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FAQ

Preparing for Health Care Professional School

The Exploring Health Careers section contains general information on different careers in health care. If you are thinking of a particular field or career, the next step is to familiarize yourself with the criteria that medical and other professional schools consider when deciding whether to grant admission to their program. They typically include:

1. COURSEWORK

Most medical, dental, and veterinary schools require a minimum core of courses including:

• two semesters of biology with lab
• two semesters of general chemistry with lab
• two semesters of organic chemistry with lab
• two semesters of physics with lab
• one semester of mathematics
• one or two semesters of English (FYS usually counts as one)

Please note that these courses must be completed before graduation, not necessarily before submitting your application. You should also keep in mind that there is no universal set of requirements and that some programs have additional requirements. It is therefore very important that you begin looking early at specific programs so that you can take the requirements into consideration as you plan your courses at Wooster. Planning in advance is particularly important for students planning to study nursing or physical therapy after leaving Wooster.

A common misconception is that medical and other schools require their applicants to major in "bio-something" as an undergraduate. While many pre-health students at Wooster find majors in Biology, Chemistry, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology to be convenient routes for completing the required coursework, a major outside of the sciences can reflect a commitment to the liberal arts. In fact, applicants with majors outside the biological sciences are accepted to medical school at a higher rate than those within the biological sciences. The major that best prepares you for medical school is one that you find fulfilling and can excel in...There is plenty of time to learn medicine in medical school.

Entrance requirements for individual schools are compiled in Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR), the Osteopathic Medical College Information Book, the ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools, and Veterinary Medical School Admissions Requirements (VMSAR). Copies of these books are available in Dr. Bonvallet's office (Severance Hall 124) and the Office of Career Services. You may wish to purchase a copy for your personal use.

The pre-dental preparation page contains further information specific to dental school. Information about specialized fields such as nursing and physical therapy will also available in the near future.

2. GRADE POINT AVERAGE

Strong grades, particularly in science and mathematics, are crucial. There is unfortunately no GPA that will guarantee acceptance, but some helpful data is shown below:

For the 3-4 Dental Program with Case Western Reserve University, a minimum cumulative grade point average overall and in all science coursework of 3.25 or better is required.

For nursing and physical therapy, a 3.0 cumulative GPA or above is generally required and a C or better is required for the specific prerequisite courses.

3. ENTRANCE EXAM SCORE

Each profession requires some type of entrance exam.  It is important to know which exam is required for which program and to become familiar with the content, format, and scoring method of that exam. As with the GPA, there is no score that will guarantee acceptance. The Entrance Exam section of the Guide to the Application Process contains further details on exams.

• The MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) is required for allopathic and osteopathic medical schools. Most veterinary schools accept the MCAT and/or the GRE, so it is important to check specific programs in which you are interested.
  
  

  	Average MCAT Score*
  	Wooster Students	National Average
  Students Applying to MD Programs	27.2 O	25.9 O
  Students Admitted to at least one MD Program	29.1 P	29.2 O
  Students Applying to DO Programs	22.9 O	22.9 O
  Students Admitted to at least one DO Program	24.4 O	23.9 O
  *For applicants in 2007 planning to enter medical school in 2008. Sources: AAMC and AACOM Advisor Information Systems.

  
  The exam has four sections, three of which are each scored on a numeric 1-15 scale. The fourth is a writing sample that is scored on a letter scale from J (lowest) to T (highest). A good goal is to score 10 or higher on all three quantitative sections for a total score of at least 30. The MCAT Interpretive Manual has further information about scoring and national exam statistics. Retaking the MCAT is a balanced decision, partly because the second set of scores are handled in a variety of ways by different medical admissions panels.
  
  
  
• The DAT (Dental Admissions Test) is required for dental school. A 70th percentile ranking on each section of the DAT is typical of most successful applicants. For the 3-4 Dental Program with Case Western Reserve University, a score of 18 or higher on both the Academic Average and Perceptual Ability sections of the DAT is required.
  
  
  
• The GRE (Graduate Record Exam) is required for most veterinary schools as well as for nursing and physical therapy. Some veterinary schools will also accept the MCAT; a school-by-school list is available online from the AAVMC. A "good score" for a veterinary school applicant is one in which all sections are at least the 70th percentile. For the 3-4 DNP Nursing Program at Case Western Reserve University, a score of 500 or better is required on both the Verbal and Quantitative sections and either a 500 in the Analytical section or a 4.0 in the Analytic Writing section.

4. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Extracurricular activities are a good way to demonstrate positive personal traits such as leadership, integrity, ability to work in teams, communication skills, and responsibility. Wooster abounds in opportunities including sports, theater, music, pre-professional clubs like the Pre-Health Club, program houses, advocacy and activist groups, the Wooster Volunteer Network, and community service. Because quality is valued over quantity, consider taking a leadership role and/or remaining with the activity for a length of time that shows true commitment.

5. RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Research experience gives you the opportunity to show that you can work independently and creativity on challenging problems. You already have the built-in benefit of the nationally recognized Senior Independent Study Program, in which you explore an area of interest for a full year in collaboration with a faculty mentor. Earlier opportunities, such as the Sophomore Research Program and various on-campus summer research programs, can be valuable experiences for intellectual and personal exploration. It is highly recommended that students spend at least one summer doing some type of science research. Programs for research-focused careers such as M.D./Ph.D. and Medical Scientist require substantial research experience for acceptance.

6. KNOWLEDGE OF THE FIELD

The more information you have about a specific field or career, the more clearly you can articulate the reasons you want to pursue it.  Pursuing a career in the health professions is a significant commitment that is not necessarily the best fit for everyone.  You are strongly encouraged to invest some time talking about your decision with faculty advisors, a member of the Pre-Health Advising Committee, the Pre-Health Advising Coordinator, or another advisor in the Office of Career Services.  Clarity about your plans and motivations are essential to making you a stronger applicant with the confidence that you are making a well-informed decision.

Job shadowing is an excellent way to learn firsthand about health care professionals and clinical settings. The Cleveland Clinic Wooster and Wooster Community Hospital both invite Wooster students to shadow their physicians and other health professionals.  Shadowing opportunities can be set up through the Pre-Health Advising Coordinator. You should also seek contacts through your family, friends, and personal physicians to establish connections that can be set up individually. Most programs do not require shadowing experience, but it is a terrific way to expand your knowledge on the practice of health care.

7. OTHER FACTORS

State of Residence
State-supported medical, dental, and veterinary schools are usually required by law to give preference to applicants who are in-state residents.  In 2006-2007, for example, 71% of first-year medical students entering the Ohio medical schools were residents of Ohio.   (At Case Western Reserve University, the only private medical school in the state, Ohio residents make up 23% of the Class of 2010.)  The best chance for admission into a medical, dental, or veterinary school is within the state of residence.  It is also less expensive to attend a school within your state of residence.

Letters of Recommendation
A critical part of your application will be letters of recommendation from faculty, with at least two being from science faculty ideally.  In order to ensure strong letters of recommendation, it is important that you interact in a meaningful way with your professors. Consider taking more than one class with the same instructor and make sure you take the time to meet with faculty, including your advisor, so that they get to know you well.

Personal statement
A part of your application where you can express yourself and allow yourself to stand out from other applicants is the personal statement. One sure way of ensuring an interesting personal statement is to be an interesting person.  The way to do that is to do interesting things. 

PLEASE NOTE that this is generalized advice for a wide variety of programs. More specialized fields like dentistry, nursing, or physical therapy have their own particular requirements. Other medical schools have additional or slightly different admissions requirements, so the best advice is to begin looking early at specific programs so that you are familiar with the entrance requirements.