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Sponsorship

Requirements

Once you are admitted to the Health Careers Program, you must meet the following requirements to qualify for sponsorship.

  • Complete a minimum number of credits with grades of B or higher in medical sciences courses at Harvard Extension School or Summer School, based on the GPA you earned as an undergraduate. If your undergraduate GPA was:

    • 3.2 or higher, complete 20 credits
    • Between 3.0 and 3.2, complete 24 credits
    • Between 2.8 and 3.0, complete 28 credits
    • Below 2.8, complete 32 credits

    • If your undergraduate GPA was below 3.0, you must also score 30 or higher on the MCAT to be sponsored. However, you should understand that, even with sponsorship, the odds of gaining acceptance into medical school are low.

    The Health Careers Program may adjust the requirements of sponsorship based on an individual’s needs.

  • Consult with the HCP Office at least once every term.
  • Notify the director of the Health Careers Program in writing of your intent to apply to medical school, listing courses completed and courses to be completed, no later than September 30 of the year preceding application to medical school.

  • Finish all prerequisites by the end of the summer in which you are applying to medical school. Sponsored participants must pay a $500 sponsorship fee no later than June 15 of the application year. If your grades or MCAT scores need improvement, you are advised to wait a year, during which time you must continue taking medical sciences courses.

Failure to meet any deadline or requirement may delay sponsorship of your application for that year. Students applying after the deadline may be considered for the following year but must continue taking medical sciences courses each term.

The program reserves the right to limit the number of students it sponsors annually. If a limit is imposed in a particular year, sponsorship is based upon the date when students file their application. Therefore, you should apply as early as possible and no later than August 31 of the year preceding application to medical school.

Timeline expectations

Most postbaccalaureate students need 2 years to complete requirements, although a few are able to do so in 1 year and a summer. Most students begin their studies in the fall or summer. Due to the scheduling of prerequisite courses, students are rarely able to begin in the spring.

A typical path through the program

  • Complete general chemistry and physics in the first year.
  • Complete biology and organic chemistry in the second year.
  • Take MCAT in the spring or early summer of the second year.

If you are contemplating an alternative schedule, you should consult the Health Careers Office before enrolling.

Applying to medical school

In addition to the core prerequisites (biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics), to apply to medical school you must complete or have completed the following:

  • One year of college math (through calculus). This is a prerequisite for some medical schools.
  • One year of college English. This requirement can be satisfied by taking 1 expository writing course and a second English course, such as English literature.
  • If you need additional credits, you may take other relevant courses if you have completed the required premedical courses with honors grades during the past 3 to 5 years. See Medical Sciences.