Pre-Medicine program

In addition to exploring the Pre-Health Student Resource Center's page on gaining experience, students should check out the Association of American Medical College's page for a deeper dive on experiences that are relevant to medicine.

Students are encouraged to join UWL's Pre-Med Club: Pre-Med Chapter of American Medical Student Association and the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (AMSA and SOMA).

• Early in your pre-med career, develop a list of schools to which you plan to apply; make sure that the majority on your list are schools where your statistics (GPA/MCAT) are at or above the average admitted student profile (not the "minimum").
• Choose the right application cycle/year for you, and apply early within that cycle; competition increases as you apply later in the summer!
• Plan to set aside plenty of time to study and prepare for the MCAT. Students will often take the exam during spring or early summer of their junior year.
• Know that you will have "primary" (via AMCAS and/or AACOMAS and/or TMDSAS) and "secondary applications" (via the specific medical schools to which you applied). Much of this can be drafted prior to the opening of the CAS services.
• Get your letters of recommendation in order as early as possible. Use the faculty letter of recommendation for medical school form to make sure your letter writers are well-informed when writing your letter. 
• Be prepared for the possibility of re-applying next cycle, and know that you should seek out mentors for feedback
• Gap years can be a good thing for personal and professional development!
• Consider paying for the MSAR subscription (~$28) to get advanced statistics and information on medical schools. This will help you make a better decision on where to apply. For osteopathic medicine schools, use the free Choose DO Explorer.

UWL students can track their progress toward med school using the Mappd app. Click the image below to check it out. 

Mappd

A handy timeline is now available at the bottom of this page.

Applications are collected via AMCAS (for MD), AACOMAS (for DO), and TMDSAS (for Texas medical schools). Generally, AMCAS opens in early May, and you can submit your application starting in late May/early June. It is important to submit your application early in the cycle, as competition gets stronger and there are fewer interview invites/offers available later in the summer. DO applications tend to run later than MD applications, however.

The Pre-Medicine Committee was a group of faculty advisors, brought together to aid pre-med students on their journey to medical school. The committee was dissolved in February of 2023. 

What this means for pre-med students:

• Students will now be able to seek out individual letters of recommendation from faculty members of their choice, based on their chosen medical schools' requirements. The Pre-Health Center created a form to help students and faculty gather the information that is often necessary for a successful application: Faculty letter of recommendation for medical school.
• A committee letter will no longer be available. Former pre-med committee members are still great options for individual letters, and are still available to help students with the process. 
• Students can still work with their faculty advisor/mentors in preparing for medical school; in addition, they are encouraged to reach out to the career and pre-health advisors in the Academic Advising Center & Career Services Office to get help with their application process.

The Med School Application Simulation gives you a sneak peek into what admissions committees consider when reviewing applications. Generally happens in early April.

Medical School Mock Interview Day is a simulation of a medical school interview, including traditional and MMI formats. Students' applications to participate are collected by Pre-Med Club and the Pre-Health Center between April and August. Student volunteers are also needed.

Both of these experiences are facilitated by UWL's alumni physicians, Drs. Milt and Yvonne Datta (alum, '82). A special thanks to them, the UWL Foundation and College of Science and Health for their support. Email prehealth@uwlax.edu to learn more.