Academic Preparation

Demonstrating Academic Preparation in the Liberal Arts Framework (En Espanol)

While it is important to demonstrate your intellectual abilities, in particular your proficiency in the sciences to health professions graduate school, you should also demonstrate your talents as a student of an excellent liberal arts school. Emory offers such a rich and diverse set of courses and experiences, that choosing the coursework is more of a problem than finding them.  Be sure to start with the core prehealth course requirements, but do not underestimate the importance of Emory’s Liberal Arts offerings.

How to demonstrate your intellectual abilities:

• Grades and GPA
• MCAT scores
• Research
• Study Abroad experiences
• Upper level science courses
• Excelling in a range of courses in humanities and social sciences

You can look at our past data on medical school acceptances and their correlation with GPA and MCATS and explore some of the other pathways to demonstrating your academic preparation.  Remember that numbers are only a part of the whole story.

You should also investigate the admissions statistics for any medical school in the MSAR and think about where you should be applying.

Choosing a Major: You do not need to major in the sciences – but you do need to demonstrate that you can handle upper level science courses.  Choose a major that you are interested in and find time to take and excel in upper level science courses.

Other Health Science Careers: Make sure you read about the other health science careers such as Physicians Assistant and Physical Therapy and think about their course requirements.

A final word on  Academic Integrity

In the AMCAS Application, as in other application forms, you may be asked,  “Were you ever the recipient of any institutional action by any college or medical school for unacceptable academic performance or conduct violation, even though such action may not have interrupted your enrollment or required you to withdraw?”

Academic Violations and Honor Code: The Emory Honor Code is in effect during your tenure as a student. Cheating, plagiarizing, and other dishonest behavior is discouraged. If found guilty, it will go on your record which may affect your postgraduate plans.

Conduct Violations such as underage drinking: The legal drinking age is 21. Those underage who are caught drinking will have an infraction written on their record, which will go with them when they apply for professional schools.

Excellent students with high GPAs and MCAT scores have been turned away because of these violations. Think twice and then again.