Premedical Advising: Prospective Students

 

High School Preparation

Your high school guidance counselor can help you learn more about becoming a health professional, and perhaps arrange for you to interview or shadow members of the profession as they practice.

You can start volunteering in a medical setting, and begin building a foundation for your education by taking full advantage of your high school's chemistry, biology, physics, math, and other college preparation courses. 

If you take classes in high school for college credit, English, mathematics, and elective social sciences and humanities courses are more likely to meet unique college graduation requirements than natural science courses. Because natural science courses are sequential, you'll also transition between courses more smoothly if you complete all of a sequence at the same college or university. The KU School of Medicine can accept AP credit for entry requirements, but some medical schools do not.

For more information about how KU accepts AP and other kinds of non-traditional credit, see www.admissions.ku.edu/~admiss/credit/transfer/index.shtml.

For more information about becoming a physician, look at the AAMC's career information at www.aamc.org/students/considering/careers.htm, and KU Medical School's suggestions for high school students at www.kumc.edu/som/rightcareer.html.

Choosing a College or University

Some folks try to compare undergraduate colleges and universities by asking for "acceptance rates."

The underlying truth is that across all colleges and universities, about half of the candidates who apply to U.S. M.D. and D.O. medical schools are accepted.

It's easy to inflate acceptance rates to 80% or more by discouraging less competitive candidates from applying, and giving numbers for only first-time applicants, only those who met a GPA standard to be part of a formal premedical program, only those who applied through a premedical office (less competitive candidates often apply independently), and only those recommended by an advisor or health sciences committee.

Whether or not you'll be accepted depends on your motivation, ability and effort, not where you go to college. As the saying goes, "Wherever you go, there you are."

The KU School of Medicine shows a strong preference for Kansas residents, but does not select on the basis of whether or not a student completes an undergraduate education at KU. The medical school also shows favor to residents of other states who have significant Kansas ties, and one way to establish a tie is to attend a college or university in Kansas.

The Lawrence community and undergraduate programs at KU offer a rich environment in which you can prepare yourself to become a medical professional. Premedical resources include:

If you're interested in attending KU, contact the Office of Admissions & Scholarships, www.admissions.ku.edu, 785-864-3911, to apply, and to schedule a tour and information meetings. Apply early, and send updated transcripts as soon as they are available.

Transfer Students

If you are interested in transferring to the University of Kansas, you should also contact the Office of Admissions & Scholarships, www.admissions.ku.edu, 785-864-3911. They can schedule a tour, and information meetings. Apply early, and send updated transcripts as soon as they are available.

You can find transfer equivalency information at www.admissions.ku.edu/~admiss/credit/transfer/index.shtml.

If you are transferring from a community college, please be aware that there is a limit of 64 credit hours of community college coursework that can count toward the hours required for a four-year degree at KU or any Kansas Board of Regents' university. You will also need to complete at least 45 credit hours of junior-senior level coursework to complete a four-year degree, and community colleges cannot give junior-senior level credit. Some courses, like organic chemistry, would NOT count toward the 45 junior-senior hour requirement if taken at community college, but would count toward the requirement if taken at a four-year college or university.

After your transcripts have been evaluated by Admissions, it would be very helpful to individually meet with the premedical advisor AND a faculty advisor from your major department BEFORE your orientation session. If you call 785-864-3500, the staff member who answers the phone can schedule an appointment with me, and you can find the phone number for your major department on their website (see KU A-Z Index above).

I encourage you to sign-up for New Student Orientation, www.orientation.ku.edu, ideally the early transfer session in April.

Some suggestions:

If you plan to graduate in four years and/or enter a medical profession program immediately after graduating, then you must complete both semesters of general chemistry in your first two years of college, preferably by the end of your freshman year!

It's important to balance progress on major and profession school admissions requirements with progress toward meeting general education requirements. Some people complete most of their general degree requirements in their first two years, and transfer under the impression that they can then complete a science major and/or medical profession admission requirements in an additional two years. Because of the long sequence of required science courses and long application processes for admission to medical profession programs, this strategy will likely delay graduation and the application to professional schools. It also makes for two years filled to overflowing with challenging science courses, not a recipe for success.

You'll probably make more progress toward meeting major and degree requirements by taking required chemistry and physics courses, rather than biological sciences courses. Many transfer students, especially from community colleges, take courses more appropriate for nursing and allied health majors (like principles of biology, human anatomy & physiology and basic microbiology) than the biology courses for science majors required for admission to the KU School of Medicine.

If you're attending a community college, wait until you come to KU to take organic chemistry. KU's organic chemistry course will help meet the 45 junior-senior hour requirement, and medical school selection committee members will want to see how you perform in challenging science courses at a four-year college or university.

Take second-language courses! Many transfer students come to KU without having taken second-language courses, thinking they won't need them for a science major. In fact, many science majors earn bachelor of arts degrees which require fourth-level proficiency in a second language. If you complete language courses through the fourth level, you'll have many more degree and major options, and you'll be able to take full advantage of more study abroad opportunities. In addition to improving your general study skills, learning a second language can help you communicate with patients.