Preparing For Medical School

There are a number of core courses that students must take before matriculating into medical school: Biology (2 semesters with laboratory); Inorganic Chemistry (2 semesters with laboratory); Organic Chemistry (2 semesters with laboratory); Physics (2 semesters with laboratory); English - 2 semesters of any English or Comparative Literature course (Freshman English Seminars and Freshman Writing Seminars satisfy this requirement); and Mathematics - most schools ask for calculus.

Some medical schools require additional courses that are not included in the list above: Biochemistry is increasingly becoming required for admission into medical school and additional semesters of Biology.

Engineering students preparing for admission to medical or dental school should take the following:

Biology:

* BE Students MUST take Biology 121 Molecular Biology of Life (available in General Honors version) (this includes a laboratory course) Other engineering students are encouraged to take Bio 121, but they can take Bio 101 if they prefer it.

* All Engineering pre-meds MUST take Biology 102 Introduction to Biology B (this includes a laboratory course)

* BE students who entered the major prior to Fall 1997 must take BE 205 Principles of Applied Human Physiology, which medical schools would consider an advanced biology course credit. This counts as an extra Biology course, which come s in handy, since a few medical schools require four semesters of Biology.

Chemistry:

* All Engineering pre-meds MUST take Chemistry 101 General Chemistry and Chemistry 53 Laboratory

* All Engineering pre-meds MUST take Chemistry 102 General Chemistry and Chemistry 54 Laboratory

* All Engineering pre-meds MUST take Chemistry 241 Organic Chemistry Lecture I

* All Engineering pre-meds MUST take Chemistry 242 Organic Chemistry Lecture II

* All Engineering pre-meds MUST take Chemistry 245 Organic Chemistry Laboratory (this one-semester course covers two semesters of lab work).

Physics:

* All Engineering pre-meds MUST take Physics 150 Principles of Physics I: Mechanics and Wave Motion (this includes a laboratory course)

* All Engineering pre-meds MUST take Physics 151 Principles of Physics II: Electromagnetism and Radiation (this includes a laboratory course)

Mathematics:

* All Engineering pre-meds MUST satisfy the requirement for Math 140 Calculus for Natural Sciences, I

* All Engineering pre-meds MUST satisfy the requirement for Math 141 Calculus for Natural Sciences, II

English:

* All Engineering pre-meds MUST take two semesters of English or Comparative Literature.

Any additional courses:

As mentioned above, some medical schools require additional courses, such as Biochemistry. For an authoritative list of such courses, consult the individual school entries in the Medical School Admission Requirements, published by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

All of these courses must be taken for a letter grade. While some schools accept Advanced Placement credit in fulfillment of their admission requirements, some will not. Students are urged to take additional courses in fields for whic h they have earned AP credit, particularly if the AP credit is for biology, chemistry, or physics. Students with AP credit should consult the Health Professions Advisor. See the Health Professions web site, listed below, for an information sheet on AP cre dit.

Veterinary School:

Students preparing for admission to veterinary school must take some additional courses. It is difficult to prepare a standard set of these requirements because they vary so much from school to school. For an authoritative reference, consult the individual veterinary school entries in the Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements in the United States and Canada, published by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges and Betz Publishing Company. Typical courses req uired by a number of veterinary schools include anatomy and physiology, genetics, and animal behavior.