Planning

All degree programs at Georgia Tech provide an opportunity to obtain excellent pre-health profession training. There is no particular advantage for one major relative to another as far as success in application to professional schools. The selection of a major should be made on the basis of individual interests, keeping in mind that your career plans might change. When degree programs do not specifically require all of the courses required for admission to colleges of medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine those courses may be taken as electives.

Course Requirements for Health Professions

At a minimum most medical, dental and veterinary colleges require:

one year of Biology

two year of Chemistry (through organic chemistry)

one year of Physics

one year of English

Biology

BIOL 1510, Introduction to Biological Principles

BIOL 1520, Introduction to Organismal Biology

Chemistry

CHEM 1310 General Chemistry

CHEM 1311 Inorganic Chemistry I

CHEM 1312 Inorganic Chemistry I Lab or

CHEM 1313 Intro. to Quantitative Methods

CHEM 2311 Organic Chemistry I

CHEM 2312 Organic Chemistry II

CHEM 2380 Synthesis Laboratory I*

*Most medical schools accept two quarters or one semester of organic chemistry laboratory; if a full year is required then either CHEM 3371, Organic Laboratory II or CHEM 3380, Synthesis Laboratory II should be taken.

Physics

PHYS 2211, Introductory Physics I*

PHYS 2212, Introductory Physics II

*The math pre-/co-requisites for physics are such that at least one year of mathematics is required. This would be MATH 1501 and 1502.

  English

Note that admission requirements do vary and it is the applicant's responsibility to be sure that additional requirements are met.

Requirements of individual schools

Specific requirements of medical schools, dental schools and veterinary medical colleges are provided in the following publications: Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR), Admission Requirements of U.S. and Canadian Dental Schools, and Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements (VMSAR). These annual publications are available in the Georgia Tech Library. Individual copies may also be ordered. Ordering information for these and other publications related to medical, dental, and veterinary medical colleges is available from the following web sites.

Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC)
http://www.aamc.org/start.htm

American Dental Education Association (ADEA)
http://www.adea.org

Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC)
http://aavmc.org/

Some Things to Consider

Admissions committees consider several factors in making their selections from the many applications that are received. For example, in 2004 over 35,735 people applied for about 16,500 slots in US medical schools. Georgia Tech students fared well, better than the national average, but still not everyone was successful. As you plan for your own application it is worth considering what you can do to enhance your chances of success. Let's begin by considering some of the obvious things that selection committees will consider.

Grade point average. Good grades are important as they indicate that you have the motivation, study skills and intellect that are necessary to succeed academically in a post-baccalaureate program. Average overall grade point averages of matriculants tend to be about 3.6, but the standard deviations are significant so that people with lower GPA's are definitely accepted. However, a high GPA alone will not ensure acceptance to medical, dental or veterinary school.

Admission Tests. Scores from the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), Dental Admission Test (DAT) or must be submitted as part of your application for medical or dental school, respectively. Veterinary colleges vary in their requirements. Some require the Veterinary College Admission Test (VCAT) whereas others require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the MCAT. In general these standardized examinations are taken in the spring of the junior year and cover material from the college courses that are required for admission. Thus it is important that you plan your course of study such that you complete these courses prior to taking the standardized examination. Statistics concerning MCAT scores of applicants and matriculants to medical school are available at http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/start.htm

Some Things that are not as Obvious

Communications skills. The importance of good written and oral communication skills cannot be over emphasized. In the short term you must write a convincing personal essay as part of your application, and you must present yourself in a convincing fashion in an interview with selection committees. As a health care professional you must communicate effectively with clients, colleagues and the public.

Letters of recommendation. Applications typically require three or four letters of recommendation. It is generally expected that most of these will be from college faculty, although if you have interned, co-oped, volunteered, or been employed in a field related to your major or the health profession that you wish to study then your supervisor(s) could also be suitable references. Letters from friends of the family, ministers or high school teachers are normally not appropriate. The important thing is that those writing letters on your behalf are people who know you and your academic capabilities and personal qualities. The fact that you make a good grade in a class does not give the faculty member the basis for writing a meaningful letter of recommendation. Stay after class and ask thoughtful questions about the course material, visit your professors during their office hours, or even make appointments where appropriate to meet with them at other times, take leadership roles in group projects, etc. Participation in research projects is an excellent way to not only get to know faculty, but also to enhance your education. It also demonstrates initiative.

Knowledge/involvement in the health profession. Most successful applicants have had some involvement in their chosen field, either through employment or volunteer work. Many physicians, dentists and veterinarians are willing to have people observe them at work and most hospitals and clinics have organized volunteer programs that afford opportunities to associate with professionals at work.

Extracurricular activities. Good grades and good admission exams scores are not enough to gain acceptance to medical, dental, or veterinary school. Get involved in things outside the classroom. Volunteer work and undergraduate research have already been mentioned. There are many organizations and activities on campus, and off, that offer exceptional opportunities to demonstrate that you are capable of doing more than just maintaining a good GPA. Selection committees are interested in leadership potential, talents, etc. that set you apart from the many other academically qualified applicants. Get involved in activities that allow (force!) you to develop interpersonal skills and speaking ability. Both will be invaluable to you in interviews with selection committees.