Pre-Medical Program at Central Washington University

Students preparing to enter professional schools of medicine will need to complete the following courses. In addition to the required science courses, a broad humanities and liberal arts background is encouraged. Although pre-medical students usually major in Biology or Chemistry, any arts and sciences major is totally acceptable.

College coursework required by most medical schools:

Recommended electives (not required):

Which recommended electives students take depends on several factors, including choice of major, any previous coursework, space available, and personal interest. See the pre-medical advisor for help in selecting courses from the recommended electives list.

Sample course plan

The required pre-medical courses are generally completed by the end of the 3rd year of undergraduate study. At the end of the 3rd year, students usually take the MCAT and apply to medical school. The exact order in which students take the required pre-medical courses depends on several factors, including choice of major, any previous coursework, and space available. The sample schedule below is a general guideline for completing the necessary coursework.

For further information and/or material on course of study, admissions test, preparation and application to professional schools and Central's Pre-Medical Evaluation Committee (which may be used when applying to medical school), please visit the pre-medical website at www.cwu.edu/~biology/ugrad/preprof/preMedicine.html and/or contact the Pre-Medical Advisor:

Dr. Levente Fabry-Asztalos
SCI 302J
email at fabryl@cwu.edu
(509) 963-2887

Pre-medical students should maintain contact with the pre-medical advisor for current information.

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Factors Bearing on Admission to Medical School

1. College Coursework Required by Most Medical Schools (one year is equal to three quarters is equal to two semesters)
   
   1 year General Chemistry with Lab
   1 year Organic Chemistry with Lab
   1 year Introductory Biology with Lab (not Human Physiology)
   1 year Physics with Lab
   
   In addition, some medical schools require English and Calculus so we recommend:
   1 year Calculus
   1 year English (Combination of Composition and Literature)
   
   

   We also recommend that students complete a statistics course in addition to calculus.

2. College Major:

   Although a bachelor's degree is not required by most medical schools, over 90% of the students accepted have completed a degree. It is not necessary for the pre-medical student to major in an area of science, nor does it increase the student's chances of admission to do so. In addition to the required science courses, a broad humanities and liberal arts background is encouraged. The major should be considered as the basis for future career or for graduate study in the event the student is not accepted to medical school.

3. GPA:

   The mean overall GPA for entering medical school students in the last decade has been approximately 3.50 - 3.60 nationwide. Students with significantly lower GPAs will have a more difficult time gaining admission to medical school, although admission committees will take into consideration any extenuating circumstances and will look for other demonstrated characteristics considered desirable for medicine. The student must present a record of consistently high performance; that is, a high GPA, and very few withdrawals, incompletes, or repeated courses. The mean overall GPA for the class entering the University of Washington Medical School in 2005 was 3.65.

4. MCAT Scores:

   Applications to medical schools must be accompanied by Medical College Admissions Test scores. The exam is offered twice a year (spring and fall), and is usually taken at the end of the Junior year. The day-long MCAT covers four areas: reading skills analysis, including literature, social science, and natural science passages; biological science problem solving; physical science problem solving; and two 30-minute essays. The mean overall MCAT score for the class entering the University of Washington Medical School in 2005 was 10.4 on a scale of 1-15. (Physical Sciences 10.1, Biological Sciences 10.8, Verbal reasoning 10.2, and between a "P" and a "Q" in the writing sample). The University of Washington will no longer accept MCAT scores from MCAT examinations taken prior to April of 2003 for 2006 admissions.

5. Recommendations:

   As part of the selection process, admission committees consider academic and character recommendations that applicants obtain from faculty members and other persons. Letters of recommendation should discuss and evaluate critically the student's academic ability, strengths and weaknesses, motivation for medicine, maturity, difficulty of coursework attempted, and special attributes and assets. The recommendations are usually written between the applicant's third and fourth year of college.

6. Experience:

   Volunteer work experience in some type of health care facility is highly recommended. Exposure to health related setting (e.g. hospital, clinic, doctor's office. etc.) is becoming increasingly important as an admission factor. It is assumed that a qualified applicant will have not only a general understanding of the profession, but also a demonstrated interest and knowledge of what medicine is about.

7. Personal Characteristics:

   Although applicants are first screened according to academic performance, the final choice is made after the applicants have been interviewed by the medical school. During the interview the student's motivation, maturity, poise, humanitarianism, and ability in expression are examined. A broad background in biological sciences and humanities, a knowledge of and exposure to the needs of individuals and society, and an awareness of health care delivery systems are desirable. As the final step of evaluation, the interview is very important. Medical schools have repeatedly rejected students who present strong academic records but lack maturity or have only confused motivation for medicine.

8. Residency:

   Usually a state-supported medical school is required by law to give preference to residents of that state. Many schools, both public and private, also indicate some preference of residents of neighboring states, and some schools participate in interest and regional agreements. Applicants should recognize that their best chances for admission are at medical schools within their own state or at private medical schools.

9. Foreign Applicants:

   Since the number of qualified applicants from the U.S. alone is always much greater than the number of places available, only a very few foreign applicants are successful in gaining admission. In general, therefore, foreign applicants are not encouraged to seek admission to U.S. medical school, unless they have permanent visas and have established a state residence.

10. Reference Material:

    Medical School Admission Requirements, 2006-2007 can be purchased ($25.00) from the Association of America Medical Colleges, 2450 N Street, NW, Washington D.C., 20037-1126 (www.aamc.org). Copies are also available for your perusal from the pre-medical advisor in SCI 302J.

11. University of Washington Medical School Applicants Deadlines for Fall 2006:
    

    Receipt of application (June 1, 2005 through November 1, 2005).
    Receipt of supplemental material is January 15, 2006.

12. Websites to visit

    American Medical Association
    Association of American Medical Colleges
    American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
    American Medical Student Association
    

    List of allopathic medical schools in the U.S. and Canada with links to their home pages (click "member medical schools"):
    Association of American Medical Colleges

    List of osteopathic medical schools in the U.S. and Canada with links to their home pages.
    American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine

13. MCAT preparation courses

    Kaplan
    Berkley Review
    Columbia Review
    Princeton Review
    

14. Dennis W. Farrell Pre-Medical Scholarship

    If you are a sophomore, junior or senior declared pre-medical student who is a full time matriculating student on the Central Washington University campus and have a 3.5 GPA in the biological and physical sciences and mathematics, you may qualify for the Dennis W. Farrell Pre-Medical Scholarship. For further information about this scholarship contact the pre-medical advisor.

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