Why MD?

The decision to pursue a career in medicine should not be made lightly. A medical career requires years of training, a deep personal commitment, and significant financial cost. Before you apply, ask yourself if medicine is really the profession you wish to pursue. It's always a good idea to make an appointment to speak with a career counselor or acadmic advisor to discuss your aspirations in the medical field.

If you're still not sure, consider this hypothetical situation: if you knew that you would not be accepted into medical school on your first try – how would that affect your decision to apply?

Do you truly know what the daily life of a physician is like? You should talk with medical doctors and shadow doctors in different specialties and in different health care settings. This will give you a clearer picture of what you may be getting into. Find out what are other things physicians do, e.g., teaching, research, or management. If possible, volunteer in a teaching hospital where you can interact with students and residents.

Have you really considered all the potential costs involved? Medical school is a serious time commitment and will involve personal sacrifices. Becoming a physician requires discipline, energy, and focus. Keep in mind the financial realities and the economic costs of attending medical school.

Consider this.

Before you apply to medical school, you should educate yourself on the current state of medical education and health care in the United States. Record numbers of students are applying to medical school. This means that admissions offices are overburdened and overworked. How will you set yourself apart from the rest?

While medical school continues to attract a large number of very well qualified candidates and interest has diminished only a little in the past two years, it is important to note and keep abreast of the rapid changes in the medical field as you prepare for and pursue you interest in medicine. It is difficult to predict exactly how competitive the various residency programs will be in five to ten years and whether even more physicians will be part of HMO’s or employees in group practice situations. It is also possible that the average income of a physician may actually decrease rather than increase in the future. There are conflicting opinions as to whether there are too many, too few, or the right number of physicians in the US. All of these issues may make little or no difference in your decision but it is important for you to keep yourself informed along the way. There are several ways to do this, one of the best is involvement in this PreHealth organization and helping to plan events which bring in experts in the field! Another is to get involved in all the various health care situations that you can while talking to all of the people with whom you interact, physicians, residents, and medical students of course, but also nurses, health care administrators and patients. The more informed you are, the more confident you will be in your manner, and this will help you prepare an effective application and be sincere and convincing in your interviews.

PreMed Program

The pre-medical program prepares a student to apply for admission to a medical school. Medical schools usually require that you have a B.A or B.S. degree in some academic area or 120 hours of undergraduate course work. The medical school program lasts four years, culminating in the awarding of an M.D. degree and is followed by several years of residency in the specialty of your choice.

Competition for admission to medical school is high. The overall G.P.A. for students entering the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center Medical School has averaged around 3.65 for the past several years. Although students with G.P.A.'s lower than this are often accepted, the probability of acceptance does generally decrease as your G.P.A. decreases.

Medical schools accept students with a wide range of majors, not just science. You should major in the academic area of your interest. All other factors being the same, G.P.A., performance in required courses (see below), outside activities, MCAT scores, and work within the medical community, you have an equal chance no matter what your major area is. You will do better academically if you major in an area which interests you. The odds of being accepted without a degree , or at least 120 hour of college work, are very low.

Your academic program must satisfy, simultaneously, three sets of requirements: (1) those set by the college, (2) those set by the department in which you are majoring, and (3) those set by the medical schools. This document deals with the latter requirements. You must meet the requirements in effect when you enter medical school. For the other requirements, you need to consult the appropriate documents for your institution and department.

The following is a list of the minimum course requirements for admission to the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Most other medical schools have the same requirements. You should, however, consult the Medical School Admissions Requirements published each May by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Their address is 2450 N street, NW, Washington DC, 20037. Their phone number is (202) 828-0400. Their fax number is (202) 828-1125. Or they may be contacted via the internet at http://www.aamc.org

General Chemistry

Organic Chemistry

General Biology

College Physics

Mathematics at least through Trigonometry

English Composition (One semester)

English Literature (Two semesters)

You should meet these requirements as you meet the college and the major requirements. You are encouraged to explore the arts, humanities, and social sciences in order to broaden your education experience. Once in medical school you will not have the time to do much exploring. Since medicine is a mixture of science and contact with people, experiences in social and behavioral sciences, the arts, and the humanities will be of great value to you. You must demonstrate competence in the required science courses.

THE MEDICAL COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TEST (MCAT): The MCAT is administered in April and August of each year. You should plan on taking it the spring of your junior year (a year in advance of the fall in which you expect to matriculate in a medical school). The test is described in The MCAT Student Manual which is often available in the book store or can be ordered from the AAMC. In 1991, the MCAT was revised. It is now composed of four sections: Biological Sciences: Physical Sciences: Verbal reasoning: and a writing sample. If you have taken the MCAT prior to 1991, these scores are not longer valid for admission to any Unites States Medical School. Applications to take the MCAT are usually available around February 1. These may be picked up in NC 3411.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS: The University of Colorado School fo Medicine as well as most other schools in the United States participate in the centralized American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). The deadline for application through AMCAS for CU is November 1. Some schools are earlier and you should check with those schools where appropriate. Applications should be filed as soon after June 15th as possible. The applications are usually available around May 1 and may be picked up in NC 3411. A computerized version is also available for those using MS-DOS or compatible computers. There is currently no computerized version for Mac users.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION: All medical schools require letters of recommendation from faculty members. This means you should make certain that the faculty members of your institution get to know you. If they do not know you, the will not be able to write a good letter. Many, if not most schools prefer a committee letter over individual letters.

EXPERIENCE: Medical schools expect that you will have had some experience in working with sick people. this experience can be either paid or volunteer; most medical schools do not care which. What IS important is that this experience be in a setting that stretches your "comfort zone" somewhat. Many medical schools are not necessarily looking at how much time you have spent in a health-related setting, but rather the breadth of your experience. Many Pre-med students volunteer in hospital emergency rooms, or outpatient clinics. In addition, you may be able to earn academic credit while you are gaining this experience.