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Biomedical Sciences 

Timeline Checklist for Freshmen Students

Premedical Checklist for Freshmen Majoring in Cell and Molecular Biology (or other majors).

1. Meet with your premedical advisor before scheduling classes and regularly thereafter.
  • If you are a Cell and Molecular Biology major, your premedical advisor is your academic advisor.
  • Need assistance in finding an advisor? Dr. Albert Gordon (417) 836-5730 will assist you.
  • Begin to establish a name-based, but professional interaction with your premedical advisor. By the end of your freshman year, your advisor should know you by name.

2. Get an overview of the entire premedical-medical school process.

  • Visit the "Considering a Career in Medicine" web site.
  • Ask your advisor to borrow a previous year copy of Medical School Admission Requirements: United States and Canada (MSAR) and read Chapters 1 (Medicine as a Career), 2 (The Process of Medical Education), and 3 (Undergraduate Premedical Preparation).
  • Visit and download a copy of Pathway to Medicine.
  • For a reality check, have a talk with a senior premedical student in your major. Ask your advisor to set up a meeting for you if you don't know any premedical seniors.
  • Make sure you attend seminars and meetings during the year when previous graduates who are in medical school visit campus. Ask questions.
  • Peruse the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) Preparation page and pay particular attention to the MCAT preparations suggested for freshmen students.
3. Make a tentative plan of your four-year schedule and consult with your advisor.
  • Planning your four-year schedule makes sure that required and suggested course work to prepare for the MCAT is completed before you take your MCAT test, usually in the spring semester of your junior year.
  • In planning your schedule, the first four semesters should include both a chemistry and cell and molecular biology core or elective course. Make sure you know which courses must be taken each semester to remain on schedule and which courses in your four-year schedule can be changed.
  • You must complete or be enrolled in the following courses in order to be formally admitted into the cell and molecular biology major: IDS or UHC 110, CIS 101 or CSC 101 or CSC 111, COM 115, Writing I option, MTH 135 or higher, PED 100, and CHM 160.
  • If you plan to apply to one of the more "select" medical schools, pay particular attention to the "advisement note" at the beginning of the premedical four-year schedule.
  • Do not underestimate the value of your liberal arts education in preparation for medicine.

4. Join and plan to be active in the Missouri State University Premedical Society and other extracurricular organizations along your interests.

5. Locate and familize yourself with all of the resources on campus for premedical students.

  • Locate all of the bulletin boards on campus where important information for premedical students is commonly posted. These should include both the premedical student bulletin boards in Temple Hall and the Professional Building.
  • Develop a habit of visiting and scanning these bulletin boards for information and events at least once weekly.
  • Check out the resources in Health Professions Resource Room in the Advisement Center. Information on medicine and alternate health careers are found there.
  • Utilize the services of Mike Wood, counselor at the Advisement Center, who specializes in the opportunities for students seeking careers in the health care industry.
  • Locate a source of current copies of the journal The Advisor. This is the Journal of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP) and is available to premedical advisor members of that organization. This source contains many articles of interest to premedical students. The last five years of issues are kept by Albert R. Gordon in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and current issues are often placed in the book racks in Temple Hall.

6. Start and maintain a "premedical career diary", sometimes referred to as a "premedical journal".

  • Your diary should include a record of books read, interviews, shadowing experiences, names, dates, places, references, and experiences related to your preparation for medicine.
  • Your diary should also include thoughts, feelings, and impressions related to medicine as you read, interview, shadow, and explore medicine in preparation for your career.
7. Begin the process of "knowing yourself" by identifying and comparing your attributes and needs with those satisfied by a career in medicine.
  • Read Professionalism in the Health Sciences and pay particular attention to the last section: "What relationship does professionalism have to admission into health professional programs?"
  • Begin a career and self-assessment comparison to identify important strengths and weaknesses.
  • Pay particular attention to those attributes that are important in being a physician and are sought by medical school admission committees. As you learn more about medicine and yourself, adjust your ratings.
  • Do not avoid or delay experiences that will enable you to address your weaknesses.
  • Plan strategies to actively address your weaknesses over the next three (four) years.
8. Begin to gain experience in health fields through shadowing, volunteer work, internship opportunities, laboratory research and certain types of employment involving people interactions.
  • Visit the Campus Volunteer Center for opportunities in several areas. Check out their web site for the latest postings.
  • Include these experiences in your diary with all of the journal item identifiers and comment on what you have learned as a result of the experience. How has your experience affected your attitudes and understanding of people and situations?
  • For your outside reading, refer to the Suggested Reading List for Premedical Students about the practice of medicine and physician experiences. Outside reading should also include becoming knowledgeable of the issues in medicine and the health care system today.
9. Always perform at the highest level of your ability.
  • One of the best predictors of success in medical school is the student's performance in the course work as an undergraduate. Admission committees know this to be a good predictor of medical school success and you need to remember this.
  • Don't underestimate the amount of work and studying required to earn a good grade in your required science courses. Studies have shown that about 50% of the population of incoming freshman premedical students will be lost because of the difficulty or lack of performance in their science courses regardless of the school they are attending.
  • Take full or above average course loads and do the best you can in all of the courses you attempt.
  • "C" grades can be damaging when one considers the average GPA for those admitted to medical school is above 3.5. Do not be fooled by posted admission minimums. As most medical school admission directors say: "I can't imagine any admissions committee seriously considering an applicant who just made the minimum for admission."
  • Avoid dropping any class because you will have to offer explanations for doing so in the future when asked on interviews. "Because I was in danger of getting a 'C'" is not a legitimate excuse.
  • Accept the responsibility for your own learning. You may be earning an "A" in a course, but may have to put extra work to get the experience and coverage you need from a course. Just because an instructor did not cover all of the material in the textbook used in a medical school-required course is not an excuse for you to omit it.
  • Medical school admission committees shy away from bright students who show any evidence of underachievement.
  • Do not forget that your GPA credentials are established for admission to medical school over the first six semesters. As credit hours accummulate, it becomes increasingly more difficult to raise a low GPA.
10. Consider an alternate career possibility just in case circumstances reduce your competitiveness as an applicant to medical school.
  • Medicine is a selective profession and medical schools admit only a portion of the otherwise qualified students who apply.
  • See our listing of health-related careers and professions in which a strong scientific foundation is required. Students often do not know what possibilities exist because they are not familiar or have not had contact with practitioners in that career.
  • BMS 195, Introduction to the Health Professions, is a useful one-hour course that serves to familiarize students with the major health care professions. Today's physicians are members of a health care team and should be aware of the training and responsibilities of other members of that team.
  • If you have a close match with medicine it is likely that you could happy and more competitive for entry into a number of other health professions. If you decide that medicine is not for you or medicine decides you are not for them, have a "plan B".

Are you "on schedule" with the activities expected of applicants to medical school? Premedical students should refer to the appropriate timeline checklists below:

Premedical Timeline Checklist for Sophomore Students

Premedical Timeline Checklist for Junior Students

Premedical Timeline Checklist for Senior Students

Primary Web Sites For Premedical Students

For More Information

Contact one of the following Premedical Advisors:

Dr. Michael Hendrix* (417) 836-4509, Prof. Bldg, Room 339
Dr. Colette Witkowski* (417) 836-6140, Prof. Bldg, Room 341
Dr. Joanne Gordon (417) 836-7601, Prof. Bldg, Room 335
Dr. Christopher Field (417) 836-5478, Prof. Bldg, Room 352
Dr. Richard Garrad (417) 836-5372, Prof. Bldg, Room 345
Dr. Albert Gordon (417) 836-5730, Prof. Bldg, Room 333

* indicates current member of the Premedical Committee

Department of Biomedical Sciences
Missouri State University
Springfield, Missouri 65897
(417) 836-5603