The Pre-Health Track
> What Track to Follow?Many students hope to matriculate to health profession school immediately after they graduate from Brandeis. Others will plan to take time off. Still others would like to study abroad during their time at Brandeis or pursue other interests. In any of these cases you are advised to sit down and do some careful planning. For example, students who want to go straight to health profession school must complete all of their prerequisite courses by the end of their junior year to be ready for their standardized exam. Students who wish to study abroad may need to consider taking summer courses. Following are some sample outlines of premedical programs of study. These are not by any means the only possible tracks to follow as a premedical student, but they are presented here to give you some sense of how to plan your program of study.
| The four-year plan: This plan allows you to spread out your prerequisite coursework across four years, and allows more flexibility in course selection. Though it means taking a year (often referred to as a "glide year") between your graduation and matriculation, this does not adversely affect your application. Many students find that time away allows them to gain additional experience that may strengthen their application, and helps them to ensure that they are truly ready for a career in their chosen health profession. | ||
| Year | Courses and other things to do | |
| First | General Chemistry sequence with labs One or both Mathematics courses |
|
| Second | Biology sequence with labs Volunteer work/internship over the summer |
|
| Third | Either Organic Chemistry or Physics sequence with labs Volunteer work/internship over the summer |
|
| Fourth | Either Organic Chemistry or Physics sequence with labs Attend Applicant Workshop in the Fall Interview with Premedical Board in the Spring Take MCAT in the Spring Apply during the Summer |
|
| "Glide Year" | Interview at health profession schools Work, volunteer, travel, otherwise enjoy a year between undergrad and professional school |
|
| The three-year plan: This is the traditional path that many students take, and allows you to go directly to health profession school in the Fall after you graduate from Brandeis. There is less flexibility in choosing coursework with this plan (especially in the sophomore year), and if two sciences with labs require more time and attention than you can devote to them, poor performance in these courses can adversely affect your chances at admittance. | ||
| Year | Courses and other things to do | |
| First | General Chemistry sequence with labs One or both Mathematics courses Volunteer work/internship over the summer |
|
| Second | Biology sequence with labs Either Organic Chemistry or Physics sequence with labs Volunteer work/internship over the summer |
|
| Third | Either Organic Chemistry or Physics sequence with labs Attend Applicant Workshop in the Fall Interview with Premedical Board in the Spring Take MCAT in the Spring Apply during the Summer |
|
| Fourth | Interview at health profession schools |
|
| The two-year plan: This plan allows you to go directly to health profession school in the Fall after you graduate from Brandeis, and provides substantial flexibility in the junior and senior years, often used to study abroad. However, the intensive science course loads and application activities (working with the Premedical Board; taking the MCAT) in your first two years can be overwhelming. See additional ideas for meshing study abroad with application to health professional school on the Pre-Health and Study Abroad page. | ||
| Year | Courses and other things to do | |
| First | General Chemistry sequence with labs One or both Mathematics courses Physics sequence with labs Volunteer work/internship over the summer |
|
| Second | Biology sequence with labs Organic Chemistry with labs Attend Applicant Workshop in the Fall Interview with the Premedical Board in the Spring/Summer Volunteer work/internship over the summer MCAT in Spring/Summer |
|
| Third | Apply during the Summer | |
| Fourth | Interview at health profession schools | |