Pre-Med Specific
Applying to Medical School
When do students take the MCAT?
When should I start studying for the MCAT?
When should I apply to medical schools?
How do I decide what schools to apply to?
- The MSAR is updated every spring and provides information and data of each medical school.
- Applicants may also use the 3 year acceptance/matriculate handout to see medical schools by region and get a sense of where NU applicants have been accepted and matriculated over the past 3 cycles.
- Applicants should also note in-state preferences, GPA and MCAT ranges and aspects of each med school.
- Beyond using geography and GPA/MCAT ranges to choose a school, they should also be able to articulate why they are choosing to apply to that school (a common secondary and/or interview question).
- Please also ask your health professions advisor for a Selecting Medical Schools handout.
Do most students take a gap/bridge year?
Does ˿Ƶ offer a committee letter?
When do I need letters of recommendation?
Who should write letters of recommendation?
First, review the requirements for letters for each school you’re interested in or planning to apply to. How many letters are required and who should they come from? Letters from faculty (STEM or non-STEM), physicians, PI’s, supervisors, etc. are frequently permitted/required from medical schools.
Ideally, those writing letters for you will know you well enough to write a strong letter. However, letters shouldn’t come from family members. The same can be said for family friends unless you worked for that individual or you have a professional relationship that they can speak to in a letter.
What should I provide my letter writers after they've agreed to write me a letter?
Some of your recommenders may already be familiar with the LORs process for medical schools, but it’s still best practice to provide them with the following materials to help them should they need it and to ensure you end up with the best possible letter.
- Updated resume. See ˿Ƶ Career Advancement (NCA) for a resume review.
- Transcript
- Personal statement
- The AAMC Guidelines for Writing a Letter of Evaluation
- A Thank You for supporting you
Gap/Bridge Year(s)
What is a gap/bridge year?
Is it common to take a gap/bridge year?
Why would a student engage in a gap/bridge year?
- Need to improve science GPA before applying
- Need to improve MCAT score and/or want more time to study for MCAT
- Need more experience in health care setting
- May not be sure if that they want to be a physician
- Would like to pursue other opportunities before starting medical school
(fellowships, travel abroad, other graduate work)
What should I do in my gap/bridge year(s)? What do medical schools want to see?
In general, medical schools want you to follow your own interests during your gap/bridge year.
- Most applicants build upon the skill set they have been developing during college.
- Someone who has research experience may look for research jobs.
- Someone who has tutored may look for teaching fellowships.
- If you plan on using your gap/bridge year experience to correct a major deficit in your application, we would encourage you to strengthen your application first before submitting it. This may mean applying in another cycle than the one you intended.
- If you are working in a non-healthcare position, continue to show your commitment to medicine by volunteering in a patient-care environment (hospitals, community health clinics, etc.).
Can I go abroad during my gap/bridge year(s)?
Yes, but it can be challenging during the interview season (approximately September – February, although some schools may interview in August and be finished by December/January).
- Do you have the budget to return for interviews, maybe multiple times?
- Medical schools may not have the flexibility to accommodate your travel schedule.
- Do you have the freedom from your abroad commitment to return for interviews?
Clinical Experience / Exposure
What is clinical experience/exposure?
Why should I engage in clinical experience?
Medical schools want to be confident that you:
- have a good understanding of the realities of medicine
- are service-minded and people-oriented
- are committed to the practice of medicine
What do I gain from engaging in clinical experience?
How do I find clinical volunteering opportunities?
, the HPA Opportunities Database and the Service and Volunteering page all show clinical volunteering opportunities that are available to our students.
Remember that clinical experiences do not have to take place at ˿Ƶ or in Chicago to be valued -- you can find additional experiences at community clinics, nursing homes, hospitals, or other medical facilities elsewhere, too!
Will I have enough time to engage in these experiences in addition to my coursework?
How much volunteering do I need to do?
- All schools will value service in a medical/clinical setting
- Some schools may also wish to see service in a non-medical/clinical setting.
- Many schools will not have a required number of hours, but we recommend at least a year of volunteering before applying to medical school (one shift a week, ideally)
How do I find shadowing opportunities?
- ˿Ƶ University Clinical Apprentice Program (NU-CAP)
- Personal Network (friends/family/your own physicians)
Coursework / Major
When should I take my __________ course(s)? What should I take next quarter?
- Biochemistry requires CHEM 210-1 or CHEM 212-1 or CHEM 215-1.
- Neuroscience 202 (the first required Neuro core course) requires Bio 201 and either CHEM 132-0 or co-enrollment in CHEM 152-0 or CHEM 172-0.
- Chemistry sequences can only be started in the fall quarter or taken in summer.
What Math course should I take? / Do I need to take any Math classes?
The math requirement can vary greatly among medical schools. Credit for a full year of math is recommended, typically two quarters of calculus and one quarter of statistics.
Additionally, statistics is strongly recommended for MCAT preparation, and is recommended/required by some medical schools.
I placed out of General Chemistry and into Organic Chemistry. Do I still have to take General Chemistry?
For the most part, we advise you to stick to the chemistry sequence you placed into via the assessment and/or placement test provided by the chemistry department.
If you have placed into organic chemistry and received AP credit for the full general chemistry sequence, it is generally acceptable to begin your pre-health studies with organic chemistry. However, please be aware that there is no uniform policy regarding AP credits across medical schools. The vast majority of medical schools will accept AP credit for general chemistry requirements, but some will expect you to take additional upper level science coursework or upper level chemistry coursework if you choose to use AP credits for the general chemistry sequence. If you are in this situation and do not plan to take additional upper-level science coursework, it may be best to begin with the CHEM 171/172 sequence.
If you have placed into organic chemistry without AP credit for general chemistry or with only partial AP credit for the general chemistry sequence and do not plan to take additional upper-level chemistry coursework beyond organic chemistry, we strongly advise beginning with the advanced general chemistry sequence (CHEM 171).
Can I take courses over the summer?
Yes, but keep in mind:
- Ideally, medical schools would like to see applicants take their pre-med coursework at their home institution during the regular academic year.
- If an applicant needs to take pre-med coursework in the summer, we recommend only using one summer (don’t take pre-med courses every summer) and to take it at your home institution or an institution of similar rigor.
- It can be difficult for students to find summer courses that fit with our quarter schedule AND that can be transferred back to NU, if they are needed as pre-reqs for NU pre-med coursework.
- If a student does not need the NU credit, they do not need to have it transferred. Medical schools will require the official transcript from the original institution; they will not care if it is transferred to your home institution.
Do medical schools accept AP/IB credit?
- Most medical schools will accept AP credit but some may require or prefer that an applicant take upper level science coursework, in some cases from the same area of study, to replace the AP credit.
- Exceptions: A small number of schools have stricter requirements and do not accept AP or IB credits. Always check a medical school's admissions website to be certain of the most current policies.
Is there a difference in taking a “more advanced” course? For example, CHEM 151 vs 171?
Does it matter which major I choose? / Is one major better than another?
Course Drop/Withdrawal/Retake
What's a good GPA?
- We recommend using the MSAR to get a better sense of the science GPA and MCAT ranges for different med schools.
- The academic performance is just one metric that a school reviews. The experiences and the reflections that an applicant puts forth in their application and discusses in their interview are highly valued. Someone will not be a competitive candidate if they spent all of their time trying to maintain a high GPA, but at the expense of experiences that would have helped them test their decision and grow as a person.
- For the Fall 2023 cycle, 100% of the 3.0 and below accepted applicant pool had post-baccalaureate coursework.
I got a C last quarter, can I still apply to med school?
- We encourage students to talk with their professor about their academic performance. Can they identify why their performance resulted in that grade? How can they learn from that course and show improved performance in other courses?
- Besides talking with the professor, using the academic support provided by ASLA would also be helpful.
- While one C is not detrimental, a consistent performance of Cs could be. There are many pathways to completing the pre-med coursework and the coursework does not all need to be done at NU as an undergraduate. Sometimes taking a break from the coursework can be helpful.
I’m getting/might get a B/C/D/F in ___________ class – should I drop it? Should I withdraw from ___________ class?
- Does the professor have a recommendation regarding dropping the course?
- A student’s overall health is what is most important. It is not unheard of to drop a course, if after consulting with the professor and their college advisor, dropping the course seems to be the best course of action.
- Medical schools understand that taking a “W” may sometimes be necessary and a “W” is preferable to seeing an “F” on the transcript.
- If a student thinks they may earn a C or better, they may just want to stay in the course (see Question 6 above).
- Medical schools usually will not mind one “W”, but may have great concern if there is a pattern of always withdrawing from courses over several quarters.
Should I retake ___________ class?
You will need to do research regarding schools’ grading policies and assess their foundation in the course subject:
- Many medical schools, thought not all, have a “C” minimum grade requirement for their required courses.
- We encourage students to check for this minimum grade policy for the schools in which they are interested.
- If they earned a C- or lower and plan to apply to a school that has a minimum C grade policy, then they will need to retake that course (either here at NU or elsewhere).
- We would also recommend retaking the course if you feel that you do not have the foundation from that course.
- If you feel good about the foundation and there is no minimum grade policy, then we would recommend taking higher-level courses in that area (or in sciences in general) to show improvement.
If you do retake the course, the expectation is that you would show significant improvement.
I’m having trouble with my classes, what should I do? How do I find a tutor for ____________ subject?
Talk with your professor. In addition to talking with your professor, access the many resources provided by Academic Support and Learning Advancement (ASLA). For students looking for more one-to-one assistance you can make an appointment to talk with an ASLA staff member. You can speak to an ASLA staff member about fine-tuning your academic goals or study strategies, or about academic challenges you are facing? Meetings are 30 minutes long, and take place in the Main Library.
If you do retake the course, the expectation is that you would show significant improvement.
Research
Is research lab experience preferred over different types of research?
How do I find research opportunities?
A few places to find more information about research opportunities include:
- Attend a hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR)
- Review the and for opportunities
- Connect with
- Talk with friends who are already engaged in research
- Talk with faculty in classes about their research interests
- Use the to identify faculty engaging in research that appeals to your interests.
How much research do I have to do?
Special Programs
How do I apply to that early decision program at Feinberg? Am I eligible?
When should I ask for letters of recommendation from professors when applying to NUPSP?
What is the ˿Ƶ University Clinical Apprentice Program (NU-CAP)?
How do I apply to NU-CAP?
Am I eligible for NU-CAP?
Does HPA or ˿Ƶ offer any other shadowing programs?
The following programs aren't "shadowing programs" but they can connect a student with a physician and, in some cases, have led to shadowing opportunities.
- - This is a 1-2 day shadowing opportunity (in-person or virtual). Registration for this program is in the fall.
- - This program matches students with alumni mentors in a career field that they're interested in.
Once mutually established, the mentor-mentee pair then agree on goals and communication preferences, including whether they’ll speak by phone or meet in person and how often they’ll connect, whether it's once or multiple times throughout the year. - - This program pairs undergraduate students and alumni by taking into consideration shared experience and affinity in the matching process.
What are the NU Connections Programs?
How do I apply to the NU Connections Programs?
Am I eligible for the NU Connections Program?
Study Abroad
Can I study abroad as a pre-med student?
Can I take my pre-med courses abroad?
What kind of study abroad program should I do?
I am participating in a study abroad program that is affiliated with another university. Do I need to submit my transcript from this institution in addition to my ˿Ƶ transcript?
I found a study abroad program that provides clinical experience / shadowing. Will this count for clinical experience / shadowing?
We recommend that you review and follow the and only choose a program that adheres these guidelines.
Remember, if you are not qualified to do something in the U.S., you certainly are not qualified to do it in another country.
From the above AAMC document: Many premedical students believe that the more in-depth clinical experience they have, the stronger their applications will be. However, taking on tasks that are beyond your training could make you look unethical, unknowledgeable about the health professions, irresponsible to admission committees, and may diminish or eliminate your chance for acceptance into medical school. Similarly, medical students who perform procedures beyond their training may negatively impact their chances of matching in residency programs.
You do not need to go abroad to engage in global communities, many cities have international populations in need of service.