Biology

Choice of Major

No particular major is preferred. Pre-medicine is not a major; rather, it is a collection of courses that fulfill admission requirements to most medical schools. A Bachelor's degree is required and an academic major must be selected.

Biology and chemistry are the most common majors; others include anthropology, education, math, philosophy, psychology. In terms of acceptance, no major has a selective advantage over another.

We recommend that students select a major that they enjoy, can do well in and would want for a career as an alternative to medical school. Selection of a major should be discussed with a pre-medical advisor and chosen by the sophomore year.

Average GPA of entering medical students is 3.62 at OHSU for the class of 2015.

For more information: ACADEMICS

Required Pre-Med Courses

Chemistry

Two academic years of chemistry (with lab) to include:

• General Chemistry (Ch 201-206)
• Organic Chemistry
  • Ch 334-336 + labs Ch 337, 340, 341

Biology

One academic year of Biology.

• Principles of Biology (Bi 211-213)
• Genetics (Bi 341) is advantageous.
• Cell Biology, microbiology, animal physiology and developmental biology are helpful.
• Human anatomy/physiology is not required and does not fulfill electives for the biology major.
• Check specific requirements of particular medical schools.

Physics

• One academic year of physics (Ph 201-203 or Ph 221-223 and labs Ph 224-226)

Mathematics

• One college level math course is required for OHSU; other schools may require more.
• Calculus (Mth 251) is highly recommended at OHSU and may be required for other schools.
• Statistics (Mth 243) is helpful.

Humanities, Social Sciences, and English

One academic year of each including

• At least one course in composition
• Psychology is recommended.
• A foreign language is valuable.
• General education goals at SOU meet these requirements.

Note

All required pre-med courses must be taken for a letter grade; pass/no pass options are not acceptable. All required courses must be completed by the time of application to medical school.

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

For more information: MCAT

Health Care Experience, Community Service, Extracurricular Activities, Research

For more information: NON-ACADEMICS

Letters of Recommendation

In the year when you apply to medical schools

• Complete a Pre-med Interview form obtained from a pre-med advisor.
• Arrange an interview with the Pre-Medical Committee.
• Interviews will be conducted in June.
• The committee, consisting of faculty from biology, chemistry and physics, writes a single letter of recommendation from the university.
• Arrange for 3-4 other letters that say different things related to your experiences in health care, community service and other activities.

For more information: LETTERS

When And How To Apply

In the year in which you apply (about 15 months before the expected start of medical school), download applications from the American Medical School Application Service (AMCAS) website http://www.aamc.org and from the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS) from http://www.aacom.org

• The earliest you may apply is at the end of your junior year, 9-12 months before graduation.
• Applications from students who have already graduated are much stronger.
• Apply between June 15 and October 15. Earlier applications have an advantage.
• If you are an Oregon resident, apply to OHSU and to 10-15 private schools.
• Consider also osteopathic schools.

For more information: APPLICATION

Curriculum Planning

An outline for a Biology major pre-medical program: