- Which Major Should I Choose?
- General Academic Planning
- Advanced Placement and Community College credits
- Repeating courses
- Electives
- Adjusted Credit Option
- GPA calculator
Which Major Should I Choose?
One of the most common questions that Pre-Health students ask is “what should I major in?” The common myth is that in order to get into medical school or any other health program, students MUST major in biology or chemistry. While biology and chemistry are the most common majors for Pre-Health students, the reality is that professional health programs DO NOT require students to major in any one particular area and they DO NOT hold one major as more competitive over another. If you’re undecided on which major to pursue , you can contact Pre-Health Advising or Career Services as a resource to help you make your decision.
When choosing an undergraduate major, you should choose based on your strengths, personality and whatever you find interesting and exciting. While considering your undergraduate major, you need to keep your parallel plan in mind. Your “Parallel Plan” is the career path that you would most like to pursue, in the event that you’re not accepted into health school, or you decide against applying. Health school admissions are competitive with thousands of students on average vying for a hundred seats at each program. Instead of choosing a major that you think you need, choose one that will offer an interesting and satisfying career apart from Healthcare.
As long as all health school admission requirements are met, you MAY PURSUE ANY MAJOR you like and still apply and be accepted to a professional healthcare program. But keep in mind that you’ll also be evaluated on the rigor of the courses you take and the number of credits you take each semester. Completing two majors and/or two minors will NOT automatically make you a more competitive applicant. Healthcare profession schools place an emphasis on well-educated and well-rounded applicants: Pursue not only the pre-requisite courses but also courses that demonstrate your love for learning, personality, interests and intellectual range outside of the sciences.
General Academic Planning
While specific academic pre-requisites will vary with each profession and each particular health program, the majority of health programs require the following courses as a mandatory part of an application: General Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, General Physics and Calculus. You should visit health school admissions websites for detailed descriptions of specific academic requirements. Health professions schools place a priority on well-rounded achievement. Be sure to demonstrate your academic abilities and excellence through completing your major requirements and pre-requisite courses with excellence and rigor. You should plan to go beyond the minimal expectations expressed by the health school. If your degree program allows you the opportunity to take electives, strongly consider taking any “recommended” coursework listed by the health program(s) you’re pursuing.
One of the two primary factors that a health school admissions committee will look for in a competitive application, is a high GPA in the sciences and in overall course-work (the other factor being Admission Test Scores which is covered elsewhere). Typically, the average science and cumulative GPA of applicants who are accepted into health programs, is a minimum of 3.50. While not a guarantee of acceptance, a 3.50 GPA is a typical benchmark of academic competitiveness. You are encouraged to utilize the NMSU Student Success Center and/or the STEM-H Student Support Services Center to aid you in achieving academic success on your way to a competitive academic record.
An admissions committee will also want to see that you’re prepared to handle the difficult academic load that comes with a professional health education. For example, the academic load you’re likely to face in the first year of Medical School is the equivalent of taking 21-22 upper division science credits at NMSU in a single semester. One way you’re able to show an admissions committee that you’re prepared, is by successfully completing at least 15-17 credits, while taking at least two science courses per semester. Taking two science courses in the same term, should only be done after you’ve had one full-time semester with one science course. This will allow you to make the smooth transition to NMSU during your first semester.
However, if you’re a non-traditional student who simply cannot take 15-17 credits because of work, you’ll still want to show that you’re able to handle at least two science courses while balancing your other responsibilities. Be careful not to get over-involved outside of the classroom. The general rule of thumb is to leave approximately 2-3 hours of study time for each credit hour spent in class each week. For example, if a student carries 15 credits during the semester, they should plan approximately 30 – 45 hours in study and course preparation time outside the classroom each week. This amounts to a full time job! Even though schools like to see your participation in certain extracurricular activities, your academics come first. Extracurricular requirements of a health school application can be focused on in summers or during a gap year if necessary. You may require some help with developing new study skills or time management skills. The Student Success Center is a good resource for this. Be involved but manage your time well!
Advanced Placement (AP) and Community College credits
Some professional schools don’t accept Advanced Placement tests or credits taken at a Community College to fulfill their prerequisite requirements, especially in the sciences. Therefore if you’ve earned AP credit or earned credit at a community college for prerequisite courses, we recommend that you check with the admissions office at the schools you plan to apply to, to understand whether they’ll allow it or not. If they don’t allow it, you can either choose to take actual NMSU courses to replace the credit you received, or choose to take upper division courses in the same content areas (biology, chemistry, etc.).
When making your decision, consider whether these courses taken at the high school or community college level are adequate preparation not only for upper division biology, chemistry, math and physics courses, but for the standardized entrance tests (MCAT, PCAT, etc.) and the foundational courses you will encounter in the professional schools.
Discuss these matters with your Degree Advisor and Pre-Health Advising on whether to repeat courses you have credit for or take upper division courses in the same areas.
Repeating courses
Some students who have one or more mediocre (but passing) grades in required courses, think that retaking those courses will make their application look better. However, repeating a course in which you’ve already earned a C or better is looked upon unfavorably by professional schools in most cases. You need to demonstrate that you can successfully complete courses the first time you see the material. Professional schools would rather see stronger performance in a higher level course than a repeated course. If you don’t do well in your early foundation courses, we recommend that you take upper division coursework in the same area to demonstrate academic proficiency in that area. If you continue to perform with less than a B average (3.0 GPA) in your required science courses, you may need to consider whether your current career path is the right one. Please use the calculators below to help you estimate your GPA.
ALL grades in ALL attempts must be reported to health professions schools. NMSU does not have grade averaging. The first attempt of a course that receives a grade of C or better will be reflected on your GPA. All future attempts will be excluded from your overall GPA calculation. All attempts will show up on your transcript. Healthcare professional schools do not accept grades less than a “C” in pre-requisite or required coursework. If you earn a “C-“or below, you should repeat the course. If you struggled in or earned a “C-“or below in the first half of a sequenced or required course, DO NOT take the second course in the sequence. Please speak with your instructor or degree advisor. Some health schools require that some science requirements be taken no more than 5-7 years prior to your application. If you completed some prerequisite science courses 5 or more years ago, you’ll need to check with the schools you plan to apply to in order to determine whether or not you need to repeat them.
Withdrawals:
Whenever you drop a course after to last official date to “Drop” a course, the grade will show up as a “W” on your transcript. Admissions Committees will look for academic patterns when they review applications. It’s important not to establish a pattern of withdrawing from your courses or saving courses to take during the summer or with a lighter course load.
Electives
Elective courses are a great way for you to pursue your own interests and to prepare for the humanistic, social, and ethical sides of health care. Use them to learn about your future patients: their cultures, languages, and the social challenges they may face. Do NOT choose courses just because you think they will help you improve your GPA. Filling your schedule with “soft” credits will appear as though you are not up to a challenge.
Adjusted Credit Option
The adjusted credit option (ACO) allows students who obtain a low grade–point average (less than 2.0 cumulative) during their first few semesters to get a fresh start. If you’ve had a difficult semester (or more) that result in low or failing grades, you may be asked by your degree advisor about the ACO. Even though the ACO will reset your GPA for Academic Standing and possibly financial aid purposes at NMSU, it shouldn’t be used to increase your GPA for an application to health schools. While the ACO reset will cause some credits to not be calculated into your overall GPA, health schools will calculate your application GPA by using all grades in all semesters at all undergraduate schools you’ve attended.
As it’s stated in the NMSU Undergraduate Catalog, “all coursework attempted is shown. In no circumstances will a transcript of this record be issued that does not include all courses attempted at this university.” In other words, the ACO is not a “magic eraser” that removes bad grades from your transcripts, as health schools will be able to see all of your grades.
