Information for Premedical Students
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"I found the premed office very helpful, especially the curricular meetings about premed requirements that they offer each day during shopping period and the e-mail newsletter they send out during the year."
Philosophies of education, premedical course requirements, qualifications for enrollment, and systems of training vary among the nation's medical schools, but all schools recognize the desirability of a strong foundation in the natural sciences, highly developed communication skills, and a solid background in the social sciences and humanities.
Many premedical students major in science, although this is by no means necessary. You may major in the sciences, the humanities, or the social sciences, but your program must be rigorous and thoughtfully organized, because medical schools are most concerned with the quality and scope of your work. Students who major outside the sciences and take the minimum number of science courses required must do very well to ensure adequate preparation for—and favorable consideration by—medical schools.
All medical schools require one year each of biology, physics, general chemistry, and organic chemistry, all with laboratories. Many schools also demand a year of college mathematics and one of English. High Advanced Placement test scores cannot usually substitute for these, but students who qualify should enroll in higher-level courses. Although most medical schools do not require them, advanced courses relevant to medicine (such as biochemistry, cell biology, and genetics) are strongly recommended. And experience in computer science, statistics, and psychology is becoming increasingly important for all health care professionals.
Courses that fulfill the requirements for admission to medical school must be taken for a letter grade.
There is no prescribed sequence for premedical courses, but since you will be judged on the basis of the work you have completed by the time you apply for admission to medical school, it is recommended that you finish the required courses before senior year. Students going directly to medical school after graduation normally apply the summer after junior year. Most students will want to fulfill the general chemistry requirement during their first year in addition to some course work in biology or mathematics, or both. However, each applicant's secondary school preparation and primary area of academic interest are different.
In addition to discussing your course selections with your sophomore adviser, you may wish to consult a health professions adviser at Undergraduate Career Services (UCS), 55 Whitney Avenue, third floor. The UCS Web site offers further information about many different health professions.
Many students complete the general chemistry requirement by taking one of two full-year introductory chemistry courses: CHEM 112a, 113b, Chemistry with Problem Solving; or CHEM 114a, 115b, Comprehensive General Chemistry. Students who place into CHEM 118a, Quantitative Foundations of General Chemistry, may complete the general chemistry requirement by taking CHEM 252b, Introductory Inorganic Chemistry, MCDB 300a, Biochemistry, or at least one term of MB&B 300a and 301b, Principles of Biochemistry, in sophomore or junior year, each with the appropriate laboratory. Students who have completed CHEM 124a, 125b, Freshman Organic Chemistry, or CHEM 220a, Organic Chemistry, and 221b, The Organic Chemistry of Life Processes, should consult a health professions adviser at UCS about their options for fulfilling the two-year chemistry requirement. Students with Advanced Placement equivalent to MATH 115a or b, Calculus of Functions of One Variable II, should consider taking an additional mathematics or statistics course. Students may meet the physics requirement by taking PHYS 150a, 151b, General Physics; 180a, 181b, Advanced General Physics; or 200a, 201b, Fundamentals of Physics.
A useful guide to medical school course requirements is the Medical School Admission Requirements Handbook published by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Take a look at it in the UCS library. Also available at UCS and online as a PDF (Acrobat Reader required) is the brochure "Preparing to Become a Health Care Practitioner," a guide to premedical education and related activities.
Academic performance is an important admissions criterion, but it is by no means the only one. One bulletin states, "Preference is given to those who have demonstrated interest in and commitment to human services." The New Haven and Yale communities offer many opportunities for service. Yale–New Haven Hospital, the Hospital of St. Raphael, Connecticut Hospice, Leeway (a long-term skilled nursing facility for AIDS/HIV patients), Fair Haven Community Health Center (serving primarily New Haven's large Hispanic population), and Hill Health Center (providing care to low-income and underserved populations in New Haven) are some of the organizations that sponsor volunteer programs open to Yale students. For a comprehensive list of Yale and New Haven volunteer opportunities, consult the Center for Public Service and Social Justice at Dwight Hall.
The Health Professions Advisory Board of UCS supports a resource library that contains information about admission to medical, dental, veterinary, osteopathic, and other schools; admissions data on previous Yale applicants; and student reports about medical school interviews. Students interested in a career in health care are urged to use these services. In addition, premedical curricular meetings are conducted during course selection period ("shopping period").
