Umich Premed Requirements

The following courses are listed to facilitate transfer and fulfill distribution requirements at U of M. These courses may not fulfill requirements for the Associate of Arts or Science degree at NMC. If your goal is to complete an Associate degree before transferring, see an advisor for assistance.

To: University of Michigan – Main Campus

Pre-Med is NOT a major in itself. U of M’s College of Literature, Science and the Arts helps prepare for medical school and other help professions with the help of health professional advisors. The majority of candidates accepted into Medical School have a Bachelors Degree. Pre-med students are free to choose their own academic programs in the humanities, sciences, or the social sciences. A majority choose concentrations in either Biology or Chemistry, but an increasing number in recent years have selected majors in Psychology, English, and other areas.

For students who choose to complete a degree in the college of Literature, Science, and Arts, a foreign language proficiency is required as indicated below. This guide outlines the basic course distribution requirements for the College of LSA.

Admission Criteria

1. GPA – 3.3+ strong High School record if transferring after one year 3.0 if transferring as a Junior (54 credits).
2. 2.0 or better grades required for transfer consideration.
3. Credit Accepted – U of M will accept a maximum of 60 semester credits from NMC.
4. Students are not required to have all the courses listed on this guide completed prior to admission to U of M.
5. Testing required for Medical School – The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is generally taken in the Spring of the Junior year. Scores from this test are very important to Admission consideration.
6. Medical School admission requires more than high grades and MCAT scores. Schools expect students to volunteer, job shadow, have informal interviews and keep a journal of all their experiences in health care.
7. Interview – The last step in the Medical school application process is an interview. Generally takes place early in the Senior year.
8. U of M’s Understanding Degree Options
9. NEW! Transfer Bridges to UofM LSA – Mentorship and more!

Basic Requirements

The following courses are listed to facilitate transfer and fulfill distribution requirements at U of M. These courses may not fulfill requirements for the Associate of Arts or Science degree at NMC. If your goal is to complete an Associate degree before transferring, see an advisor for assistance.

Upon request at the NMC Records and Registration Office, a statement will be placed on your transcript, “MICHIGAN TRANSFER AGREEMENT (MTA) SATISFIED”.

Communications

How to Succeed as a UMich Premed

Everything you need to know about premed at the University of Michigan, including premed requirements, the best premed extracurriculars, and the UMich premed acceptance rate

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: UMich premed requirements

Part 3: UMich premed extracurriculars

Part 4: Getting into medical school as a UMich premed

Part 1: Introduction

The University of Michigan lies in the leafy city of Ann Arbor, where it is home to a stunning campus, booming athletic program, and one of the most distinguished public universities when it comes to academic prestige. And while UMich offers its students top programs in many disciplines, as a premed student you will quickly find that you are not alone in your aspirations. Although the university consists of nineteen schools and colleges across three locations (with satellite campuses located in Dearborn and Flint), many incoming undergraduate students identify as “premed.”

Not only is UMich a top-5 producer of medical school applicants nationally, it also ranks among the 10 best premed colleges in the country, making it an academically robust location not only for general undergraduate education, but also for the premed path specifically.

While the University of Michigan provides an unbeatable foundation for success, it requires you as a student to be diligent, organized, and driven to succeed. As a premed, your goal will be to create a balanced transcript and CV that will impress admission committees—all while enjoying some of the most exciting years of your life. This preparation begins early in your undergraduate career, especially if you already know that a medical career is the dream you have for your future.

However, there are many factors that make a premed path demanding at UMich. The core courses required for medical school admission are considered some of the most difficult to succeed in due to their large class sizes and challenging subject matter. In addition to your academic work, there are many obligations when applying to medical school, such as volunteering, research, and other extracurriculars, that can make managing your schedule overwhelming. And while UMich offers an endless list of opportunities, the sheer range of possibilities can make choosing the right ones even harder.

In this guide, we will help you navigate all these decisions and more. Our goal is to help you flourish in the exciting—and challenging—four years leading up to medical school and your future career as a physician.

Part 2: UMich premed requirements

The table below provides a recommended list of basic pre-medicine courses offered at the University of Michigan. By fulfilling these suggested courses, you’ll be well-equipped to apply to most U.S. medical schools. However, it is important to check individual medical schools’ requirements as each school has slightly different expectations when it comes to prerequisite undergraduate classes.

Depending on the availability of Advanced Placement (AP) courses at your high school, you may have started your college career having already completed introductory course requirements. Again, medical schools will vary in regard to whether AP credits are accepted, so you’ll want to research the policy of each school that interests you.

To get a better idea of the all-around expectations, visit the website for the Newnan Academic Advising Center for a more detailed explanation of each subject requirement. We also recommend that you meet with a pre-health advisor early on, as the scheduling process requires time and patience. An advisor can help map out your future semesters to make the scheduling process less stressful.

Another resource to supplement or prepare for your pre-health advisor appointment is the advising office’s checklist for UMich premed courses. This can be combined with your personal academic goals, whether you plan to major in English or something more traditional for premeds, like biology.

To take it a step further, Wolverine Access (your UMich online hub) provides a helpful tool called “My Planner,” which allows you to explore classes in the course catalog and save and distribute them into future semesters to create your schedule ahead of time.

Sample UMich premed two-year course plan

To give you a sense of how to put it all together, below is a sample course plan for freshman and sophomore years designed to complete the MCAT prerequisites in a timely manner. Of course, your own schedule will vary depending on factors such as:

• Requirements for your major
• Prerequisites for certain premed classes
• General education requirements, which will depend on which U of M school you are enrolled in (as an example, requirements for the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts [LSA] can be viewed here)
• When you want to take the MCAT (we’ll discuss this further below)

Note that the UMich calendar is structured with a Fall and Winter semester, with Spring and Summer semesters that can be utilized if needed. Typically, students will take around 16 credits’ worth of classes per semester.

How to maintain a high GPA as a UMich premed

As you can see from the common prerequisites listed above, not only can the quantity of courses be overwhelming, but the caliber of the courses are notoriously difficult and commonly referred to as “weeders.”

Take Organic Chemistry, for example. The class is held in a 500-person capacity lecture hall, and at the start of each year, you’ll be greeted with standing-room-only seating. As the year progresses, the room thins, and you’ll have not only a seat but also your choice of the front row if you so desire! All of this is to say: the core science courses are challenging and ultimately help distinguish students who are truly willing to go the distance for a medical career.

So, how do you succeed academically? One, it is important to know your limits and consider the transition you’re making from high school to college. If you come from a smaller school with less formal academic structure, your course load as a freshman may require spacing out the more difficult courses into a Fall, Winter, and Spring term schedule, rather than the typical two-semester year.

However, if your high school was a large, highly competitive academic environment, you likely have already developed the habits and study skills needed to take on more courses earlier in your college years. Nevertheless, in both scenarios, you will still be balancing a full load of extracurricular activities and social events with the need to maintain good mental health.

We recommend finding an organization system early on that is sustainable and helpful (rather than a hindrance) to keep you on track. Planners, wall calendars, or a nicely organized iCal are a few ways to get started. Once you identify a study system that works well for you, there are multiple resources that you can take advantage of on campus, especially for core science courses:

• Professor/teaching assistant office hours: By being vigilant in class, taking notes, and marking questions you have regarding the material, these office hours can be extremely valuable to your learning and also increase face time with the professors, which may be helpful when it comes time to ask for letters of recommendation.
• Math Lab: A walk-in resource for the intro and mid-level math courses with a very inviting environment. You can get one-on-one tutoring with UMich math whizzes or come in as a team from class to work on group projects.
• Science Learning Center offers walk-in, peer-to-peer tutoring for chemistry and biology courses or appointment-based tutoring to get more individualized help.
• Problem Roulette: A free access to a library of prior exam questions for various subjects offered at the University of Michigan.

What’s the best premed major at UMich?

The University of Michigan does not have a dedicated premed major. Although some students are disappointed to hear that, this can work to your advantage based on your interests and future aspirations.

Even though all premed students are reaching for the same target of getting into medical school, becoming a physician has hundreds of paths with an infinite number of underlying end goals. Those goals could range from becoming a physician-scientist to focusing on healthcare policy while still being a practitioner.

Being a science major is not required to be accepted into medical school. In fact, if you have interests outside of the basic sciences, it makes you unique as an applicant and adds diversity to your future student body in medical school. Furthermore, there’s no statistical advantage to choosing one major over another when it comes to getting into medical school.

Some argue that the benefit of majoring in a core science (i.e., chemistry or biology) is that your prerequisites for medical school will also count toward the credits needed to fulfill your major. This may ultimately decrease your course load, but likely not by much since the university requires non-science courses to graduate either way. Again, discussing this with your pre-health advisor will help integrate your preferences into your college experience.

Although the UMich website does not specify distributions of majors for premed students, the most overall common majors in recent years are as follows:

1. Computer and information sciences (10.5%)
2. Business administration and management (6.8%)
3. Economics (6.7%)
4. Experimental psychology (4.6%)
5. Physiological psychology/psychobiology (3.8%)

From an anecdotal perspective, while there isn’t a predominant major chosen by premed students at Michigan, common choices include cognitive science/psychology, biology, biochemistry, and chemistry. You can find a full list of majors here.

When should you take the MCAT?

Once you get closer to applying to medical school, don’t forget about the MCAT! Most students interested in the medical field are already familiar with this standardized test, which is required by all medical schools for admission.

There is a wide window in which you can take the MCAT, depending on your schedule and personal preference. Based on our large volume of advising experience, the earliest acceptable time frame is the summer between your sophomore and junior years, when you have completed most of your prerequisites.

The latest we recommend taking the test is January through April of junior year, assuming you are applying straight through. This allows ample time for studying without the stress of finals, personal statements, or other “to-do’s” that come along at the end of the academic year.

Another way of thinking about when to take the MCAT is whenever you’ve completed the following courses, which will serve as essential prep:

• Chemistry 130, 125/126, and 230 or 260 (inorganic chemistry)
• Chemistry 210/211, 215/216 (organic chemistry)
• Biology 171, 172, and 173
• Physics 1 and Physics 2 (any sequence)
• One biochemistry course

As additions, coursework in statistics is highly recommended before taking the MCAT, and sociology and psychology can be helpful additions, too. That said, sociology and psychology can be self-studied effectively, so it’s not a major cause for concern if they don’t fit into your schedule.

Of note: your score is valid for three years, which is relevant if you are considering a gap year for any reason.

In general, the minimum amount of dedicated time spent studying for the MCAT should be two to three months, so it’s important to choose a time frame that will support the extra workload.

Outside of the SAT or ACT, this is likely the first standardized test you have been faced with, and where to start can seem daunting. The good news is that by the end of your sophomore year, your study habits and time management skills will have improved compared to the start of your freshman year.

When getting started, it is helpful to think of MCAT prep as just another class with deadlines and a curriculum. It is likely that you will even take a prep course that will help guide your studying.

Remember that the material on the test is information that you have already learned in your prerequisite courses. As long as you make the time and have a plan at the start of your study session, MCAT preparation will not feel like such a large undertaking.

For more details on how to accomplish this, check out our guides on the ideal MCAT timeline, the best MCAT study resources, and even individual content guides for each topic covered on the test.

Part 3: UMich premed extracurriculars

As if your extensive list of premed courses isn’t enough to keep you busy, medical schools expect undergraduate students to play an active role in extracurricular activities and the community on and around campus. The typical categories of these activities for medical school preparation fall under clinical experiences/shadowing, volunteering, research, and other health-related clubs.

Like other large universities, there is a plethora of choices when it comes to partaking in these activities at the University of Michigan. Although this will ultimately serve to benefit you as a student, it also takes organization and prioritization to find the right activities to fill your time and CV.

During your first weeks on campus, you will be invited to “Diag Day,” which is a yearly tradition that brings students together to show off the various organizations available on campus. This is a great way to meet your co-students and get more information about clubs or activities you are already interested in. You’ll also be exposed to clubs that are completely new to you (for example, the Squirrel Club).

Inevitably, you will put your name on too many sign-up sheets, but it’s a great place to start and gather ideas. The truth is: if you have a hobby coming into college, there is a club for it. You can also find a full list of student organizations online.

Additionally, there are endless opportunities to enhance your premed CV. Below, we’ll discuss some examples of how to get involved with the extracurricular categories mentioned previously.

Although a large organization, the Pre-Medical Club is a great general starting point for any of the following activities. It is also a club that you could be as involved in or distant to as you desire, making it a nice group to be a part of as a Michigan premed.

UMich premed clinical and community volunteering

With the University of Michigan Hospital and Mott’s Children’s Hospital located just north of campus, becoming a hospital volunteer is a great way to get involved early in your college career and stay involved longitudinally during your time at school. This tactic also helps to spread your volunteer clinical hours out over many months or years, rather than cramming them in as a junior or senior just prior to applying to med school.

With such a large premed community within the University of Michigan, the hospital system has a designated Volunteer Services to help streamline the process of becoming a volunteer. The application process may seem arduous, including at least one interview (depending on your position), but we promise it’s worth it.

Once you’re in the system, you have the opportunity to work in various departments and roles, from holding newborn babies whose parents couldn’t be present in the nursery to becoming a radiology tech assistant. This is a “must have” experience that is recommended to any aspiring healthcare worker and one that will get you accustomed to the hospital environment.

Community volunteering is a much broader category that can take many forms depending on your interests. This may include blood drives, soup kitchens, environmental work in the community, and more. Diag Day and this list of volunteering opportunities from the University Career Center can spark interest in an outside activity that contributes to the community, enhances your future medical school application, and more importantly, brings you joy.

As far as other premed organizations and clubs go, here are a few popular ways to get involved:

• HOSA (previously known as Health Occupations Students of America): A nationally recognized organization that provides “powerful instructional tools, recognition, leadership, networking, scholarships, and connections” to students interested in a future in healthcare.
• American Medical Student Association (AMSA): A medical-student-run organization that gets undergraduates involved early in their premed path to help understand and improve patient advocacy and education amongst many other goals
• Pre-health fraternities: There are a handful of pre-health fraternities at UMich that are well-established and a great way to access resources, start networking early, and get help with the application process in your later years of college. Here is a blog profiling the most prominent pre-health fraternities.

UMich premed shadowing

Shadowing opportunities can sometimes be hard to come by, no matter what school you attend. The benefit of Ann Arbor and the UMich community is, again, the proximity to the hospitals and all the providers associated with the health system. The University Hospital has a total of 550 beds and 11 stories, in addition to Mott’s Children’s Hospital, which has 12 stories, 348 beds and a Ronald McDonald House around the corner to assist families. By getting involved with the Pre-Medical Club, there are pre-existing posts that students have already created connections with and resources to help you get in touch with potential providers to shadow.

UMich premed students have also had luck with “cold calling” providers, especially if there is a particular sub-specialty of interest. The university offers a physician directory, which allows you to search and contact different providers. With 31 residency programs and 82 fellowships, the hospital network is designed to teach the next generation of physicians, which is typically helpful when seeking shadowing opportunities.

Shadowing experiences are always good to include on your medical school application. However, a tip with shadowing is to find a balance—you don’t want to spend too many hours shadowing when some of that time could be spent on studying, volunteer activities, or work if that pertains to you. We typically recommend 100+ hours of shadowing prior to applying, so keep that in mind when planning out your time.

UMich premed research

One of the most attractive features of the University of Michigan as a premed student is the abundance of research opportunities. UMich was recently ranked as the #1 U.S. public university in research volume, with $1.62 billion spent in research expenditures in 2019.

Because research is so intimately integrated into the University of Michigan experience, the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) was created to partner students with principal investigators (PIs). These PIs include lab scientists, professors, and clinical researchers who all specialize in different areas.

Again, the research world is your oyster. For experience purposes, becoming involved in bench research is beneficial to seeing how studies begin from the ground up and getting a better understanding of basic sciences. Alternatively, clinical or translational research is a great way to see the medical field from a different perspective that helps shape your understanding of various medical physiology and treatments.

The UROP track can be somewhat competitive, but there are many other avenues through which you can get involved with research early on. If you would like to find research opportunities on your own, the best way is to first identify what you’re interested in. Often, you can discover subjects of interest through the courses you’re currently taking. If this is the case, seek out the professor’s office hours and ask if they have any research projects that they are actively working on.

Additionally, most majors will have websites dedicated to research opportunities. Take the Psychology Department, for example. On their website, you will find various courses, labs, and tips on how to get connected with principle investigators within the field. In addition, here is a general “tip sheet” on how to start looking for research positions throughout the university.

If you are a student who needs to simultaneously have a job throughout college, don’t forget to look into work-study research opportunities, which can allow you to accomplish your research while getting paid.

Further information and helpful resources on research can be found here.