UMass Amherst: is it good enough?

Pre-Med & Medical School High School Student Topics
1

<p>hi. im a rising senior in a high school is MA. i will most probably attend umass amherst (in state) for undergrad:</p>

<li><p>What kind of medical schools do UMass (commonwealth college / honors program) premeds get into? (UMass Worcester, Tufts, Harvard etc.)</p></li>
<li><p>Approximately what % premeds from umass get into medical school?</p></li>
<li><p>Would u suggest majoring in Biology or Biochemistry/Molecular biology? which program at umass is better for premed?</p></li>
<li><p>do the classes prepare u well for the mcat? </p></li>
<li><p>I’ve heard that one needs a very high gpa (3.8ish) from umass to get into medical school. Is that really true (do the umass premeds who get into med school all have gpas that high)? </p></li>
</ol>

<p>oh yes… i also heard that a lot of times u do not get the classes u want/need (im concerned about this b/c premeds have a lot of required classes). </p>

<p>I would highly appreciate answers to any of these questions.</p>

2

<p>Hi. I am going to be a freshman biology major at UMass in the fall and I have an interest in pre-med as well, so when I visited the school I went to an information session about pre-med, and here is what the school told me:</p>

<p>The required courses for the biology major fulfill medical school requirements, which are usually 2 years of chemistry with lab, 1 year of biology with lab, 1 year of physics with lab, and possibly 1 or 2 semesters of calculus. If you complete those classes and all your others with good grades and you do a lot of community service (I believe that medical schools want 2 years of service in a medical environment), then you have a great chance of being accepted to medical school.</p>

<p>You can, however, major in whatever you want, as long as you complete those few classes. Pre-med is not a major at UMass.</p>

<p>I assume that those classes prepare you well for the MCAT, as the material from those classes comprises the entirety of the MCAT.</p>

<p>As far as getting into these classes is concerned, if you major in biology, you're basically guaranteed to get into them eventually. A word of advice (assuming that you do go to UMass): go to an early orientation session next summer, so that you'll be one of the first freshman to choose your classes. Also, join a science-related Residential Academic Program, in which you live on a floor and share at least one class with people in your major or with similar interests; I can't tell you how many fall 2008 classes are restricted to RAP students only. If your grades are high enough and you designate a major in the life sciences (bio, biochem, microbio) on your application, you may be invited to join BioTAP, which is an invitation-only RAP for students interested in the life sciences (many of whom are also pre-med).</p>

<p>Bruce Byers, UMass faculty member, said at the information session that I went to that most medical schools in the U.S. (with the exception of Harvard) are on the same level as far as quality of education is concerned. He also said that basically everyone from UMass who applies gets in because those who apply are those with excellent grades who have done community service, gotten involved on campus, and can nail the admissions interview.</p>

<p>I hope this helps. Good luck in the college admissions process! :)</p>

1 Like
3

<p>thanks a ton metalpancake! that was really helpful.
i havent decided my major yet. i just found out that the chemical engineering department at umass offers a biochemical engineering concentration. would u recommend that for pre med? or is it better to double major in bio/physics or bio/math? i just want to have a fall back option incase i do not get into med school. do they help u with other options if you fail to get into med school?
and thanks a lot for the info on RAP; that was REALLY helpful! :)</p>

4

<p>You could do the biochemical engineering if that's what you wanted to do--it fulfills pre-med requirements--but I don't know that I would recommend it. Engineering majors have to take more credits than other majors, and a majority of those credits are major-specific so their education isn't as well-rounded; medical schools want students to be well-rounded. It's better to major in something that you're really interested in and that will give you enough time to take classes that you want and to do something other than schoolwork (like interning in a lab or medical facility).</p>

<p>Honestly, your best bet as far as majors go are biology, biochemistry, microbiology, chemistry, and psychology (which has a neuroscience track if you're interested in that) because they all are related to medicine and they also prepare you for other science-related careers, such as research. Like I said before, though, you can major in whatever you want; if your backup plan involves engineering, do the biochemical engineering, but prepare for a lot of work.</p>

<p>There are career advisors at the school who you can talk to about potential careers so that you can find alternatives in case med school doesn't happen.</p>

<p>The biochemistry major has an option where you can earn both your bachelor's and master's degrees in five years. If you did that, you could get a good research job or appear more attractive to medical school admissions.</p>

1 Like