting a Health Professions Committee Letter

Begin the process of requesting a Health Professions Committee letter in the spring.  Request your three letters of recommendation and complete the ferpa form posted on the website by April 15th. Complete the committee letter application posted on the website by April 15th. In May, the Health Professions Committee will review your application, letters of recommendation and academic record, and a Health Professions Committee letter will be prepared for students whose application the HPC can support.

Students applying to allopathic medical schools should forward their AMCAS ID letter request to prehealth@wfu.edu by mid-end of May. You will have access to the letter request ID when you open the AMCAS application. Your application does not have to be complete to submit the letter request to the HPC.

The letter request is necessary for the Health Profession Committee to upload your letters to the AMCAS site. 

Students applying to schools of osteopathic medicine will include the name and e-mail address of the Director of Health Professions on the AACOMAS application (John Tomlinson, prehealth@wfu.edu), and AACOMAS will request the letter from the College. Dental schools also request the committee letter directly from the College.

The MCAT exam

The MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) is a standardized test administered by the American Association of Medical Colleges. It is required for application for nearly all allopathic and osteopathic medical schools. Information on the MCAT and registration for the exam is at https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/taking-mcat-exam/. There, you can find The MCAT Essentials guidebook with detailed instructions on preparing for and taking the test, and interpreting your scores.

The MCAT exam has four sections: Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior, and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills. It is an arduous exam, lasting seven and a half hours.

The exam is very comprehensive, so allow a significant amount of time for review of the material. Do not take a heavy credit load in the semester in which you are preparing for the exam. Make a study schedule, and stick to it. 

Many medical schools do not like to see multiple attempts at the MCAT. While there are some schools that prefer that students only take the MCAT once, most have no bias against a second attempt as long as the scores improve significantly on the second attempt. If you take the MCAT a second time, both scores are forwarded to the medical schools. Some schools count the highest score; some average the two scores.

If you are not accepted upon your first application to medical school and plan to reapply, it may be necessary to retake the MCAT (after proper preparation) if your scores are borderline.  

The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), the organization that produces the MCAT exam, offers The Official Guide for the MCAT exam, an overview of the new exam accompanied by practice questions and solutions.

Other MCAT practice materials developed by AAMC are available at https://students-residents.aamc.org/mcatprep. Take advantage of this resource – these are the people that make up the MCAT exam, so they are the experts! The AAMC offers practice exams, question packs, and flashcards for studying. AAMC has partnered with Khan Academy to offer the Khan Academy MCAT collection of videos and questions.

You can’t take too many practice exams. You will get more comfortable with the test format and discover what areas you need to review more extensively. There are many review books and practice tests available at bookstores or through Amazon.  If you find that you need more discipline in preparing for the exam, you can take a test prep course such as is offered by Kaplan and Princeton Review. 

When to take the MCAT exam

It is wisest to take the MCAT no later than May of the summer in which you plan to apply.  Many schools have rolling admissions, and taking the exam later in the summer delays completion of your application. 

It takes 30 days for the MCAT scores to be processed.

Fee assistance for MCAT

AAMC offers a Fee Assistance Program for students with financial need. Fee assistance covers most of the cost of the MCAT exam, significant discounts on AAMC test prep materials, and assistance with the AMCAS application fee.

Should I repeat the MCAT?

Some medical schools do not like to see a second attempt at the MCAT. Those schools that are open to a second attempt want to see significant improvement on the second attempt. Some schools do not look at the highest score; instead they average the scores. The best policy is to not take the exam until you are ready, and to do well on your first attempt. 

How long is my MCAT score good for?

Schools will generally accept the MCAT for three years after it has been taken; some schools allow four years. AAMC has a chart that you can access online that details this information by school.

The AMCAS application

AMCAS is the centralized application process that allows you to apply to all US medical schools (except for those in the state of Texas, which has its own application processing service). Instructions for applying to medical school can be found online in the AMCAS instruction manual.  It is never too early to download the manual, and begin to understand the process. 

NAAHP Fact Sheet 

Association Association of American Medical Colleges 
www.aamc.org
Number of Schools Most medical schools participate in AMCAS. The only exception is Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. 6 Texas schools use AMCAS only for M.D.-Ph.D. application.
Contact Information Applicant Contact:
amcas@aamc.org
(202) 828-0600
Opening Date(s)* May 1 
Submission Date(s)** June 4
Deadline(s) The Early Decision deadline including transcript deadline is August 1.  Regular M.D. and all other program deadlines range August- December.
Letters of Recommendation Most medical schools receive letters through AMCAS (5 schools/programs do not participate). Evaluators submit the committee letter or individual letters electronically directly to AMCAS through the AMCAS Letter Writer Application, Interfolio or through U.S. Mail. 
Standardized Test Scores MCAT Scores are automatically sent to AMCAS for distribution to applied participating schools once the applicant scores are available.
Transcripts Send transcripts directly to AMCAS attached to an AMCAS Transcript Request Form.

The CASPer (Computer Based Sampling of Characteristics) Test

Some medical schools now require that applicants take the CASPer test as part of the application process.  If one or more of the schools you have applied to requires it, a good time to take it is after you have passed in your primary applications, and are awaiting for those secondaries to arrive.  You can find a list of schools that require the test online.  

It is not something that you can study for, although you can review sample questions online. It is designed to test traits such as empathy, communication skills, and ethics.

Secondary applications

Some schools request secondary applications in which applicants must answer additional questions and write additional essays. Some schools ask all students for a secondary; others only ask those students whose applications they are considering. There is an additional fee for the secondary application. If you receive a request for a secondary application, complete it as soon as possible. Delay may cause the school to think that you are not serious about their program. And while you delay, other students are getting offers for interviews.

The TMDSAS application

TMDSAS is the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service, the centralized application service for all applications to the first year entering class at all medical, dental, and veterinary schools supported by the state of Texas. (Baylor College of Medicine is a private school, and thus is an exception.) The TMDSAS application handbook is available online as a pdf.

A unique element of the TMDSAS application is the “match.” Students rank each of the Texas state medical schools at which they have interviewed in order of preference, and the medical schools rank the applicants in order of desirability. The system then matches the student to their highest school that has also ranked them most highly. 

The AACOMAS application

AACOMAS is the centralized application service for all schools of osteopathic medicine. Application instructions and frequently asked questions can be found at https://www.aacom.org/become-a-doctor/how-to-apply-to-osteopathic-medical-college/aacomas-application-instructions-and-faqs

Allopathic vs Osteopathic Medical Schools

Early Assurance Program with Wake Forest School of Medicine