Charles H Ellis, Jr
Chair, Health Professions Advisory Committee

[Premedical Information]
[Evening Program Information] [Summer Intensive Courses]
[Registering as an Advisee]
[Volunteering]
[Admission Tests] MCAT, DAT, OAT, VCAT, GRE
[Web Sites]
[News Items]

Last revision - Juloy 15, 2002 - CHE 5L

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Web Resources - - Career and Application Information

Medicine - - AAMC or AMCAS or MCAT
Osteopathy - - AACOM or AACOMAS
Dentistry - - ADA or DAT or ADEA (formerly AADS) or AADSAS
Podiatry - - APMA or AACPM or AACPMAS
Veterinary - - AAVMC or VMCAS or NetVet
Optometry - - ASCO
Physician Assistant - - AAPA

Your major

Three quarters of Biology

Three quarters of Inorganic Chemistry

A full sequence of Organic Chemistry

Three quarters of Physics

Mathematics through Calculus

Three quarters of English

Some medical schools have additional requirements. Admission requirements for all schools may be found in Medical School Admission Requirements, published annually by Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

While the minimum college work accepted by professional schools is sometimes listed as 2 years, nearly everyone in professional study has had 4 years of college, with the B.A. or B.S. completed. You should plan to complete your degree at Northeastern. Very few people who apply "early" get accepted. Medical school admission is very competitive. While completing the preprofessional courses with excellent grades is necessary, it does not guarantee that you will be admitted. Many factors are involved, and U.S. medical schools currently have room for only 35% of those who apply.

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In the spring of Junior year, you must take the MCAT, DAT or other entrance examination for your chosen field's schools. A retest (if necessary) can be taken the following fall. Between Junior and Senior year (summer) you will be writing applications. During most of Senior year, you will be waiting to hear from schools about interviews and final decisions.

The Health Professions Advisory Committee is ready to help you at each step along the way. Please keep in touch with us.

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This list shows acceptable sequences in the Basic Colleges which can be taken by students preparing for health professional school. Completing one sequence from each category should meet the minimum admission requirements of most medical or dental schools. If you have questions about whether a specific course not on this list might be applicable, talk with Dr. Ellis or another member of the Health Professions Advisory Committee.

Biology click for Part-time

BIO 1100,1101,1102 (Freshman Biology Majors) Labs must be taken

BIO 1108,1109 and another course with lab (Other majors) Labs must be taken

BIO 1142,1143 (same as BIO1108, 1109) and another course with lab. Labs must be taken

Biology courses and labs were given new separate numbers in 1997. To see which lab to register for, click Labs , or click Old Course Numbers to see if your earlier course meets a requirement.

General Chemistry click forPart-time

CHM 1111,1122 and CHM 1221 (Biology, Pharmacy, etc.) Labs must be taken

CHM 1151,1152,1231 (Chemistry majors & science majors) Labs must be taken

CHM 1131,1132 and an additional inorganic/analytical course (Engineers) Labs must be taken

Organic Chemistry click forPart-time

CHM 1264,1265 (Biology majors) Labs must be taken

CHM 1268,1269 (Pharmacy majors) (course discontinued in 2000)

CHM 1271,1272,1274 (Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Biochemistry majors) Labs must be taken

General Physics click for Part-time

PHY 1221,1222,1223 and labs 1521,1522 (Science & Engineering)

PHY 1201,1202,1203 and labs 1501,1502 (Life science majors)

Mathematics click for Part-time

MTH 1106,1107,1108 (Fundamentals through Calculus)

MTH 1123,1124,1125 (Calculus - Engineering majors)

MTH 1120,1121,1125 (Calculus - Engineering majors)

MTH 1133,1134,1135 (Calculus - Biology majors)

MTH 1140,1141,1142 (Calculus - Math majors)

English click for Part-time

ENG 1110,1111 and one more upper level English course

ENG 1111,1113 and one more upper level English course.

If the third course is Middler writing requirement, it should be a 4 qh course.

Two additional areas which are often strongly recommended are behavioral science and biochemistry. Courses which will meet these requirements are:

Behavioral Science

PSY 1111,1112 Foundations of Psychology I,II

and/or other psychology courses.

Biochemistry

BIO 1283 Introductory Biochemistry (and BIO1683 lab)

PAH 1280 Biochemistry

Or other biochemistry courses.

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This list shows acceptable sequences in University College which can be taken by students preparing for health professional school. Completing one sequence from each category should meet the minimum requirements of most medical or dental schools. If you have questions about whether a specific course not on this list might be applicable, talk with Dr. Ellis or another member of the Health Professions Advisory Committee.

Some of these courses were renumbered in September 1996. The current numbers are given here. The old-numbered courses are still acceptable to medical schools.

General Biology BIO4107,4108,4109 and Labs BIO4110,4111,4112 --- click for Day course

Other biology work [Anatomy & Physiology, Microbiology, etc.] may be acceptable, depending on the type of professional school. General Biology is highly recommended even if you have the other courses already.

General Chemistry CHM4133,4134,4135 and Labs CHM4141,4142,4143 --- click for Day course

Organic Chemistry CHM4251,4252,4253 and Labs CHM4254,4255,4256 --- click for Day course

General Physics PHY4117,4118,4119 and Labs PHY4196,4197,4198 --- click for Day course
Special note about Physics

Mathematics MTH4108,4120,4121 (Pre-Calculus; Calculus 1,2) --- click for Day course

English ENG4100,4111,4112 --- click for Day course

Two areas which are often required are behavioral science and biochemistry. Courses which will meet these requirements are:

Behavioral Science PSY4110,4111,4112 (and/or other psychology)

Biochemistry CHM4371,4372,4373 Biochemistry

BIO4246,4247,4248 Cell Biology

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Summer Twelve-week Intensive Course Offerings

During the Summer Quarter, University College usually offers the Biology, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry course sequences in an intensivefashion (3 evenings a week; both lecture and lab each evening) so that each course is completed in 4 weeks and the entire year's work is done in that 12-week term. Contact University College for specific details regarding the current year. These are the same courses (course numbers, credits and coverage) that are offered during Fall, Winter, and Spring terms.

In some Summer terms, one or more of the Physics courses may be offered intensively in 5-week segments. It is not possible to take all three in sequence in one summer.

For University College Information
University College Main Office
180 Ryder Hall
617-373-2400
General Information, Catalogs, Course Schedules, General Advising

Cornelius O'Leary
Director, Office of Academic and Student Affairs
University College
180 Ryder Hall
617-373-2400
University College general academic advising

Dr. Shirley M. Russo
Director, Health Professions and Sciences Programs
University College
266 Ryder Hall
617-373-5796
Specific Information on BIO, CHM, MTH, ENG course offerings,
Health or Science major programs (part-time bachelor degrees)

The Lowell Institute at N.U.,
a division of the School of Engineering Technology
120 Snell Engineering Center
617-373-2500
Specific Information on PHY course offerings.


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When you fill out professional school applications you will be asked to enter the number of Semester Hours for each course you took. Northeastern's quarter is not like those found at most quarter schools! Our quarter hour converts to 3/4 (0.75) semester hour. This conversion is listed in the official information on the back of each transcript.

AMCAS-2000 the web-based Medical School application converts NU hours correctly. Enter your hours directly as they appear on your transcript.

On all other applications, you must calculate Semester Hours yourself, and enter them as Semester Hours! (On AADSAS or AACPMAS forms be sure to check the Semester block to prevent their computers from improperly reducing your calculated hours! On the AADSAS web application when you enter the information to set up each NU academic session [term], list the term as Semester [not quarter] for the same reason.)

Information on what to do with AACOMAS and VMCAS web applications will be posted when we see this year's versions. If you are to enter the semester hours yourself, simply use this table to calculate them.

DO NOT USE any tables or calculations based on the standard 2/3 conversion. Instead, use this table:

N.U. q.h.	Semester Hours
5	3.8
4	3.0
3	2.3
2	1.5
1	0.8

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How to Register as an official PreHealth Advisee

• Make an appointment with Dr. Ellis for your initial advising session [445 Richards Hall, 373-4032].
  During that session, he will give you a copy of the Advisee Registration Form, initialed and dated.
  
  
• Fill out the registration form.
  
  
• Take the form to Ms. Marlene Amato in the Department of Career Services [101 Stearns Building, 373-2433].
  Ms. Amato will establish a file for you. This makes you eligible to obtain, at her office, the Committee's recommendation forms, applications for MCAT, DAT, OAT, or VCAT tests, and forms for central application services (AMCAS, AACOMAS, AADSAS, AACPMAS).
  
  

WHO MAY BE AN OFFICIAL ADVISEE

To receive the full services as an advisee of the Health Professions Advisory Committee, you must be a current student or an alumnus of Northeastern University. If you are taking, or have completed at least two sequences of preprofessional course requirements at Northeastern, you may register, receive advice, and pick up forms from Career Services. However, we will provide the composite admission recommendation letter only if you have taken sufficient work here to get individual evaluation letters from at least two Northeastern University faculty members.

Doctoral health professional schools prefer that you have a single composite letter of recommendation from your university's "pre-medical" committee. In addition, you may wish to support your application with one or two additional letters from professionals with whom you have worked.

Since you should file applications in Summer or early Fall, a full year before you would begin professional study, you must obtain individual recommendation letters during the Springbefore you apply.

The Committee Letter

• Go to Ms. Amato's office and ask for the Committee's recommendation forms.
• Give an evaluation form and an addressed envelope to at least three (3) faculty members who know you well from a course or other academic activity. At least one should be a science professor. If you have attended another university, we will accept arecommendations from there, but you must have at least two letters from Northeastern faculty.
• Ask the writers to send the recommendations directly to the Committee at the address on the envelope (and the form). If a referee will be sending the letter by U.S. Mail, you should provide the postage stamps.
• Make an appointment to meet with Dr. Ellis so that he can interview you with respect to your application and the committee letter. A complete letter cannot be prepared without this meeting.
• During the application process, when a school requests that you have recommendations sent, go to Ms. Amato's office and fill out the Release Form, giving the full address to which the letter will go, and pay the credentials fee.

Other Recommendation Letters

Most applicants with health-related work (or volunteer) experience have one or more members of the profession who are willing to write a recommendation letter. Such letters are valuable, if the writer knows you well and has seen you function in a clinical or research setting.

It is quite an imposition on any referee to ask that he or she send a letter directly to each of a number professional schools. You may give these persons our recommendation form and an envelope, and assure them that the Committee will transmit an excellent xerocopy of the letter to each school, along with the committee letter. You may also suggest that they use letterhead stationery rather than our form. These letters must, however, be sent to our address to be included in your file.

Admission Tests

You should take the appropriate professional school admission test at the Spring administration before you apply. The latest time that you can take the exam is in the Summer (MCAT) or Fall (DAT, OAT) while you are applying. A test taken at a computer examination center (DAT or GRE) should be taken no later than the Fall when you are applying. Consult information provided by individual schools or school associations about exam deadlines.

WARNING -- Do not take the MCAT, DAT, OAT or VCAT before you are ready
All of these examinations test science knowledge which comes from the required science courses. You must have finished these courses before reviewing for and taking any of these examinations.
MCAT	DAT	OAT	VCAT
Biology General Chemistry Organic Chemistry Physics Verbal Reasoning Writing Sample	Biology General Chemistry Organic Chemistry Reading Com- prehension Perceptual Ability	Biology General Chemistry Organic Chemistry Physics Reading Com- prehension	Biology General Chemistry Organic Chemistry Physics Reading Com- prehension

Application forms for the MCAT, DAT, OAT, and VCAT are usually available after February 15 in Ms. Amato's office. Registered advisees may pick them up there. There is now an MCAT application on the web. MCAT prefers for you to use the web application

Persons not affiliated with Northeastern persons should get forms via mail or the web from the testing organizations. Dr. Ellis or Ms. Amato can provide a list of addresses and testing dates. Or go to the WebSites link

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The professional school associations (medicine, osteopathy, podiatry, dentistry) operate central application services (AMCAS, AACOMAS, AACPMAS, AADSAS, VMCAS) so that you need only fill out one main application form to apply to most member schools. Anyone may obtain these application packets by mail from the application services.

AMCAS, AACOMAS, AACPMAS, AADSAS, and VMCAS all have web-based applications. Go to the Web Sites link to access these services. There is NO paper application at all for AMCAS. The other services can send you a paper application if you absolutely need one.

You must request applications directly from schools that do not participate in the services.

• You are responsible for every step of your own applications. Dr. Ellis will answer questions, and (if you wish) will review your personal statement and completed application with you.
• When mailing an application, or any supplementary application materials, always keep a copy for your records, and note the date of mailing.
• When doing final transmission of a web-based application print out whatever version is available to you. On the printed copy note the date and time you signaled final transmission to the service. If a confirmation page appears, or they send you an e-mail confirming receipt, be sure to print that out and keep the copy with your printed application material.
• When schools or services require transcripts, you must order them from the Registrar's Office (120 Hayden Hall), and the registrars of every other college you have ever attended. You must have transcripts sent to the application service or to a school, exactly as instructedin the application materials.

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Chemistry Labs (separate registration from lecture courses starting in 2000) You must take these when you take the lecture course. Medical Schools require the basic sciences be taken with labs.
Course Number	Lab Course Number
CHM 1111 CHM 1122 CHM 1221	CHM 1011 CHM 1022 CHM 1021
CHM 1151 CHM 1152 CHM 1231	CHM 1051 CHM 1052 CHM 1041
CHM 1264 CHM 1265	CHM 1064 CHM 1065
CHM 1271 CHM1272 CHM1273	CHM 1071 CHM1072 CHM1074

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