Pre-Med Exploration & Preparation Guide
Exploration
Visit UW’s Pre-Health portal: https://www.washington.edu/uaa/prehealth/
Enroll in GEN ST 297 Pre-Health 101 Seminar in the Fall
Attend Pre-Health Course and Major Planning Workshop
Participate in Small Group Coaching Sessions
Schedule an appointment with your general advisor (UAA/Departmental/EOP) to discuss course planning
Review “Passion for Every Profession” brochure and explorehealthcareers.org to learn more about professions that may be a
good fit with your skills and interests
Preparation
Clinical experience
In addition to courses, you should actively engage in gaining clinical exposure. You are encouraged to get both professional-facing
and patient-facing time. Both are instrumental in demonstrating that you are a good fit for the profession with capabilities to be a
good physician as well as being able to work and empathize with your patients. Most importantly, we encourage you to start
journaling your clinical experiences so you can reflect on them later in the application process.
Leadership
Leadership can be demonstrated in many ways. Students are encourage to reflect on what leadership looks like in their medicine
and how their involvement in clubs, volunteering, employment, research, sports, and Greek Life may help them demonstrate that
they have the leadership skills they will need.
Research
While research experience is not a requirement for medical school, many students use research experience to explore the
intersection of science and medicine. Staff in the Undergraduate Research Program (171 Mary Gates Hall) provide workshops and
seminars on how to make the most of your research experience, as well as a searchable database of research opportunities.
Establishing Relationships
Letter of Recommendations are a vital part of your medical school application. Professional schools vary in terms of how many
letters they require and from whom. Establishing relationships with faculty, professors, TAs, mentors, principal investigators, and
supervisors early on can help with creating strong letter of recommendations.
Required & Recommended Coursework
Every medical school has different expectations in terms of coursework that is required or recommended. We encourage you to
start researching into medical school requirements to better inform yourself of what classes you need to take. You may need to
exceed the requirements of some schools to meet the requirements of other schools. The following courses are required by most
medical schools, and students are encouraged to take these courses so that they can cast a wide net when applying.
CHEM 142 (General Chemistry)
CHEM 152 (General Chemistry)
CHEM 162 (General Chemistry)
CHEM 237 (Organic Chemistry)
CHEM 238 (Organic Chemistry)
CHEM 239 (Organic Chemistry)
CHEM 241 (Organic Chemistry Lab)
CHEM 242 (Organic Chemistry Lab)
BIO 180 (Introductory Biology)
BIO 200 (Introductory Biology)
BIO 220 (Introductory Biology)
PHYS 114 + 117 (General Physics + lab)
PHYS 115 + 118 (General Physics + lab)
PHYS 116 + 119 (General Physics + lab)
Additional courses recommended
for MCAT include:
Psychology
Sociology
Biochemistry
Statistics
How to use this Pre-Med Planning Worksheet:
The template below includes five years of coursework and preparation, and may require two “gap years”.
Many students take multiple years after graduation to travel/work/mature before they are ready to apply.
Most pre-requisite courses are available at community colleges, and can be taken during summers or post-graduation.
Students may want/need to begin the Introductory Chemistry sequence with CHEM 110.
Students may want/need to begin the Introductory Biology sequence with BIOL 106.
Additional coursework recommended for the MCAT includes Psychology, Sociology, Biochemistry & Statistics.
Research your target schools to learn more about what courses they require or recommend (e.g. Calculus, English).
Use summers to spread course requirements over the entire year, or get more research/clinical/leadership experience.
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
General Education
Requirements:
Coursework
for Major:
Medical School Pre-requisites:
CHEM 142
CHEM 152
CHEM 162
Co-Curricular
Activities:
GEN ST 297:
Pre-Health 101
RSO
exploration
Clinical
exposure
Leadership
development
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
General Education
Requirements:
Coursework
for Major:
Medical School Pre-requisites:
BIOL 180
BIOL 200
BIOL 220
Co-Curricular
Activities:
Identify future
letter writers
RSO
exploration
Clinical
exposure
Leadership
development
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
General Education
Requirements:
Coursework
for Major:
Medical School Pre-requisites:
CHEM 237
CHEM 238/241
CHEM 239/242
Co-Curricular
Activities:
RSO
Exploration
Clinical
exposure
Leadership
development
Research your
target schools
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
General Education
Requirements:
Coursework
for Major:
Medical School Pre-requisites:
PHYS 114/117
PHYS 115/118
PHYS 116/119
Co-Curricular
Activities:
Reach out to
letter writers
Clinical
exposure
Leadership
development
MCAT
prep
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
General Education
Requirements:
Coursework
for Major:
Medical School Pre-requisites:
Co-Curricular
Activities:
Take
MCAT
GEN ST 297:
Application Seminar
Prepare
application
Submit
application
