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For students interested in becoming medical doctors Coker College offers a Pre-Medical concentration. This concentration is designed for students wishing to attend Medical School (MD, DO or DPM), Dental School, or Veterinary School after receiving their bachelor’s degree.

Pre-Medical Concentration

Although Medical schools generally accept students with degrees in a variety of majors, all medical school applicants must take certain prerequisite courses. These courses prepare the student to take the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) and DAT (Dental Admissions Test) and to also maximize their chances for success in medical school. Coker College offers a pre-medical concentration that includes those courses that are generally required of all Medical Schools to ensure that general prerequisites are met and the student is well prepared. This concentration is embedded within the Biology major and the requirements are listed below.

Requirements:

A biology major with a Pre-Medical concentration requires 35 semester hours in biology including the following biology courses:

• BIO110L - Principles of Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory (1 semester hour)
• BIO111 + BIO111L - Core Principles of Organismal Biology and the associated laboratory (3 semester hours + 1 semester hour)
• BIO210 - Core Principles of Ecology and Evolution (4 semester hours)
• BIO211 - Core Principles of Genetics (4 semester hours)
• BIO227 and BIO328 or BIO327 and BIO328 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II (8 semester hours)
• BIO330 - Microbiology (4 semester hours)
• BIO491 - Biology Seminar III (1 semester hour)

30 semester hours of Biology must be at or above the 200 level.

Students must also fulfill the following chemistry, math and physics requirements:

• CHE101, 101L, 102 and 102L- General Chemistry I and II (8 semester hours)
• CHE351, 351L, 352 and 352L- Organic Chemistry I and II (8 semester hours)
• MAT222 - Calculus (4 semester hours)
• PHY203, 203L, 204, 204L-Calculus Physics I and II (8 semester hours)

Recommended but not required courses are:

• BIO410 - Advanced Cellular and Molecular Biology (4 semester hours)
• BIO/CHE461 - Introduction to Biochemistry (3 semester hours)

A checklist is available to download and keep track of your biology major courses: Pre-Medical Concentration checklist

What do I need to do other than classes?

Today’s applicant to medical school not only excels in the classroom, but also volunteers, shadows physicians or appropriate medical professionals and conducts research. Depending on the applicants’ school of choice the degree of involvement in each of these areas varies, however, all schools require a shadowing experience. Coker College’s pre-medical concentration therefore, also requires participation in a shadowing experience. Please contact Dr. Bailey ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) for specifics to satisfy this requirement.

Timelines: What should I do each semester to ensure I am on the correct path?

The following is a timeline for non-coursework activities:

1st year, 1st semester:

• Meet with your Pre-Allied Health Advisor (Dr. Bailey)

1st year, 2nd semester:

• Meet with Dr. Bailey
• Investigate schools of interest especially regarding pre-requisite courses
• Explore summer opportunities for volunteering and shadowing

Summer between 1st and 2nd year:

• Volunteer (keep a list of all volunteering activities)
• Shadow an appropriate medical profession (keep a daily journal)

2nd year, 1st semester:

• Meet with Dr. Bailey

2nd year, 2nd semester:

• Meet with Dr. Bailey
• Explore summer opportunities for volunteering, shadowing, and research internships

Summer between 2nd and 3rd year:

• Volunteer (keep a list of all your volunteering)
• Shadow an appropriate medical profession (keep a daily journal)
• Participate in a research internship

3rd year, 1st semester:

• Meet with Dr. Bailey
• Investigate schools of interest especially regarding application deadlines
• Prepare to take the MCAT, DAT, OAT or GRE

3rd year, 2nd semester:

• Meet with Dr. Bailey
• Prepare to take the MCAT, DAT, OAT or GRE
• Take the MCAT, DAT, OAT or GRE

Summer between 3rd and 4th year:

• Apply to medical school- the earlier the better!
• Volunteer (keep a list of all volunteering activities)
• Shadow an appropriate medical profession (keep a daily journal)

4th year, 1st semester:

• Meet with Dr. Bailey
• Complete secondary applications
• Interview

4th year, 2nd semester:

• Make decision about what school you are going to attend and confirm
• Notify schools you will not be attending
• SMILE!

The following is an “ideal” schedule for the pre-medical student to follow. Remember, not all students are coming in at the same level, so this may need to be altered to fit you specifically. Additionally only those courses specifically required or recommended of the pre-medicine concentration are listed. You will need to also take your LASP courses and the additional biology courses to meet your 35 semester hour requirement (at least 120 semester hours total).