Required Courses
Almost all medical schools in the United States require the following courses:
- 1 Year of General Chemistry with Lab
- 1 Year of Organic Chemistry with Lab
- 1 Year of Principles of Biology with Lab
- 1 Year of General Physics with Lab (Note: Physics Majors take Physics I, II, & III rather than General Physics I & II)
- 1 Year of English (Writing the Essay & an Elective)
- 1 Semester to 1 Year of Math (Calculus I or higher)
The lab sections are fairly important for your medical school application. The schools can be pretty strict about their requirements. Some med schools might require higher level math/science courses or a minimum number or non-science courses. Check with particular med schools to see what they want (use their website or look at the MSAR; a copy of the MSAR (Medical School Admission Requirements) is available in Silver 901).
The Pre-Health Advising Office (Silver 901) has some suggested four-year plans. You can also download these from the documents section of this website, under "Pre-Health Guidelines."
Non-science majors usually take General Chemistry in their freshman year and Principles of Biology in their sophomore year. The Pre-Health office recommends taking General Physics or Organic Chemistry during sophomore year with Biology since most medical schools favor applicants with "double science." Make sure you complete these four science courses by the end of your junior year because they form the basis of the MCAT, which is taken at the end of or right after your junior year.
AP Credit
Although NYU will happily award you credit for your Advanced Placement exams, most medical schools do not look upon them favorably. The NYU Pre-Health Advising website has a detailed section regarding Advanced Placement credit and medical school.
Graduation Requirements
To graduate from NYU's College of Arts and Sciences, you need a minimum GPA of 2.0 and 128 credits. You must also have fulfilled your major requirements and the MAP (Morse Academic Plan) requirements. Note that if you are pre-med, your GPA should be at least 3.60 to remain competitive for medical school admission. Furthermore, graduating early will be fairly difficult with a pre-med curriculum.
Study Abroad
If you are considering study abroad, bare in mind that all your pre-health requirements must be completed in a U.S. college. NYU in London is a popular study abroad location for NYU pre-meds as it is currently the only location that offers Principles of Biology, Organic Chemistry, and General Physics. If you plan to study abroad elsewhere, it is more feasible to spend the summer abroad than a semester/year.
Choosing a Major
In the past medical school applicants tended only to be science majors. Today, most non-science (especially English) majors have higher acceptance rates than most science (especially Biology) majors. This may be because med schools are looking upon non-science pre-meds as having a more rounded education, but a more likely reason is that a lot of science majors with no interest in their chosen field think that their major will help them get into med school. So if you love economics, major in that area; if you're a die-hard science nut, major in the science of your choice. If you major in something you like, you're more likely to get better grades and get those grades more easily. Higher grades mean higher chance of acceptance to med school.
Retaking a class, using a Pass/Fail option, and summer science courses
If you retake a required course, med schools will take the average of your two grades. So if you got a D the first time and an A the second time, your average will be just above a C+. NYU doesn't look at your GPA like this, but remember that med schools will recalculate your GPA using their own rules (i.e. what we just talked about). If you got a C in a science class, try not to sweat it; just make sure you don't do any worse. If you get a D, it's time to re-consider your pre-med career choice; talk to your adviser.
Pass/Fail courses are also a no-go for pre-meds. If you withdraw from a class or take it Pass/Fail, a medical school will assign that grade the equivalent of a C- or lower.
Summer science courses are generally not recommended, especially at other, less reputable, colleges. Many med schools believe that summer science courses skip over a lot of material and that students do not have enough time to absorb the material. If, however, you take General Chemistry I in the spring semester, consider taking General Chemistry II during the summer at NYU because Organic Chemistry I is only offered during the fall semester.
