Newberry College

Training to become a medical doctor is a rigorous process taking about eight years of college level study. However, it is interesting to note that a student is not required to have a BS degree to be admitted into most medical programs. This is true at both of the schools in South Carolina (USC and MUSC). The typical admission committee looks at three important criteria in making decision for admission:

• Score on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
• Courses taken and grades in those courses; the higher the GPA the better, with a typical minimum of about 3.2 on a 4.0 scale (the actual minimum changes each year with the pool of applicants).
• Showing interest in medical profession through volunteer or work experience in hospitals or similar situations where doctors are needed.

Recommended Coursework

In order to be best prepared for the application process, most students are either biology or chemistry majors and complete the courses listed below.

• BIO 121: Biological Science (4 hours)
• BIO 122: Zoology (4 hours)
• BIO 215-216: Human Anatomy and Physiology (8 hours)
• CHE 113-114: General Chemistry (8 hours)
• CHE 231-232: Organic Chemistry (8 hours)
• MAT 211: Calculus I - Differential Calculus (4 hours)
• PHY 213-214: Physics for Science and Engineering Students (8 hours)