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Premedical and Health Professional Programs
For more information about the Premedical Program, please use
the For an application to AU's undergraduate degree programs, contact our Admissions office. Please call 202-885-6000 in the D.C. area or 1-800-428-4632 for long-distance calls, or e-mail afa@american.edu, or visit our admissions website to download or complete an application online.
Calendar of Events2008 events still being finalized. Students registered in the Premedical Program will receive details about these events. Registration forms are in the bookcase outside Room 202 in the Beeghly Chemistry Building. If you are not registered, you may receive further information by completing our Information Request Form.
About Premedical and Health Professional Programs"The hardest conviction to get into the mind of the beginner
is that ... education ... is not a college course, not a medical
course, but a life course, for which the work of a few years under
teachers is but a preparation."
If you are a potential undergraduate, graduate or postbaccalaureate student considering a career in medicine or one of the allied health professions, the Premedical Programs of the College of Arts and Sciences are available to help you select an appropriate curriculum, learn first hand about biomedical research and clinical practice, prepare for the relevant admissions test, and make realistic choices of professional schools. The Premedical Program is an adjunct support structure, not a major. Traditionally, many premedical students have majored in the natural sciences. However, the medical professions generally are seeking well-rounded students. Hence, they also are interested in students from other disciplines with a broadly based liberal education, reflecting the social, ethical, and cultural roles played by health care professionals. Students interested in medical careers may major in any field, but must make careful plans to take the necessary preparatory courses in a timely fashion.
Advising ServicesIf you are considering a medical career, you should contact Dr. Lynne Arneson, the Premedical Programs Coordinator, and register in the Premedical Program as soon as possible. There is no obligation. Registration will assure that you receive guides, curricular advice, and information about upcoming events. Registration forms are in the bookcase outside Room 202 in the Beeghly Chemistry Building. Premedical Program services include:
Dr. Arneson is available to meet with you individually at least once a semester to review your academic progress and to discuss your subsequent course of study at American University. Working in concert with your academic advisor in your major, he helps assure a timely completion of both degree and premedical requirements. More specific documents, including Premed Tips, Freshman & Sophomore Health Professions Guide and Junior & Senior Health Professions Guide are available to students registered in the program.
Health Professions Curriculum at American UniversityMost health professional schools require certain foundation courses in science and mathematics, along with a full year of college-level writing. All science courses must include laboratory components. If you wish to matriculate at a professional school directly on graduation from American University, you must submit your applications at the end of your junior year. This means that you must complete most of the basic requirements in your freshman and sophomore years, following the sequence of courses listed below: PLAN A: FASTEST PLAN
PLAN B: SCIENCE OR NON-SCIENCE MAJOR EXTENDED PLAN
PLAN C: CHEMISTRY OR NON-SCIENCE MAJOR EXTENDED PLAN
PLAN D: NON-SCIENCE MAJOR EXTENDED PLAN
Plans A or C would be better than Plan B for a Chemistry major. Plans C or D would not be suitable for a Biochemistry or Biology major. All four plans would prepare you to take the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) in late May, after your junior year had just been completed. However, with Plan A you would have the essentials behind you when taking an MCAT review course during your junior year. Plans A or B would also allow you to take more advanced courses, such as Biochemistry I & II, Vertebrate Anatomy, Vertebrate Physiology, Molecular Biology, and Microbiology in your junior year, and all of these would give you even better preparation for the MCAT. With plans C or D, only Biochemistry I & II and Microbiology could be taken as advanced courses in your junior year. The courses listed above will satisfy the basic requirements of almost all medical schools. Cell Biology and Genetics go beyond the minimum stated requirements, and are included in order to prepare you for the MCAT. Students are also encouraged to take upper-level chemistry and biology courses such as Biochemistry, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Vertebrate Anatomy and Vertebrate Physiology. These are helpful for the MCAT, and Vertebrate Physiology is particularly useful in preparing for the Dental Aptitude Test (DAT). They are all very useful in preparing for the rigors of the first year of professional school. You should consult with the Premedical Programs Coordinator at the outset to develop your own curricular plans. The above sequence presumes that you have already decided by the beginning of your freshman year to pursue a premedical course of study. If you make your decision later, you may need to complete your premedical requirements during your senior year or even in a postbaccalaureate year. Additionally, you may have to anticipate a gap between the time when you obtain your baccalaureate degree and entrance into professional school. All of the introductory courses as well as Organic Chemistry I & II may be taken during the summer session at American University, but enrollment during the normal academic year is preferred. Keep in mind that some professional schools view courses taken in the summer session as a disadvantage, especially if they are taken at a school about which they know little. Taking any of these courses abroad is not recommended, and is not acceptable to some health professional schools. Likewise, Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credit are not acceptable to some schools. You should consult with the Premedical Programs Coordinator to plan an optimal curriculum.
Health Professions LibraryThe Health Professions Library is located in Room 202 of the Beeghly Chemistry Building. There you will find current medical school catalogs, information about all of the health professions, and donated materials, such as MCAT preparation books.
MCAT PreparationWe have made arrangements for commercial MCAT preparatory courses to be given on campus starting in September and October of each year. Tuition is separate from that paid to American University. Other commercial courses are also available locally.
Seminars & WorkshopsWe sponsor an annual Health Professions Seminar, usually held in early November. Former American University students who are now at professional schools as well as undergraduates and postbaccalaureate students in the advanced stages of application to health professional schools and other guests provide important advice and answer questions. In addition, a Health Careers Forum is ordinarily held in March. Health professionals, admissions officers, and career counselors provide an overview of assistance available to students as well as opportunities and highlights of the admissions process for allopathic and osteopathic medical, dental, and veterinary schools as well as physician assistant, nurse practitioner, physical therapy, podiatry, optometry, public health, and other allied health programs. Workshops on essay-writing and interviewing are held each year, usually in November. The former helps you to get started on the personal statement, which is a critical part of your application to a health professional school. Personnel at the Career Center and the Writing Center and your mentor are available to comment on your drafts. The latter workshop provides advice about health professional school interviews. Additionally, you are expected to record an online mock interview, which is reviewed by staff at the Career Center, and to follow this up with a mock interview conducted by a faculty member. For those applying to medical school, the AMCAS Preparation Seminar on April is a must. It is provided courtesy of knowledgeable personnel from the American Medical Colleges Application Service.
Internship OpportunitiesVolunteer and research experience are useful in helping you to develop insight into your prospective profession and to consolidate the knowledge you gain in science courses. Devoting time to such activities reflects your personal commitment to the field of medicine, and is highly regarded by professional school admissions committees. The Premedical Program encourages close interaction with the faculty. Many undergraduates have engaged in independent research projects in the science departments on campus (Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Experimental Psychology). Such work typically has led to the presentation and publication of papers. Many opportunities for internships, volunteer work and biomedical research are available at such renowned institutions as:
as well as numerous hospitals and clinics. Jobs may be found at various clinics, laboratories and biotechnology companies. In these settings, you may gain first hand experience in basic research in such areas as biochemistry, immunology, molecular biology and molecular genetics. The Premedical Program at American University has a special relationship with certain clinics, hospitals and research centers, involving either volunteer or paid opportunities, such as:
You may also acquire clinical experience through jobs or by volunteering at area hospitals and clinical centers, such as:
The Premedical Programs Coordinator will provide students registered in the Premedical Program with the Junior & Senior Health Professions Guide, which includes an extensive list of local opportunities with addresses and telephone numbers. Registration forms are in the bookcase outside Room 202 in the Beeghly Chemistry Building. Return to the top
Premedical Achievement Prize and Gimble ScholarshipThe American University Hassa S. Shanker Premedical Achievement Prize is a cash award of $2,000 presented to the most outstanding undergraduate student intending to apply to a health professional school who has taken at least five science and mathematics courses at American University. Selection is based on academic achievements, leadership qualities and contributions to society or the health professions. Applicants must be planning to apply to medical, dental or veterinary school, or to a program in the health sciences, such as physical therapy. Application forms are available in the bookcase outside Room 202 in the Beeghly Chemistry Building. The Josephine G. Gimble Scholarship provides $2,000 awarded annually to a junior or senior undergraduate student or a postbaccalaureate student who is majoring in the health sciences and who has expressed a commitment to a career in the allied health fields such as nursing, nutrition, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant or public health. You must have taken courses at American University before applying. Details are provided in the application form to be found outside Beeghly 202.
Application to Professional SchoolsTo receive most favorable consideration, the Medical College Aptitude Test (MCAT), Dental Aptitude Test (DAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) must be taken in the spring of the junior year, about 15 months before matriculation in medical, dental or veterinary school. Even though veterinary schools typically require that the GRE be taken no later than the fall of the senior year, you should take it in the spring of the junior year to avoid being put at a competitive disadvantage. In order to prepare your professional-school application, you will be expected to assemble a file containing essential information. The Writing Center and the Career Center will provide advice about writing personal statements and other documents. The Career Center and a faculty member on the Premedical Evaluation Committee offer interview practice. A member of the Premedical Evaluation Committee will serve as a mentor to meet with you and help you make improvements to your written documents. After your file, including letters of recommendation, is assembled, a comprehensive Committee letter of evaluation will be prepared to support your application. Included in the letter will be a summary of your academic record, descriptions of your extracurricular activities, assessment of your character, and an evaluation of your commitment to your future career. Typically, shortly after the end of your junior year you will take the relevant examination (MCAT, DAT, GRE, etc.) in May and send out a primary application to the American Medical Colleges Application Service (AMCAS) or corresponding dental or veterinary services on June 1. The application service will forward this general application to schools which you specify. Subsequently, schools which are interested in you will send you their own applications, called secondary applications. At this point, the Premedical Programs Coordinator will assist by sending out letters of recommendation to those schools. Schools interested in you will request interviews. After holding interviews, schools will make decisions throughout the fall and spring of your senior year. You will start health professional school in the August immediately following graduation.
Medical School Acceptance InformationStudents from American University applying to medical, dental or veterinary school have been highly competitive. Over the last 13 years, 249 of 280 qualified applicants to medical schools were accepted, an 89% success rate, and 100% of qualified dental, nursing, nutrition, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, public health, and veterinary applicants were accepted. [Qualified medical school applicants are those who were accepted or have science and mathematics as well as overall GPA (grade point average) of at least 3.30 and scores of at least 8.0 on each section of the MCAT (Medical School Admission Test).] Some of the medical schools at which our students matriculated in those years are:
For more information about the Premedical Program, please use our Information Request Form. Letter from Dr. Lynne Arneson, the Premedical Programs CoordinatorDr.
Lynne Arneson, Premedical Programs Coordinator Thank you for your interest in the Premedical Program at American University. It is open to students interested in the health professions generally, and includes numerous postbaccalaureate students. All are welcome to take advantage of our advising and services, such as assembling files and sending out letters of recommendation. We have a formal Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate Program in place and parallel to the undergraduate program. A number of our students are admitted to medical, dental, veterinary and osteopathic medical schools throughout the country each year. We also provide advice about other areas, ranging from biomedical research to nursing, physician assistance, physical therapy, podiatry and optometry. Over the last 13 years, 249 of 280 qualified undergraduate and postbaccalaureate applicants were accepted to medical school, an 89% success rate, and 100% of qualified dental, veterinary, optometry, physical therapy, nursing, pharmacy, and public health applicants were accepted. [Qualified applicants are those who have science and mathematics as well as overall GPA (grade point average) of at least 3.30 and scores of at least 8.0 on each section of the MCAT (Medical School Admission Test).] American University provides a solid background in all of the core courses required by health professional schools — chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics and writing — as well as advanced courses in the sciences that will give students an edge when they start their graduate studies. A student need not major in a science, but a nonscience major must plan the curriculum very carefully from the outset to be prepared for examinations such as the MCAT, to apply in a timely manner, and to succeed once accepted. Many students consider the Biochemistry major because it includes all of the courses needed to be fully prepared for the health professions. We pride ourselves on the individual attention possible as a result of relatively small classes. Additionally, there are numerous undergraduate and graduate research opportunities available on campus, and medically related volunteer or paid internships are available nearby at NIH, one of the foremost biomedical research institutions in the country, and at several laboratories, hospitals, clinics, etc. On request (by completing the Information Request Form), I will supply three documents from our program by mail. Premedical Advising Services simply provides a list of services, whereas Freshman & Sophomore Health Sciences Guide should give you an idea of the extensive advice which we provide to students. Premed Tips should help you to see where some of our students go and how intimately students at AU are involved in helping each other, especially after they move on to professional school. For those interested in the Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate Program, I will also enclose Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate, which describes our program for returning students who have completed undergraduate school; Postbaccalaureate Supplementary Information, which provides answers to frequently asked questions; and Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate Program Application, which may be used to make application. I look forward to your application to American University. If you only wish to take a few courses, nondegree status is possible. Please contact Admissions for regular undergraduate admissions at 202-885-6000 or 800-428-4632 or e-mail admissions@american.edu or visit our Admissions website to download or complete an online application to the Premedical Program. For nondegree applications, please contact College of Arts and Sciences Academic Advising (202-885-2453, Ask-CAS@american.edu, Battelle-Tompkins, Rm 100) which can register you for classes and/or provide details regarding foreign student applications, registration, registration, and any other administrative questions you may have. Please contact Housing Services at 202-885-3370 for housing information. Financial Aid information is available via Admissions or 202-885-6100. I hope that you will stop by my office in Beeghly Chemistry Building, Room 206, when you are on the campus. Please advise me in advance if you do wish to visit. Also, please feel free to e-mail me at premed@american.edu, or call me at 202-885-2186, or write if you have any questions about the program after reading the information to be sent in the postal mail. Sincerely yours,
Return to the top; the Department of Biology; the Department of Chemistry; the School of Education, Teaching, and Health; the Physics program; or the Department of Psychology. |
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