Premedical Information

• Clubs
• General Information
• Major
• Premedical Course Work
• Specific Courses for Premedical Students
• Factors in Medical School Admissions
• Premed Guide
• Scholarships

Clubs

Premed Club

The BYU Pre-Med Club: The Pre-Med Club's purpose is to give you the information and resources necessary to be the most competitive applicant possible. The club is open to all those interested in learning about medicine and those who are already pursuing acceptance to medical school. The Pre-Med Club holds meetings twice a month, hosting guest speakers ranging from medical students and residents to medical school deans of admissions and physicians. The club also offers service, research, leadership, and shadowing opportunities exclusively to members. Club dues are $20.00 and besides the aforementioned benefits, they cover pizza every meeting, a club t-shirt, $100 discounts for various MCAT preparatory courses, and a banquet at the end of the year with President Samuelson in the Skyroom for you and a guest. Information regarding joining and upcoming events is found at our website: www.cougarpremed.com and you can contact us with any questions at cougarpremed@gmail.com.

Women in Medicine

The purpose of this organization is to educate both men and women of the opportunities, influences, and value women have in the field of medicine. This club also sponsors speakers, service opportunities, and social gatherings. Women In Medicine provides support for women during their educational journey at BYU.

General Information

The office contains many resource materials, including The Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR), The New Physician, books to check out, and admissions statistics for BYU applicants. The Preprofessional Advisement Center is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except during devotionals and forums. Student advisors are available without appointment and will answer your questions regarding premedical education. We strongly encourage you to meet with us during your freshman year and plan out your class schedule in preparation for the MCAT and timely graduation. We encourage you to come to the office whenever you have questions.

In order to make sure you are on track, we suggest the following steps:

• Freshman or Transfer Students: Freshman students and transfer students who have not yet served missions, but plan to, should take StDev 139, Introduction to Health Professions, their first year at BYU. Those who have served missions or those who have previously taken StDev 139 should sign up for StDev 239, Preview of Medicine. Check the class schedule for class time and location.
• Sophomore Students: Meet individually with one of our prehealth advisors to check premedical progress at the end of your sophomore year. Please bring a transcript of your grades and a proposed plan of future courses.
• Junior Students: Attend orientation meetings, workshops, etc. Enroll Winter Semester in StDev 439, Medical and Dental School Application. Begin collecting letters of recommendation and preparing to apply to medical school. Take an MCAT prep course or begin studying independently.

What About a Major?

There is no "premedical" major. Medical schools do not have specific requirements stipulating which major applicants should pursue. Regardless of the major, students must complete the premedical course work. You should choose a major you excel in and that you enjoy. You will probably get better grades and your undergraduate experience will be more pleasant. Choose a major you can fall back on if you don't get into medical school or choose not to go.

Premedical Course Work

The following is a list of medical school admissions requirements and classes at BYU that meet each requirement. The classes from the first five requirements must be taken to prepare for the MCAT. If scheduling is a problem, you may postpone a lab. Some majors require you to take a slightly different path in completing the premedical course work, so see your major advisor. Most medical schools do not accept Advanced Placement credit. The exception is AP English, which is accepted by all schools except the University of Utah. Chances are slim that all 12 to 16 schools you will need to apply to will accept AP credit for science or math. Most students simply take all of the prerequisite courses at a university. Some schools require biochemistry or other classes. Consult the MSAR.

1. General or Inorganic Chemistry: one year (8 semester hours) with laboratory

Chemistry 105 or 111	General College Chemistry 1
Chemistry 106 or 112	General College Chemistry 2
Chemistry 107 or 213	General College Chemistry Laboratory
Note: Chemistry majors take Chem 111, 112, and 213.

2. Organic Chemistry: one year (8 semester hours) with laboratory

Chemistry 351	Organic Chemistry 1
Chemistry 352	Organic Chemistry 2
Chemistry 353 (2 hrs)	Organic Chemistry Laboratory
Note: Chemistry majors take Chem 351M, 352M and 354.

3. Biology: one year (8 semester hours a few schools require 12 semester hours) with lab

PDBio 120	Science of Biology
MMBio 240, 241	Molecular Biology and Lab
PWS 340	Genetics
PDBio 305 or 362 & 363	Essentials in Human Physiology or Advanced Physiology and Lab
Note: Nonscience majors should take PDBio 305; science majors consult major requirements. Although many medical schools require only a year of biology, we recommend that you take MM Bio 240 and PWS 340 to better prepare for the MCAT and to fulfill BYU's GE requirements. Do not take Biology 100. Although it fulfills a GE requirement, it will not fulfill prerequisites for medical school.

4. Physics: one year (8 semester hours) with laboratory

Physics 105 and 107	Introduction to Physics 1 & Lab
Physics 106 and 108	Introduction to Physics 2 & Lab
Physics 121	Principles of Physics1
Physics 123	Principles of Physics 2
Note: Physics 121 and 123 are for chemistry, physics, and engineering majors. Electricity and magnetism, covered in Physics 220, can be helpful, and will help to fulfill the 8 hours required..

5. English: one year (two classes)

First Year Writing	English 150 or other beginning writing
Advanced Writing	Take the class your major requires.

6. Math: requirements vary between 0-2 semesters, consult the MSAR.

Math 110	College Algebra
Math 111 (prereq for Physics 105)	Trigonometry
Math 119	Introduction to Calculus
Math 112	Calculus 1

7. Humanities: requirements vary; consult the MSAR
8. Social Sciences: requirements vary; consult the MSAR. The University of Utah requires "one course that focuses on the culture, history and/or current circumstances of one or more non-dominant groups in the United States" (2054-2006 MSAR). The Health Professions Office has a list of BYU classes that fulfill the requirement.

Students have recommended these classes as helpful for the MCAT and/or medical school:

PDBio 360	Cellular Biology
Physics 220	Electricity and Magnetism (For those taking the Physics 121 series.)
Chemistry 481	Biochemistry (highly recommended)
PDBio 220	Human Anatomy
PDBio 325	Tissue Biology

Special Courses Offered for Premedical Students

• StDev 139: Introduction to Health Professions
  
  Overview of health professions: medical, dental, and other specialties. Primary focus on guest lectures from various practitioners and clinicians.
  StDev 214 R:Advanced Reading Strategies
  
  In this class students are taught and given opportunities to practice reading strategies to increase your comprehension of the material the speed you read the material. You use your textbooks from other classes for the class as well as a ReadMate to help you practice. Great for DAT, GRE and MCAT prep, and also useful for graduate level reading. 2 credits.
• StDev 239: Preview of Medicine
  
  Introduction to medical practice with lectures by doctors. An overview of required courses, the application process, and recommended extracurricular opportunities. Representatives from professional schools also give presentations. Highly recommended.
• StDev 399R: Health Professions Internship
  
  Internships with health care providers
• StDev 439: Medical and Dental School Application
  
  Preparation for medical and dental school applications; the entire application process including school identification and submission. Highly recommended.
• InBio 370: Bioethics.
  
  This class discusses ethical issues related to emerging biomedical technology. Prerequisite: introductory biology course.
• Sociology 329: Medical Sociology.
  
  This class discusses social epidemiology, the role of the sick, sociocultural definitions and responses to illness, and the organization of medical-health delivery systems. Prerequisite: Sociology 111 or Psychology 111.
• Latin 123: Medical Latin and Greek.
  
  The course will teach the meaning and etymology of commonly used medical terms. The understanding of these terms, though never formally taught, is generally assumed of students in medical schools.

Factors in Medical School Admissions

1. GPA:Your science GPA is a very important factor in the admissions process. For example, consider the data on BYU applicants for the entering class of 2006:

GPA	Overall	Science*
All Applicants	3.65	3.38
Applicants accepted M.D.	3.79	3.63
Applicants accepted D.O.	3.61	3.38
Applicants not accepted	3.58	3.24
*Science GPA: biology, chemistry, physics, math (not engineering).

2. MCAT Scores:The MCAT is discussed in StDev 239, StDev439, and "The Guide to Premedical Education at Brigham Young University." The MCAT consists of four sections: biological sciences, verbal reasoning, physical sciences, and writing sample. Although it does require knowledge in certain areas, its main purpose is to test your critical thinking and problem solving skills. The MCAT is usually taken at the end of your junior year or the year before you hope to enter medical school. Do not take the MCAT lightly. Treat the MCAT as if it is a four-credit course. Be prepared!
3. Work Load:It is important to take full course loads (about 14+ credit hours) each semester. Consistently light loads raise a question about an applicant's ability to handle the much heavier loads required in medical school. Incompletes and unofficial withdrawals on a transcript are detrimental. Withdrawals are detrimental only when your transcript contains numerous W's and it is apparent that you are withdrawing from difficult classes to keep from receiving undesirable grades. Generally, work may not be total justification for taking fewer hours; however, your workload is always mentioned in your Premedical Committee letter, if we are made aware.
4. Repeating classes:If you receive a C grade or higher in a class, we do not recommend that you retake the course. It will only be a waste of your time. When you apply to medical school each grade is treated equally regardless of how many times you have taken the class. You should only retake a class in which you received a C grade or higher if you did not learn the subject matter well enough to do well in subsequent classes and on the MCAT. You should repeat classes in which you received a C- or below.
5. Extracurricular Activities:Get involved! It is better to become deeply involved in a few activities than to be superficially involved in many. Admissions committees look for service (duration of service is an important factor), motivation for the medical profession, and leadership. Extracurricular activities that involve these three areas are best.
6. Post-Bac Premedical Program:A post-baccalaureate premedical program is a formal program designed for students who lack prerequisites basic to medicine and/or have been previously unsuccessful in gaining admission to medical school. It serves recent graduates as well as those returning to school after an extended interval. These programs vary in length because they are based on the prior academic history of the prospective student. For additional information and a complete list of schools offering post-bac programs, you can visit the following web site on the internet:http://www.aamc.org/students/considering/postbac/start.htm

Premed Guide

Our office is currently working on a comprehensive guide to premedical studies that we plan to have finalized and available to students by Fall 2008. However, if you ever have any questions about being a premedical student, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

Scholarships

Several scholarships are available to preprofessional students. They are the Lewis Medical Foundation Scholarship, the Harold Whaley Brown and Violet Johnson Brown Scholarship, the Stephen Van Wagenen Scholarship, the Glenn and Iris Orton Scholarship, the Marion Merrill Brubaker and Rowan C. Ward Scholarship, and the Val and Alice Hemming Premed Interviewing Assistance Fund. Applications are only available when donations are made to the office, and notification will be made via the Prescription, the weekly email sent out to students on our email list when the applications are available and when they are due, applications are available in our office at 3328 WSC.

Preprofessional Advisement Center
3328 WSC
Provo, UT 84602
(801) 422-3044
Web Site: http://ccc.byu.edu/healthpro
E-Mail: health_professions@byu.edu

Revised March 2008