What makes Drew a great place for Pre-Health students?
- A liberal arts education that provides students a multidisciplinary education, and allows them to develop a more holistic and diverse perspective towards healthcare.
- Small classes and dedicated faculty members who will get to know you well enough to provide strong letters of recommendation to medical schools.
- Exceptional pre-medical advising and support from when you first set foot on campus, and continuing through the medical school application process.
- Strong, carefully-designed courses in the fields of science required for admission to medical school and covered on the MCAT, including an award-winning biology curriculum.
- Community-based learning and an outstanding cadet program for Drew pre-health students at Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps.
- Numerous opportunities to perform research with your professors through our Drew Summer Science Institute and with eminent retired industrial scientists through our Research Institute for Scientists Emeriti.
Pre-Health Advising Tips
Select a major
Select a major in which you are truly interested and can make you a better health professional. You must complete the pre-health curriculum, but you do not have to major in a science discipline to pursue most health professions.
Do well in prerequisite courses
Earn at least a C+ in the prerequisite courses for your desired health profession. For nearly all pre-health students, this will include:
- Three semesters of biology with laboratory
- Two semesters of general chemistry with laboratory
- Two semesters of organic chemistry with laboratory
- One semester of biochemistry with laboratory
- Two semesters of physics with laboratory
- Two semesters of mathematics
- Two semesters of English/writing
Prerequisites vary across schools and professions, so students are strongly encouraged to research the requirements of the schools where they plan to apply to ensure they have completed all academic requirements.
Join the Pre-Health Google Classroom
Exclusive to Drew University pre-health majors and alum, this Google Classroom is used to communicate pre-health events and opportunities (at Drew and elsewhere), including info sessions at local graduate programs, clinical roles, summer internships, and research projects. Additionally, important resources such as applicant guides and workshop recordings will be stored here for your reference. If you would like to join, please email your request to [email protected].
Build clinical experience
Obtain direct patient and clinical experience by volunteering, interning, working, and shadowing in healthcare settings you are interested in. This helps confirm your decision to pursue a career in your desired health profession, understand what it’s like to work in health care, and demonstrate your ability to provide patient care – all of which are expected by health professional schools.
Take a standardized entrance exam
All health professional schools require candidates to take a standardized entrance exam, such as the MCAT, DAT, OAT, PCAT, or GRE. Students should take their exam only after completing classes in the subject areas that are covered on the exam. It is important that students take their exam prep seriously and are able to dedicate 300-400 hours to studying; cramming will not work! While not required, students should consider taking a formal prep course.
General Information
- MCAT (Medicine) Homepage: https://students-residents.aamc.org/taking-mcat-exam/taking-mcat-exam
- DAT (Dental) Homepage: https://www.ada.org/education/testing/exams/dental-admission-test-dat
- OAT (Optometry): https://oat.ada.org/
- PCAT (Pharmacy): https://www.pearsonassessments.com/graduate-admissions/pcat/about.html
- GRE (Veterinary, Public Health, and other Health Professions): https://www.ets.org/gre/
Study Resources
- AAMC How I Prepared for the MCAT Exam student testimonials: https://students-residents.aamc.org/how-i-prepared-mcat-exam/how-i-prepared-mcat-exam
- AAMC Prepare for the MCAT Exam: https://students-residents.aamc.org/prepare-mcat-exam/prepare-mcat-exam
- AAMC Sample Tests: https://store.aamc.org/mcat-prep/full-length-exams.html
- Khan Academy MCAT Video Collection: https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat
- Standardized Test Prep from UC Boulder: https://www.colorado.edu/ceprehealth/navigating-application-process/standardized-test-prep
- GRE Prep Advice and Resources from Rice University: https://oaa.rice.edu/sites/g/files/bxs3031/files/inline-files/GRE%20Free%20Prep%20Resources.pdf
Check if a situational judgement test is required
Confirm if the schools you are applying to require a situational judgment test, such as the AAMC PREview or Altus Suite (Casper, Snapshot, Duet) . This can typically be done by reviewing the admissions requirements.
How to Prepare
AAMC PREview Preparation webpage
Prioritize the programs you're interested in
Develop a list of programs by prioritizing the public schools in your home state and programs with reasonable out-of-state acceptance rates. Other criteria include:
- Metrics (GPA, MCAT score)
- Location
- Size
- Cost and financial support
- Student makeup
- Mission statement and culture>
- Clinical training
- Mentorship and support services
- Pedagogy and grading
It is highly recommended that you also explore school websites and use the following resources for more information:
- Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) for information about allopathic medical schools
- ChooseDO for information about osteopathic medical schools
- ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools for information about dental schools
- TMDSAS for information about Texas medical and dental schools
VMSAR for information about veterinary schools