Getting Pre-Med Advising
“Pre-med” is NOT a major. Pre-medicine is a set of coursework that prepares you for success on the MCAT and as a medical student, and that demonstrates to medical school admissions committees that you have an aptitude for and background in science. The requirements for preparing for other health professions besides medicine vary widely.
Further, although LSAS can advise you on strong coursework preparation that will generally support your admission to medical, optometry, or other health professional schools, we can not be familiar with the specific requirements of all individual schools. You should begin to think about where you might want to attend school and check out the admissions requirements posted on their websites.
As you select your major, you should consider an alternative career that you would find interesting and rewarding and major in a field that will prepare you to enter that career (or a graduate program towards that end). According to the AAMC, in 2007, only 44% of students who applied to medical school were admitted to any of the schools to which they applied. Moreover, Humanities and Social Sciences majors were admitted at a slightly higher rate than Biological Sciences majors.
- To begin thinking about appropriate pre-health professions coursework, review Pre-Med Coursework.
- Check out our list of recommended reading for pre-medicine students.
- To make an appointment for pre-health advising, contact 70 Bascom by email (link) or by phone at 262-5858.
- Check the Events (link to Events) page for pre-health workshops.
- In order to get the most from your advising appointment or workshop, please explore our website and/or read the Pre-Medicine at Wisconsin booklet, which also contains information for other health professions.
The National Association of Advisors in the Health Professions has published a very inexpensive ($4) brochure on interviewing. It can be ordered at www.naahp.org/publications.htm