Pre-Med Timeline

Timeline for Application/Admission to Medical School, as recommended by the Association of American Medical Colleges

COLLEGE YEAR 1
Fall Semester

1. Decide on a major and meet with your advisor.
2. Register for the Medical School Recommendation Process with the Academic Enrichment Center (Brewster B-103).
3. Successfully complete first semester of required pre -medical courses and other degree requirements
4. Begin to get involved outside of the classroom by attending a meeting of a health-related student organization, doing volunteer work, or participating in campus and cultural events.
5. Attend “Strategies for Success” programs of interest. Obtain a schedule from the Academic Enrichment Center.
6. Build a relationship with at least one faculty member. Ask him/her to complete a “Faculty Evaluation Form” for the Medical School Recommendation Process

Spring Semester

1. Re-evaluate your career path if your gpa is below a 3.0.
2. Visit “Considering a Career in Medicine” web site (www.aamc.org/students/considering)
3. Visit www.ecu.edu/advising Go to the Academic Enrichment page to learn more about applying to medical, dental, veterinarian, optometry, etc. schools.
4. Identify summer employment/medically related volunteer work.
5. Consider applying for the Primary Care Physician’s Shadowing Program for the sophomore year.
6. Successfully complete second-semester required premedical coursework and other degree requirements.
7. Build a relationship with at least one faculty member. Ask him/her to complete a “Faculty Evaluation Form” for the Medical School Recommendation Process

SUMMER 1

1. Complete summer employment/health-related volunteer work
2. Attend summer school if necessary

COLLEGE YEAR 2
Fall Semester

1. Re-evaluate your career decision if your gpa is below a 3.0.
2. Maintain contact with your advisor.
3. Successfully complete required pre-medical courses and other degree requirements.
4. Investigate medical schools and their application requirements via the web.
5. Get involved outside of the classroom by joining a student organization, doing volunteer work, or participating in campus and cultural events.
6. Attend “Strategies for Success” programs of interest. Obtain a schedule from the Academic Enrichment Center.
7. Build a relationship with at least one faculty member. Ask him/her to complete a “Faculty Evaluation Form” for the Medical School Recommendation Process.
8. Participate in Primary Care Physician’s Shadowing Program if you applied and were selected at the end of your freshmen year. You may reapply for the spring if you missed the fall deadline.

Spring Semester

1. Same as above.
2. Participate in Primary Care Physician’s Shadowing Program if you applied and were selected during your 2nd year.
3. Identify summer employment/health-related volunteer work.
4. Begin investigating MCAT preparation courses, resources and practice tests.

SUMMER 2

1. Complete summer employment/health-related volunteer work.
2. Attend summer school if necessary.
3. Begin investigating MCAT preparation courses, resources and practice tests.

COLLEGE YEAR 3
Fall semester

1. Re-evaluate your career choice if your gpa is below 3.0.
2. Investigate: The Association of American Medical Colleges website for information about applying to medical school, the Medical College Admission Test and the American Medical College Application Services www.aamc.org
3. Begin preparation for spring MCAT administration.
4. Begin investigating MCAT preparation courses, resources and practice tests.
5. Maintain contact with your advisor.
6. Successfully complete required pre-medical courses and other degree requirements
7. Get involved outside of the classroom by joining a student organization, doing volunteer work, or participating in campus and cultural events.
8. Attend “Strategies for Success” programs about the application process, interviewing skills, writing a personal statement and professional etiquette. Obtain a schedule from the Academic Enrichment Center.
9. Build a relationship with at least one faculty member. Ask him/her to complete a “Faculty Evaluation Form” for the Medical School Recommendation Process.
10. Continue to investigate application requirements for the medical schools of which you are interested.

Spring Semester

1. Same as above.
2. Take spring MCAT.
3. Visit the Academic Enrichment Center to begin the final steps for the Medical School Recommendation Process.

SUMMER 3

1. Complete AMCAS application.
2. Take summer MCAT, if necessary.
3. Attend summer school, if necessary.
4. Complete summer employment or volunteer work.
5. Investigate AAMC’s website www.aamc.org for the following: Recommendations Concerning Medical School Acceptance Procedures for First-Year Entering Students and Applicant Responsibilities documents.

COLLEGE YEAR 4
Fall semester

1. Work with advisor to ensure that you will meet requirements forgraduation.
2. Turn in copy of AMCAS application and the request to send letters to the Academic Enrichment Center.
3. Visit Dr. Gerhard Kalmus to arrange for a committee interview.
4. Complete any supplementary materials for schools you have applied to.
5. Interview with medical schools.
6. Review financial aid planning information at www.aamc.org
7. Successfully complete first-semester course work and other degree requirements.
8. Apply for graduation from ECU.

Spring semester

1. Make interim and final decisions about medical school choice
2. Immediately notify medical schools that you will not be attending
3. Ensure that all IRS forms are submitted as early as possible
4. Successfully complete second-semester coursework and other degree requirements.
5. Graduate.

SUMMER 4

1. Prepare for medical school enrollment: purchase books and equipment and make appropriate living arrangements.
2. Relax and prepare for medical school.
3. Attend orientation programs and matriculate into medical school.

http://www.ecu.edu/cs-acad/aec/upload/Timeline_For_Med_School.pdf

Updated 8/08
HEALTH PROFESSIONS OFFICE
RECOMMENDED SCHEDULE FOR TAKING PREMED COURSES
If you want to enroll in medical school in fall 2009, you must apply in the summer of 2008 and take the
MCAT no later than April 2008. You may take the MCAT in August 2008, but taking it this late can have a
negative impact on admission to medical school due to “rolling admissions”. There are 24 MCAT test
dates in 2009. For the list of courses required for entrance into medical school, please review the MSAR
(Medical School Admission Requirements) published by the AAMC (Association of American Medical
Colleges).
COURSES TO BE TAKEN BEFORE TAKING THE MCAT:
Please note: Students that come in to UCSB with AP credit need to be aware that some medical schools
restrict the use of such credit.
Physics w/ lab Physics 6A/AL, 6B/BL, 6C/CL or 1, 2, 3/3L, 4/4L (if you can't complete 6C
before the MCAT, learn optics on your own)
Chemistry w/ lab Chemistry 1A/AL, 1B/BL, 1C/CL (or the 2 equivalent)
Biology w/ lab MCDB 1A/1AL, 1B, MCDB 1BL or EEMB 2L, EEMB 2, EEMB 3/3L
Organic Chemistry Chemistry 109A, 109B, 109C
Organic Chem. Lab Chemistry 6AL (Chem 6BL is also required for medical school admission, but
does not have to be taken before the MCAT)
Other MCDB 101A and 108A and 111 (if you can't take this course, learn physiology
on your own. You may also want to take an Anatomy course at SBCC –
BIOMD 107)

http://www.ltsc.ucsb.edu/health/info_sheets/recommended_schedule.PDF
RECOMMENDED SCHEDULE
Fall: Winter: Spring:
Freshman Chem 1A + 1AL Chem 1B + 1BL Chem 1C + 1CL
Year: Math 3A or 34A Math 3B or 34B Math 3C or Stat
Writing 1 Writing 2
Sophomore MCDB 1A + AL MCDB 1B and EEMB 2 EEMB 3 + 3L
Year: Chem 109A MCDB 1BL or EEMB 2L Chem 109C & Chem 6BL
Physics 6A + 6AL Chem 109B & Chem 6AL Physics 6C + 6CL
Physics 6B + 6BL
Junior Year: MCDB 101A - genetics MCDB 111 - physiology Writing 109HP*
MCDB 108A - biochemistry
*if not a specific Biology major, MCDB 108A is not required for your major, and you
can take MCDB 110 as your biochemistry course
*EEMB 129 can be taken instead of MCDB 101A and EEMB 154 can be taken instead of
MCDB 111
Note: This schedule lists only required pre-med courses, as well as those that help on the MCAT but it does
not include general education and major requirements. Because of the competitive nature of the application
process, at least three upper-division biology courses should be taken (see medical school requirement
sheet).
Please keep in mind the above schedule is only a recommendation. Schedules can be adjusted to meet the
needs of individual students. Please consult with the Health Professions Office for suggestions.
*Writing HP 109 gives you extremely valuable assistance in writing your personal statement, which is a
very important part of your medical school application. It is offered every quarter but don't postpone it to
Updated 8/08
the last available quarter because it is always overenrolled. Also keep in mind that 1 more quarter of
English is required beyond Writing 2 and Writing 109HP.
RECOMMENDED TIMELINE FOR APPLYING TO MEDICAL SCHOOL
Junior Year
• Enroll in MCAT prep course in summer or in October
• Take MCAT in April/May
• Open up a letter file at Career Services
• AMCAS opens in May – begin filling out application and request to have all
transcripts sent from all post-secondary schools you attended
• AMCAS sends out earliest applications on June 5th
• After you receive your MCAT scores and spring quarter grades are in, submit
your application – admissions are “rolling”, so the longer you wait, the less
chance you have of being admitted. You do not need to wait until grades are
on the official transcript.
• If MCAT scores are low, retake MCAT in the summer (there are now
multiple test dates)
• Over the summer, verify that all of your letters of recommendation arrived in
the Career Services building, and request that letters be sent to schools from
whom you received secondary applications and to non-AMCAS schools
• Send back secondary applications as soon as possible after you receive them
Remember, the sooner you finish your applications, the better
• Verify with each school to which you applied that your application is
complete
Senior Year
• Prepare for interviews in the fall
• If you still haven’t heard from a school about the status of your application,
call them
• If fall quarter grades are good, send them to all medical schools to which you
have applied
• Good luck on all your interviews!
• Accept a school’s offer of matriculation
• May 15 is the date by which you have to make a commitment to only one
school
Things to keep in mind:
• Volunteer and extra-curricular activities should be started as soon as possible
and continued throughout your stay at UCSB
• Look in to doing research with a professor through URCA’s FRAP program
• Join the Health Professions Association (hpaucsb@gmail.com)
• Get to know your professors by attending office hours – you’ll need them to
write letters of recommendation
• Set up your letters of recommendation file at Career Services early
Note: Most allopathic medical schools belong to AMCAS – 114 out of 126 schools participate
All osteopathic medical schools belong to AACOMAS
All Texas medical schools (MD and DO), except Baylor, use TMDSAS
Note: This is just a recommended timetable. Many students push this back a year in order to take
a year off between college and medical school to travel, work, fill in gaps, etc.