The Advantages of Preparing for Medicine at the University of Rochester

As a premedical student at Rochester, you will have the following opportunities and services available to you:

1. The proximity of the University of Rochester Medical Center, which houses Strong Memorial Hospital, the School of Medicine and Dentistry and the Arthur Kornberg Medical Research Building. Opportunities available to undergraduates include:
   1. Research
   2. Clinical volunteering
   3. Contact with School of Medicine faculty and Admissions staff.
2. Three full-time professional advisers who provide the following services:
   1. Assistance with academic planning, in conjunction with faculty advisers
   2. General information sessions about the medical school application process
   3. Advice about letters of recommendation
   4. Individual essay critiques
3. Letters sent to the medical schools of your choice by the Health Professions Advisory Committee. These letters are available to all students who are in good academic standing and who follow the two-step request process. Letters are not limited to pre-screened candidates and are accompanied by a cover letter which includes descriptions of the premedical courses offered here and grade distributions for each.
4. Reliable, comprehensive applicant results which include all candidates
5. All of the other opportunities and programs available to Rochester students, including:
   1. The Rochester Curriculum
   2. The “Take Five” Scholars Program
   3. Certificates
   4. Quest courses
   5. ”3-2” Programs in a variety of disciplines
   6. Study overseas
   7. The option to design an individualized major, minor or Cluster
   8. Internships for academic credit

Questions? Please contact...

Kate Sgabellone or
Scott MacPhail
by email or at (585) 275-2354.

There is no formal “premed major” or “program” at Rochester; it’s simply a matter of taking courses in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics in conjunction with the major(s) of your choice.

Medical schools have no preference for certain majors over others. The choice of major should be guided by (1) your academic interests and strengths; and (2) the alternative career field(s) you would pursue if you don’t go to medical school.

REQUIREMENTS

A. Prerequisites

Schools of medicine, dentistry, osteopathy, optometry, podiatry, and veterinary medicine have similar prerequisites for admission. Because individual programs may vary, however, students should consult the reference materials in the Goldberg Career Library and talk with a health professions adviser in the Center for Academic Support. A Health Professions Handbook for UR students and application results are available on the Web at /College/CCAS/.

Students can meet preprofessional requirements by taking any one of the following sequences for each subject. Nonetheless, students should consult a departmental adviser or an academic adviser in order to choose the appropriate sequence for their ability and intended concentration. See the sample programs that follow:

Prerequisites for Admission

Preprofessional	Minimum UR Credits	Courses Available at UR
Two semesters of general chemistry with lab	10	CHM 131 and CHM 132
Two semesters of organic chemistry with lab	10	CHM 203 and CHM 204 with labs 207 and 208 or CHM 171Q and CHM 172Q with labs 173Q and 210
Two semesters of general physics with lab	8	PHY 113 and PHY 114 or PHY 121 and PHY 122 with labs
Biology	variable	See section B that follows.
Two semesters of mathmatics are strongly recommended but not always required	8	MTH 141 and MTH 142 or MTH 161 and MTH 162 or MTH 171Q and MTH 172Q
Two semesters of English	8	The College writing requirement satisfies the preprofessional English requirement.

B. Biology Requirement

Students who plan to pursue a B.A. degree in Biology or a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences will complete more than enough Biology courses to fulfill the preprofessional requirement. Those who choose to major in a discipline unrelated to Biology should consult with the health professions adviser. Regardless of major, all health professions students should consult the Program in Biology and Medicine's Curriculum Handbook, available in Hutchison 402, for the latest information on Biology course offerings. Please note that in order to fulfill the preprofessional requirement of "two semesters of biology with lab," and to adequately prepare for standardized admission tests, more than two semesters of biology coursework is required.

C. General Program Planning Guidelines

It is important that students intending to apply to health professions schools make an early start on science courses. There is no "one size fits all" schedule (especially since so many entering freshmen have AP and/of transfer credit), but here are some key points to keep in mind.

1. Any student considering a Biology or Biological Sciences major should take Biology in the freshman year. The Biology Department strongly recommends that a student enrolling in BIO 110 or BIO 112 also enroll in CHM 131. If there is concern about a student's ability to handle more than two science/technical courses in a semester, consider one of these alternatives:
   1. Take biology and chemistry in the freshman year and calculus in the summer (consult a CCAS health professions adviser) or in the sophomore year
   2. Take calculus with chemistry in the freshman year and biology with organic chemistry in the sophomore year (consult with the Biology department to see how this timeline may impact biology majors)
   3. Take calculus and biology in the freshman year and chemistry in the summer (consult with a CCAS health professions adviser)
2. You need only two semesters of mathematics for most health professions schools. HOWEVER, the University Physics department strongly recommends both MTH 142 and MTH 143 for PHY 114.
3. Traditionally, Rochester students who apply to go to a health professions school after graduating with an undergraduate degree complete general chemistry in the freshman year, organic chemistry in the sophomore year, and physics in the junior year. This "timetable" may be altered to fit individual needs the average ago of students who attend the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry is 24, . What is most important to remember is that admissions tests for health professions schools must be taken no later than a year before expected matriculation, and all required science courses must be completed prior to taking the tests.
4. Health professions schools do not treat repeat courses as the College does. Both grades are included in the cumulative average, so even an "A" in a second attempt does not raise the average that much. A student should be aware of this if he or she is considering repeating a course. Please consult with a CCAS health professions adviser to discuss all available option before repeating a course.
5. Health professions schools are not troubled by a few grades of "W" in an otherwise good record, and they will certainly "forgive" course withdrawals resulting from circumstances (illness, family emergency) beyond a student's control. Student's should keep in mind that a grade of "W" indicates that an effort was made to complete a course. When a course is dropped (deleted) from a 16-credit program, the student appears to have carried and "underload" for the entire semester. This is usually more detrimental than a grade of "W."

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