Academic Requirements for Pre-Medical Students

Each professional school establishes its requirements for admission, and the health professions advisor will make you aware of the courses required for the schools and programs of interest to you

Almost every medical and dental school requires entering students to have completed:

• One year (two semesters) of college English;
• One year (two semesters) of college biology, with labs;
• One year (two semesters) of physics, with labs;
• One year (two semesters) of inorganic chemistry, with labs;
• One year  (two semesters) of organic chemistry, with lab,

Several medical schools now require:

• One semester of biochemistry;
• Two semesters of mathematics (calculus, statistics, or computer science),

Most medical and dental schools require courses in humanities, social sciences, or psychology, but fulfilling the broad liberal arts education you will select, working with your academic advisor, usually satisfies these requirements.

Although the requirements for veterinary medicine, optometry, physical therapy, chiropractic medicine, etc. are similar to those of medical and dental school, there are individual variations and it is best for students to consult with the advisor early in their college career. Working closely with the health professions advisor will insure that you are prepared to apply to the professional school of your choice.

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Student Profiles

Heather Michael '07,  from Red Hook, New York, entered Hamilton College with the certainty that she wanted to study medicine. During her first year, she trained as an EMT and joined the Hamilton College Emergency Medical Squad. She also played flute with a chamber group, took scuba lessons, and was an active member of the Hamilton Outing Club.  She spent the summer after her freshman year  at Hamilton conducting chemistry research with Professor George Shields.  During her sophomore year, Heather served as a teaching assistant in the Biology 111 lab and as a tutor  for the Biology and Chemistry Departments while continuing her EMT work. In the spring of her sophomore year Heather declared a Biology major and shortly thereafter decided to apply as an Early Assurance candidate to Upstate Medical College. She celebrated her acceptance to Upsate in September of her junior year.  Heather graduated from Hamilton summa cum laude and valedictorian of the Class of 2007, and she would have been a competitive applicant to any medical school in the country. Because she is from a small town, she was drawn to Upstate by their Rural Medicine Program and by the opportunity to apply early.   

Laura Belden '07, from Brookfield, Connecticut, was a whirlwind of activity during her years at Hamilton, playing three sports (volleyball  and both indoor and outdoor track), serving as President of the Hamilton College Choir and Head Resident Advisor, and playing a lead role in "Kiss Me Kate" in her senior year.  Despite all her activities, Laura made time to earn Dean's List grades and explore potential health careers, spending the summer of 2005 as a nurse's assistant with the HELP internship at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains, NY and the summer of 2006 as a Summer Fellow at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut.  She at first considered a career in medicine, but following the suggestions of her mentor at Hartford Hospital, she shadowed dentists and immediately knew she had found her future profession.  Laura will enter the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine in the fall of 2008.

Lucas Thornblade '07, from Castleton, Vermont, is an ardent environmentalist who focused on promoting and improving the campus recycling effort during his undergraduate years.  While at Hamilton Luke found many opportunities to educate others on environmental issues, and each year he taught minimum impact camping as he led nine day pre-orientation wilderness trips for first year students as an  Adirondack Adventure leader. Luke spent the summer of 2005 conducting research with Cornell University's Plant Genome Research Project. During the summer of 2006, he used a Bristol Grant to explore health policy in his native Vermont, presenting a paper, "Contemporary Analysis of Healthcare Reform in Vermont: A Study of the Unisured." Lucas chose to study in Viet Nam with School for International Training (SIT) in the spring semester of his junior year, and he returned to Viet Nam on a Fulbright Fellowship for the 07-08 academic year.  Displaying the advanced organizational skills he employed at Hamilton, Lucas returned to the US for two weeks in the winter of 2008, during which time he interviewed at six medical schools.  At Hamilton Lucas found time to run on the cross country team, participate in both indoor and spring track, sing with the Hamilton Colege Choir and the College Hill Singers.