Premedical Information for Harvard Students

Premedical

Information for

Harvard Students

Timelines, Courses, and Resources 2017–2018

table of contents

Starting Out 1

Medical School Application Timeline 2

Medical School Requirements for Admissions 3

I. Course Requirements

II. Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)

Harvard Courses That Satisfy Most Medical School

Admissions Requirements 4

Considerations for Planning Your Program of Study 8

Course Load, Pass/Fail, and GPA

Chemistry, Biology, and Physics Placement

Science General Education Courses

Research

Study Abroad

Summer School and Taking Premed Courses at a Dierent Institution

Post-Baccalaureate Options

Sample Course Sequences 10

Medical Career Resources for Harvard Students 14

starting out

Dear Harvard Students,

Premedical Information for Harvard Students: Timelines, Courses, & Resources 2017-2018 provides an overview

of the application timelines and courses required for admission to U.S. medical schools. We hope it will

serve as a planning guide to help you integrate this coursework into your academic plan at Harvard. We

have also included a list of Harvard resources that will help you as you consider a career in medicine.

As a ﬁrst-year Harvard student, or someone who has recently decided to pursue premedical coursework,

you will hear many opinions about what being premed means and what medical school admission

committees expect to see in an applicant. Do not believe all that you hear (or that you read online).

Misconceptions and misinformation can provoke unnecessary anxiety. is booklet is designed to help

dispel some common premed and medical school admissions myths.

While this publication describes the process for students applying to MD programs (allopathic medicine),

many Harvard students choose to pursue other health professions, such as public health, dentistry,

veterinary medicine, nursing, and osteopathic medicine. Please feel free to contact us to discuss meeting

the requirements for these and other health professions ﬁelds. We urge you to take advantage of the range

of premedical and pre-health advising resources available at Harvard. Concentration advisers, House

premedical tutors, OCS career advisers, and practitioners in the ﬁeld will oﬀer a range of perspectives on

how to enhance your experience at Harvard as you explore your future careers.

Please also know that you do not need to be sure that you want to go to medical school to seek out the

advice of the pre-health team at OCS. We are also here to help you think about your uncertainty and

about how to explore whether a career in health care is right for you.

Oona Ceder, Emiko Morimoto, and Ellen Williams

Premedical and Health Careers Advisers

Oﬃce of Career Services

Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Harvard University

starting out

medical school application timeline

Close to three-quarters of Harvard applicants to medical school in recent years have waited until their

senior year and beyond to apply to medical school. is timeline allows students four years to fulﬁll

their premedical requirements. Students can also take some or even all of their premedical requirements

after they graduate from college. e national average age of entering medical school students is 24, and

medical schools value the added experience and maturity brought by students who have taken one or more

gap years.

Alumni Applicants

Freshman

Junior

Sophomore

Senior

Begin Harvard

Medical

School

Student

Graduate

Senior Applicants

Begin Harvard

Freshman

Junior

Sophomore

Senior

Medical

School

Student

Graduate

medical school application timeline

Winter-Spring***: Declare to House

Premed Committees intent to apply

March-May*: Receipt of LORs

by House***

Jan-May: MCAT

May: AMCAS opens

June: Submit AMCAS

June-Sept**: Secondary

applications issued

August-April: Interviews

April 30: Last day to hold multiple

acceptance oers.

Medical School Matriculation

Winter-Spring***: Declare to House

Premed Committees intent to apply

March-May*: Receipt of LORs

by House***

Jan-May: MCAT

May: AMCAS opens

June: Submit AMCAS

June-Sept**: Secondary

applications issued

August-April: Interviews

April 30: Last day to hold multiple

acceptance oers.

Medical School Matriculation

*Note: We advise that you request a letter of recommendation

from any recommender (i.e. professor, employer, supervisor, etc.)

at the time when you have completed your association with them.

**Note: Recommended turnaround time for secondary

applications is 10-14 days.

***Note: ese deadlines are dependent on your house.

****Note: Timeline of alumni applicant who took one gap year. It is

also common to apply a few years aer graduation.

****

medical school requirements for admission

(as of june 2017)

Requirements are not the same at all medical schools. Fulﬁlling the requirements below will allow you to

apply to almost any U.S. medical school.

I. Course Requirements

• One year of general or inorganic chemistry with lab

• One year of organic chemistry with lab

• One year of general physics with lab

• One year of biology with lab

• One year of English

It is recommended that you complete almost all of these courses before taking the MCAT and before

applying to medical school. You may, if you wish, ﬁnish the English requirement or take statistics during

the application year.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Currently 60 medical schools require one or two semesters of mathematics (college math,

calculus, and/or statistics).

• Currently 46 medical schools require one semester of biochemistry. We expect this number to

increase over the next several years.

• Some medical schools require more than one year of biology.

• Almost 20 medical schools require one semester of statistics.

IMPORTANT: Check the current edition of the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR), the

oﬃcial guide of the Association of American Medical Colleges, for information on particular course

requirements for the medical schools to which you may apply.

Be sure to check the premedical requirements for your state medical school. MSAR is updated annually

and can be purchased online on the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) website. Medical

schools also list their speciﬁc requirements on their websites. For a list of all U.S. medical schools and links

to their admissions policies pages, see the OCS resource Information About Requirements, Admissions,

and Financial Aid Policies for Medical School Matriculation Prepared by OCS Premed Advisers.

II. Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)

e Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) currently assesses the medical school applicant’s

understanding of basic concepts in general biology, biochemistry, general chemistry, organic chemistry,

non-calculus based physics, statistics, psychology, and sociology. e test consists of four multiple-choice

sections:

• Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems

• Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems

• Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior

• Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills

e CARS section has 60 items and takes 90 minutes. Each of the other three sections has 65 test items

and takes 95 minutes.

medical school requirements for admission

For the most up-to-date information about the test, please visit the oﬃcial Medical College Admission

Test (MCAT) website. Some highlights include:

• What’s on the MCAT Exam?

• Online practice questions

• Khan Academy MCAT video collection

• Psychology and sociology textbook resources

• Test dates and registration

To prepare for the MCAT, some students may choose to take an introductory psychology course such as

SLS 20, or a sociology course such as Sociology 10 or any of the Sociology 20-series courses, in addition

to the science requirements. Many students, however, have successfully completed the MCAT without

speciﬁc course preparation in those areas. As Harvard courses are not designed speciﬁcally to prepare

students for the MCAT, there may be some topics that are included on the MCAT but not covered in your

courses. Depending on your background, you may ﬁnd it necessary to learn certain concepts on your own

or through a review class.

Note: In collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the AAMC, Khan Academy has created

“Khan Academy MCAT Collection”, a collection of educational tutorials for concepts that will be tested by the

MCAT 2015 exam. You can ﬁnd the available tutorials at: www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat

e tutorials are also included in the Pre-health Collection of the AAMC’s MedEDPORTAL® iCollaborative:

www.mededportal.org/pre-health

harvard courses that satisfy most medical school

admissions requirements (as of june 2017)

For almost all medical schools, Advanced Placement (AP) exams in biology, chemistry, and physics do not

fulﬁll the premedical requirement in these areas. Most medical schools require that biology, chemistry,

and physics be taken in college. See the section on “Mathematics” below for more information about

using AP Calculus to satisfy medical school math requirements. Please note that Harvard College does

not make the decision about which courses meet premedical course requirements. Each medical school is

the ﬁnal arbiter of which courses they will accept. erefore, if you have any doubt about whether a course

can be substituted for the courses listed below, you should check with the admission oﬃces of the medical

schools to which you may apply.

GENERAL OR INORGANIC CHEMISTRY WITH LAB (ONE YEAR):

Two of the following courses. Both should contain labs.

• Life Sciences 1a or Life and Physical Sciences A or Life Sciences 50a*

• Physical Sciences 1 or Physical Sciences 11

• Advanced inorganic or physical chemistry.**

For example, Physical Sciences 10, Chemistry 40, Chemistry 60, or Chemistry 160.

Note: *Life Sciences 50a will satisfy the requirement of one semester of general chemistry with lab

and one semester of biology with lab at most medical schools.

Biomedical Engineering concentrators may take Engineering Sciences 181

for one semester of general chemistry with lab.

medical school requirements for admission

**If you plan to take only higher level inorganic or physical chemistry courses, most medical schools will

accept these courses in lieu of general chemistry. If neither of these courses has lab, you may have to take

an additional inorganic or physical chemistry lab course, or demonstrate your lab competency through lab

research.

BIOLOGY WITH LAB (ONE YEAR):

Two of the following courses. Both should contain labs. Most medical schools recommend that these

courses cover the cellular and molecular aspects as well as the structure and function of living organisms.

Narrowly focused biology courses should not be used to meet the basic premedical requirements.

• Life Sciences 1b

• Life Sciences 2

• Life Sciences 50a*

• Life Sciences 50b**

• Molecular & Cellular Biology 60

• Molecular & Cellular Biology 68

• Organismic & Evolutionary Biology 10

• Human Evolutionary Biology 1420

Note: *Life Sciences 50a will satisfy the requirement of one semester of general chemistry with lab

and one semester of biology with lab. **Life Sciences 50b will satisfy the requirement of

one semester of biology with lab and one semester of math at most medical schools.

Biomedical Engineering concentrators may substitute Engineering Sciences 53 for one semester of

biology.

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY WITH LAB (ONE YEAR):

One of the following series:

• Chemistry 17 and Chemistry 27

• Chemistry 20 and Chemistry 30

• CHEM S-20ab (Harvard Summer School)

• CHEM S-17 and Chemistry 27*

Note: Most medical schools that require biochemistry will accept a combination of Chemistry 17 and

Chemistry 27 as fully meeting both the organic and biochemistry requirements. Students who take

CHEM S-20ab or Chemistry 20 or Chemistry 30 may subsequently take Chemistry 27 without

the lab component, with permission from the course instructor/preceptor, to satisfy one semester of

biochemistry.

*Students who take CHEM S-17 must take the laboratory component of the course. ey may

subsequently take Chemistry 27 without the lab component.

harvard courses that satisfy most medical school admissions requirements

BIOCHEMISTRY (ONE SEMESTER):

One of the following courses. Currently one semester of biochemistry is required by 46 medical schools, and

we anticipate this number to continue to increase in the near future. e MCAT also places a considerable

emphasis on biochemistry.

• Most medical schools that require biochemistry will accept a combination of Chem 17 and

Chem 27 as fully meeting both the organic and biochemistry requirements.

• Molecular & Cellular Biology 63

• Molecular & Cellular Biology 65

• BCMP 234

• BIOS S-10 (Harvard Summer School)

• Advanced courses. Please consult with OCS advisers.

PHYSICS WITH LAB (ONE YEAR):

One of the following series:

• Physical Sciences 2 and Physical Sciences 3

• Physical Sciences 12a and Physical Sciences 12b

• Physics 15a and Physics 15b

• Applied Physics 50a and Applied Physics 50b

• PHYS S-1a and PHYS S-1b (Harvard Summer School)

MATHEMATICS:

Two math courses which can be satisﬁed with a combination of an AP calculus score of 4 or 5, a college

calculus course, and/or statistics. However, depending on your background you may need to take more than

one semester of calculus in order to be fully prepared for your concentration or for future coursework. Note that

several physics courses, including Physical Sciences 2 and 3, recommend Math 1b or equivalent. Almost 20

schools speciﬁcally require a statistics course, and we expect this number to increase.

• Math Ma and Math Mb or

• Math 1a or Math 1b or

• Math 19a or

• Math 18 or

• Math 21a or 21b or

• Applied Math 21a or 21b or

• Life Sciences 50b** or

• Any more advanced Math or Applied Math course

PLUS

• Any statistics course (e.g., Statistics Department courses

or Psychology 1900 or OEB 153 or Math 19b, or Sociology 156 or Applied Math 101 or

EngSci 150)

Note: **We expect that Life Sciences 50b will satisfy the requirement of one semester of biology with

lab and one semester of math at most medical schools. If you have a 4 or 5 on the AP Calculus AB

test, you have met the requirement for one of the two semesters of math required by many medical

schools. If you have a 4 or 5 on the AP Calculus BC test, you have met the requirement for both of

the two semesters of math required by many medical schools. Note, however, that some medical schools

do not accept calculus (or statistics) APs toward satisfaction of their math (or statistics) requirement

unless the AP score is recorded on the applicant’s oﬃcial undergraduate transcript. Only Harvard

harvard courses that satisfy most medical school admissions requirements

students who have activated advanced standing will have AP tests and scores recorded on their oﬃcial

transcripts.

ENGLISH (ONE YEAR):

One semester of the English requirement is met with Expos. (Students who take two semesters of Expos

have met the full requirement of two semesters of English.) For many medical schools, the second semester

can be met with English or Literature courses, some Humanities courses, or with many Aesthetic and

Interpretive Understanding and Culture and Belief courses.

We cannot conﬁrm that a speciﬁc Gen Ed course would be approved by every medical school, since schools

make their own determination about what courses they will accept toward fulﬁllment of this requirement.

erefore, please use your best judgment when considering Gen Ed courses and whether they can be

expected to meet the English requirement. To be accepted by most medical schools, Gen Ed courses

should:

1) deal primarily with literature (English literature or literature originally written in another language

but read in English translation). Courses that focus on music, painting, or architecture, for

example, would not be acceptable for satisfaction of the English requirement at many medical

schools. A course whose primary assignments are multimedia or group projects will not meet this

requirement for most medical schools;

2) be writing intensive. As for the number of papers, many Gen Ed courses ordinarily assign enough

papers to be considered writing intensive by medical schools;

3) be taught by a faculty member in the English or Comparative Literature departments, or a relevant

foreign Literatures and Languages department (such as East Asian Languages and Civilizations,

Germanic Languages and Literatures, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, the Classics,

etc.).

harvard courses that satisfy most medical school admissions requirements

considerations for planning your program of study

Course load, Pass/Fail, and GPA

ere is no need to rush and overload with science courses freshman year. We recommend that freshmen

take at most two science courses (including math) each semester. e ﬁrst few semesters at Harvard involve

getting used to a new setting, a new set of social and extracurricular activities, and new ways of learning and

studying. College-level science courses, especially those with lab, can be unexpectedly time-consuming and

demanding, particularly for students who have not had strong science preparation in high school. Consult

your Freshman Adviser, and the advising staﬀ in Life and Physical Sciences, Engineering Sciences, and

Math for course load and placement advice.

Just as it is important not to overload on courses and activities, premed students should also avoid dropping

below the regular course rate of four courses per semester. To be competitive for medical school admission,

applicants should demonstrate an ability to handle a science-intensive curriculum and a love of learning

through in-depth study of a particular area or areas of interest. However, if you anticipate a challenging

semester ahead, it is perfectly acceptable to take one of your elective courses pass/fail (Premedical requirement

courses must be taken for a grade to be accepted by medical schools).

While you do want to achieve an overall strong performance in sciences, there is no speciﬁc GPA (or

MCAT score) that guarantees acceptance to medical school. Your grades are only one of the factors

in the admissions process. Your personal qualities, experiences, and motivation are also critical factors.

Medical school admissions committees look favorably on students who have tested their interest in

medicine through community service, health-related internships, extracurricular activities, or signiﬁcant

research. Each medical school develops its own criteria and priorities for admission, reﬂecting the goals

of the respective school. For some medical schools, potential for service to an underserved community

is very important; for others, a determining factor may be leadership qualities. To assess these qualities,

the admissions committees will carefully review the statements and essays in your application, letters of

evaluation, your coursework (including trends in academic performance and level of course diﬃculty), and

personal interviews.

Do not be disheartened or discouraged from pursuing medicine if your ﬁrst science grades do not meet

your expectations. Medical school admissions committees look favor able on an upward trend in your

academic record. at being said, if you have received a C or lower grade in a science course, it is a good

idea to make an appointment with an OCS premedical adviser, your academic adviser, and/or an adviser at

the Bureau of Study Counsel to review your course load, your extracurricular activities, and study strategies

as you continue your premedical studies.

For information on GPAs and admission to medical school, check the publication Medical School Admissions

Data, which is available in the OCS Reading Room.

Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Math Placement

Please contact the placement advisers in the appropriate department.

Science General Education Courses

Science General Education Courses can not be used to satisfy the science premedical requirements.

However, if the content of the General Education course is primarily biology, chemistry, math, or physics,

this course will count towards your science GPA as calculated for your medical school application.

harvard courses that satisfy most medical school admissions requirements

Research

Basic science research is not a requirement for medical school admission, and in fact, many Harvard

students continue on to medical school without working in a lab. Successful medical school applicants have

usually demonstrated the ability to pursue an area of study in depth. is could be many things including

basic science research, clinical research, or a thesis in English literature. e experience of formulating an

original research question and critically analyzing data does not necessarily have to occur in a basic science

research lab.

If you are excited about pursuing basic science research at Harvard, there are many wonderful resources

available to you, both at the college campus in Cambridge and at the Harvard Medical School campus

in Boston and aﬃliated hospitals. For science concentrators in particular, the experience of working in a

research lab can signiﬁcantly enhance your college experience. Students who are seriously considering a

combined MD-PhD or an academic medical career should take advantage of these opportunities early to

develop research skills.

Study Abroad

Premedical courses should not be taken during study abroad. Most medical schools will not accept

premedical requirements taken at a foreign institution. However, students are encouraged to enroll in other

courses abroad and to pursue international research and internship opportunities.

Summer School and taking premedical courses at a diﬀerent institution

Harvard Summer School courses can be taken for credit toward your degree and toward your medical

school requirements. However, you can also take a premedical course elsewhere during the summer at an

academically competitive four-year U.S. college, as long as the course is not required for your concentration.

(You do not need to get Harvard credit for a course to use it for medical school admissions.) Do not take

more than the equivalent of one year of your premedical course requirements during the summer, as it

may appear as if you are avoiding Harvard science courses. Additionally, it is usually not advisable to split

sequential courses between institutions. Note that CHEM S-20ab: Organic Chemistry does not satisfy

the requirement of one semester of biochemistry at any medical schools.

Post-Baccalaureate Options

Many Harvard students do not complete or even begin taking premedical courses while enrolled as

undergraduates. Post-baccalaureate programs or independent coursework allow college graduates to take

some or all of the required premedical courses. Harvard students who choose to complete their requirements

after graduation can still take advantage of Harvard premedical advising and resources at OCS and in their

House. Please visit the OCS website for more information on post-baccalaureate options and programs.

considerations for planning your program of study

sample course sequences that meet

most medical school requirements

If you are planning on concentrating in a science, most premedical requirements will be included in your

course of study. However, you can also choose any nonscience concentration and still have time to complete

these required courses. Many Harvard students started premedical coursework later in college or even after

graduation. We have created the following sample schedules to illustrate how you can assemble the needed

courses for medical school—regardless of your concentration or when you embark on your premed path.

Students considering concentrating in the life sciences should consult with the Head Tutor or the Director

of Undergraduate Studies in the concentrations you are considering.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ARE EXAMPLES ONLY. ere are many possible course sequences

and your individual circumstances will determine your plan of study.

Four-Year Plan (applying to medical school after senior year):

fall spring

freshman

Life Sciences 1a  LPS A

Math 1a

Life Sciences 1b

Math 1b

sophomore

Life Sciences 2 Physical Sciences 1  11

Stat 102

junior

Chemistry 17 Chemistry 27

senior

Physical Sciences 2 

Applied Physics (AP) 50a

Physical Sciences 3 

Applied Physics (AP) 50b

Four-Year Plan (applying to medical school after senior year):

fall spring

freshman

AP Calculus Life Sciences 1b

Stat 104

sophomore

Life Sciences 1a  LPS A

Math 1b

Physical Sciences 1  11

junior

Chemistry 17 Chemistry 27

senior

Physical Sciences 2 

AP 50a

OEB 10

Physical Sciences 3 

AP 50b

considerations for planning your program of study

ree-Year Plan (applying to medical school after junior year):

fall spring

freshman

Life Sciences 1a  LPS A

Math 1b

Physical Sciences 1  11

Stat 102

sophomore

Chemistry 17

OEB 10

Chemistry 27

Life Sciences 1b

junior

Physical Sciences 2 or

AP 50a

Physical Sciences 3 or

AP 50b

ree-Year Plan (applying to medical school after junior year):

fall spring

freshman

Life Sciences 1a  LPS A

Math 19a

Physical Sciences 1  11

sophomore

MCB 60 Chemistry 20

Life Sciences 1b

junior

Physics 15a

Chemistry 30

Physics 15b

Stat 102

MCB 65

ree-Year Plan (applying to medical school after junior year):

fall spring

freshman

Life Sciences 1a  LPS A

Math 21a

Life Sciences 1b

Physical Sciences 1  11

sophomore

Physical Sciences 2 or

AP 50a

MCB 60

Physical Sciences 3 or

AP 50b

Chemistry 20

junior

Chemistry 30 Stat 110 

Chemistry 27

sample course sequences that meet most medical school requirements

ree-Year Plan with Summer School:

fall spring summer

freshman

Life Sciences 1a 

LPS A

Life Sciences 1b

Math 1b

sophomore

Life Sciences 2 Physical Sciences 1 

Chem S-20 (Orgo)

junior

Physical Sciences 2 

AP 50A

MCB 63

Physical Sciences 3 

AP 50B

ree-Year Plan with Summer School and Study Abroad:

fall spring summer

freshman

Life Sciences 1a  LPS A

AP Calculus

Physical Sciences 1  11

Stat 102

sophomore

Chemistry 17 Chemistry 27

Life Sciences 1b

Physics S-1a 

Physics S-1b

junior

MCB 60 ABROAD

Four-Year Plan with Study Abroad:

fall spring

freshman

Life Sciences 1a  LPS A

Math 1b

Life Sciences 1b

Physical Sciences 1  11

sophomore

Chemistry 17 Chemistry 27

junior

ABROAD Physical Sciences 12a

senior

Physical Sciences 12b

Life Sciences 2

Stat 102

sample course sequences that meet most medical school requirements

13sample course sequences that meet most medical school requirements

Premed Beginning Junior Year:

fall spring

junior

Life Sciences 1a  LPS A

Math 1a

Physical Sciences 1  11

Math 1b

senior

Chemistry 17 Chemistry 27

post-bac

Physics

Biology

Physics

Biology

Premed Beginning after Graduation (Post-Baccalaureate):

fall spring summer

post-bac

General Chemistry

Physics

General Chemistry

Physics

Biology

post-bac

Organic Chemistry

Biochemistry

Organic Chemistry

Statistics

medical career resources for harvard students

Take the initiative to seek out the resources you need to get factual and realistic answers to your questions.

Remember that fulﬁlling your premedical requirements should not completely dominate your college

experience. Take the time to step oﬀ the “premed path” and take advantage of all Harvard has to oﬀer you.

ACADEMIC AND PRE-PROFESSIONAL ADVISING

Freshman and Sophomore Advising: Resident proctors, freshman advisers, peer advising fellows, the

Advising Programs Oﬃce, sophomore advisers, concentration advisers, and the Freshman Dean’s Oﬃce

are all here to help you to make your ﬁrst two years a very positive experience.

Premedical and Health Professions Advising: e medical and health careers advisers at the Oﬃce of

Career Services oﬀer drop-in hours, start-of-term oﬃce hours, and individual advising. Workshops cover

such topics as e Medical School Application Process, Creating Your Personal Statement, Selecting

Medical Schools, Planning Your Gap Years, Financing Your Medical Education, and the Medical School

Interview. Pre-Health 101 is a workshop which will be your ﬁrst introduction to premed advising and

planning at Harvard, and the Gaining Traction in Pre-Health series will help you explore clinical experience,

summer planning, research opportunities, and more in greater detail. If you would like more information,

please check the Premed & Health Careers online calendar.

Pre-Health Peer Liaisons (PPL): e PPL are specialty PAFs who assist the OCS Premed and Pre-

Health Advisers with workshops and pre-health programming. See the OCS Health and Medical Careers

Website for a list of the PPL.

House Premedical Tutors: Premedical advising also takes place within upper-class Houses. Harvard’s

House-based premedical advising system is unlike that at any other college. Each House has a committee

of premedical tutors, who are generally Harvard Medical School students, residents, and/or alumni, or

graduates of other U.S. medical schools currently in residency training in the Boston area. Students should

become familiar with their committee. As medical practitioners, the premedical tutors are invaluable

resources for learning about your potential career. e House premedical committee is also responsible for

the Harvard College committee letter of evaluation sent to the medical schools when you apply.

Research: For questions and advice about research in the life sciences, contact Anna Babakhanyan,

Life Sciences Research Adviser: [email protected], Greg Llacer, Director of the Oﬃce for

Undergraduate Research Initiatives: gregory_llacer@harvard.edu, or Cammi Valdez, Assistant Director in

the Oﬃce of Undergraduates Research and Fellowships: [email protected]vard.edu. For more information

see lifescience.fas.harvard.edu.

Life and Physical Sciences Advisers: For questions about life and physical sciences concentrations and

courses, please contact one of the advisers listed below and be sure to check lifescience.fas.harvard.edu

regularly for information, including updated FAQs.

sample course sequences that meet most medical school requirements

15medical career resources for harvard students

Concentration Name Email Address

Integrative Biology Andrew Berry berry@oeb.harvard.edu

Chemistry Gregg Tucci [email protected]vard.edu

HEB Carole Hooven [email protected]vard.edu

CPB and MCB Dominic Mao dominicma[email protected]vard.edu

Neurobiology Ryan Draft draf[email protected]vard.edu

Physics David Morin [email protected]vard.edu

HDRB Bill Anderson [email protected]vard.edu

Biomedical Engineering Linsey Moyer lmoy[email protected]vard.edu

CAREER EXPLORATION AND OPPORTUNITIES

Crimson Careers: is job and internship database maintained by OCS contains listings of opportunities,

updated daily: harvard-csm.symplicity.com/students. For other OCS job resources, please visit ocs.fas.

harvard.edu/job-internship-search.

Premedical and Pre-Health Email Updates: Edit your choices on the “is Week @ OCS” newsletter and

select “Premed/Pre-Health” to receive announcements, upcoming workshops, and medical school visits.

OCS Health and Medical Careers Website: You will ﬁnd information on health-related internship

opportunities, links, workshop schedules, past workshop PowerPoint slides, year-by-year timelines, links

to relevant and annotated health-related sites on the Internet, and much more at ocs.fas.harvard.edu/

medical-health.

e Oﬃce of Career Services Website: e general OCS website, www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu, has links to

information on fellowships and funding, international opportunities, a calendar of events, and other career

resources.

e Oﬃce of Career Services Resource Collection: e Health and Medicine shelves in the OCS

Reading Room contain a range of relevant publications on careers in medicine and other health professions,

including MCAT prep books.

HAA Alumni Database: is searchable database maintained by the Harvard Alumni Association contains

an online listing of Harvard/Radcliﬀe College and other Harvard alumni/ae who have volunteered to be

contacted by students considering medicine or other health professions.

Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC): e website www.aamc.org provides comprehensive

information on medical careers and the medical school admissions process. is is a useful site for

information on requirements, ﬁnancial aid for medical school, and post-baccalaureate programs; you can

also subscribe to Medical School Admission Requirements online.