Columbia Pre Med

There’s a lot of information in the table above, so let’s parse through some of it. Columbia clearly offers a variety of paths to ticking off those prerequisites for medical school. The path you’ll take is, to some extent, determined by your major, your exam placement scores, and potentially whether you opt to engage in undergraduate research.

Premedical Curriculum

Premedical Curriculum at Columbia College and Columbia Engineering

It is very important to note that medical schools in the United States and Canada each individually determine their own entrance requirements, including prerequisite coursework or competencies. Each medical school also sets its own rules about acceptable courses or course equivalents. Therefore, it is essential that you check the premedical requirements both for your state school(s) and any other medical school where you think you may apply when planning your curriculum. Click here to see a document with the current prerequisites at accredited medical schools in the U.S. Click here to see a document that details which schools will accept AP credit in partial fulfillment of their prerequisites.

In addition to medical school course requirements, all medical schools currently require that you sit for the MCAT exam. A new format of this exam was introduced in the spring of 2015. In preparation for the MCAT we recommend:

1 year of General Chemistry and General Chemistry Lab

1 year of Cell and Molecular Biology and Biology Lab

1 year of Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry Lab

1 year of General Physics and Physics Lab

I semester of Biochemistry

I semester of Statistics

1 semester of Introductory Psychology

While these courses are those recommended to prepare you for the MCAT, there are indeed additional requirements set by individual schools.

Additional Information on Requirements:

• Most medical schools require a year of English – emphasizing skill acquisition in writing.

• Many medical schools currently require mathematical competency focused in areas covered in calculus and statistics. We therefore recommend that all students complete a semester of calculus in addition to statistics.

• A number of medical schools actually require a semester of biochemistry and an increasing number will likely add it as a requirement in the future. Although our introductory biology sequence covers many of the foundational concepts of biochemistry, we cannot guarantee that all medical schools will accept this in fulfillment of a prerequisite requirement. We will be continuing to engage in conversations with individual schools to assess this and will keep you updated regarding these conversations.

• A smaller subset of schools require more than one year of introductory biology. Many recommend specific advanced level classes. If you are a Texas or California resident, you should pay particular attention to your state school requirements as they are among the schools that require the additional biology.

• A few schools have also begun to add social and behavioral science courses into their requirements including, but not limited to, psychology and sociology.

PLEASE NOTE: It is your responsibility to keep up to date with prerequisite requirements for the schools to which you intend to apply. These are subject to change from year to year. Check the current edition of the MSAR (Medical School Admission Requirements), which is updated annually and released in April, for the most up-to-date information. Most medical schools also list their requirements in greater detail on their individual websites.

SPECIAL NOTES RELATED TO CURRICULUM

AP Credit:

Policies regarding the acceptance of AP credit in fulfillment of premedical requirements varies from medical school to medical school, and sometimes from course to course. Most medical schools will require applicants to take at least one additional college level course in the subject area should they receive AP credit for the course requirement.

Additionally, the AP policies at Columbia vary from department to department as they are the purview of the faculty in each field of study. Some departments do not grant credit until an advanced course has been completed successfully. Additionally, even though you may receive AP credit for an introductory level course, this does not necessarily mean a department will exempt you from a requirement for the major. In any case, AP credits are not awarded until the conclusion of the first year at Columbia.

The most common question surrounding AP credit and premedical requirements relates to Chemistry. Students who begin in either CHEM UN2045-UN2046 Intensive Organic Chemistry for First Year Students or CHEM UN1604 Second Semester General Chemistry (Intensive) will receive 6 and 3 credits of AP respectively (should they have 4 or 5 on AP test, and earn a C or better in the sequence). These students are however still encouraged to go forward and take additional chemistry at the advanced level (biochemistry and/or other upper level chemistry) so that they may strengthen skills and background and meet requirements for schools that are less open to accepting AP credit (including some of the state schools in California).

Labs:

It is generally desirable to complete the labs alongside the lecture courses; however, this is not critical. Biology and biochemistry majors often will not take the major lab until senior year, and this presents no problem. However the biology lab may be useful for MCAT preparation and, therefore, it would help to do it before taking the MCAT.

Barnard Courses:

It is permissible to take premed requirements at Barnard. It should be noted, however, that the Biology and Chemistry Departments in the College may not accept the courses towards the major. You should discuss this decision with your Advising Dean before making a decision. (You can always look up the name of your Advising Dean in SSOL.)

You should have good reasons for taking courses at Barnard and if you elect a sequence there you should try to take the entire sequence for consistency.

Note: some Barnard sequences begin in the spring and end in the fall. Thus, before choosing a Barnard sequence, please discuss the pros and cons with your Advising Dean or prehealth adviser.

Summer Courses

Summer courses at other institutions are not transferable to Columbia (CC ONLY) except in a few clearly outlined circumstances. Summer course work at Columbia is, of course, acceptable. It is, however, not ideal to take premedical sciences over the summer, except in unusual circumstances. Occasionally, a student’s schedule will require taking summer courses, but the reason should not be to protect your GPA or avoid taking a heavy science course load. Medical schools want to be assured of an applicant’s capacity to handle heavy science loads and therefore may question your decision to take summer courses, if you have not demonstrated the ability to take on high volumes during the regular academic year. Additionally, the summer is a great time to pursue other types of experiences like research or clinical exposure.

Again, please consult an adviser before taking required premedical courses during summer session. If it is decided that summer is the best route, you need not take the course at Columbia in order for it to fulfill prerequisites for medical school – just as long as you don’t need this course for your major or to fulfill other requirements.

School of Engineering and Applied Science:

The curriculum at SEAS can be very full and demanding, thereby requiring you to take one of the required premedical courses during a summer. Because SEAS students typically take four science courses a semester, a course taken over the summer won’t raise the same concerns as it might for students enrolled at the College. However, taking courses over the summer might lead you to miss out on other important opportunities, including summer research and clinical experiences.

Study Abroad:

Premedical courses should not be taken during study abroad programs. Unfortunately, many medical schools will not accept coursework taken outside of the United States in fulfillment of requirements and therefore we do not recommend taking these required courses while abroad. However, we do absolutely encourage study and work abroad opportunities, for they offer many other benefits including cultural immersion. If you are interested in studying abroad, you should consult a premedical advisor so that you may carefully plan for this endeavor.

Postbaccalaureate Studies:

Not all Columbia students will know from the very start that medicine is where they want to end up. Some discover this part way through their undergraduate years or even after graduating. As a result, some students will finish their premedical coursework after graduating or enroll in a postbaccalaureate program that is specifically designed to allow one to complete the preparatory courses before application. These students may still take advantage of all of the advising services and the committee evaluation offered through Preprofessional Advising.

How to Succeed as a Columbia Premed

Everything you need to know about being a Columbia University premed, including detailed premed requirements, the best extracurriculars, and the Columbia University premed acceptance rate

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Columbia premed requirements

Part 3: Columbia premed extracurriculars

Part 4: Getting into medical school as a Columbia premed

Part 1: Introduction

Situated in the heart of America’s most important city, Columbia University embodies the dynamism and future-oriented thinking that springs forth from New York’s multicultural streets. More than 250 years of ideas from across the globe coalesce into a center for learning and research that is unparalleled.

Add to this that it was the fifth of nine colleges chartered by King George II in the American colonies and the first in America to award an MD degree, and it becomes clear that its standing stretches as far into history as it does into the future.

For hardworking students dreaming of a tomorrow filled with the privilege of wearing a white coat, navigating the premed path at Columbia can seem laden with opportunity as well as risk. What if you don’t get enough shadowing hours? What if you didn’t choose the right extracurriculars? What if your GPA dips during the next four years? How hard is it to get into medical school anyway?

We’ve written this guide to help dispel your concerns by giving you an in-depth look at what it takes to thrive as a Columbia premed. We’ll cover general premed requirements and the courses you’ll need to take at Columbia, the best extracurriculars, strategies for obtaining shadowing hours, and even the Columbia premed acceptance rate.

Part 2: Columbia premed requirements

Whichever way you choose to get from freshman undergraduate to premed success story at Columbia is ultimately up to you, with a few caveats. Most medical schools have similar requirements that must be met to be considered for entry. During your time at Columbia, you’ll need to consider how to satisfy those requirements while also maintaining your major.

The Berick Center for Student Advising (CSA) is a fantastic place to learn about those requirements and how to meet them while studying as a Columbia premed. Working in tandem with prehealth advisors through the CSA in your first two years as an undergrad is highly recommended to help you stay on track. Furthermore, if you ever have questions or doubts about your progress, you can schedule an appointment with an advisor anytime.

Having a solid plan in place for how to juggle all of your responsibilities is vital, and knowing precisely what you need to do is an important first step. You’ll also need to know how your courses at Columbia meet the premedical requirements. To make things easier on you, we’ve listed the requirements for medical schools along with the equivalent courses at Columbia in the table below.

Columbia Premed Requirements
Medical school requirement	Required courses	Optional courses
Biology: Two courses with lab	One of the following sequences: Option 1: BIOL UN2005-UN2006 Intro to Biology I and II BIOL UN2501 Contemporary Biology Lab Option 2: Columbia states this option is suitable for students who intend to major in Environmental Science or Sustainable Development EEEB UN2001 Environmental Biology I: Molecules to Cells BIOL UN2006 Intro to Biology II: Cell Biology and Physiology BIOL UN2501 Contemporary Biology Lab	Alternatively, students may satisfy the lab requirement by completing one of the following: Any 5-point biology laboratory OR Two semesters of BIOL UN3500 including the submission of a research report OR A summer of research as part of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program and one semester of BIOL UN3500 in the same laboratory OR If you are a biomedical engineering major, you can fulfill this requirement with BME labs
General Chemistry: One year with lab	One of the following sequences: Option 1: CHEM UN1403-UN1404 General Chemistry I and II CHEM UN1500 General Chemistry Laboratory Option 2: CHEM UN1604 Second Semester General Chemistry (Intensive) CHEM UN1507 Intensive General Chemistry Laboratory OR CHEM UN1500 General Chemistry Laboratory Option 3: CHEM UN2045-UN2046 Intensive Organic Chem for First Year Students CHEM UN1507 Intensive General Chemistry Laboratory CHEM UN2493-UN2494 Organic Chemistry Lab I and II OR CHEM UN2545 Intensive Organic Chemistry Lab
Organic Chemistry: One year with lab	CHEM UN2443-UN2444 Organic Chemistry CHEM UN2493-UN2494 Organic Chemistry Lab
Biochemistry: One course	BIOC UN3300 Biochemistry	Alternative course that will satisfy this requirement: BIOC UN4501 Biochemistry, I: Structure and Metabolism
Calculus: One course	One of the following: MATH UN1101 Calculus I MATH UN1102 Calculus II MATH UN1201 Calculus III
Statistics: One course	Recommended by Columbia: STAT UN1101 Introduction to Statistics (without calculus)	Other options for fulfilling this requirement: STAT UN1201 Introduction to Statistics (with calculus) PSYC UN1610 Stats-Behavioral Scientists BMEN E4110 Biostatistics for Engineers IEOR E3658 Probability for Engineers IEOR E4150 Introduction to Probability and Statistics STAT GU4001 Introduction to Probability and Statistics STAT GU4204 Statistical Inference
Physics: Two courses with lab	Option 1: This option is suitable for all premed students unless your major is Chemistry, Physics, Biophysics, Chemical Physics, or Astronomy. Likewise, it is not suitable for SEAS students. If your major requires more advanced physics courses, choose from options 2-4. PHYS UN1201-1202 General Physics PHYS UN1291-1292 General Physics Laboratory

There’s a lot of information in the table above, so let’s parse through some of it. Columbia clearly offers a variety of paths to ticking off those prerequisites for medical school. The path you’ll take is, to some extent, determined by your major, your exam placement scores, and potentially whether you opt to engage in undergraduate research.

For example, there are two broad options for earning the requisite biology credits whereas there are multiple options for chemistry, physics, and statistics. The biology, physics, and statistics courses you take will depend on your major. However, your chemistry courses will likely depend on your scores on a placement exam. Some majors will require more advanced physics or a deeper knowledge of statistics than the basic premed prerequisites.

Also, it’s worth noting that labs at Columbia work a little differently from other schools. Medical schools usually require applicants to have taken biology, chemistry, and physics courses with labs. Often, this amounts to a year-long lab course, hence the year-long requirement for students.

Columbia premeds taking general chemistry and biology labs only take them for one semester, while physics and organic chemistry labs are two semesters. Whether they last one or two semesters at Columbia, these courses still fulfill the one-year requirement.

Furthermore, the organic chemistry and physics labs are 2 semester courses worth only 1.5 credits and 1 credit each, so the coursework for these labs will be a bit lighter as it’s spread across a full year. The labs for general chemistry and biology, however, are full-credit, single semester courses.

Sample Columbia two-year course plan

With all of the varied courses to choose from, charting your journey involves a lot of effort. Weighing your potential responsibilities and coursework while considering your graduation timeline, taking the MCAT, and applying to med school is a lot to balance.

With this in mind, we’ve put together a sample two-year course plan to show you how you might go about achieving your prerequisite goals as a Columbia premed. In the table below, we’ve made a few basic assumptions, namely:

• You’re not intending to take a gap year
• You’ll take the MCAT during your junior year
• You’re not taking summer courses

Sample Columbia Two-Year Course Plan
Semester	Courses
Freshman Fall	CHEM UN1403 ENGL CC1010 MATH UN1101 PHYS UN1201 PHYS UN1291 (General Physics Lab)
Freshman Spring	CHEM 1404 CHEM UN1500 (Gen chem lab) PHYS UN1202 PHYS UN1292 (General Physics Lab) STAT UN1101 HUMA CC1001
Sophomore Fall	CHEM UN2443 CHEM UN2493 (Ochem lab) BIOL UN2005 – Columbia notes most students take Biology in their sophomore year. PSYC UN1001
Sophomore Spring	CHEM UN2444 CHEM UN2494 (Ochem lab) BIOL UN2006 BIOL UN2501 (Bio lab)

As you can see from this table, meeting the requirements to go straight into medical school after graduation will leave you with a hefty schedule if you’re not taking courses in the summer. You shouldn’t be afraid to spread out your commitments. As an example, we’ve created another table so that you can get an idea of how taking summer classes might affect your schedule at Columbia.

Sample Columbia Two-Year Course Plan with Summer Courses Columbia does not recommend taking science courses over the summer. This is reflected in the table below.
Semester	Courses
Freshman Fall	CHEM UN1403 MATH UN1101 PHYS UN1201 PHYS UN1291 (General Physics Lab)
Freshman Spring	CHEM 1404 CHEM UN1500 (Gen chem lab) PHYS UN1202 PHYS UN1292 (General Physics Lab)
Summer	STAT S1101 ENGL UN1010
Sophomore Fall	CHEM UN2443 CHEM UN2493 (Ochem lab) BIOL UN2005 – Columbia notes most students take Biology in their sophomore year. HUMA CC1001 – Only offered in Fall and Spring Semesters
Sophomore Spring	CHEM UN2444 CHEM UN2494 (Ochem lab) BIOL UN2006 BIOL UN2501 (Bio lab)
Summer	PSYC S1001 Begin volunteering/extracurriculars

The above table grants some relief by moving a few non-science courses to the summer, but the workload will still be intense. We’ve grouped labs together in this table with their associated courses, but it should be noted that it’s possible to take some labs separately. Columbia states that most biology and biochemistry majors don’t take their labs until senior year.

How to maintain a high GPA as a Columbia premed

Let’s face it, life is tough in the Ivy League. What’s more, it’s tough to get into the Ivy League. But if you’ve made it this far, the last thing you want is to let that stellar GPA of yours drop for lack of planning or knowledge of resources when you’ve been given the rare opportunity to stamp your degree with a top-tier pedigree on your way to medical school.

Your classes will be demanding as it is, but when combined with extracurriculars, research, and shadowing to balance, along with your major and prerequisites (not to mention the huge transition to college life), you will undoubtedly feel the struggle.

Over the years that we’ve been advising students, we’ve nailed down a few choice pieces of advice to help in keeping that GPA up.

• Slow and steady wins the race. As a Columbia premed, you’ll have to cultivate diligence and discipline to truly succeed. This means working through blockages and sticking to a study schedule. When you’re tasked with absorbing complex information, cramming before a test just won’t cut it. Set aside dedicated time for focused study. Remember, there’s no shortcut to mastering new material.
• Make a plan and stick to it. As we mentioned earlier, planning what classes you will take and when is necessary for every premed, however, you should also plan when you will add in time for extracurricular activities, shadowing, or clinical volunteering. Having a good idea about when you can achieve these goals and what is feasible for you will go a long way to supporting your GPA.
• Don’t be afraid to change. That being said, sometimes plans don’t seem to be working or we overcommit ourselves. This can lead to burnout, and, in turn, falling scores. While you may think you had crafted the perfect plan with the perfect timeline, you should remain open to altering it slightly if necessary. For example, taking a lighter load one semester than anticipated may mean you delay taking the MCAT or take courses over the summer. Either way, this doesn’t have to derail your plans. In fact, giving yourself space to breathe can help keep your GPA up and make you look like a stronger candidate when you do apply to med school—even if that is slightly later than you wanted.

What is the best Columbia premed major?

You may have heard that you can major in anything you want and still get into med school. You may have friends or family who have encouraged you to major in biology or chemistry, thinking that will give you the best shot at achieving your dreams. Many premeds feel a twinge of confusion at the seeming contradiction between these two statements, but actually, they both contain a bit of truth.

The real answer is more nuanced. Your well-meaning relatives are right in that many premeds major in biology and chemistry. In fact, there’s a good amount of overlap between the required courses for those majors and the prerequisites for medical school. It’s also true that you could major in Film and Media Studies at Columbia and still receive an acceptance into medical school.

According to data released by the AAMC concerning the 2022-2023 application cycle, while many more applicants majored in the biological sciences than the humanities, a higher percentage of humanities majors were accepted into medical school (51% for humanities majors, compared to 41% for biology majors). What’s more, the mean MCAT and GPA scores for the two majors were quite similar with 506.4 and 3.63 for biology majors and 509 and 3.64 for humanities students.

While majoring in biology or chemistry may make it easier to complete the prerequisites for med school it’s hardly your only option for doing so. In fact, choosing a focus among the 100 majors and concentrations at Columbia can prove tricky. From Linguistics to Neuroscience and Behavior and even Russian Literature, you’ll have the chance to dive deep into almost any interest.

Furthermore, Columbia is unique in that it offers students the option to choose between a ‘concentration’ and a ‘major.’ It should be noted, however, that this option is not open to The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) students as they can only choose a major.

Essentially, the difference between the two is that a concentration has slightly fewer requirements than a major, which may give premeds more time to engage in extracurricular activities or pursue other interests on their way to medical school. In the end, you will still need to gain 124 credits to graduate whether you choose the concentration or the major.

There’s no evidence to suggest that medical schools prefer one over the other. Whichever path you take you’ll still have to meet all the premedical requirements.

So, what’s the best Columbia premed major? Our recommendation is to major in something you’re passionate about. As the saying goes, if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life, and the same holds true for premed students; it’s much easier to maintain a high GPA studying something you’re excited about.

When should you take the MCAT?

Deciding when to take the MCAT is one of the most important parts of the Columbia premed journey. You’ll want to feel prepared enough by your classes and self-studying to get your highest score possible and you’ll also need to consider whether attending med school straight out of college is your goal or taking a gap year is in the cards.

A lot of this decision comes down to personal preference. You’ll want to be sure not to overload yourself with classes or other commitments to avoid cramming your MCAT study into a compressed timeframe. The MCAT is hard. Don’t underestimate that when determining how much you can handle.

For Columbia premeds, the CSA office provides their take on recommended courses before sitting the MCAT. Essentially, they recommend taking all of your prerequisites with the exception of additional biology courses. However, if you have the time, these can be beneficial.

If you’re not happy with your score the first time around, it is possible to take the MCAT again, but this could delay your matriculation to medical school. Furthermore, for a retake to help you, you must achieve a higher score.

We typically recommend taking the MCAT in the fall of your junior year for students who don’t wish to take a gap year. This is to plan for any potential retakes without disrupting the timeline. Although, for many students, this will require taking summer courses to hit the right level of preparation for the test at that time.