USU Medical School Acceptance Rates USU Pre-Med Advising Information
 
 
Physicians diagnose illnesses and prescribe and administer treatment for people suffering from injury and disease. They examine patients, obtain medical histories and order, perform and interpret diagnostic tests. They counsel patients on diet, hygiene and preventive healthcare.
 
Physicians work in a variety of specialties including, but not limited to, anesthesiology, family and general medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, oncology, orthopedics, psychiatry, surgery and many other areas.
 
Becoming a physician typically requires completion of a bachelor’s degree, four years of medical school and completion of a three-to-seven year residency program. 
 
Recommended high school courses for students who wish to pursue a medical degree include algebra, trigonometry, calculus, biology, chemistry and physics.
 
Preparing for Medical School
Medical school admittance is extremely competitive and requires a high level of initiative, effort and commitment on the part of applicants. For students who wish to pursue medicine as a career, early and thorough preparation at the undergraduate level is critical. Pre-med students are strongly encouraged to contact USU’s pre-med advisors at the very start of their undergraduate careers to ensure they understand and complete the many requirements needed to increase their chances of medical school acceptance.
 
No one major is required for medical school acceptance nor does any particular major increase one’s chances of acceptance. Today’s medical schools accept students from a wide variety of academic backgrounds. However, medical schools are seeking students with excellent academic achievements who have successfully completed core math and science requirements. They also seek applicants who have significant undergraduate research experience, demonstrated leadership abilities, demonstrated commitment and experience in community service, as well as exposure to and volunteer service in health care. In addition, most U.S. medical schools require successful completion of the Medical College Admissions Test or “MCAT.”
 
USU advisors can guide students in selecting the appropriate courses in preparation for applying for medical school and provide information about opportunities for pursuing undergraduate research, getting involved in leadership and volunteer activities and preparing for the MCAT.
 
In addition to required courses in the student’s selected major, recommended undergraduate course requirements include:
 

BIOL 1610/1620  --  Biology with lab [2 semesters]

CHEM 1210/1220, Labs 1215/1225  -- General Chemistry with lab [2 semesters]

CHEM 2310/2320, Labs 2315/2325  -- Organic Chemistry with lab [2 semesters]

PHYX 2110/2120 or 2210/2220 -- General Physics with lab [2 semesters]

ENGL 1010/2010 or 3040 -- English [6 semester hours]

MATH 1210 -- Mathematics [1 semester] 

 

Many medical schools recommend:  

BIOL 2320 -- Anatomy [1 semester]

BIOL 2420 -- Physiology [1 semester]

BIOL 3300 -- Microbiology [1 semester]

BIOL 3060 -- Genetics [1 semester]

BIOL 5210 -- Cell Biology [1 semester]

CHEM 3700/3710 -- Biochemistry [1 semester]      

 

For More Information
For more information, contact undergraduate advisor Yvonne Kobe in the Department of Biology at 435-797-2577; The Biology Advising Center, Biology-Natural Resources building, Room 101. Further information is also available on the Biology Department’s Web site.