Pre-Medical

Pre-professional students are advised to take a broad, general education program to gain background in the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences.

Most professional schools do not require a specific undergraduate major, although many students seeking admission to professional schools in the sciences elect a biology or chemistry major.

Medical School Admission

Admission to most medical schools is based on academic achievement as indicated by the grade point average, placement on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), recommendations, and personal interviews. Since medical schools have more qualified applicants for admission that they can accept, it cannot be too strongly emphasized that a strong academic record is required for acceptance. Admission committees usually do not publish expected or cut-off scores for grade point average. However, competition for the limited number of positions is intense; transcripts are reviewed with regard to consistency of performance, course loads and the degree of difficulty of the curriculum.

The minimum requirements for admission vary somewhat from institution to institution, but a typical list of requirements includes English Composition (6 semester hours), Biological Sciences with lab (8 hours), Inorganic Chemistry with lab (8 hours), Organic Chemistry with lab (8 hours), Physics with lab (8 hours) and Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 hours). A quantitative background, including Calculus, is recommended.

The MCAT should be taken in the spring of the junior year, but only after completing the required courses in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

Students interested in these professional fields should consult the chair of the Biology and Environmental Science Department, Chemistry Department or Sport Science Department as early as possible after their entrance into Davis & Elkins College.

Davis & Elkins College and the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) now have a partnership to benefit students planning to further their education in osteopathic medicine. Students will begin the process during their sophomore year of college. The students who achieve a GPA of 3.4 or higher and have completed biology and chemistry prerequisites may apply for the program. Students who excel in the program will be granted an expedited application review to WVSOM and an early admission interview. Candidates who are accepted will receive their approval prior to their senior year at D&E.

Wvsom Green Coat Program Lets Undergraduates Sample Health Professions

Five years ago, Kirsten Gateless was a junior at West Virginia’s Davis & Elkins College who dreamed of becoming a physician. This May, Gateless is on track to graduate with a medical degree from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) and hopes to specialize in surgery or emergency medicine.

The Flatwoods, W.Va., native said she couldn’t have done it without the Green Coat program, a partnership between WVSOM’s Rural Health Initiative (RHI) and Davis Medical Center in Elkins, W.Va., that allows undergraduate students to get an early glimpse of what it’s like to work in a hospital. Gateless is one of three aspiring physicians who have completed the program at Davis and gone on to pursue medical degrees at WVSOM.

Leading the Way.

Chemistry Academic Program

Program Requirements

Facilities

Three teaching laboratories are available for courses taught in the major and research.

Other facilities include:

Stock room for chemical storage.
Prep room
Two Balance rooms
Instrument Room which houses the following:Perkin Elmer Infra-red Spectrophotometer
Nicolet Infra-red Spectrophotometer
Beckman Ultraviolet/Visible Spectrophotometer
Perkin ElmerUltraviolet/Visible Spectrophotometer, Lambda 20
Sargent Heavy Duty Electrolytic Analyzer (Electro deposition Apparatus)
Kreis Polarimeter
Perkin Elmer Auto System Gas Chromatograph
Varian Gas Chromatograph