GUIDELINES FOR WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY PREMEDICAL/BIOLOGY ADVISING 1997

A typical program would look like this:

Biology 296A and 297A (Fundamentals of Biology I and II) are the introductory courses required of both biology majors and premedical students. Biology 296A is normally taken in the spring of freshman year. Chemistry 111A is a prerequisite and Chemistry 112A is a corequisite of Biology 296A. Biology 297A is normally taken in the fall of sophomore year. Both Biology 296A and Chemistry 112A are prerequisites of Biology 297A. Biology 3051 (Fundamentals of Biology III: Genetics) is required for the biology major; the Biology Department highly recommends Biology 3051 for all premedical students. Biology 3051 is normally taken in the spring of the sophomore year; Biology 297A is a prerequisite of Biology 3051. These courses in the Fundamentals of Biology are designed to be taken consecutively and, together, provide a strong foundation for further study in the life sciences.

Mathematics 131-132 is required for all biology majors and satisfies medical school requirements for one year of college calculus. Mathematics 233 is recommended for students with interests in basic research. Physics 117A-118A is generally taken in the junior year by biology majors or pre-med students majoring in an area outside of the sciences. Premedical students considering either a chemistry, a physics, and/or an engineering major should follow the recommendations of the appropriate department concerning the timing of Physics 117A-118A.

MCATs (Medical College Admission Tests) are usually taken in the late spring of the junior year. MCATs are also offered in the early fall of the senior year; scores from the fall MCATs arrive at medical schools after a significant portion of admissions decisions have been completed, however. All of the above required courses: (1) should be completed for the MCATs; (2) are needed if the student will attend medical school; and (3) are needed by all biology majors. Biology 181, a 1-unit credit/no credit course is highly recommended (but not required) for students with interests in biological and/or biomedical research. A freshman seminar will be very interesting for those with interests in biology and/or premedicine who wish to take an additional biology course in the fall of the freshman year.

There are 9-11 distribution courses outside of the natural and physical sciences that are required for the B.A. in the College. It is useful for the student to take 4-5 of these by the end of the second year as this allows flexibility in course planning and scheduling in the junior and senior years. This is very important if the student chooses to take Independent Research. A research experience can be critical if the student wishes to be competitive for admission to (1) Ph.D., (2) M.D., or (3) joint M.D./Ph.D. programs at research-oriented schools. The joint M.D./Ph.D. program at the better medical schools is quite attractive for students with an interest in academic medicine and basic research; these programs cover the costs of tuition and pay a yearly stipend for all medical and graduate years. A listing of medical schools with M.D./Ph.D. programs can be found at the http://www.nih.gov/nigms/funding_info/mstp.html on the WWW. An excellent time for the student to take independent research Biology 500 is in the junior and senior years. Large open blocks of time in those years are very important since much of the independent research requires long hours not interrupted by classes; in addition, many students carry out their research at our Medical School and transportation time between the Medical School and the Main Campus is a factor in schedule planning during these semesters. Completing half of the distribution requirements outside of the sciences by the end of the second year can be very helpful to students who enroll in independent research.

All students with interests in medicine should demonstrate their abilities to assist others by serving as a volunteer. Important volunteer experiences can be obtained in a variety of ways, e.g., at a hospital, at a nursing home, in a camp or school for individuals in need of help, serving as a tutor, etc. The Campus Y is an excellent resource to assist students in placement for volunteer experiences. Elaine Alexander, Assistant Outreach Coordinator, (935-7170) is also an excellent person to contact about placement. Students who would like academic credit for a volunteer "Experience in the Life Sciences" should consider enrollment in Biology 279; contact Professor Danny Kohl (314- 935-5387) for further information about the course.

For further information about medical schools and the medical school application process, contact Dean Sharon Stahl (314 935-6897) in the College of Arts and Sciences Office. For questions about these guidelines in medicine, contact Professor Paul Stein (314 935-6824) in the Biology Department. The American Medical College Application Service can be reached at (http://www.aamc.org/). Further information on medical schools can be obtained at http://www.aamc.org/meded/medschls/start.htm; on the MCAT at (http://www.aamc.org/stuapps/admiss/mcat/start.htm).

Information source:Handbook for Majors and Propectives Students Spring 1997
Web page created by David Heyse in the Natural Science Learning Center
URL: http://www.nslc.wustl.edu/Biomajors/premed.html
Last Modification: January 8, 1997