Medical School Preparation

SUNY Oneonta's Pre-Health Professions Office provides specialized guidance and support for students preparing to apply to medical school to be an allopathic physician (MD) or an osteopathic physician (DO).

Early Acceptance

Highly qualified SUNY Oneonta applicants and students have the opportunity to apply for Early Acceptance at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM). Additional information, including qualifying criteria, can be found on our Health Professional School Articulation Webpage.

Schedule a meeting with Pre-Health Professions:

Current students can schedule a meeting via Bookings
Alumni should email the Director of Pre-Health Professions

For general information about SUNY Oneonta, join our mailing list or contact our Admissions Team

What is Medicine?

"Modern medicine generally refers to clinical practice: the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease by a physician. That physician may be an allopathic physician (MD) or an osteopathic physician (DO).

The scope of medicine is wider, however, than its clinical practice. It also includes, for example, health care science: the application of science and technology to improve the delivery of care. For example, physician scientists conduct basic science and perform translational or clinical research, and biogerontologists are physicians who study what happens to our bodies as we age."
- ExploreHealthCareers.org

Learn More

DO Medical School - What is Osteopathic Medicine?

MD Medical School - Choosing a Medical Career

Acceptance Rates

Allopathic Medicine (MD Programs)

50% Acceptance Rate for Applicants with BCPM/GPA 3.7+, MCAT 508+ into MD Programs
(2016-2023 Report)

33% Acceptance Rate for All Applicants into MD Programs
(2016-2023 Report)

SUNY Oneonta students have recently attended the following MD programs: Albany Medical College, Albert Einstein, Chicago Medical, Quinnipiac University SOM, Rochester, Rush University, SUNY – Brooklyn, SUNY Upstate Norton COM, St. George’s University, University Buffalo.

Osteopathic Medicine (DO Programs)

59% Acceptance Rate for All Applicants into DO Programs
(2017-2023 Report)

71% Acceptance Rate for Applicants with BCPM/GPA 3.4+, MCAT 503+
(2017-2023 Report)

SUNY Oneonta students have recently attended the following DO programs: A.T. Still University – Kirksville COM, Burrell College at New Mexico State University COM, Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace SOM, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences COM, Lake Erie COM, Liberty University COM, Lincoln Memorial University–DeBusk COM, Montana COM, New York Institute of Technology COM, Nova Southeastern University COM, Philadelphia COM, Touro COM, University of New England COM, University of Pikeville–Kentucky COM, West Virginia SOM.

Prerequisite Courses & Electives

Students must consult SUNY Oneonta's current undergraduate catalog for course descriptions, prerequisites, and time of year when courses are offered to plan properly in advance.

Prerequisites for Medical School:

BIOL 1001: Investigative Biology Laboratory
BIOL 1002: Cellular Perspectives in Biology
BIOL 1004: Organismal Perspectives in Biology
CHEM 1111: General Chemistry I
CHEM 1121: General Chemistry II
CHEM 2212: Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 2222: Organic Chemistry II
CHEM 3302: General Biochemistry or CHEM 4312: Biochemistry I
PHYS 1030: General Physics I: Non-Calculus
PHYS 1040: General Physics II: Non-Calculus
STAT 1010: Introduction to Statistics

Additional courses to complement MCAT Prep and supplement capacity in core competency expectations:

One Literature course (ALIT, ELIT, LITR, WLIT)
One Philosophy course (e.g., Ethics, Critical Thinking, Bioethics, etc.)
One Psychology Course
One Sociology Course
One course in ALS or WGS

A minimum grade of C or higher is typically required in each prerequisite course. Though a strong application includes a prerequisite and overall GPA greater than 3.4, programs are seeking applicants that are well-rounded in educational and life experience and can articulate an understanding of the career and vision for themselves in the Profession.

Medical education programs may change course prerequisites at any time and may have additional requirements, preferences, or policies that are not reflected in this course list or on the Admission Requirements for MD Programs or Admission Requirements for DO Programs. Programs may also allow applicants to substitute courses or choose different prerequisite courses. Applicants should review the program-specific details and contact programs directly to determine whether a particular course will fulfill a prerequisite. Students have the responsibility to check entrance requirements for schools to which they intend to apply.

Educational Pathways for Health Professional School

Academic preparation for Health Professional School should include a strong background in the natural sciences with complementary coursework in the social sciences and humanities.

Students should familiarize themselves with the prerequisite course requirements within their intended health care discipline and the expectations of the schools to which they intend to apply.

Because the number of qualified applicants to healthcare professions school greatly exceeds the number of openings, satisfactory completion of the prerequisite courses does not guarantee acceptance by any health professional school.

Educational Programs in the healthcare professions are seeking the student who has a long record of consistently high-level performance, a deep understanding of their future role in the healthcare field obtained through volunteer or employment experience, and who exceeds in meeting core competencies for health care providers as evidenced in letters of evaluation from academic and professional references.

Medical School Requirements

Students should regularly review the MD and DO Admission Requirements and the AAMC Preparing for Medical School and the AACOM Preparing for DO School guides.

Applicants are evaluated via Holistic Review, based on:

core competencies and personal qualities for medical school
healthcare experience (clinical & observational)
letters of evaluation (committee letter preferred)
leadership skills (on and off campus)
GPA (BCPM, Non-Science, and Overall)
Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

MCAT Preparation

Preparation for the MCAT should begin once students choose the medicine career path
Exam dates for the current cycle announced in early fall.
The knowledge expectations and sections of the MCAT exam include:
KHAN Academy provides free comprehensive review for all topics on the MCAT.

Application Timeline

Application to allopathic (MD) medical school is made through the centralized application, AMCAS.

The AMCAS Application Cycle opens annually in early May for programs starting the following year.

Application to osteopathic (DO) medical school is made through the centralized application, AACOMAS.

The AACOMAS Application Cycle opens annually in early May for programs starting the following year.

Letters of Evaluation

Students generally request three to six letters of evaluation to be submitted on their behalf for medical school applications. Appropriate evaluators include science faculty, other course instructors, healthcare professionals, current or former employers, and professional references.

Some students may seek a "committee letter" for their medical school application. Specific details, including the application process, can be found on our Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) page.
Questions regarding HPAC should be directed to the HPAC Chair.