How to be a strong candidate for medical school

College of Health

Select a major that gives you a unique path and perspective

Elements of a strong pre-med application

Medical schools take a holistic approach in considering applicants.

They consider

  • Experiences in healthcare, clubs, service organizations, leadership roles, job shadowing and more.
  • Attributes such as personal history, critical thinking skills, cultural competency and diversity.
  • Metrics such as GPA (recommend 3.2+), grade trends and MCAT score (recommend 501+), and sciences requirements.

It’s important to

  • Build excellent relationships with professionals and faculty who might serve as references.
  • Engage in extracurricular activities. Three or four in-depth experiences matter more than a wide range. Choose activities you're passionate about, whether patient- or people-focused, community-building, sports or arts.
  • Aim for at least one year of healthcare-related experience.

What to major in for pre-med?

For most health professions, your specific major isn’t as important as pre-requisite courses and hands-on experience. This gives you the freedom to major in something you enjoy and find inspiring.

Majors

College of Health majors that include some requirements for medical school:

Kinesiology

The pre-therapy and allied health option offers professional tracks that include pre-requisites for physician assistant, athletic training, medicine and nursing.

Nutrition

Many pre-medical competency courses are built into the nutrition and health sciences option requirements.

Public health

The pre-med/pre-clinical track prepares you for healthcare careers while helping you see the bigger picture through public health, equity and systems thinking.

Courses required for medical school

Most medical schools require the following courses:

  • 1 year general chemistry
  • 1 year organic chemistry
  • 1 year general biology
  • 1 year general physics
  • At least one math course; preferably also statistics
  • Social science courses (consider HDFS courses, psychology or sociology)
  • Humanities

Online courses, study abroad and international science courses are usually not accepted by medical schools for completing prerequisites. Always check specific medical/health professions schools for specific prerequisites.

Most medical schools highly recommend:

  • Anatomy and Physiology (included in the college’s kinesiology degree)*
  • Biochemistry
  • Cell and Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Physiology

*Some osteopathic medical schools recommend anatomy and
physiology. Physician associate programs typically require this
coursework.

How to choose extracurriculars for medical schools

When considering extracurricular activities for your medical school application, three or four in-depth experiences where you gain valuable lessons are more important than trying to check off a wide range and number of activities.

Show you care

Medical schools care about what you care about.

This means your experiences could be:

  • patient- or people-focused,
  • contribute to building community,
  • be sports-related,
  • or be physical activities,
  • or creative or artistic pursuits.

It's your opportunity

Extracurricular experiences are an opportunity for you to:

  • Explore your interests,
  • test out your natural inclinations for certain activities,
  • better understand medical practice and daily demands,
  • assess your ability to communicate and empathize with diverse people,
  • and evaluate your willingness to put others’ needs ahead of your own.

Medical schools value commitment to the healthcare field.

To be a strong applicant, we recommend at least one year of healthcare-related experience.

  

Review this example pre-med timeline so you’re well-positioned to achieve your goal of attending medical school.

Take advantage of pre-med resources

Attend application seminars, pre-medical orientation seminars, and a personal statement workshop.

A medical preceptorship program will immerse you in a clinical environment with a physician mentor to give you a firsthand look into the profession.

More resources

  • Pre-med Listserv: Subscribe to the pre-med email list for information about upcoming events, application workshops, campus visits, etc.
  • Minority Association of Pre-Med Students: (MAPS) is a club that is committed to supporting underrepresented minority students pursue medical school.
  • Pre-Med Society: Join the Oregon State University chapter of the AMSA Pre-Medical Society.
  • Premedical Orientation Class - BI 109: Take this class in the winter term of your first year. You’ll learn about the application process, the MCAT, admissions, volunteer opportunities, etc.
  • Is pre-med right for me? A guide to help you think about whether pre-med is the right path for you.

We’re here to help you plan for medical school

If you're interested in attending medical school, meet with the College of Health pre-med advisor toward the end of your first year, or as soon as possible, to learn about and prepare for the application process.

By working with the COH pre-med advisor, you will also establish a mentoring relationship, a critical part of the process.

Advising

Advising appointments can be made by calling the College of Health's Office of Student Success at 541-737-8900.

Are you a current College of Health student interested in pursuing medicine?

Connect with your advisor and let them know.