Pre-Medicine

MD, DOCTOR OF MEDICINE, OR DO, DOCTOR OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

General Guidelines

You can prepare for a career in medicine at Lewis-Clark State College. Medical doctors first earn a bachelor’s degree, often (but not necessarily) in a science and health major, and they then complete medical school, followed by a residency program.

Getting into medical school is a challenging and highly competitive process, but like other LC State graduates who have been admitted to medical school, you can meet the challenge by working with your advisor, taking required and recommended courses, earning good grades, doing well on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), and participating in certain service activities, including completing hours of optional job shadowing in health care related work sites.

Prerequisites for Admission to Medical School

Pre-requisites are what you need to complete as an undergraduate to apply for admission to medical school.

Recommended Major: BA/BS in one of the following:

The majors above provide a strong foundation in the sciences, but students who major in a liberal arts degree such as English, communication arts, or social science are also successful in getting admitted to medical school, as long as they incorporate the required and recommended coursework below into their degree plans.

Required Coursework:
In order to be admitted to most medical schools, you will need to complete a bachelor’s degree, including the following courses:

  • One year of introductory biology
  • One year of general chemistry
  • One year of organic chemistry
  • One semester of biochemistry
  • One year of physics
  • One-two years of social sciences coursework
  • One year of English coursework

Recommended Coursework:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Anatomy
  • Physiology
  • Calculus

Other requirements for applying to Medical School:

  • Completion of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
  • Strong GPA (varies by program)
  • Personal statement
  • Essay
  • Letters of recommendation

Recommended Extra-Curricular Activities:

  • Participate in job shadowing in a healthcare setting
  • Participate in undergraduate research opportunities

Get Started

To begin your path toward a career in medicine, contact a pre-med advisor today: