Preparation for Medical School

A student in any undergraduate major may apply for entry into medical school, as long as they have successfully completed all of the courses required for that particular medical school. However, we recommend that a student interested in becoming an M.D. major in Biology with a concentration in biomedical studies.

Competitive Applicant Profile

No matter what medical school a student chooses to attend, there are 5 areas that will be assessed by any Admissions Committee when reviewing applicants. It is therefore imperative that the student is well prepared in order to present his/her best possible application. In summary:

• Academics:
  • Is a baccalaureate degree required? Most schools require or prefer a degree.
  • Major? For schools requiring a degree, any major is acceptable as long as the student has a solid and well-rounded academic background
  • GPA? National average is 3.60-3.65
• MCAT Scores:
  
  • Must be equal to or greater than the national average (currently between 9 and 10).
    
  • Review opportunities are available (see below)
• Letters of Recommendation:
  
  • Required
    
  • Number of letters, and authors (instructors, advisors, etc.) vary from school to school
• Relevant Life Experiences:
  
  • Essential! Especially experiences that include contact with patients in a hospital or medical setting
    
  • Field Periods provide ideal opportunities to acquire these experiences!
• State of Residency:
  
  • Most state-supported medical schools will only accept in-state residents
  • Out-of-state applicants must present stronger GPAs and MCAT scores than required by the school if they plan to apply to state-supported, or private, medical schools
    
    

Resources for the Pre-Med Student

• These two sites are maintained for students by students:
  
  • American Medical Student Association
    
  • American Association of Pre-Medical Students
    
• AAMC (Association of American Medial Colleges
  
• On-line MCAT registration through AAMC
  
• On-line review services for MCAT preparation
  
  • Kaplan
    
    • Kaptest membership: gives you access to a range of test information, prep tools
      
    • The Pre-Med Edge: Kaplan’s exclusive emailed newsletter containing MCAT strategies, med school admissions tips, science review, and more
      
  • Princeton Review
    
    • Another source for MCAT review—offers a practice online MCAT!
      
    • Information on application to medical schools, financial aid, and other medical links
      

Medical Experience and Keuka's Field Period

Medicine is a people-oriented profession, and Field Periods provide ideal opportunities to earn college credit while observing various medical and clinical professionals diagnose and treat patients of all ages. Previous Field Period opportunities have included work in a variety of clinical settings, including various departments in hospitals and observations of various specialties in private practice. Students receive three semester hours of college credit for each completed Field Period experience (one for each year at Keuka College). Each student selects his (or her) own Field Period, and then works with his/her advisor to design, to document, and to reflect upon each Field Period experience.