Pre-Health Program for FCLC Students

With the assistance of the faculty and the Pre-Health Professional Program, Fordham College at Lincoln Center students have an excellent record of gaining admission to medical and other health professional schools. The Pre-Health Professional Program invites medical professionals, including Fordham alumni, to speak with students about opportunities in these fields. The Pre-Health Professions Adviser oversees the development of students and assists them in choosing appropriate schools, to which students will apply, and helps them prepare their applications. 

The following information is intended to serve as a guide for those students interested in applying for admission to a graduate degree program in dentistry, medicine, veterinary medicine, or optometry. The information is not intended to be all-inclusive. Students must meet regularly with an adviser, attend scheduled advising meetings, and read material posted on appropriate bulletin boards.

In order to be considered a competitive candidate for health professions, students should:

• Excel academically
• Complete required courses prior to the time of application.
• Build a curriculum that reflects not only the sciences but also humanities and social sciences. Academic course load is an important aspect of any professional school's evaluation of performance.
• Obtain invaluable experience by either paid or volunteer activities in a health care settings. These activities, especially if they are continuing, may help to reinforce one's interest in a particular health profession or stimulate one to explore alternative careers.
• Become familiar with social and political aspects of different health care professions. This can be accomplished by attending lectures, reading current periodicals, and reading professional journals.
• Meet academic and course standards established by the professional schools. You do not need not be a science major in order to meet these requirements; however, most applicants from Fordham College at Lincoln Center are natural science or psychology majors.

Basic Courses Required by Professional Schools

The following courses constitute a minimum requirement. Students should check with particular professional school catalogues about additional requirements. These same courses are also needed for the natural science major:

• One year of general biology with lab
• One year of general chemistry with lab
• One year of organic chemistry with lab
• One year of general physics with lab
• One semester of calculus

The MCAT examination, required for admission to allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical schools, includes topics and questions related to the social sciences as well as the handling and interpretation of data.

A second but important aspect of preparation is the self development through invaluable experience gained in either paid or volunteer activities in a health care setting. These activities, especially if they are continuing, may help to reinforce an interest in a particular health profession to stimulate exploration of alternative careers. Students are encouraged to become familiar with social and political aspects of the health care professions. This can be accomplished by attending lectures, reading periodicals and professional journals, and watching select TV programs.

First Year Advising

First-year students meet during orientation with a pre-health adviser and plan a schedule of courses based on high school academic preparation, SAT scores, advanced placement, and other factors. Although course planning is individualized, most students complete the basic required courses by the end of the third year. Any pre-health students who are also natural science majors must complete the sequence of courses required for the major. Course planning is done in consultation with a faculty adviser.