First-year students will work through their course schedule with their advisor.

For chemistry, students should take General Chemistry 107 in the fall and Chemistry 108 in the winter.

For math, students who have high school credit for calculus with a grade of A or B should plan to take Math 106. The math faculty, with the use of the non-binding and online placement test, can also help students select the right math course. Students do not need to take calculus in their first or second semesters.

For biology, at some point during the first year, students should take Bio 195 (any section is fine).

Beyond that, your first-year seminar class will help you build community with peers and faculty (and help you to get to know your faculty advisor), and additional courses outside of the sciences will help you explore your interests and your eventual major selection. A balanced curriculum is important!

Please attend our First Year Pre-health meeting.

In your first term, focus on making as smooth an academic and social transition as possible. Get to know your peers and faculty, and gauge how you need to adjust your study skills and time management. Chat with members of the Public Health Initiative (PHI) and Club Med groups and learn about their campus and community involvement.

Here are a few ideas…

1. Be an active, helpful member of your home community. Check with organizations where you have volunteered in the past.
2. Use idealist.org, volunteermatch.org, and local volunteer opportunity databases (like NY Cares) to seek other local options. Connect with the Harward Center for Community Partnerships for community-engaged learning opportunities.
3. Read books that provide insight about being a doctor, applying to medical school, or learning about other health careers. For ideas, here’s a list of books that you might be interested in reading.
4. Connect with alums in healthcare by searching Bates Bridge, LinkedIn, and for additional contact information, the Alumni Directory. Check out the Purposeful Work Job Shadow Program to chat with alumni about their experiences as physicians, nurses, PA’s, etc. See the PW Making Professional Connections Guide for guidance on connecting.
5. Learn more about the next step in your education: Surf through websites for medical schools in your home state. Listen to the All Access Medical School Admissions podcast. Attend virtual fairs, virtual open houses, and other educational opportunities online.
6. Engage in free online learning opportunities, like this one about community change in public health from Johns Hopkins or essentials of global health from Yale.
7. The Power of Self-Reflection. Many pre-health students are super-focused on doing as much as possible, but it is just as important to set aside time to reflect on your journey. Think deeply about your academic experiences, shadowing opportunities, research, and community service. Being able to share your personal narrative in writing (personal statement) and in-person (interview) is critical when applying to pre-health programs. Journaling, for example, is a great way to capture your thoughts as your understanding and motivation for medicine evolves with your experience.
8. Take good care of your physical and emotional well-being.

Medical school prerequisites should be taken in a classroom. Most medical schools would not accept prerequisites, such as Physics, taken purely online (with some exceptions made during the pandemic, when classes were only offered online). Some health professions are more lenient than others about courses taken online – check individual program requirements.

We recommend taking all of your science courses for a grade rather than Pass/Fail, and at Bates or another American institution. Medical programs may or may not accept courses from a community college.

Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) is an online database that enables you to browse information about U.S. and Canadian medical school policies (for a fee). Alternatively, for no cost, you can research individual medical school websites for their admission requirements.