College of Science
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Mr. Robby Bowen
Ms. Kim Kubicek
Ms. Courtni Guidry
Ms. Krista Baron
Ms. Rachel Singleton
Ms. Martha Cedotal, Asst. Dean
Medical & Dental School
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2 years Basic Sciences
• Step 1 Licensure exam (USMLE)
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2 years Clinical Rotations
• Step 2 Licensure Exam
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Post-graduate Residency
• Step 3 Licensure Exam
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Licensure
Premed/Predent @ LSU
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1200 entering freshmen declare
PMED/PDEN
~400 LSU students apply to
medical/dental/optometry/podiatry
school
200-220 LSU students are accepted
Application Procedure
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Core course requirements
Test scores
Formal application
Faculty & Committee letters
Four Year Plan
Freshman Year
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Focus on academic performance
Develop maturity and independence
Work on core requirements
Explore majors
Read!!
Sophomore Year
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Choose a major
Develop relationships with faculty
Get Clinical Experience
Get involved
Summer Programs
Read!!
Junior Year
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Maintain good grades
Finish core requirements
Build your resume (clinical
experience, leadership, etc.)
Attend Application meeting (Fall)
Take MCAT/DAT (Spring)
Apply to professional school
Senior Year
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Complete degree requirements
Professional School Interviews
Keep in mind a parallel plan
LSU Medical School
Statistics
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Average overall GPA: ~3.7
Average science GPA: >3.7
Average MCAT composite score is
~30 (9+ in each category)
BS/BA degree
Limited out of state resident seats
(up to 40 in New Orleans)
Out of State/Private
Medical Schools
Louisiana residents wanting to go
out of state:
 3.8 GPA
 32+ MCAT Composite minimum
 Competing with applicants
nationwide
LSU Dental School
Statistics
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~3.6 Overall GPA
~3.6 Science GPA
20 Academic Average DAT
19 Perceptual Ability DAT
No subtest scores below 18
Choosing a Major
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Students can choose any major but
you need a good science foundation
Choose what you enjoy and earn
good grades
Take as many science courses as
possible
Non-science Majors
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Science GPA is crucial
Above average overall GPA
Extra science course work
MCAT/DAT implications
Possibly earn a science minor
• Biological Sciences
• Chemistry
Core Requirements
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Biology 1201/1208, 1202/1209
LSU Dental: MBIO and BCH now required
LSU Med-Shreveport requires 2 additional
semesters of BIOL;
General Chemistry 1201, 1202, 1212
Organic Chemistry 2261, 2262, 2364
Physics 2001, 2002, 2108, 2109
English 6-9 hours of credit
Changes coming—statistics/Biochemistry
Core Requirements
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At least 90 hours of credit
Complete an undergraduate
degree
Many schools may have additional
requirements (calculus, genetics,
psychology)
Always check with admissions
office at any school of interest
Suggested Courses
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Biology 4087 (biochemistry)
Biology 3156 (devl. zoology)
Biology 4160 (vert. physiology)
Biology 4104 (histology)
HUEC 1110/3010 (nutrition)
KIN 2500 (human anatomy)
EXST 2201 (statistics)
Psychology/Sociology/Anthropology
Bio-ethics
Suggested Courses
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Interpersonal Communication
Pre-dental students
• Jewelry making
• Ceramics
Good Advice
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Take labs with lectures
Don’t put off math
Balance science with nonscience
Take advantage of free tutoring,
supplemental instruction &
learning assistance
Good Advice
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Visit faculty during office hours
Know your degree requirements
Challenge yourself academically,
taking the easy way out doesn’t help
in the long run; remember the
competition.
Take Personal responsibility!!!
Advanced Placement
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Prerequisite courses should be
taken in residence
Check the policy at the
medical/dental schools you are
interested in attending
Preference is given to courses
earned in classroom with a grade
Admissions Committees
ask 3 questions:
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Can the applicant “do it”?
• grades; MCAT/DAT; semester loads; time management;
juggle responsibilities; critical thinker; handle stress;
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Will the applicant “do it”?
• challenges self; works hard; team player; perseveres;
solves problems; motivated for right reasons;
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Should the applicant “do it”?
• Compassionate? Caring? Good communication skills;
ethical? Honest? Integrity? Professionalism?
Competency Based
Admissions
Interpersonal Competencies
Service oriented
Social/Interpersonal Skills
Cultural Competence
Team Work
Oral Communication
Competency Based
Admissions
Intrapersonal Competencies
Integrity and Ethics
Reliability and Dependability
Resilience and Adapatability
Capacity for Improvement
Credentials
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Academic Record
Extracurricular Activities
Test Scores
Personal Characteristics
Letters of Evaluation
Academic Record
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GPA
Course loads
Upper Division Credits
Research
“W” grades
Average Course Loads
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15 to 17 hours per semester
MCAT/DAT semester
Work schedule is considered
Should be advancing in your
major/taking higher level
courses
Research
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Faculty members need good,
dependable student assistants
Opportunity to get to know
faculty
Shows responsibility and
interest
Active learning
Extracurricular
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Clubs/Organizations
Work
Volunteer service
Medical/Dental experience
Health Related
Experience
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Local hospitals-paid or
volunteer
Doctor’s offices
Nursing homes
Hospice
Dental Experience
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Work
Observe different practices
and specialty areas
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Volunteer
Extremely Important for Predental students!
Health Related Student
Organizations
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Alpha Epsilon Delta
Pre-Dental Society
Minority Science Pre-Professional
Society
Student Christian Medical
Association
Multiculturalism in Healthcare
Good Activities
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Get actively involved in 1 or 2
organizations (quality over quantity)
Seek leadership positions
Keep record/journal of your activities
and volunteer experiences
Read journals to keep current on
health-related issues
Goal is to learn and develop skills
Current MCAT
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Computer based test format
32 Administrations on 30 days (January,
April, May, June, July, August, September)
4.5 hrs. in length; AM/ PM test times.
Results in 30 days (14 days in future)
Register 3-4 months in advance: Prometric
Testing Centers/LSU Testing Center
Current MCAT
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Physical Science
Verbal Reasoning
Biological Sciences
Possible score of 15 on each
subtest
BIG CHANGES FOR
MCAT 2015
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4 subtests now:
• Biological and Biochemical Foundations of
Living Systems; 65 items; 95 minutes; 25%
BCH; 65% intro biol; 5% Gen Chem; 5% Org
Chem.
• Chemical and Physical Foundations of
Biological Systems; 65 items, 95 minutes; 15%
BCH; 5% Intro BIOL; 30% Gen Chem; 25%
Organic Chem; 25% Physics;
BIG CHANGES FOR
MCAT 2015
• Psychological/Social/Biological Foundations of
Behavior; 65 items; 95 minutes; 60% Intro
PSYC; 30% intro SOCL; 10% Intro BIOL.
• Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills; 60 items,
90 minutes; Reading passages from humanities
areas, social sciences, ethics, philosphy, crosscultural studies, health. Designed to test
analytical reasoning skills.
BIG CHANGES FOR
MCAT 2015-Implications
Broader background of courses needed: Social
Sciences, Statistics, Analytical Reasoning,
Biochemisry;
Focus on scientific inquiry and reasoning not
memorizing and restating;
Critical Analysis/Problem Solving;
Goals: develop interdisciplinary science skills
Integrate knowledge from many
perspectives
Understand connection between natural
sciences and social sciences
More Info on MCAT 2015
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https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mc
at/mcat2015/
expose yourself to as many different areas
of knowledge as possible.
Free tutorial videos:
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https://www.khanacademy.org/science/mcat
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MCAT
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Register on-line
(http:www.aamc.org/mcat)
Review Courses
• Kaplan
• Princeton Review
• Practice tests at AAMC website
DAT
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Online test administration
Prometric Registration Center
May be taken year round
May be repeated after 90 days; must
obtain documentation after 3rd test.
Suggest Spring of Junior year
Registration on-line: www.ADA.org
DAT
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Natural Sciences
• Biology, Gen & Organic Chem
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Perceptual Ability
Reading Comprehension
Quantitative Reasoning
Scores from 1-30
Personal Characteristics
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Mature
Responsible
Intelligent
Honest
Hard-Working
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Serving
Compassionate
Personable
Leader
Professionalism
Evaluation Letters
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LSU Premed/Predent Committee
Faculty letters
Critically important part of the
application process!!!
Get to know your faculty
members
Important Publications
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Medical School Admission
Requirements (online version)
Admission Requirements of U.S.
& Canadian Dental Schools
Application Process
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15-16 months before enrollment—
end of Junior year
Take AdmissionTest Spring-Jr Year
Two Stage Application:
• Online Standardized Application Service
• Individualized Secondary Application
from each school
Professional School
Application Services
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Association of Medical Colleges
Application Service-MD (AMCAS)
American Association of Colleges of
Osteopathic Medicine Application ServiceDO (AACOMAS)
Texas Medica/Dental School Application
Service (TMDSAS)
Professional School
Application Services
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American Assoc of Dental Schools
Application Service-DDS/DMD (AADSAS)
Optometry Centralized Application
Service – 0D- (OPTOMCAS)
American Association of Colleges of
Podiatric Medicine Application ServiceDPM-(AACPMAS)
Websites
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American Association of Medical Colleges:
www.aamc.org
American Association of Colleges of
Osteopathic Medicine www.aacom.org
American Dental Education Association:
www.adea.org
Association of Schools& Colleges of
Optometry: www.opted.org
Nontraditional/Transfer
Students
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May want to speak with a
Premedical/Predental Counselor
Career Options
PODIATRY
PMED/PDENT LISTSERV
/Facebook
SIGN UP to keep informed about pmed/pdent news
and events:
http://mcafmac.chem.lsu.edu/signup.html
Join LSU Premed/Predent Facebook Group
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This is an LSU Community group page, so you will have to first
join Facebook’s LSU community using your LSU e-mail address.
Then search for “Pre-Med / Pre-Dent at LSU” to join the group.
Q&A