How to Succeed as a UChicago Premed
/Everything you need to know about UChicago premed, including premed requirements, the best extracurriculars, and the UChicago premed acceptance rate
Learn how to get into medical school as a uchicago premed
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Part 1: Introduction
If attending a medium-sized private school with a reputation for being one of the best colleges in the nation (currently #6 in National Universities) is something you’ve been striving for, then the University of Chicago might be the school for you. Though roughly 125 UChicago students apply to med school each year, those applicants have an acceptance rate of 75.2%, which is nearly double the national average. Clearly, UChicago knows what it’s doing with premed students.
Tucked away in the historic, residential neighborhood of Hyde Park, UChicago is located on the south side of Chicago. Its location is central to many local restaurants and shopping plazas, making it ideal for students who live on campus. The majority (34%) of UChicago’s students major in Social Sciences. The second-most popular major is Mathematics and Statistics with 11% of students majoring in it. Those majoring in Biological and Biomedical Sciences are tied at 8% with students majoring in Physical Sciences. Regardless of major, UChicago students typically complete school with a 3.6 GPA.
Undoubtedly, it’s an amazing school that offers students several benefits and opportunities upon completion. But, how can UChicago students be successful as premed students? In this guide, we’ll touch on exactly what it takes to succeed as a premed at UChicago, pulling information from current students and alumni. We’ll also look at some of the course requirements and outline a sample 2-year plan. Finally, we’ll look at how UChicago students get into med school and what that can mean for you.
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Part 2: UChicago premed requirements
Choosing a course of study and deciding what courses to take and when to take them can seem like an overwhelming task for any student. For premed students, it may seem even more intimidating knowing that the MCAT is coming up in a few years and that some of the courses you select over the next few years are specifically going to prepare you for that big test.
As scary as this may sound, the good news is that premed students actually have some sense of structure to their selected course of study that eases the burden of the selection process to some degree. Med schools typically require students to devote a certain number of courses (or a number of semesters or, as is the case with UChicago, “quarters”) to specific courses. Therefore, as long as you complete the required courses/number of quarters–and do well in them–you’re free to fill the rest of your schedule with whatever you want. With this in mind, many premed students elect to major in something that greatly interests them, which means they’re able to fill in the rest of their schedule with courses that are geared toward their chosen major.
| Biology:Three quarters with lab | One of the following sequences: BIOS 20186-20187-20188-20189 BIOS 20234-20235-20236-20242 (AP score 4-5) BIOS 20170-20171-20172-20173-20175 |
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| Chemistry: 1. General chemistry: Three quarters with lab 2. Organic chemistry: Three quarters with lab 3. Biochemistry: One quarter |
One of the following sequences:
CHEM 10100-10200-11300-22000-22100-22200-BIOS 20200 CHEM 12100-12200-12300-23000-23100-23200-BIOS 20200 |
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| Calculus: One quarter | Most UChicago students will take calculus as they complete the Core. Some will take it as a prerequisite for another premed course or to satisfy their major requirements. |
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| Statistics: One quarter | BIOS 20151 or 20152 | |||||
| Physics: Three quarters with lab | PHYS 12100-12200-12300 |
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| College-level English/writing: One year of English | Complete a three-quarter HUM sequence or two HUM courses and any course in the Department of English Language and Literature (including creative writing courses). |
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| Psychology: One course | PSYC 20300 | PSYC 20200 | ||||
| Sociology: One course | SOCI 20002 | SOCI 20295 | ||||
While the above-mentioned courses would satisfy the premed course requirements, each student’s journey will be different depending on their major and/or whether they entered college with AP credits. With this in mind, there are a few things worth noting about the courses outlined above:
Biology: Students will be expected to complete one sequence of courses. All sequences are accompanied by courses in mathematical models that will also satisfy the statistics requirement. Students who scored either a 4 or a 5 on the AP Biology exam may take the “Advanced Biology Fundamentals Sequence” (denoted BIOS 20234-20235-20236-20242 above). Otherwise, students would take the “Biology Fundamentals” sequence (BIOS 20186-20187-20188-20189) or the “Premed Sequence for Nonmajors” sequence (BIOS 20170-20171-20172-20173-20175).
Chemistry: For General Chemistry, students will complete one sequence (out of three possible sequences). They’ll complete either the “Introductory General Chemistry” sequence (CHEM 10100-10200-11300), the “Comprehensive General Chemistry” sequence (CHEM 11100-11200-11300), or the “Honors General Chemistry” sequence (CHEM 12100-12200-12300). For Organic Chemistry (“orgo”), students will choose from two possible sequences, either the typical sequence (CHEM 22000-22100-22200, which requires an average of a “C” or higher in General Chemistry) or the “Honors Organic Chemistry” sequence (CHEM 23000-23100-23200, which requires an average of a “B+” or higher in either the Comprehensive or Honors General Chemistry).
Biochemistry: Most students will likely take BIOS 20200, but students who opted to pursue the “Premed Sequence for Nonmajors” Biology sequence of classes won’t have to take a Biochemistry course beyond BIOS 20175.
Statistics: Students can take any statistics course in any department to satisfy the statistics requirement.
Physics: Students will choose one sequence (of three available sequences) to complete the physics requirement. They’ll complete either the “General Physics” sequence (PHYS 12100-12200-12300), the “Mechanics; Electricity and Magnetism; and Waves, Optics, and Heat” sequence (PHYS 13100-13200-13300), or the “Honors Mechanics; Honors Electricity and Magnetism; and Honors Waves, Optics, and Heat” sequence (PHYS 14100-14200-14300).
English: Completion of one year of English is accomplished by either taking three HUM courses or two HUM courses plus any course in the Department of English Language and Literature.
Psychology/Sociology: Some med schools now require students to have taken one course in Psychology and one course in Sociology, so this is typically our recommendation as well. Additionally, since the MCAT revision of 2015, students now need the content knowledge–that is generally covered in introductory psychology/sociology courses–to do well on the MCAT.
Keep in mind that UChicago runs on “quarters” and most classes are offered in either the Autumn, Winter, or Spring quarters though some will also be offered in the Summer quarter. That said, not every course you want to take will be offered each quarter, so it’s important to plan ahead by going through the course catalog to see what courses are available during specific quarters. To help plan out a roadmap of study, we’ve created a sample 2-year plan for premeds at UChicago:
| Freshman Autumn | CHEM 10100 HUMA 11000 MATH 15100 |
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| Freshman Winter | CHEM 10200 HUMA 11100 MATH 15200 |
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| Freshman Spring | CHEM 11300 HUMA 11200 STAT 25100 |
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| Sophomore Autumn | BIOS 20234 PHYS 12100 |
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| Sophomore Winter | BIOS 20235 PHYS 12200 |
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| Sophomore Spring | BIOS 20236 PHYS 12300 |
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Academic resources for UChicago premed students
As a premed student, it’s very important that you have the support you need to achieve and do well in your courses. UChicago understands that and they want you to thrive! For that reason, they’ve put together several resources to help you on your path to premed success, including med school application resources.
Whether you’re planning to apply to an allopathic (MD) program or an osteopathic (DO) program for med school students, UChicago has links and resources readily available on its website. There, you’ll find the AMCAS application as well as the AACOMAS application. They also have the TMDSAS application link for students interested in med schools in Texas.
Regardless of where you intend on applying, you’ll need to request transcripts from UChicago if you’re a premed there.
Practicing for the MCAT is a must as a premed student! Feel free to practice as many times as you need through the AAMC, including practice tests!
UChicago Healthcare Advisers are available to assist you with practice interviews to help you prepare for your med school applications.
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Part 3: UChicago premed extracurriculars
Medical schools expect premed students to do well in their academic coursework, but they also expect students to balance that with extracurricular activities. In particular, premed students are expected to commit time to activities that will prepare them for life as a physician.
Typically, this means spending time engaged in research, community service, and shadowing a physician and doing so in ways that demonstrate leadership and provide students with plenty of patient exposure. As a UChicago student, there are many opportunities you can involve yourself in that will help prepare you for a career in medicine!
Research opportunities
Fulbright Program for Students: Participants include graduating college seniors, graduate students, and professionals from varying backgrounds. Students are sent abroad and have the opportunity to pursue graduate studies, conduct research, or teach English in another country. Since the program partners with over 140 different countries, participants have several countries to choose from as they meet and live with their host and engage in a cross-cultural experience that teaches far more than students would ever learn about in a book!
Health Communications Internship Program: This is the Federal Government’s organization for cancer research and training. Students can spend up to one year working on research and training to help move cancer research forward.
CIH Fellows in Community and Social Medicine: This 10-week summer research-intensive program provides up to 15 rising second, third-, and fourth-year students the opportunity to explore issues in community health and social sciences.
Service opportunities
Beyond the Clinic Fellows: Through this year-long program, students have the opportunity to explore careers outside of those that involve direct patient care such as radiology, anesthesiology, and healthcare innovation.
Patient care opportunities
Healthcare Explorers: This is a special program offered by the University of Chicago that offers first-year students the opportunity to gain exposure to clinical roles outside of being a physician. For five weeks, students will have the chance to explore other roles such as physician assistant, dentistry, and veterinary medicine.
Clinical Service Fellows: In this year-long program, students will spend two to four hours each week volunteering in hospitals and clinics, including the Howard Brown Health Clinic.
UChicago student-led organizations
UChicago students have the opportunity to participate in several hundred student organizations located both on and off campus. The following in particular may appeal to premed students:
American Medical Student Association
Emergency Medical Services
Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program
Med-ucate
MEDLIFE
oSTEM at UChicago
Pediatric Health and Wellness Initiative
Phoenix Undergraduate Biological Sciences Organization
Pre-Medical Students Association
Society for Molecular Engineering
Student National Medical Association - Graduate
Student National Medical Association-Minority Association of Pre-Med Students
The Student Research Society
Women in Science
Further reading: How Hard Is It to Get into Medical School?
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Part 4: Getting into medical school as a UChicago premed
Almost everything premed students do during their undergrad years is done with the expectation that they’ll enter med school eventually. Whether you plan on taking a gap year or going straight into med school, it’s important to do well. Remember, UChicago boasts a med school acceptance rate that is nearly double the national average, though, so you’re in good hands!
Getting into medical school as a UChicago graduate
With so many medical schools available in Chicago, you’ll definitely have your pick of schools to attend! Whether you have your sights set on The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine—which is actually located on the UChicago campus—or you’d like something further away such as the Stritch School of Medicine or the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, you’ll have plenty of options for top-ranked medical schools.
Further reading: How Hard Is It to Get into Medical School?
If you’d prefer to keep things close to home and not go far, then The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine might be your top choice. It’s a very selective school—that only admitted 89 students in its most recent application cycle—and those matriculants came from roughly 46 different schools. However, over 70% of those matriculants took at least one year as a gap year. Although Pritzker has historically been ranked in US News & World Report’s “Best Medical Schools,” it has decided to forgo inclusion in those rankings for the future—meaning, you aren’t likely to find it in the US News rankings charts anymore, but you can probably still think of it as a top medical school.
Final thoughts
UChicago is known for producing fantastic premed students who do exceptionally well on the MCAT and who are typically accepted into med school. Whether you intend on attending med school in Chicago or in another city, you’ll be prepared. Following the tips and suggestions outlined in this guide will prepare you for success during your undergrad years, which is an extremely important first step.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on medical school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into medical school using his exclusive approach.
