PRE-MEDICAL
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The Dordt Difference The comprehensive training you’ll get at Dordt College can pave your way to medical school. Professional schools are looking for leaders, not just technicians. Students accepted into medical programs today should: have strong academic backgrounds • know about solving complex problems • understand good relationships • act with integrity and honesty • be involved in their communities. These characteristics are best developed at an institution where a core curriculum provides an education with breadth. Dordt’s Core Program and Christian perspective will give you a framework and a solid knowledge base for your professional studies. Studying science alongside history, English, communication, philosophy, psychology, and the arts—all taught in the light of God’s Word—will help you understand how the world fits together and give you additional ways to serve in whatever profession you choose. The knowledge you gain in all of your courses will open your eyes and heart to the needs and concerns of others.
DORDT’S ADVANTAGES Dordt will give you an excellent science education. Smaller class sizes mean that you’ll get more attention from professors and they will be able to write you more personal recommendations. Dordt’s program teaches you to treat whole people, not just their injuries, giving you a foundation for growing as a capable, loving, just, and ethical caregiver. Dordt is large enough to offer a wide variety of ways for you to get involved and small enough to make it easy to do so. Explore journalism, theatre, athletics, music, volunteering, student government, and more. At Dordt you will get the personal assistance you need and will work closely with faculty as you develop expertise in your field. Opportunities exist for students to conduct collaborative research with Dordt faculty during the school year or during the summer.
PREPARING FOR YOUR PRE-MED PROGRAM
THE PROGRAM You may choose any major. Although many pre-med students major in biology or chemistry, fields such as psychology, English, or history are also appropriate. Regardless of your major, you will take introductory biology and chemistry courses in your first year. Your GPA should be 3.65 or higher, particularly in science courses. An active pre-medical advisory committee will help you meet application deadlines, choose your courses, select the appropriate medical school, and write recommendations for you. Members of this committee stay up-to-date on new developments in admission procedures to professional schools. A Future Physicians Club will help you get to know other pre-med students. Members help each other with course planning, MCAT preparation, and medical school applications. The club brings in practicing doctors, current medical school students, and medical school recruiters to learn more about the profession and give helpful advice. It also organizes field trips to pre-med conferences and regional medical facilities. For an extensive summary of information you will want to know to prepare for a medical career, check the advising tips on our website at www.dordt.edu/academics/programs/pre_medical/notes.shtml. Make plans to visit campus and speak to our pre-medical advisor, Dr. Carl Fictorie, about your professional interests. He will work closely with you to plan your program. You can also call or email for more information at (712) 722-6283 or Carl.Fictorie@dordt.edu.
Begin preparing for your college premed program already in high school. Enroll in college preparatory courses, taking as much science and math as is available. Advanced algebra, trigonometry, and geometry should be taken before calculus, and you will need to earn high grades in these classes. Develop and practice the best study skills and time management habits you can.
Volunteer in a setting where you help people in need. Volunteering in a medical setting is ideal, but any activity that demonstrates a genuine commitment to helping people in need is valuable. It is more important to do something that you enjoy, are passionate about, and can make a long-term commitment to doing than to get involved in some aspect of medicine.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Melissa Kroll (’09) is beginning her third year of residency in emergency medicine at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. “I manage several patients at a time and see anything from appendicitis, abscesses, and pneumonias to car accidents, heart attacks, and gunshot wounds. It’s busy, but I love it.” Kroll credits her time at Dordt College with guiding her toward a career in medicine, establishing a solid foundation for the coursework and clinical experiences she encountered as a medical student. “I think the biggest thing about applying to medical school is having the confidence to believe that you are a well-rounded, well-trained candidate. Dordt helped me with this,” she said. When she graduated, Kroll had research experience that led to a published paper, experience being a teacher’s assistant, and volunteer experience in her field. “The research experience and publication were huge in my application process to medical school.”
GETTING IN Each professional school has its own specific course requirements for its program, all of which can be fulfilled at Dordt College. Nine out of 10 Dordt graduates get into medical school on their first application. Nationally only one in three are accepted. Many of our graduates have been accepted at regional medical schools such as the University of Iowa, University of Minnesota (both Twin Cities and Duluth), Des Moines University, and the University of South Dakota. Others have gone to universities in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Wisconsin, Alberta, and Ontario. MCAT and Medical Schools Require: Principles of Chemistry • Organic Chemistry • Biochemistry and Molecular biology with lab • Zoology • Cell and Molecular Biology • General Physics • Statistics or Calculus • Psychology • Sociology • Writing course We Recommend: Human Anatomy and Physiology • Cell Biology • Advanced Biochemistry • Developmental Biology • Advanced Microbiology • Histology • Genetics • Quantitative Analysis • Medical Terminology • Business and Technical Writing • Lifespan Development • Social Psychology • Biopsychology • Bioorganic chemistry
July 2015