Academic Concerns

Students who plan to enter the Health Professions also need to experience the broad array of liberal arts opportunities in the         humanities and social sciences available at Colby. Many students hope to study abroad, and others play a varsity sport that         puts large demands on their time. Traditional pre-med courses of study         can make these goals difficult or conflicting, while in fact health professions         schools place a high value on applicants with a broad education and a         variety of experiences both inside and outside medicine.
       
        To enter medical, dental, or veterinary school directly after graduation         from Colby, all premedical requirements must be completed by the end of         the junior year. This timetable will require that you take the appropriate         entrance exams (MCAT/DAT/GRE) in the spring of junior year, and submit applications in the early summer following         the junior year. However, more than two thirds of successful Colby applicants         spread their preparation over a longer period of time and do not apply         until their senior year or after graduation, spending the "glide" time (or "gap year") doing research         or working in a clinical or community service position. For this reason,         we will talk about course selection from two perspectives: the Liberal         Arts path and the Direct Entry path.

It must be emphasized that there is no one way to prepare for medical         school that is correct for all applicants. The only correct sequences         or combinations of courses are the ones that lead to optimal performance         for you personally. For some students, taking all of their required courses         in a relatively short time is appropriate, but for others spreading the         courses out over a longer time frame, which may include taking some courses         in summer school or after graduation, makes more sense. Pacing your studies         according to your own interests and abilities is the key to a strong finish.

The following science courses comprise the minimum required for admission         to most US and Canadian medical and dental schools. Specific requirements         for individual schools can be found in the guides         published for allopathic, osteopathic, dental and veterinary schools.         Guides for allopathic, osteopathic, and dental schools are available to borrow from the reserve desk in Miller Library (course name "premed").
       
        BIOLOGY: General or Introductory (163, 164), one year with lab.
        CHEMISTRY: General or Inorganic (141, 142), one year with lab.
        CHEMISTRY: Organic (241, 242), one year with lab.
        PHYSICS: (141 or 143, followed by145), one year with lab.
        MATHEMATICS: One or two courses, usually calculus         (121 or 161) and one other.
        ENGLISH: One or two courses, usually English 115 and one         other. While many medical schools will accept other writing intensive         courses not in the English Department, it is usually safer to take actual         English courses rather than risk having other courses not accepted at         application time.
        OTHERS RECOMMENDED BY MANY SCHOOLS AND REQUIRED BY SOME: biochemistry and genetics as well as additional courses in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities.         Note that many of these will be taken in the context of the Colby distribution         requirements.
        EXTRACURRICULAR:         January and/or summer internships providing clinical exposure to healthcare         settings and practitioners; research; community service; leadership. Clinical experience prior to applying is highly valued by medical schools, and expected by most. 
        AP COURSES: students who enter with AP credit (4 or 5) must take a least one additional course in that field. For example, if Colby gives you credit for Physics 141 and 142 based on a 5 AP score, medical schools will require one additional upper level college physics course taken at Colby or over the summer at another institution. Despite having placed out of a science course, students who feel that they would benefit from taking the introductory level course at Colby (which will move at a significantly faster pace and have more lab work than a high school AP course) is strongly encouraged to do so. Students placing out of Chemistry 141/142 may not take Organic Chemistry in their first year at Colby without petitioning the department for permission.
       
        Required courses for veterinary school and many other allied health professions are often include other specific courses but vary from school to school, and vary somewhat from those for medicine and dentistry. You should check the requirements of each school to which you plan to apply, and speak with the health professions advisor in the Career Center. The official guides to allopathic and osteopathic medical schools and dental schools are available to borrow from the reserve desk at Miller Library (class name "premed").

By spreading out the required courses over four years instead of three,         a student can accomplish a number of objectives: avoid overloading on         science and math courses in the first year while making a transition to         college-level work; take a broader array of non-required courses in multiple         disciplines, and study abroad without compromising MCAT or DAT preparation.         Additional time is also made available for clinical experience, research,         and community service. Students following this path will usually take         the MCAT or DAT in the spring of their senior year, and apply following         graduation. The opportunity to work for one or two "glide" or "gap" years         in a position related to healthcare is often an enormous advantage, helping         the student confirm that medical or dental school is the right choice,         and showing the admissions committee substantial evidence of relevant         experience and commitment. This has been a very successful model for many         liberal arts students and, at Colby, is the most common approach.
        It is strongly suggested that students following this path do not take         more than two science courses with lab OR one science course with lab         and one math course during each semester of the first year.
        Students following this path who have a Math SAT of 650 or below should         not take more than one science course with lab and one math course during         each semester of the first year. A gradual start can result in stronger         preparation and better success.

Students who want to enter medical, dental, or veterinary school directly         after graduation, and those who want to focus primarily in the natural         sciences, need to take the basic prerequisites earlier in their time at         Colby.  The goal is to complete all pre-requisites by the end of the spring semester of junior year to allow the student to take the MCAT at that point and begin the application process in May.  This usually involves studying for the MCAT during that spring semester also.
       
        Students with an SAT Math score above 650 may consider taking two science         courses with lab and one math course during each semester of the first         year if they are confident in their ability to do this successfully.  If you have any concern about this, take the lighter load!!
           

Science major or not?
       
        It is important to emphasize that no specific major is required for admission         to medical school. This has been the case for many years. Students should         select a major area of study that is of interest and that will provide         a foundation of knowledge necessary for the pursuit of several career         alternatives. Students who select a major area of study solely or primarily         because of the perception that it will enhance the chance of acceptance         to a school of medicine are not making a decision in their best interest.
       
        A science major is not a prerequisite for medical school, and students         should not major in science simply because they believe this will increase         their chances for acceptance. Medical schools are most concerned with         the overall quality and scope of undergraduate work.  

It is the general rule, however, that students who do not take more than         the minimal number of science courses should have very high grades in         those courses to insure serious consideration. Competence in the sciences,         regardless of your major, is a key factor in medical, dental, and veterinary         school admission.
       
        For most physicians, the undergraduate years are the last available opportunity         to pursue in depth a non-science subject of interest, and all who hope         to practice medicine should bear this in mind when selecting an undergraduate         major.      

Acceptance rates by major
       
        There is some degree of variation in acceptance rates across undergraduate         majors. Recent data reveal that although students majoring outside         of the natural sciences represent a smaller proportion of those entering         medical school than do science majors, the probabilities of being accepted         are not systematically different. Moreover, recent studies find that         science and non-science majors are not differentiable in terms of performance         in medical school or in their careers as physicians. Overall, no one         major can be said to provide a big edge in terms of medical school admission.         Medical schools readily accept well qualified students with diverse academic         backgrounds.
       
        The situation regarding choice of a major is similar for dental and         veterinary schools. Academic excellence, regardless of major, is essential         for success.
       
All students interested in the health professions are urged to refer to current editions of the admissions guides for medicine, dentistry, and veterinary, as well as other health professions, in order to get a clearer sense of how these professions view undergraduate education. Medical and dental school guides are on reserve in Miller Library (course name "pre-med). Copies of those guides and veterinary school guides, along with directories of many other health professions preparation programs are also available to consult in the Career Center Resource Library.
       

It is extremely important that you begin planning your overall academic         program early. This will allow you to arrange a reasonable distribution         of required and recommended courses during the undergraduate years, so         that you can do as well as possible in each course. From previous academic         experience, you should have some idea of which courses will require greatest         effort, and you should plan each semester accordingly.
       
        First-year students who plan to major in one of the natural sciences         should follow the guidelines for enrolling in science and mathematics         courses during the Fall semester that have been developed by the department         in which they will major.
       
        Students who plan to major in one of the social sciences or humanities should work closely with their academic advisor and with the advisor for the health professions to select the optimal combination of science and non-science courses for each semester.
       
        When planning course schedules, all students should keep in         mind the following: The first of the introductory courses in Biology         (BI 163), Chemistry (CH 141), and Physics (PH 141 and PH 143) are offered only during the         Fall semester, and are prerequisite for enrolling in the second courses         offered in the introductory sequence (BI 164, CH 142, and PH 145, respectively)         in each discipline during the Spring semester.  Effectively, you CAN NOT "begin" your sciences in the spring semester.  If you do not take the first semester of a science in the fall semester of your first year, you will not be able to take a science until your sophomore year (the exception to this would be if you placed out of an introductory science course). Not taking a science in your first year does NOT mean you won't be able to go to medical school, but will require you to work with the health professions advisor to plan how you will complete your pre-requisites.
       
        If you plan to go directly to medical, dental, or veterinary school following         graduation from Colby, ALL pre-professional requirements must be completed         by the end of junior year. This timetable will require that you study for and take         the MCAT in the spring of junior year, and submit applications beginning in May of the junior year.
       
        If you plan to spend a year or more in work and/or volunteer settings         between graduation and entering professional school, your required courses         can be taken over four undergraduate years and/or after graduation, and         the MCAT can be taken in senior year or after graduation.
       
        It must be emphasized, and bears repeating, that there is no one way to prepare for professional         school that is correct for all applicants. The only correct sequences         or combinations of courses are the ones that lead to optimal performance         for you personally. For some students, taking all of the required courses         in a relatively short time is appropriate, but for others spreading the         courses out over a longer time frame, which may include taking some courses         in summer school or after graduation, makes more sense. Pacing your         studies according to your own interests and abilities is the key to a         positive outcome.
       

Course grades and cumulative GPA are considered to be extremely important         indicators of future success by medical, dental, and veterinary admissions         committees. In recent years, the national average GPA of a student going         on to allopathic medical school has been about 3.50. Those individuals         admitted to M.D. programs with less than an overall GPA of 3.30 either         have achieved strikingly improved performance in their later years of         college, or have demonstrated other characteristics deemed desirable for         medicine by various admissions committees. Frequently such students have         "proven themselves" academically by taking more science courses,         and/or completing a master's degree, following graduation. The national         average GPA of students going on to osteopathic schools has been around         3.25 or higher.
       
        The GPA situation regarding dental and veterinary schools is more variable.         However, competitive dental applicants typically have at least an overall         GPA of 3.00, while veterinary applicants are closer to 3.5. The higher         the GPA, the higher the probability of being accepted.
       
        If you do poorly in one of the courses required for professional school,         it is not necessarily the end of the line for your aspirations! If         you have high grades in most of the other required and recommended courses,         there is no reason why you cannot retake the course in which you did poorly         and apply as planned. Although professional schools certainly do not encourage         this, they are well aware that no student is perfect under all circumstances         and that overall performance speaks more definitively than one exception.  Students who demonstrate a distinct upward trend in their academic performance, especially in the sciences, may also be strong candidates for professional school.  There are a million variations on the theme of performance -- don't hesitate to talk with the Pre-Health Advisor to assess your situation and develop a strategy to achieve your professional goals.

In addition to demonstrating a strong record of achievement in your courses,         it is very important to take every opportunity to gain experience in clinical settings.  A combination of volunteering, internships, summer jobs, and shadowing is critical in demonstrating to health professions schools your commitment to the profession you seek to pursue (and an absolute requirement for students interested in PA, PT, or veterinary studies).  Opportunities for these experiences exist both on campus in the Waterville community  and should be sought early and often throughout your Colby experience.  Participation in humanitarian volunteer opportunities of any kind is valued by medical schools. 

You should also seek opportunities to engage in special projects or individual         research:
       
        For students majoring in the natural sciences, projects in the major         may take the form of laboratory research at Colby, at another college         or university, or in a hospital or professional school setting. This research         may or may not involve human or animal subjects, but will demonstrate your understanding of how research is conceived, organized, and conducted.  After all, research is the underpinning of all you do as a clinician.
       
        For students majoring outside of the natural sciences, it is also         beneficial to get involved in research in your discipline, especially         if it is pertinent to health in the broad sense. Some recent examples         are a Psychology major who helped to carry out a study examining perceptions         of health risks among college students; an Economics major who got involved         in research on the health and cost implications of hydrocarbon emissions         near an airport in an urban setting; a Chinese minor who did research in Beijing on the effects of air quality on asthma sufferers; and a Philosophy major who wrote         a senior thesis on medical ethics pertaining to contraception, abortion,         and euthanasia.  Non-science majors have also developed relationships with faculty in their science courses which have led to lab science research opportunities.