Pre-Medical Studies at MSU
 
INTRODUCTION

You will discover that there is an overwhelming volume of information available about medicine and preparation for a medical career. Much of that information is available on-line. This site aims to sort through much of that for you to provide essential information and links.

PRE-MEDICINE AT MSU
REQUIRED COURSES
RECOMMENDED COURSES
WHY MEDICAL SCHOOL- WHAT IS IT LIKE??
MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICATION
MEDICAL COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TEST (MCAT)
PERSONAL ESSAY
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
INTERVIEW
TIME LINE
UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
OTHER SCHOOLS
SUMMER AND INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
PRE-MEDICINE AT MSU

Mississippi State has no specific curriculum for students aiming for a career in medicine. Rather, we insist that students major in some department or program. This serves to provide students who are not admitted into medical school with an alternate career path. It is critical that you major in some field that interests you. Common majors for pre-meds at MSU have included Biological Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Biological Engineering, and Chemical Engineering. An increasing number of students majoring in the humanities and social sciences are also entering medical schools. Whatever your major, it is essential that you take the courses required by the medical school you desire to enter. These courses generally satisfy requirements of your major also. It is also important to take courses that will help you do well on the MEDICAL COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TEST (MCAT) and that will prepare you for medical school courses.
 
 

REQUIRED COURSES

Most students at MSU plan to apply to the UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE in Jackson. Therefore, this section will deal specifically with their stipulations. Other medical schools will generally have similar requirements. Also, note that these are the minimum requirements; obviously, additional courses may be beneficial. The requirements are as listed below. Your academic advisor will be able to indicate the applicability of specific courses.
 
 

General biology or zoology (with lab) 

BIO1203, 1504, 2103
8 hrs
Fundamentals of chemistry (with lab) 

CH1213, 1211, 1223, 1221
8 hrs
Organic chemistry (with lab) 

CH4513, 4511, 4523, 4521
8 hrs
General physics (with lab) 

PH1113, 1123, 1133 or PH2213, 2223, 2233
8 hrs
Advanced science1
8 hrs
Mathematics2
6 hrs
English 

EN1103, 1113
6 hrs


 
 

RECOMMENDED COURSES

Any course that helps you to reason critically should help you to do well both on the MCAT and in medical school. Many humanities and social sciences courses fit this description. Additional science and math courses are also important because of the insight they may give to MCAT preparation and to the scientific basis of medicine. Specific courses include genetics (BIO3103 or 4103), microbiology (BIO3304), anatomy (BIO3504), biochemistry (BCH3613 or 4603 and 4613), quantitative analysis (CH2313). Recent graduates have also recommended highly molecular biology (BCH4713), bacterial genetics (BIO4443), embryology (BIO4504), specialized tissues (BCH4623). Note that the first courses encountered in medical school are anatomy (including embryology) and biochemistry. If you have had courses like this as an undergraduate, transition to medical school should be easier.

You should not be looking for the easy way to an undergraduate degree. Admissions committees want to determine if you can take the stress of medical school and one way to do so is to examine the courses and hours load that you take as an undergraduate.

WHY MEDICAL SCHOOL - WHAT IS IT LIKE??

Medicine can be an attractive career choice for many reasons. However, it is important to be realistic in deciding if this career is for you. The undergraduate curriculum will be demanding and good performance is essential. Medical school will be exacting and you will be required to spend some years after (the number will be determined by your choice of specialty) in residency programs. If you are committed to a medical career, it is important to keep your goal in mind as you work your way through the necessary preliminaries.

A key way to confirm your interest in medicine is to get work experience in a health-related field. This might be accomplished by volunteering at a hospital or assisting a local physician. It may be difficult for you to identify such an opportunity, but it will be very important to you. This is a main area of interest of medical admissions committees. It authenticates for them your interest in the humanistic aspects of medicine.

Am excellent WEB site providing information about medicine is provided by Pfizer. The sections on "positive profiles" and "positive stories" present especially inspiring vignettes on doctors and patients. The site also contains the Pfizer Medical School Manual. It is subtitled "A Practical Guide to Admissions to American Medical Schools" and it lives up to that billing. It contains useful information on the basics of the application process, the overall process of admissions, and interviewing. Data on class sizes and tuition for various schools is also tabulated there.
 
 

MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICATION

The great majority of American medical schools participate in the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). This organization processes applications and forwards them to medical schools specified by the applicant. Their WEB site has the necessary details. Good general information about the application may be found at both the Pfizer WEB site and the Princeton Review WEB site.

Your application consists of personal data, your transcripts, your MEDICAL COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TEST (MCAT) results, and a PERSONAL ESSAY. Transcript data will be broken down into science (including math) and non-science courses. Good grades are important. The 1998 entering class at the Medical Center in Jackson had an average Grade Point Average of about 3.5. Each medical school will have its own specific requirement for LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION and fees. Then, if everything seems to be satisfactory, a medical school will contact you for an INTERVIEW.

MEDICAL COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TEST (MCAT)

The MCAT is probably the biggest single hurdle to getting into medical school. It is a standardized test with four sections. Verbal Reasoning (85 minutes for 65 questions) focuses on critical thinking and reading comprehension; Physical Sciences (100 minutes for 77 questions) has material from basic chemistry and physics classes; Biological Sciences (100 minutes for 77 questions) concentrates on biology, biochemistry, and organic chemistry courses; and Writing Sample (60 minutes) assesses writing and thinking skills by asking for a response to two essay topics.

A separate score is reported for each section. The Writing Sample is scored from J to T with T being the highest possible score. The three objective sections are scored from 1 to 15 with the results scaled such that 8 is in the range of the 50th percentile of all students taking that particular test. The 1998 entering class at the Medical Center in Jackson had an average MCAT total of 28.2 with a range of 23 to 39. A more complete breakdown of MCAT scores of applicants and students accepted to medical schools nationwide may be found here.

The MCAT is offered twice a year, in April and in August. The official dates may be found at the MCAT WEB site along with other useful information or at various commercial sites.

It is definitely possible to prepare for the MCAT. You are being tested on material you should have learned in various classes. Review of course material will be valuable. It is helpful to take practice versions of the test. The MCAT people will sell you a complete practice test. There are commercial sites that include sample questions and answers, and practice tests and tutorials. There are also good non-commercial sites maintained by individuals. This site has more practice tests, while this one has a comprehensive review section for the Physical Sciences test section. You may even view the actual essay topics used for the Writing Sample. While the list is rather lengthy, it will give you a notion of the types of subjects you will encounter.

PERSONAL ESSAY

The essay frequently represents a stumbling block to applicants. Look upon this as an opportunity to distinguish yourself from other candidates. Good advice may be found at the Pfizer WEB site and the Princeton Review site.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Different medical schools will have different requirements for letters of recommendation, but you can count on the need for some sort of recommendation. Some schools rely on letters from a pre-medical committee. Since we do not use such a committee at MSU, you will need letters from individuals. While acquaintances may know about your academic work, schools would much rather have letters from people who can speak more directly to your credentials.Try not to be an anonymous member of every class you take. You may be asking a professor to recommend you, but they must know who you are first. It is not necessary to be vocal in class to be remembered positively. However, excellent scholarship combined with an occasional insightful question will go a long way towards creating a positive image. Research activities with a professor are most helpful. Extracurricular involvement in academic activities (departmental clubs, honor societies) will also generate important professorial contacts. We are not advising that you be calculating in your undergraduate career. It's probably too late to modify who you are. Rather, we are suggesting that you do some advance planning. A positive attitude is most helpful.

INTERVIEW

If your credentials look positive, you will make the first cut and be invited to an interview. You will now have a chance to make an impression (positive we hope) on the admissions committee. They may ask about your school work, your hobbies, or the weather. They will also likely ask why you are interested in medicine. It is important to project a positive appearance and positive body language. Committees are trying to identify the humanistic qualities in you that it takes to be a physician. Pfizer has an excellent section on interview ideas.
 
 

TIME LINE

FRESHMAN YEAR

SOPHOMORE YEAR

JUNIOR YEAR

SENIOR YEAR


UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

The great majority of students from MSU apply to the University of Mississippi Medical School in Jackson. This school accepts only Mississippi residents. It is a quality school with high standards. This is reflected in the success rate of its students. Second year medical students must pass Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) to be eligible for promotion to the third year; the pass rate for Medical Center students is at the national average. Fourth year medical students must pass Step 2 of this national exam in order to graduate; Jackson's students pass at a rate higher than the national average.

The Associate Dean for Medical School Admissions for the Medical Center has produced a slide show titled “THE PATHWAY TO MEDICAL SCHOOL” that has really useful information for students aiming to go to the University of Mississippi Medical school. It is also informative in general for pre-medical students and you should take the time to view the slides.

OTHER SCHOOLS

MSU students from other states frequently apply to medical schools in their home states. In addition MSU students also apply to private medical schools or to various combination MD/Ph.D. programs throughout the country. An excellent starting place to gather information on these schools can be found here.
 

SUMMER AND INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS

Many schools and hospitals will have shadowing programs or summer assistance programs for students. Some are limited to minorities but not all. Some include students from rural or depressed areas. Unfortunately, most of Mississippi falls in these categories but this means that most of our students would qualify. Jackson has an extensive internship program. Information may be found here. Information about a good summer program may be located here.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

MSU has two student groups that involve pre-medical students. There is a chapter of the American Medical Student Association that is open to all. It may be contacted at Box 1565 on the MSU campus. There is also a chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta. This is a pre-medical honor society that is open by invitation to pre-med students who have completed at least three semesters and have a 3.0 on all work and a 3.0 in all science classes. Interested and qualified students may contact the faculty advisors: Dr. Don Downer or Dr. John Boyle.