Frequently Asked Questions

The question you are really asking is “Do medical schools rank undergraduate institutions”? Most medical schools do NOT rank undergraduate institutions. So why should you attend an academically challenging school like Centre? The most obvious reason is Centre will prepare you better for the MCAT. Medical schools look at both GPA and MCAT. If either is low, you probably will not be accepted. Centre’s strong academic reputation will enable you to get better jobs and research internships that are important for your resume whether you apply to medical school or do something else. Skills like writing and speaking are emphasized at Centre and those skills are essential to a physician. Finally, you may change your mind about medical school as a career. You need to have the best academic preparation to keep your options flexible.

The answers to this question depend on your individual situation. If you are not happy at Centre, transferring is an option. If you just want to raise your GPA, transferrring to an easier school may not do it. You need to realize that the academic atmosphere is very important. If you go to a school where no one really studies, will you be able to motivate yourself? The HPAC has tracked some students who do transfer from Centre and quite a number of them do not end up applying to medical school.

Centre, like the vast majority of liberal arts colleges, does not have a pre-med major. There are no best majors for medical school. You should major in what interests you. Most Centre students who are planning to attend medical school tend to major in one of the sciences. The major breakdown for the last five years for successful first-time applicants was: 30% BMB; 23% BIO; 19% BNS/NRO; 11% CHE; 16% non-science majors. It is not necessary to have a double major or a minor. If you want to do that, it is OK, but medical schools are not going to be impressed by it one way or the other. A medical school just wants to see that you have a college degree and have taken the medical school requirements. The HPAC is always happy to help non-science majors schedule their medical school science requirements.

The answers for both of these questions are related. There are a few schools which will show a preference to a small number of students from their undergraduate population. However, there are never any performance-blind guarantees for admission to medical school. For instance, the UofL medical school takes ~5-6 students from the GEMS (Guaranteed Entrance to Medical School) program. Despite the name, students must maintain a high GPA, do well on the MCAT, and get some experience in medicine. If an undergraduate admissions officer tells you that students from that institution get some sort of preference at medical school X, check with medical school X to make sure that it is true. There are a small number of universities that have a program where students take pre-med courses for two years and then enter medical school. The problem with these fast-track programs is that you will not get much variety in your education. Furthermore, such a program pre-supposes that you are absolutely certain you want to be a physician. There are very few high school students who possess that kind of certainty. In the long run you should probably opt for variety and flexibility. Why go to the same medical school that you went to as an undergraduate? Why lock yourself into a career without taking some time to explore other options? Why not enjoy four years of college and then go to medical school?

Even though medical school is pretty expensive, remember to think of it as an investment. Low-interest loans are basically automatic and allow you to pay your tuition and living expenses. If you budget carefully the loans should be sufficient. If you want a free medical education there are two choices. Some rural hospitals will pay for your medical education and, in return, you must work at that hospital for some period of time. The military will also pay your bills. You must give them one year for every year they pay. Additionally, medical schools often give internal (not advertised) scholarships based on GPA and MCAT school. 

You may not have realized that there are two types of medical schools. There are actually three types; podiatric medicine is the third. The best thing to do is to go to the types of medical schools page to learn more. Most Centre students apply to allopathic medical schools, but a few do enter osteopathic medicine.

Centre will grant credit for some subjects with a 4 or 5 on the AP test. However, some medical schools will not accept AP courses for their prerequisites or will accept them only if supplemented by upper-level undergraduate courses. You may be better off taking the introductory courses anyway for a few reasons. Often AP courses teach just to the AP exam. There may be things that are covered in the Centre course that your high school course did not cover. AP courses generally do not prepare you well from the standpoint of laboratory. You do not want to get into the second semester of general chemistry and find yourself behind. Finally, at a small school like Centre, you will probably repeat professors during your four years. It really helps your letters of evaluation if a professor has seen you mature personally and intellectually.

This question is very complex and you need to understand the different factors that go into the answers so that you can judge things appropriately. Usually, 20-25 students are first time applicants from Centre each year. Over the last 5 years, an average of 71% of first time applicants are accepted. The HPAC at Centre is very honest with students about their chances for acceptance to medical school. The HPAC does not control who applies (some schools will not support some students and do not count them in their statistics). Most Centre students who do not have a realistic chance at getting into medical school do not apply. Instead, they work with the HPAC to find out how they can become better candidates in their years after graduation. Similarly, the first time applicants who are not accepted work with the HPAC to improve their subsequent applications. The HPAC tracks re-applicants and the majority of them end up being accepted.

About 25-30% of incoming first-years (about 100 students) indicate that they are interested in medical school in their application documents. The HPAC never really knows how seriously students fill out those forms. In recent years, 20-25 Centre seniors or recent graduates have applied to medical school per year, and many of those entered Centre with the intention of going to medical school. Other students get some exposure to medicine and find out it is not the career for them. Or, they decide to enter a medical field other than M.D. Quite a few students realize they are more interested in science and pursue a masters or Ph.D. in the basic sciences. A few entering first-years are very serious about becoming physicians and have enough experience to be making an informed decision.

You should not take the MCAT until you have fulfilled the basic requirements for medical school (you can be taking some of those when you take the MCAT). Any upper-level science class will be useful, but you have to remember that the MCAT tests your ability to think. There will be passages that you would never see in a normal science class, but the information given in the passage is sufficient to solve the questions. The take home message is that you will not necessarily be better prepared for the MCAT by taking a whole bunch of science classes. You should spend more time getting used to the test.

Most Centre students in medical school say the best class to take is histology. Quite a number of them, though, say you should take some non-science courses because you will get your fill of science once you get to medical school.

You should definitely take as many lab science courses as you can. Biology, chemistry, and physics are the most helpful classes since you will also be taking them as part of the pre-medical curriculum in college. Math through calculus will also be beneficial to you. You should try to get some experience in medicine during high school. Shadowing your family physician, volunteering in your local hospital, or getting a job in a medical setting are all very good things you can do to find out if medicine is a good option for you.

There are test centers for the MCAT in Europe, but you probably should not try to take it when you are studying abroad. You will be doing too much traveling to be able to prepare effectively. Your best bet is to just take the exam when you are in the U.S. and, if necessary, delay your application to medical school. For more on this subject, see the preparation for medical school page.

A lot of our successful applicants participate in a varsity sport. You should also look at the typical profile of successful Centre applicants for other information on our Centre applicants. Centre students tend to be involved in many extracurricular activities. If you come to Centre, you should expect to do much more than just study. Athletics are just one thing that Centre students do.

The answer to this question is “Definitely Yes”. The HPAC will work closely with you to schedule classes so that you can study abroad without getting behind on pre-requisites.

If you have no experience in medicine, it is vital for you to get some, whether it is working in a hospital or some other medical environment. If you have sufficient medical experience you should try research. All medical schools have a great deal of research going on and you will be a better applicant if you can show that you have some experience in that area.

If you graduated within the last 3 years you should still get a committee evaluation from the HPAC. If you have been away from Centre for longer than 3 years, you should just get letters of evaluation from employers or professors that know you well. Check with the pre-med advisors (premed@centre.edu) about your individual situation.

Almost all medical schools will accept course credit for summer school courses as long as the university/college is accredited. You should only take summer school classes as a last resort. With a little planning, you will be able to take all of the necessary courses at Centre.