Skip to main content

Pre-Medical Studies

A CAREER as a PHYSICIAN 

A physician is a healthcare provider that prevents, diagnoses and treats many physical and mental healthcare conditions. They can provide emergency care, perform surgery, create treatment plans, conduct research, take histories, prescribe medication, and promote health wellness. There are multiple common specialties and other areas such as forensic pathologists, medical examiners, and medical scientists. There are several different branches in medicine: Allopathic Medicine (M.D.), Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.), and Naturopathic Medicine (D.N.M.). 

EDUCATION LEVEL: GRAD-Doctorate (M.D., D.O., D.P.M., D.N.M.)

______________________________________________________________________________

THE JOURNEY OF A PRE-MED STUDENT

Planning to pursue a career as a physician can be an overwhelming process. This is why it is very important to become familiar with that process early on and be aware of the different resources available. Below are links to resources with helpful information. All pre-med students should read: ANATOMY OF AN APPLICANT and the FAQ PAGE

_______________________________________________________________________________

COMPETITIVE PRE-MED STUDENTS 

*NOTE: Each student's path is different! Holistic review takes several factors into account. 

__________________________________________________________________________

CONNECT & STAY UPDATED - SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

_________________________________________________________________________

RESOURCES & NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

RESOURCES FOR NON-TRADITIONAL/POST BACC & INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS:

___________________________________________________________________________

UTA PRE-MED ORGANIZATIONS

___________________________________________________________________________

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

  • JOINT ADMISSION MEDICAL PROGRAM (JAMP)
    • JAMP is a special program created by the Texas Legislature to support and encourage highly qualified, economically disadvantaged Texas resident students pursuing a medical education. One of the many benefits to this wonderful program is the opportunity for guaranteed acceptance to one of the Texas medical schools.
  • PRE-MEDICAL PRECEPTORSHIP PROGRAM
    • This program allows UTA students with a medically related interest an opportunity to be paired with a physician mentor from Arlington Memorial Hospital or John Peter Smith Hospital for one semester through a competitive application process. In addition, the program also requires an academic component in which students participate in weekly journal clubs with their peers and a faculty member. 
  • UT HEALTH SHPEP
    • The SUMMER HEALTH PROFESSIONS EDUCATION PROGRAM (SHPEP) is a free, six-week career-enrichment program for college freshman and sophomore students, interested in a career within the health professions. Visit the website for additional information. Applications for 2021 will be available November 1st!
  • PARKLAND HOSPITAL OBSERVATION PROGRAM
    • The experience is designed to increase career awareness, fulfill education/application requirement and help model behavior through example. Eligibility and additional information can be found on the website.

 Visit the Special Programs Page for more opportunities.

___________________________________________________________________________

RECOMMENDED EXPERIENCES

While grades and MCAT scores are important, competitive applicants are well-rounded with hundreds of hours of healthcare experiences. This typically includes shadowing, volunteering, working in a healthcare setting with direct patient interaction, and research. However, a well-rounded student should also include non-healthcare related activities! Choose extracurricular activities that interest you. Below are some recommendations for pre-med students. Visit the Special Programs page for more opportunities.

___________________________________________________________________________

PREREQUISITES

The prerequisites below are the typical requirements for all public Texas medical schools based on TMDSAS. Each medical school may vary in their requirements. It is the students’ responsibility to check admissions requirements for each specific school. Prerequisite requirements must be for science majors completed with a C or better (most schools DO NOT accept a C minus). Most have no expiration date, however, recent course work is preferred. competitive students typically exceed the minimum requirements and have 20+ hours in upper level sciences. Non-Traditional/Post Bacc Students should also visit this page.

See TMDSAS Approved Course List (Note: This is not an inclusive list and each medical school may have different requirements)

See the AAMC Pre-medical coursework chart for ALL MEDICAL PROGRAMS (Note: students should verify with the schools admissions website)

REQUIRED HOURS

 ACCEPTED UTA Course Codes

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

minimum 14 semester hours (12 hours of lecture & 2 hours of formal lab) for traditional science majors. (Nursing, Kinesiology, and any other allied health course DOES NOT SATISFY required courses)

**Note: Competitive candidates typically take more than 14 hours in Biology

BIOL 1441 - Cell and Molecular Biology

BIOL 1442 - Evolution and Ecology

BIOL 3315- Genetics

BIOL 2444 - Microbiology

BIOL 3442 - Human Physiology

BIOL 3446 - Human Anatomy

BIOL 3301 - Cell Physiology

BIOL 3312 - Immunobiology

BIOL 4312 - Intro to Virology

BIOL 4311 - Histology (currently not offered at UTA)

BIOL 3322 - Brain and Behavior

***Note: Additional Biology courses may count towards this requirement

GENERAL CHEMISTRY

8 semester hours General Chemistry, including the corresponding lab (6 hours of lecture & 2 hours of lab) for traditional science majors.(Nursing, Kinesiology, and any other allied health course DOES NOT SATISFY prerequisite)

CHEM 1441 - General Chemistry I OR CHEM 1341/1181 - General Chemistry I(for CHEM majors)

CHEM 1442 -General Chemistry II OR CHEM 1342/1182 - General Chemistry II(for CHEM majors)

***Note: CHEM 1465 (for ENG majors) can count towards 4 hours

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

8 semester hours of Organic Chemistry, including the corresponding laboratory experience. (6 hours of lecture & 2 hours of lab)

CHEM 2321 - Organic Chemistry I & CHEM 2181 - Organic Chemistry I Lab

CHEM 2322 - Organic Chemistry II & CHEM 2182 - Organic Chemistry II Lab

CHEM 2283 & 2284 - Synthesis & Analysis Lab (acceptable for labs only)

BIOCHEMISTRY

3 semester hours of Biochemistry

CHEM 4311 - Biochemistry I

PHYSICS

8 semester hours of Physics, including lab (6 hours of lecture & 2 hours of lab)

PHYS 1441 - General College Physics I OR PHYS 1443 - General Technical Physics II

PHYS 1442 - General College Physics II OR PHYS 1444 - General Technical Physics II

ENGLISH

6 semester hours of writing intensive college English

ENGL 1301 - Rhetoric & Composition I

ENGL 1302 - Rhetoric& Composition II

STATISTICS

3 semester hours of Statistics

NOTE: Additional courses may satisfy this requirement

MATH 1308 - Elementary Statistics

BIOL 2300 - Biostatistics

PSYC 2300 - Statistics in Psychology

PSYC 2443 - Research and Design I

IE 3301 - Engineering Probability

     ___________________________________________________________________________      

APPLYING & APPLICATION SERVICES

Students typically apply at the end of junior year but your application cycle may be different depending on your circumstances. This is a competitive, year long process, therefore it is important to apply only when you are a competitive candidate. Student should become familiar with the application service(s) used to apply to medical schools early.

GPA Calculators: 

Application Timelines & Guides

 

APPLICATION CYCLE DATES

  • TMDSAS - 5/3/2022 - 11/1/2022 (2022 TIMELINE) (SUBMISSIONS START - 5/16/2022)
    • ***Note: Deadline EST 9/15/2022 for Veterinary Applicants
  • AMCAS -  5/3/2022 -Deadlines vary per school (SUBMISSIONS START - 5/27/2022; TRANSMISSIONS START - 6/25/2022)
  • AACOMAS - 5/4/2022 - Deadlines vary per school (TRANSMISSIONS START - 6/15/2022)
  • Friday, August 2nd, 2022 - Early Decision Deadline
  • Friday, October 14th, 2022 (TBD) - Medical schools begin offers
  • Wednesday, December 14th, 2022 (TBD) - Dental schools begin offers
  • Friday, February 18th, 2022 - 2021-22 TMDSAS Match preferences deadline
  • Wednesday, March 5th, 2022 - 2021-22 TMDSAS MATCH DAY!

 

APPLICATION SERVICES

___________________________________________________________________________

TEXAS MEDICAL SCHOOLS - ADMISSIONS

___________________________________________________________________________

ADMISSION TEST - MEDICAL COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TEST (MCAT-AAMC)

  • SCORE: 472-528 in 4 sections (max 132/section)
  • SECTIONS: Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems (59), Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological of Living Systems (59), Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior (59), Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (53)
  • LENGTH: 7.5 hours (6.25 hours of content)
  • AVG COMPETITIVE SCORE: >509
  • IDEAL time to TAKE: Jan-May of application year when prepared! (Offered Jan-Sept)
  • EXPIRATION: 5 years (Max 3 attempts/year; 7 lifetime)

Additional statistics can be found at http://tmdsas.com/Resources/ApplicationStats.html 

 

MCAT GUIDES & TIPS

 

MedSchool Coach FREE Resources

 

  • SUGGESTED READINGS FOR CARS SECTION (courtesy of The Princeton Review):

    (1) Theory of Literature by Rene Welleck and Austin Warren (1955) 

    (2) The Burden of the Past and the English Poet by Walter Jackson Bate (1991)

    (3) The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell (1949)

    (4) The Story of Civilization by Will Durant (1935)

    (5) Schooling and the Struggle Public Life: Critical Pedagogy in the Modern Age by Henry A. Giroux

    (6) Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson (1980)

    (7) Meaning in the Visual Arts by Erwin Panofsky (1955)

    (8) The Western Intellectual Tradition by Jacob Bronowski (1962)

    (9) A Susan Sontag Reader by Susan Sontag (1983)

    (10) How to Think Straight About Psychology by Keith Stanovich (2009) 

 

  • To learn how to navigate the most challenging passages in the CARS section, consider reading:

    (1) The Republic by Plato

    (2) Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche

    (3) Walden by Henry David Thoreau

    (4) The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon 

    (5) Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittenstein

    (6) Thus Spake Zarathustra by Nietzsche 

 

MCAT PREP:

*Note- these are just suggestions and not "one fit all" options

  • UTA Science Learning Center resources for borrowing (LSB Room 106):
    • AAMC Official Guide (2)
    • Princeton Review Books
    • Kaplan Review Books 
    • Sterling Test Prep - MCAT-PREP.com

___________________________________________________________________________

CASPer Test

Some programs also require the CASPer Test, an assessment of an applicants personal qualities. This test is taken during the application cycle and valid for 1 year. More information can be found on the CASPer Website.

The following Texas Schools currently require this test:

  • Texas A&M University College of Medicine
  • Texas Tech University HSC School of Medicine
  • Texas Tech University HSC, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine
  • The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
  • Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
  • McGovern Medical School
  • Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Baylor College of Medicine