Undergraduate Course Catalog 2006-2007
Special University Programs
Premedical/Prehealth Care Professional Study
The Premedical/Predental Advising Office in Hood House provides
advising for all students preparing for postgraduate careers in
medicine, dentistry, optometry, chiropractics, podiatry, physical
therapy, and physician assistant programs (for information on the
preveterinary medicine option in animal sciences, see page 101). There
is no premedical or predental major at UNH, so students are encouraged
to major in the subject of most interest to them. A student's major is
not considered in the medical school application process and students
from majors in all five UNH colleges have been admitted to postgraduate
health professional programs. Though premedical/predental is not a
major, interested students are expected to register with the
Premedical/Predental Advising Office in Hood House as soon as possible
so as to be kept informed of important events, opportunities, and
deadlines.
A premedical/predental program at UNH consists of the following:
1. Taking the prerequisite courses for admission to a
health professional program. Medical and dental schools generally
require biology, physics, general chemistry, and organic chemistry-all
two semesters each with laboratory. A semester of biochemistry is also
required. A year of English is required, as is one year of math
including at least one semester of calculus. Prerequisite courses can
be taken as part of a student's major curriculum, as part of the
general education requirements, or as electives.
2. Gaining volunteer/health care experience.
Applicants to health professional programs will be expected to
demonstrate a sustained involvement in volunteer and community service.
A significant portion of this experience must take place in a health
professional setting and include direct patient contact. Most students
gain this experience by volunteering at a hospital, though volunteer
opportunities are available in a wide range of settings, including
nursing homes and community clinics.
3. Preparing for the requisite entrance exam.
Students applying to medical school are required to take the MCAT exam.
Students applying to dental programs are required to take the DAT, and
applicants to optometry programs take the OAT. The MCAT, DAT, and OAT
are standardized, comprehensive exams that test students' knowledge of
biological and physical sciences as well as verbal reasoning and
writing skills. Exams are usually taken by students no earlier than the
spring of their junior year and should be taken only if the student has
completed or is within a month of completing prerequisite coursework.
Students applying for physician assistant and physical therapy programs
are required to take the GRE, a more general exam similar to the SAT in
structure and content.
Application process
The Premedical/Predental Advising Office works with the
Premedical/Predental Advisory Committee-a body of 10-12 UNH faculty
members with interest and/or experience in medical/dental education-to
provide students with comprehensive confidential recommendation
services at the time of application. An orientation meeting is held
each September to outline the application process and establish
timetables/deadlines. Students should note that the medical and dental
school application process begins a full two years before
matriculation; i.e., in the fall of a student's junior year if they
wish acceptance following graduation. However, a delay of a year or
more between graduation and admission is neither unusual nor
detrimental, and in many cases, students can use this time to improve
their credentials by taking additional courses and/or gaining exposure
to the profession.
It is important that students understand that in
order to gain admission to a health professional program they must not
only satisfy the prerequisite requirements, they must satisfy these
requirements at a high level of achievement. The Premedical/Predental
Advising Office can provide students with information on competitive
grade-point average and entrance exam scores for each of the
postgraduate health professional programs.
The Premedical/Predental Advising Office is located
in Hood House and can be contacted by phone at (603) 862-2064 or by
e-mail at Premed.Advising@unh.edu. The office also has a Web site at
www.unh.edu/premed-advising.
