Medicine, Dentistry, and Veterinary
Students planning to apply to medical or dental schools should consult T. Crumb, Pre-health advisor for the pre-medical and pre-dental programs; for veterinary schools, consult R. Bebej of the Biology department. Students should also note the general college core requirements listed under the core curriculum. For basic information regarding timelines, requirements, etc., pre-medical and pre-dental students should consult the pre-med/dental website, using the A-Z index on Calvin’s home page.
A student may select nearly any major concentration and still meet the entrance requirements for all medical and dental schools. However, nationwide the majority of the applicants to medical and dental schools are science majors.
Pre-medical students must balance requirements for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) with the requirements for medical schools. The MCAT requirements changed in 2015, and many medical schools have not yet followed suit, so there is a discrepancy, especially with the organic chemistry requirement. The pre-dental list includes the same courses. We continue to recommend students take CHEM 101 -CHEM 102 ; CHEM 241 -CHEM 242 ; CHEM 320 or CHEM 321 ; PHYS 221 - PHYS 222 ; STAT 143 , STAT 145 , or PSYC 255 ; PSYC 151 ; SOC 151 ; BIOL 141 or BIOL 161 ; and BIOL 206 or BIOL 331 . Some schools require a 300-level biology course. One semester of calculus (MATH 132 or MATH 171 ) is recommended, but it is required by very few schools. Some dental schools require microbiology (BIOL 207 or BIOL 336 ).
Because a few schools have unique requirements, students should consult with T. Crumb to determine specific requirements of the schools to which they intend to apply.
Pre-medical and pre-dental students normally take their Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) or Dental Admissions Test (DAT) in the spring of their junior year and should apply for admission to medical or dental schools during the early summer prior to their senior year.
Pre-veterinary students should take the following courses: 2-3 semesters of general biology (BIOL 160 and BIOL 161 for biology majors or BIOL 141 , BIOL 205 , and BIOL 206 for other majors); CHEM 101 -CHEM 102 ; CHEM 241 -CHEM 242 ; CHEM 320 or CHEM 321 ; PHYS 221 -PHYS 222 ; STAT 143 or STAT 145 ; MATH 132 or MATH 171 ; ENGL 101 ; 2 semesters of social science; and 2 semesters of arts/ humanities. Recommended biology electives (that are required by some programs) include microbiology (BIOL 207 or BIOL 336 ), genetics (BIOL 321 ), anatomy (BIOL 205 or BIOL 323 ), and cell physiology (BIOL 335 ). Public speaking (COMM 101 ) and nutrition (HE 254 ) are also required by some veterinary programs. Students should consult with R. Bebej to determine specific requirements for the programs to which they plan to apply. Pre-veterinary students generally take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) during the spring of their junior year and apply to veterinary programs prior to September 15 of their senior year.