MySLC

Course Related

Algebra-based physics is accepted by most programs and is all that is needed for the MCAT. Some MD/PhD programs require calculus-based physics, so check out the requirements for specific programs that may interest you.

It all depends. The majority of medical and dental programs will accept AP credits in fulfillment of prerequisites, with the following restrictions:

• Sarah Lawrence College needs to have accepted those courses as credit toward your degree and that must appear on your transcript.
• In almost all cases you must go on to take advanced level courses with labs in those disciplines.
• Sarah Lawrence faculty reserve the right to require that you take the introductory course at SLC, if they have reason to think that you aren't fully prepared to go on to the next level in the discipline . High school biology or chemistry, even AP courses, may not give you a strong enough foundation, especially if more than one year has passed.
• AP Physics is typically accepted without taking any further classes; however we recommend forgoing your AP credits and take Physics at the College. 
• AP Calculus is typically accepted by health professional programs. However, we strongly encourage students to take at least one semester college math; statistics is a great option for those that already took Calculus in high school. 

It is a tempting option and it does work out well for some students. But it has several important pitfalls that you need to be aware of:

• Taking these courses at an "easier" school, e.g. a small community college, may earn you an A, but will leave doubt about the rigor of the course. Medical schools expect you to take summer school classes for the core prerequisites at the your home institution, that is, Sarah Lawrence, or at a school with equal standing.
• Students sometimes double up and take a whole year of physics, or a whole year of chemistry, in one summer.  The problem is that even if you do well in the courses you may remember very little six months later. When it's so concentrated and intense it may never move into long-term memory. That can show up on the MCAT exam taken some time later or in subsequent courses taken in that subject. So proceed with caution.

Due to Covid-19, General and Organic Chemistry this fall did not have a lab but counted as if they did. For this upcoming Spring semester, both Organic and General Chemistry will consist of online labs.

With that being said, each of these courses will still count for 5 credits. The labs in Spring will be a combination of the labs planned for Fall and Spring.

If you have any questions about this please send us an email at prehealthprogram@sarahlawrence.edu.

Yes and no -- 

    The Math/Science Third allows you, in effect, to fit two science and/or math courses into one 5-credit slot.  Therefore it allows you to take four courses at the same time.  However, rather than receiving 5 credits per course, the SLC norm, for the two that are sharing one slot, you receive 5 credits for the two courses combined, or 2.5 credits per course.

    As a result, we advise that you do NOT do this with the hard-core prerequisite science courses - General Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, or Physics.

    However, you may use this mechanism to combine any other math/science sequences, including biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, virology, statistics, or calculus.

For more information on the Math/Science Third, click here. 

A quick overview of critical components to your application to health professional school are available in out Academic Preparation tab on MySLC.

Pre-Health Group/ Blog/ Alliance

Easy, you can either Click Here or sign up from the Pre-Health Program on MySLC tab.

Simple! Go to Pre-Health Program on MySLC and click on the first link titled "Join our Pre-Health Program's Group".

Health Professional School

For Medical School, visit AAMC.

For Veterinary Medical School, visit AAMVC

Road to Graduate School

Schedule an advising appointment with Melinda via Handshake.

Please note appointments are typically available between Tuesday and Thursdays, 10am EST and 4pm EST.

If you need a time outside of these hours, please contact Melinda directly. 

*Note: Pre-Health Co-Chairs are mainly support/general guidance.

Study Abroad

It is possible to study abroad and be a pre-health student, but this will take advanced planning. We encourage you to discuss your options early on in your academic career with your don, the pre-health dean and the Office of Global Studies.

    Most medical schools discourage this. It's difficult to evaluate the quality of courses in foreign institutions. There is also concern that the topics covered may be different, even if the course names sound similar. And finally, spending lots of time in a lab may not be the best way to spend your time when you are studying abroad.  Better to use that time exploring the local culture, developing language skills, and in general broadening your horizons.

    If you think, as you begin college, that you want to both (a) follow a premed path and (b) study abroad, then you need to consider that you are on the DIRECT ROUTE, even though it will take you 4 years, not 3, to get to the point that you are ready to apply to medical school. Even though you are applying at the end of senior year, consider the study abroad year as outside the premed path.

    One exception here is to take the sciences courses in England through the Sarah Lawrence at Oxford program. Courses taken in our own English-language study abroad program seem to be fully acceptable to all schools. Likewise, NYU has a science program in London geared for premed students and it too seems to be acceptable to medical schools.