Your Educational Plan for Medical School

Knox's helpful faculty on the Pre-Medical Advising Committee have come up with the following tips to help you plan your pre-med education and make your time at Knox as successful as possible.

You'll have guidance from your academic advisor and multiple resources to help you prepare for a successful career, including the Health Careers Club and the Center for Career and Pre-Professional Development, which helps coordinate internships as well as provide information on graduate school.

First and Second Years
1. Begin taking appropriate pre-med courses. The general chemistry sequence (Chemistry 101 and 102) should be started in order to complete organic chemistry the following year. Either the year-long physics (Physics 110, 120, and 130) or biology (Biology 110, 120, and 130) sequence should be started at some point during the first year.

2.  Take courses in the natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences to help determine your career interests, to broaden your educational background, and to fulfill Knox distribution requirements.

3.  Get to know the Knox faculty and administration. For specific questions related to medical school, talk with the pre-med advisor or the director of the Center for Pre-Professional and Career Development.

4.  Find out as much as you can about the medical schools you are considering. A good place to start is the website for the Association of American Medical Colleges. The AAMC has a wealth of information about preparing for and applying to medical school.

5.  Find out about medicine as a career and the current issues facing the profession. Volunteering at a hospital or observing at a practice is helpful. Obtaining EMT certification and riding with an ambulance crew on a regular basis is also excellent experience.  Read the medical sections of Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, etc., to broaden your insights into the field.

6.  Read as much as you can for your own edification and enjoyment. Reading improves communication skills, vocabulary, and problem-solving ability, all crucial skills for physicians.

7. Join the Pre-Med Club and take advantage of the many resources and activities available.

8. Contact the Center for Career and Pre-Professional Development for information on local internships.  Contact hospitals and clinics in your hometown to set up an internship or other experience during summer break.

9.  At the end of your second year, select your major. Many pre-med students major in a science, but any major is acceptable.

About Your Major
Knox students declare majors at the end of the second year. It's best that you select a major based on your interests, rather than on the idea that a certain major will "help you get in to med school." Knox graduates representing a variety of academic majors have successfully been accepted to medical school.

Junior Year
1.  Complete all pre-med courses necessary for the MCAT.

2.  Visit the AAMC website for information on registering for the MCAT. Taking the MCAT in April allows for earlier application than taking it in August.

3.  Begin to review for the MCAT in the fall term. Continue through winter break and the winter and spring terms.

4.  Register for the MCAT when registration becomes available.

5.  Take the MCAT in April or August.

6.  Starting in the spring, visit the AAMC website regularly for information on the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). Nearly all U.S. medical schools use this service. Begin to fill out the application in April, after the MCAT. Plan on having the AMCAS application ready to submit as soon as AMCAS begins accepting applications, usually in June.

7. Before leaving for summer break, contact the people you want to write your letters of recommendation. If you provide them with a copy of your personal essay for your AMCAS application and/or discuss your career plans with them, your referees can write more detailed letters about you and your goals.

8. Fill out secondary applications as soon as they come in. Early review of your application by medical schools enhances your chances of admission, because many schools make admissions offers at multiple points during the year.

Senior Year
1.  Interviews for many medical schools begin in the fall. Plan on being in the country during your senior year, although you can still participate in an off-campus program. If you're off-campus, make arrangements to expedite your mail delivery.

2.  The interview at the medical school is a crucial step in acceptance. Prepare for it by keeping current with important issues in health care, particularly in the field that you want to enter.  Be able to converse knowledgeably about social issues in health care, as well as scientific ones.  Research each school that you visit before you go there. See the Center for Career and Pre-Professional Development for ways to develop good interview skills.