The "Core" Medical School Admissions Criteria

All applicants must meet the following 3 criteria to have their applications considered at an American medical school:

1. Completion of 6 core classes - All admissions committees will evaluate the GPA for the following courses: biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, statistics, and calculus.

2. Sit for the MCAT - The Medical College Admission Test is discussed further on this link.

3. Bachelor's degree* - A 4 year degree from an accredited college.

*Actually, there are some accelerated medical programs that will accept high school seniors. These are 6 year programs where the first 3 years are spent taking undergraduate courses such as biology, organic chemistry, etc. Unless you are a high school senior, this is probably not a good option for you.

Nontraditional Medical School Applicants

There are many older individuals (we define this as anyone over the "traditional" medical school applicant age of 22 although we would be remiss if we didn't state that we too are over 22 as well!) who are not always aware that they can apply to medical school.

"We have worked successfully at helping clients into their 40s gain admission to medical school. Our clients have included chiropractors, nurses, school teachers, and many other occupations," states David Petersam, President of AdmissionsConsultants.

Moral of the story: Don't automatically assume that you will not be accepted if you are older and did not pursue a "traditional" pre med curriculum in college.