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Medical School

Recommended Coursework for Medical School

Many medical schools (though not all) are shifting to competency-based assessments for admissions. This means that instead of fulfilling a specific checklist of classes and experiences, medical schools are more interested in how you show that you are competent in the areas related to the skills needed to be a physician.

Learn more about these competencies here.

Students can enter medical school with any undergraduate major. However, many courses required for admission to health-professional schools are sequential, so good planning is key.

We have found that most medical schools require or recommend the below courses, however, pre-requisites can vary, sometimes greatly, from school to school. It is a good idea to check directly with the programs you plan to apply to.

Recommended Courses	LC Course
1-year of Biology w/ lab	BIO 202 (4 credits): Biological Core Concepts: Mechanisms (Pre-req: Bio 110 and Chem 120) and An upper-level Biology course with lab such as: BIO 361 (5 credits): Cell Biology (Pre-reqs: Bio 110, Bio 201, Bio 202, and Chem 120. Math 131, Math 255, or CS 171) or BIO 369 (5 credits): Developmental Biology (Pre-reqs: Bio 110, Bio 201, Bio 202, Chem 120. Math 131, Math 255, or CS 171)
1 semester Physiology (recommended)	BIO 375 (5 credits): Physiology (Pre-reqs: Bio 110 and Bio 202. Recommended pre-reqs: Math 131, CS 171 or Phys 141)
1-year Chemistry w/ lab	CHEM 110 (5 credits): General Chemistry I (Pre-req: QR 101) and CHEM 120 (5 credits): General Chemistry II (Pre-req: Chem 110)
1-year Physics w/ lab	PHYS 141 (5 credits): Introductory General Physics I (Pre-req: Math 131) and PHYS 142 (5 credits): Introductory General Physics II (Pre-reqs: Phys 141 or Phys 151. Math 131)
1-year Organic Chemistry	CHEM 210 (5 credits): Organic Chemistry I (Pre-req: Chem 120) and CHEM 220 (5 credits): Organic Chemistry II (Pre-req: Chem 210)
1 semester Biochemistry	CHEM 335 (4 credits): Metabolic Biochemistry (Pre-req: Chem 220. Recommended pre-req: Bio 202)
1 semester College Math	MATH 131 (4 credits): Calculus I (Pre-req: MATH 115)
1 semester English Composition	CORE 120 (4 credits): Words
1 semester Psychology or Sociology (recommended)	PSY 100 (4 credits): Introduction to Psychology (Pre-req: None) or SOAN 100 (4 credits): Introduction to Sociology (Pre-req: None)

Below is a list of experiences to make oneself a competitive applicant for medical school.

Other Experiences	Hours
Clinical Experience	Minimum of a year recommended; variety of experiences including direct patient contact, direct physician contact, and long-term experiences. Explore some options on our website!
MCAT (Medical School Admissions Test)	Required. More information can be found here
CASPer test	May be required by some schools. More information can be found here
PREview test	May be required by some schools. More information can be found here

Recommended Timeline for Medical School

Here is a recommended timeline to help you navigate the application process for medical school. Although student-classification years are listed, you can start working towards this program at any time – while this timeline is designed as a helpful template, it can be adjusted based on your personal journey. Keep in mind that this table has been made following an AMCAS application timeline (there are 3 different application services: AMCAS / TMDSAS / AACOMAS).

Please note that all medical schools are different and may have varying application cycles and requirements, so be sure to research each program you’re interested in.

Summer after Junior Year
Spring of Junior Year
January - May A popular time to take the MCAT	MCAT should be completed at least a month before your application as it takes 30 days for schools to get your score You may take the MCAT a maximum of 3 times in a year and 4 times across two years You must register in October for a January - June test and in February for a July - September test
May AMCAS application “soft-opens” and is viewable June AMCAS application is open for submissions July Secondary application is sent	Application consists of a personal statement, experience essays, letters of rec, MCAT score, coursework and transcripts, and your school list Second application is more essays You may be able to look up the specific schools’ essays before this application is sent to get ahead Some schools may require you to take the CASPer test or the PREview test
Fall - Spring of Senior Year
August - March Schools may contact you for interviews
Fall - Spring of Senior Year
Acceptances begin
Fall after Senior Year
August Start Medical School