Office of Student Admissions
Pre-Med Advising
The University of New Mexico School of Medicine (UNM SOM) Office of Admissions offers pre-med advisement to any students interested in applying to medical school. The Office of Admissions also holds monthly advisement workshops to provide students with the basic information on applying to medical school. All students interested in setting up a one-on-one advisement appointment with one of the Office of Admissions staff persons must first attend an advisement workshop.
UNM Students can also receive pre-med advisement from University College or the College of Arts and Sciences.
Be very careful of any outside advice you receive from other physicians and/or current medical students as information on the application process may change from year to year.
Myths about UNM School of Medicine
Prerequisites
Applicants interested in applying to the University of New Mexico School of Medicine must have the following course prerequisites:
- 8 semester hours general biology or zoology (including labs)
- 8 semester hours general chemistry (including labs)
- 8 semester hours organic chemistry (including labs)
- 6 semester hours general physics
- 3 semester hours biochemistry
Combined organic chemistry/biochemistry courses are inadequate. The biochemistry course should be at the junior/senior level.
All of the prerequisites, except for organic chemistry labs (both I and II) and biochemistry, must be completed prior to the submissions of the application. The organic chemistry labs and biochemistry prerequisites must be completed prior to matriculation.
All of the prerequisites must be completed with a letter grade of C or better (C- is not acceptable). Pass/Fail (CR/NC) grading is not accepted. Advance Placement (AP) Credit will be accepted for introductory Biology, Chemistry, or Physics only if college credit was granted by the institute. College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Credit will be accepted as long as the applicant has the sufficient number of semester hours to fulfill the required prerequisites.
Prerequisite Documentation Form
The MCAT
The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is required of all applicants. This exam assesses mastery of basic concepts in biology, chemistry (general and organic), and physics, facility with scientific problem solving, critical thinking, and writing skills. The skills and concepts tested by the MCAT are those identified by physicians and medical educators as prerequisite for the practice of medicine. To receive consideration for the admissions process at UNM SOM, applicants must have total numerical Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score of 22 or greater.
Information about the exam is provided in MCAT Essentials (published by the Association of American Medical Colleges). This information includes detailed descriptions of the content and cognitive skills assessed by the exam. It also provides examples of question formats used on the test and incorporates sample items with response explanations. Full-length practice exams are available for purchase ($35.00 each) at your convenience.
2009 Registration Deadline & Score Release Schedule
2009 MCAT Testing Center Locations
Tips for Doing Well on the MCAT
The University of New Mexico will NOT accept MCAT exam scores that are more than four years old at the time of application. Additional questions about the MCAT should be directed to the Office of Admissions by phone (505) 272-4766 or email.
Clinical Experience
The Committee on Admissions carefully reviews each type of clinical experience in which every individual applicant to medical school has participated. The Committee believes that every applicant should reflect a vibrant interest in medicine demonstrated by clinical experiences with direct patient contact and knowledge of New Mexico's health care issues. The intent is to provide the applicant with the opportunity to prove to himself or herself and to the Committee on Admissions that medicine is the profession in which the individual whole-heartedly wishes to study and work. This volunteer or possible work experience may be in a hospital or clinic setting, perhaps in a nursing home or hospice environment. It is up to each student to take initiative to locate their clinical experiences through interactions with the various volunteer offices of the local hospitals or through interactions with their professors, friends, family members, etc. There is a plethora of summer clinical experience programs around the country; however, application to those programs begins during the winter months, long before the summer starts.
The Committee also examines the type of community volunteer activities in which applicants have been involved. The Committee believes that individuals who have participated in such activities are more likely to relate well to other people, an essential aspect of the physician-patient interaction.