Frequently Asked Questions

• For MD programs, the science GPA is made up of all biology, chemistry, physics and math courses.
• For DO programs, the science GPA is made up of all biology, chemistry and physics courses.

Check out our Required Courses section. Information about specific medical school course requirements can be found on the specific medical school websites and in the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) guide. 

No, medical schools will accept all physics sequences for completion of their physics requirement. 

• Physics 130 is the non-calculus sequence.
• Physics 135 is the calculus based sequence and is required for some majors (physics, biomedical engineering).
• Physics 125 is only for Integrated Science Program (ISP) majors.

The decision to take coursework in the summer involves many factors. We encourage students to book an appointment to discuss their summer plans with a health professions advisor.

It's preferable that you take all pre-med coursework at Northwestern, but if you feel you have to take premed coursework outside of Northwestern, it's best to take courses at a peer institution. 

If you plan to transfer coursework back to Northwestern, you must first get the approval of the academic department in which the coursework is being offered before you take the course. Learn more about transferring non-Northwestern summer credits.

No. Medical school applications require that official transcripts be submitted from all universities where an applicant has taken courses.

We recommend that students complete the basic science sequences (biology, general and organic chemistry and physics) before applying to medical school. But, students can complete non-science and upper level science requirements during the application year, as long as all required courses are completed before starting medical school.

For more information about pre-med coursework, please see our Required Courses.

No, you should not convert hours for the AMCAS application. Enter the coursework in AMCAS exactly as it appears on your transcript. Most NU courses are 1.0 credit hours (labs are typically 0.34 credit hours). The AMCAS application service will do the conversion during the verification process.

One Northwestern course credit = 2 2/3 semester hours or 2.7 semester hours rounded up. For example, if a med school requires 8 semester hours of organic chemistry, our 3 courses of organic chemistry 210-1,2,3 = 8.1 semester hours (3 x 2.7 = 8.1). Remember, don't convert hours for AMCAS applications.

Students can request this document - commonly known as a "Dean's Certificate" - from the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution.

The costs of preparing, applying, and interviewing for your chosen health profession can vary, based upon a number of factors. While we recommend all students should develop a budget in their overall pre-health plans, we encourage students with limited resources to explore additional resources. Note, many of the additional financial resources available are typically based upon a student’s socio-economic status/household income and not their racial/ethnic identities. For example, fee waivers are typically designed for students who may not be able to apply without additional financial assistance.  

For more information on application fee waivers for applicants to the health professions visit this Northwestern Financial Wellness webpage.
 
There are also additional resources, not specifically related to the costs of applying to health professions schools, available to first-generation, lower-income, and/or DACA/Undocumented via Northwestern's Student Enrichment Services office. The SES One Form is a central resource for more information and requesting additional support.

Clinical experience is any experience that involves the care and treatment of patients and ideally one in which you can observe the patient/doctor relationship. Most pre-health students will engage in some form of clinical experience before enrolling in a health professions program.

Medical schools want to be confident that you:

• have a good understanding of the realities of medicine
• are service-minded and people-oriented
• are committed to the practice of medicine

Clinical experience allows pre-health students to get a firsthand look at what it’s like to work in a healthcare setting and to see the qualities and characteristics it takes to provide care. It also allows pre-health students to test and confirm that this is right work setting and profession for you.

• The Importance of Clinical Experience handout. Ask your health professions advisor about this.
• HPA Extracurricular Opportunities website sections (both clinical and non-clinical volunteering)
• Community Health Volunteer/Internship Fair, usually held in March in Norris
• Volunteermatch.org, for volunteering opportunities anywhere

• All schools will value service in a medical/clinical setting
• Some schools may also wish to see service in a non-medical/clinical setting.
• Many schools will not have a required number of hours, but we recommend at least a year of volunteering before applying to medical school (one shift a week, ideally)

A bridge year occurs when an applicant wants to apply at the end of their senior year, rather than their junior year to medical school.  The medical school application cycle is approximately a 15 month process. If students want to start medical school immediately after they graduate, they need to apply in the June of their junior year.

Yes, more than 70% of Northwestern undergraduates in the regular MD application cycle (excludes HPME/NUPSP applicants) take at least a year or more between undergraduate and medical school.

• Need to improve science GPA before applying
• Need to improve MCAT score and/or want more time to study for MCAT
• Need more experience in health care setting
• May not be sure if that they want to be a physician
• Would like to pursue other opportunities before starting medical school
  (fellowships, travel abroad, other graduate work)

In general, medical schools want you to follow your own interests during your gap/bridge year.

• Most applicants build upon the skill set they have been developing during college.
  • Someone who has research experience may look for research jobs.
  • Someone who has tutored may look for teaching fellowships.
• If you plan on using your gap/bridge year experience to correct a major deficit in your application, we would encourage you to strengthen your application first before submitting it. This may mean applying in another cycle than the one you intended.
• If you are working in a non-healthcare position, continue to show your commitment to medicine by volunteering in a patient-care environment (hospitals, community health clinics, etc.).

If you are working in a patient-care environment, continue to show your service orientation by volunteering in a non-healthcare setting (tutoring kids, volunteering with a food pantry, etc.).

Yes, but it can be challenging during the interview season (approximately September – February, although some schools may interview in August and be finished by December/January).

• Do you have the budget to return for interviews, maybe multiple times?
  • Medical schools may not have the flexibility to accommodate your travel schedule.
• Do you have the freedom from your abroad commitment to return for interviews?
• If there are budget or commitment concerns, we encourage students to consider moving their application to the next year and being fully invested in their abroad experience.

No. While we cannot predict every med school reviewer’s preference, in general, med schools value applicants who have engaged in research and scholarly endeavors outside of the classroom. They especially value seeing applicants pursue activities about which they are truly passionate.

Attend a “Finding a Lab” workshop hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR); review OUR website and newsletter for opportunities, connect with OUR advisors, talk with friends who are already engaged in research, talk with faculty in classes about their research interests, use the Northwestern Scholars database to identify faculty engaging in research that appeals to your interests.

You do not have to do any, but since we have so many research opportunities/resources at NU, we encourage you to try research.  Medical schools value the experience. Some students engage in research for a summer or an academic year and then decide that they would rather focus on other things, which is acceptable.  However, if students are truly interested in an MD/PhD pathway, we advise that they are active in research over multiple years and can show growth in their research skill set.

The NUPSP website is the best source to learn about the program’s requirements and application process. On average, about 50 students apply each year, and 10-15 are accepted. Once you’re assigned a pre-health advisor, you can discuss if NUPSP may be a good fit for you. The application is due at the end of fall quarter of your junior year.

Applicants should approach a recommender a minimum of 4-8 weeks before the letter is due; however, many students begin approaching recommenders in the quarter prior to discuss letters. The first time an applicant talks to a recommender should not be to ask for an LOR, you should have cultivated this professional relationship over time.

Application opens over the summer. Keep an eye out for an e-mail from Health Professions Advising notifying students when applications open.Health Professions Advising will notify students through our listserv when NU-CAP applications open and instructions on how to submit your application. You will need to fill out this in-take form, if you haven't already done so, to be included on our listserv and be notified about programs like NU-CAP.

Historically, juniors and seniors with limited shadowing experience have participated in NU-CAP.

The NU Connections Programs match NU undergraduates with students in the DPT, MD and PA programs at the Feinberg School of Medicine. Matches then engage in a dialogue meant to better inform the student about their health track and what it's like to be a student in one of these programs at Feinberg School of Medicine.

Application opens over the fall quarter for the MD Connections Program and in the winter quarter for the DPT and PA Connections Programs. HPA will advertise when registration for these programs is open in our Events & Opportunities Newsletter.

Students registered with HPA are eligible for the NU Connections Program as long as they apply before the registration deadline.

Yes! Many pre-health students choose to study abroad during their time at Northwestern. We encourage you to plan ahead and begin to get an understanding of the available opportunities through the Global Learning Office website. Once you have an idea of the timing in which you’d like to go abroad, we can help you build your schedule around that experience. Keep in mind that, depending on your health professions path and desired timeline, you may need to take a flexible approach to fitting in a study abroad experience.

Medical schools generally prefer that applicants take their courses at their home institution.  We typically advise students not to take pre-med/pre-health coursework abroad, but there may be exceptions.  If an applicant does want to take coursework abroad, it has to be with a U.S. or Canadian-based institution for the courses/grades to be counted in AMCAS.

Whichever program sounds interesting to you and fits with your course planning, it does not have to be pre-med focused. However, Global Health minors/majors must do a public health focused study abroad experience approved by Global Health Studies.

Yes, if the institution that sponsored the study abroad program is in the US or Canada you will need to submit a transcript from that institution when you apply to medical school. When you apply to medical school you will include an official transcript from each institution for which you attempted coursework.

We recommend that you review and follow the AAMC Guidelines for Premedical and Medical Students Providing Patient Care During Clinical Experience Abroad and only choose a program that adheres these guidelines.

Remember, if you are not qualified to do something in the U.S., you certainly are not qualified to do it in another country.

From the above AAMC document: Many premedical students believe that the more in-depth clinical experience they have, the stronger their applications will be. However, taking on tasks that are beyond your training could make you look unethical, unknowledgeable about the health professions, irresponsible to admission committees, and may diminish or eliminate your chance for acceptance into medical school. Similarly, medical students who perform procedures beyond their training may negatively impact their chances of matching in residency programs.

You do not need to go abroad to engage in global communities, many cities have international populations in need of service.