Pre-Medicine Program

Admission Requirements

A major misconception about going to medical school is that you must be a biology or chemistry major. While the majority of pre-medical students do major in the sciences, some students prefer to pursue another major, while completing the required courses for admission into medical school. Although some medical schools may have other specific requirements, most require the following Guilford College courses:

• Biology 111 (Integrative Biology: Molecules and Cells)
• Biology 112 (Integrative Biology: Organisms, Ecology and Evolution)
• Chemistry 111 and 112 (General Chemistry)
• Chemistry 231 and 232 (Organic Chemistry)
• Physics 211 and 212 (College Physics)
• Two college-level mathematics courses (Calculus is required by about 20 percent of schools)

Medical schools also require courses in English, the humanities and the social sciences. These courses are generally fulfilled through satisfying Guilford College's Foundations and Explorations requirements.

Course Recommendations

Chemistry 111 and 112 should be taken during your first year at Guilford because they are pre-requisites for some of the other required courses you will be taking. If you plan to go to medical school the fall after you graduate from Guilford, you cannot take Chem 111 and 112 later than your sophomore year.

Suggested Activities

Medical schools view experience in health-related fields before applying to their program as essential. Students can gain this necessary experience through internships, summer employment and volunteer work. Both the pre-health professions advisers and the Career and Community Learning Center can help students find these experiences.

The Standardized Admissions Exam

The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) is the standardized test that all students who wish to apply to medical school must take. The exam should be taken in in late spring or early summer before the students' senior year. The MCAT is based on the assumption that students have completed one year of General Biology one year of General Chemistry, one year of Organic Chemistry, and one year of Physics. For more information about the MCAT, including registration information and review materials, visit the MCAT home page.

Applying to Medical School

Most medical schools subscribe to the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) or the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS). Students who wish to apply to these medical schools should complete one or both of these common applications, which will then be distributed to all the medical schools to which the student plans to apply. The completed application should be submitted by August of the year before the student plans to matriculate in medical school.

Pre-Medicine Sample Tracks