This document is one of a series which provides basic information about mainline health professions and the Premed Office at Xavier.

What should be the main priority of a new freshman? GRADES!! GRADES!! GRADES!! In order to be minimally competitive, a student needs mostly "A's" and "B's" to get into medical school and grades almost as high to get into dental school and other health professions programs. Therefore, you must give grades first priority starting immediately!!

Do science grades have special importance? Yes!!! Medical, dental, etc. schools generally look at grades in science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics = BCPM) separately from your grades in other courses (or your overall GPA). Therefore, you must pay special attention to your grades in those courses. The GPA categories below take both overall and BCPM GPA categories into account.

What kind of grades does a student at XU need to get into medical school? Or into other schools? XU's Premedical Office regularly analyzes the relationship between who gets into medical, dental, etc. school and the grades a student has earned at the University. Such analyses have allowed us to put together the following "probability grid" which allows an XU student to use his/her overall and science GPA at the end of the Junior year to get an idea of his/her chances (based on grades only) of gaining entry into various types of science-based professional and graduate schools. While this probability grid is not a guarantee that you will be accepted and is only accurate for the current time, it does provides general guidance regarding the kind of grades you need to earn to gain entry into your school of choice. CAUTION: While important, grades are NOT the only factor considered by medical, dental, etc. school admissions committees. The grid below does NOT take into account MCAT scores, DAT scores, post-secondary experiences, etc. For more detailed information regarding selection factors, please refer to the Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) book or similar publication for the health professions program that you are interested in. Copies of most requirement books are available for review in the Premedical Office or contact the schools/programs that you are interested in.

FIRST, FIND YOUR XU GPA CATEGORY BELOW	SECOND, THEN LOOK UP OUR ESTIMATE OF YOUR PROBABILITY OF GAINING ADMISSION INTO YOUR PREFERRED TYPE OF SCHOOL IN THE APPROPRIATE COLUMN BELOW THIS HEADING
	Med(M.D.)	Med(D.O.)	Dentistry	Optometry	Podiatry	Pub. Health	Grad School
1: Cum. GPA over 3.6 & BCMP* GPA over 3.6	90% "Big Name" range	95% "Big Name" range	95% "Big Name" range	95% "Big Name" range	95% "Big Name" range	95% "Big Name" range	95% "Big Name" range
2: Cumulative GPA over 3.3 & BCMP* GPA over 3.3 but not in above group	85%	90%	95%	95%	95%	95%	95%
3: Cumulative GPA over 3.0 & BCMP* GPA over 3.0 but not in above groups	75%	85%	95%	95%	95%	95%	95%
4: Cumulative GPA over 2.7 & BCMP* GPA over 2.7 but not in above groups	40% need VERY GOOD MCAT's	50%	85%	85%	85%	85%	75%
5: Cumulative GPA over 2.5 & BCMP* GPA over 2.5 but not in above groups	<10%	10% need VERY GOOD MCAT's	75%	75%	50%	75%	10% need VERY GOOD recs
6: Cumulative GPA over 2.3 & BCMP* GPA over 2.3 but not in above groups	<10%	<10%	50% need VERY GOOD DAT's	50% need VERY GOOD OAT's	10% need VERY GOOD MCAT's	75%	<10%
7: Not in any of the above categories	<5%	<5%	<5%	<5%	<5%	10% need GOOD GRE	<5%
*BCPM = Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics

What is the best major for a student interested in becoming a physician? XU students interested in going to medical, dental, etc. school are highly encouraged to major in Biology-Premed, Chemistry-Premed, or Psychology-Premed. See the separate handout about majors (Info #4) for an explanation why. You should note that in all three you have a major in a field, not in "premed."

Should a student get a double major or minor? Having a double major or minor does not help you get into medical school. Therefore, whether or not you want to do so depends on how long you want to be at Xavier and your career interests. If you want to graduate in four years, you probably cannot get a double major or minor UNLESS you you have previous college credit that Xavier has accepted as "transfer credit" toward your degree. Xavier has so many core requirements (English, language, history, philosophy, etc.) that students in the sciences have all they can do just to get the normal one major and one minor (and summer enrichment or research to make the student more competitive for admission to medical, dental, etc. school) without worrying about extras. Students who are interested in pursuing a double major or minor should discuss their plans with their Academic Advisers as soon as possible.

Where can a student get help with classes (if needed)?

For help in General Chemistry or General Biology: There are FREE tutors available in these courses. Check with your instructor for locations and times of operation. For help in other subjects: Ask your instructor as soon as you get a low grade or as soon as you think you need help.

What can a student expect if he/she goes to the Tutoring Center? The Tutoring Center is staffed by upper-level XU Biology, Chemistry-Premed, and Psychology-Premed majors with good grades. They are known as "Peer Counselors". They can provide tutorial assistance in General Biology and General Chemistry.. Finally, you should note that "tutoring" does not mean "working the problems for you." The job of the tutor is to get you to work the problem...not to work it for you.

Who should use the Tutoring Center? EVERYBODY ENROLLED IN GENERAL BIOLOGY OR GENERAL CHEMISTRY!! Meet your study group (see below) there.

Should a student try to get into a study group? YES!! YES!! YES!! We strongly recommend that you form a study group with students in your courses IMMEDIATELY and that you set up a regular time to work together. Being part of a study group does not mean that you wait to do all of your studying with the group. Instead, you need to study the material by yourself first and then work with the group to clear up problems you have identified and/or to get a different perspective on the topic.

What else should a new freshmen be doing?

Check email AT LEAST ONCE A DAY for important messages from the Premedical Office (add xupremed@yahoo.com to your email account "contacts"). Thirty-five to forty medical school recruiters visit Xavier each year. You should plan to visit at least five during the current year. Most recruiters come for a two-hour period so students who have classes during one hour can visit them the next. It is okay to go in for a while and then leave (politely). Watch for signs announcing recruiter visits in Premed. Atttend ALL meetings planned during the Fall and Spring semesters. Complete and submit premed meeting items in a timely fashion. Provided you are doing well in your courses, get involved in extra-curricular activites (on or off campus) that show commitment to service and/or interest in the health professions.