Career Services
Requirements for Admission to Medical School
Course work
Exact requirements vary with individual schools, but in general the idea is to confirm one's interest in and capacity for proceeding further in fields fundamental to the study of medicine, e.g., biology, chemistry, physics. Highly developed communication skills are also important.
Subjects required by virtually all medical schools:
- Biology, one year (e.g., Bio 101-102)
- Chemistry, two years, general and organic (e.g., Chem 101-102; 201-202)
- Physics, one year (e.g., Physics 100)
Subjects required by about half of US medical schools:
- English (Hum 110 works but requires a letter from the head of Hum affirming that the course involves a considerable amount of English composition)
Subjects required by about a quarter of US medical schools:
- Calculus (e.g., Math 111-112)
- Humanities
- Psychology or social science
Since knowledge of calculus is fundamental to doing well in physics, we advise all premed students to take a year of calculus.
Grades
Medical schools consider grades to be the most important predictor of performance in med school yet, give that, they are reluctant to give cutoff GPAs, in part because they do not want to exclude the occasional exceptionally talented student with a mediocre GPA. Moreover, med schools recognize that there is a lot of variation in grading policy between colleges. In general, the GPA of less than 3.0 is problematic unless it is offset by good a MCAT score and/or laudatory letters of recommendation, personal qualities, and experience.
For the curious, the 10 year average GPA for Reed acceptees was 3.38, with a range from 3.96 to 2.66. 13 acceptees had REED GPAs of 3.0. 12 non-admits had a Reed GPA of 3.6 or above.
MCAT
Medical schools typically say that MCAT scores are weighted at about a third, but this varies. Again they are reluctant to give cutoff values, but if given, they are most often 7s or 8s on the individual test components (Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning) or a total score averaging 21-24. The average scores for Reed acceptees for 2001 was 30.
Letters of recommendation
Their importance varies with the school, ranging from most important to weighting only a tenth. Generally three letters from faculty who know you well meets this requirement. Refer to the guidelines for letters of evaluation for important content information. An in-depth discussion with your faculty recommenders along with a copy of your AMCAS essay is extremely helpful to your faculty as they address not only your academic qualifications, also the equally important personal qualities that will make you a good physician.
Medically related experience
Hospital or other medical experience is required by most schools, and direct patient contact is preferred. Non-health care community service is also a plus. Medical schools are interested in candidates who will be community leaders and who have a demonstrated record of civic involvement. More importantly, such experience is extremely valuable to your decision-making process about your own suitability for a challenging career in medicine. career. We find that applicants without community-based, civic, and leadership experience have a difficult time demonstrating a commitment to this career path. Volunteer opportunities can be researched through the Reed SEEDS Office (28 West) and Career Services (Greywood).
State residency
Because they receive state taxpayer funds, many public schools are required to select a majority of in-state applicants. Some private schools have informal commitments to enroll a percentage of state residents. See Medical School Admission Requirements, published yearly by the Association of American Medical Colleges, and other publications available in Career Services.