How to Succeed as a Dartmouth Premed
/Everything you need to know about Dartmouth premed, including premed requirements, the best extracurriculars, and the Dartmouth premed acceptance rate
LEARN HOW TO GET INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL AS A Dartmouth PREMED
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Part 1: Introduction
Nestled in a valley near the Connecticut river sits one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the U.S.. Dartmouth University is one of the nine American colleges established before the formation of the United States and as such, they have a rich history and have educated some of the most creative and kind people the world has ever known, such as Dr. Seuss, Mr. Rogers, and Robert Frost.
Now home to approximately 4,556 undergraduates, Dartmouth remains committed to their mission to educate and prepare students, “for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership through a faculty dedicated to teaching and the creation of knowledge.”
Equal commitment is expected from every Dartmouth student as they navigate through 2100 available courses every year, over 60 possible majors, and gain hands-on experience with internships, research opportunities, and travel abroad programs. With a 6% acceptance rate, Dartmouth college only accepts the best students to begin with, meaning that while there are plenty of ways to get involved and to grow as a person, true success will only come after some fierce competition for lucrative opportunities.
Additionally, Dartmouth’s medical school, the Geisel School of Medicine, is a major research hub and the fourth-oldest medical school in the United States. Only 92 students matriculate to Geisel SOM every year, but an education at Dartmouth can prepare you to matriculate almost anywhere. By taking advantage of Dartmouth’s resources, staying organized and on schedule, and aiming to achieve the highest stats possible, you’ll be able to succeed as a premed throughout your time as an undergrad!
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Part 2: Dartmouth premed requirements
Dartmouth offers a full breadth of interesting classes and majors that aren’t hindered by a standard schedule. Using a calendar consisting of four ten-week academic quarters per year (fall, winter, spring, and summer), Dartmouth allows 15 academic quarters, or terms, between matriculation and graduation. Most students complete their degrees in 12 terms, leaving little room for second-guessing your schedule. There are some stipulations to Dartmouth’s fairly laissez-faire system: students must take classes on campus for fall, winter, and spring quarters of their first year, for two of the three academic quarters of their final year, and for a summer quarter of their choice.
This kind of calendar calls for careful planning, but there’s no need to stress. Dartmouth provides students with support throughout the course selection process. They offer freshman advising along with major-specific advising and they have students share their schedules and experiences through blogs.
All this being said, as a premed, you won’t have the same freedom of choice as some other students. Instead, you’ll need to fulfill a specific set of pre-med requirements, alongside your chosen major.
The Dartmouth advising office normally takes on premed students as well, but there are some additional guidelines provided to help students prepare to apply to most medical schools in the country. Below, we’ve gathered the requirements to graduate as a successful premed student.
| English/Writing: 2 Terms | Writing 5 First Year Seminar |
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| Mathematics: 2 Terms | MATH 3, BIO 29 |
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| Biology: 2 Terms w/labs | BIOL 11 OR BIOL 2 and one of the following: BIOL 12 (Cell Structure and Function) BIOL 13 (Gene Expression and Inheritance) BIOL 14 (Human Physiology (can be substituted with BIO 2 (w/out a lab)) BIOL 15 (Gene Variation and Evolution) BIOL 16 (Ecology) |
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| General Chemistry: 2 Terms w/labs | CHEM 5 AND 6 | CHEM 10 | ||||
| Organic Chemistry: 2 Terms w/labs | CHEM 51 AND 52 |
CHEM 57 AND 58 | ||||
| Physics: 2 Terms w/labs | PHYS 3 AND 4 |
PHYS 13 AND 14 | ||||
| Psychology: 1 Term (optional) | PSYCH 1 | PSYCH 6 | ||||
| Sociology: 1 Term (optional) | SOCY 1 or 2 | |||||
Dartmouth also addresses the fact that Texas medical schools require many more biology credits than schools in other states. Typically, eight semester credit hours is enough for medical school, but Texas schools require 14 credit hours. In order to resolve this issue, Dartmouth offers a few pieces of advice:
Dartmouth courses are the equivalent to typical semester hours. A course+lab translates to 4.5 semester credit hours. Therefore, with a minimum of 2 biology foundation courses you have 9 credit hours, which fulfills the baseline requirements at most med schools (many students do take more for MCAT preparation, their major, or just out of interest).
A course without a lab , or a lab course without a lecture, are equivalent to 3.5 semester credit hours.
Because Texas requires 14 biology semester hours, two course+labs would NOT be sufficient for Texas schools. Even with a 3rd foundation course at 13.5 credit hours, an applicant would just miss the Texas requirement.
However, if a student has 3 foundations and one other course, or 2 foundations and 2 other courses (ex., BIO 2, BIO 11, an upper level BIO, or a Biology-based Neuroscience or Engineering class), then they would have enough credits hours.
A student could also supplement their biology class hours by taking a final course at a community college, state college, or extension course during the application cycle - many students are able to do this while also working full time. Even an online course would be sufficient since it would not require more lab hours.
Additionally, we suggest taking at least one semester each of writing, statistics, and calculus. These courses will help you pass the MCAT, write fantastic personal essays, and ensure that you’re qualified for as many medical schools as possible.
Sample Dartmouth premed two-year course plan
Of course, it’s not just premed requirements that you’ll need to plan for. There is no premed degree, nor is there a best premed major, so you’ll have to choose a major based on your interests and passions.
Some students may want to choose a major steeped in science, since they’ll already be required to complete so many of those types of courses that overlapping prerequisites will be almost guaranteed to happen. On the other hand, some students may prefer to keep the number of difficult courses to a minimum and choose to major in the arts.
No matter which one you decide on, what really matters is that you’re truly invested in the material and that you excel. Your impressive major will hold you back if it causes you to have a low GPA, while majoring in Art History because you thought it would be easy will make it tough to speak on the subject at length, which you will surely need to do during the med school application process.
We’ve created a sample schedule to show how a student could possibly balance their premed studies with their major studies. Since Dartmouth has produced such prolific poets, the major for this example is English.
| Freshman Fall Term | Biology 11 First Year Seminar ENGL 1 |
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| Freshman Winter Term | CHEM 5 Writing 5 BIO 29 ENGL 2 |
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| Freshman Spring Term | CHEM 6 BIOL 11 MATH 24 |
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| Sophomore Term 1 | BIOL 12 CHEM 51 CRWT 10 |
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| Sophomore Term 2 | CHEM 52 PHYS 3 CRWT 20 |
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| Sophomore Term 3 | BIOL 40 PSYCH 1 SOCY 1 |
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How to maintain a high GPA as a Dartmouth premed
Looking at the premed requirements listed above, plus the sample schedule, it’s clear that your time at Dartmouth will be filled with difficult and time-consuming courses. You’ll have to learn to balance this rigorous schedule with your extracurriculars and any other responsibilities you may have.
However, your reward will come through developing new skills in labs, learning new test tactics, and ultimately learning how to successfully lead a busy life.
Maintaining a high GPA is a great way to exemplify your competence in an extremely demanding program, and it places you above large swaths of applicants who otherwise may have ranked above you in the eyes of adcoms. It’s not easy to keep your grades up when the material is so complicated, but there are a number of ways you can alleviate some of your stress and keep your grades under control.
Avoid taking too many premed required courses in one semester.
Plan out the requirements for your major early and check in with your advisor at least once per year.
Balance heavy science classes with easier elective courses or courses with fewer out-of-classroom requirements.
Allow adequate time for studying and extracurriculars.
For students who want to go to medical school immediately after graduation, plan your sophomore and junior year schedules around preparing for the MCAT.
Consider whether a gap year(s) is right for you. Gap years can allow you to stretch out your premed coursework, prepare for the MCAT without any distractions, or participate in an extensive hands-on experience such as joining a research project abroad.
If you need to space your classes but don’t want to take a gap year, consider summer terms to complete some of your premed coursework.
Schedule dedicated study time without other distractions. Don’t just squeeze in studying in your spare time. Rather, make it a priority.
Avoid procrastination. Instead, stay up-to-date on required readings and assignment due dates, even if you have several weeks to complete those assignments.
Join study groups and attend TA sessions. Group studying can both improve your understanding of a topic and help you make friends!
What’s the best premed major at Dartmouth?
As mentioned earlier, there is no “best” premed major. The best major is one that you are actually passionate about, as this will help you stay motivated through long study sessions and emotionally difficult semesters. Additionally, majoring in something that you are fascinated with will give you lots of material for writing your personal statement and secondary essays. Often, these essays call for you to discuss your major, why you chose it, what you’re passionate about, and a host of other questions that will require you to write about your studies.
Dartmouth offers just over 60 majors, covering most standard majors from Anthropology to Studio Art. While none of these majors can be considered better than the others, there are some things to consider when choosing majors:
Science majors will have a lot of overlap with your premed studies, but you’ll also be required to take on additional, difficult courses.
The most popular majors at Dartmouth are social sciences and biomedical sciences; sticking to these subjects will give you a larger network of peers to work and study with.
Some majors may be more helpful in your eventual career than in your med school career. Consider whether majoring in a foreign language or an interdisciplinary social science may make you fit in a certain geographic area or industry better.
When should you take the MCAT as a Dartmouth premed?
Premed students who plan on starting medical school right after graduation should also plan to take the MCAT sometime during their junior year. By junior year, you will have completed some of the most important science courses on your premed schedule and you won’t have to worry about rushing to retake the exam if something goes awry.
The most important part of MCAT prep is giving yourself ample study time. Studying for the MCAT is a much more intense task than it might seem. Premeds typically create study schedules that include dedicated independent study, self-directed learning, and several practice tests.
Preparing for the MCAT as a premed will take up a lot of time. Studying alone should be at least a three-month process, and before that you should have the following courses completed to ensure you won’t be surprised by anything on the MCAT:
General Chemistry
General Biology
General Physics
Organic Chemistry
Biochemistry
Along with these courses, you may want to consider completing courses in psychology and sociology if you have limited knowledge of these subjects. Otherwise, self-directed learning can provide you the necessary competence.
Students taking a gap year(s) following graduation, don’t need to follow this schedule. Taking a gap year is becoming more popular every year, allowing premed students the opportunity to focus on gaining real world and hands-on clinical experience. Gap years also afford students much more flexibility in their MCAT prep, as there are multiple test dates every year and study schedules aren’t racing against the graduation clock.
Regardless of whether you decide to take a gap year or continue on to med school right after graduation, you’ll need to have your MCAT scores back before the start of the application cycle. Official scores are usually released 30–35 days after an exam date, meaning students need to take the MCAT at least one to two months in advance of the start of their desired application cycle. AMCAS generally opens the first week of May.
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Part 3: Dartmouth premed extracurriculars
Dartmouth is a school that values extracurricular experiences. They offer over 30 international and domestic study programs, and 50% of the Dartmouth students end up studying abroad. Plus, Dartmouth’s peaceful, natural setting is perfect for the 160 clubs and student organizations found there. These student groups help create a close-knit community with a wide variety of experiences available to everyone.
Joining a student group will present you with a chance to broaden your horizons and can also be a significant boost to your medical school resume. Medical school adcoms love to see examples of leadership on applications. In lieu of earning a leadership role, having some kind of responsibility within a group or organization will benefit you in the long run.
However, there are ways to gain leadership experience outside of the student community. Most medical schools will want you to have some other extracurricular experience in order to prepare you for their programs. Premed extracurricular activities fall into three distinct categories:
Clinical experiences (which includes healthcare shadowing and EMT work)
Volunteer and service work
Research
There will be plenty of opportunities to demonstrate leadership qualities during these experiences. More importantly, medical schools will also be looking for examples of your humanism and service to others. During your experiences, make sure to actively engage with patients and consider the interdisciplinary nature of research labs, clinics, and other healthcare facilities you may engage with. Keep good notes, ask questions if you’re lost, and above all else, make sure you like the field you will be entering!
There is plenty of time to gain the experience you’ll need to be a competitive med school applicant, especially for students who will be taking a gap year. Careful time management will ensure that you can balance your studies with your extracurriculars.
Dartmouth premed clinical and community volunteering
While at Dartmouth, students can participate in local, domestic, and international programs to gain experience in a clinical setting or with volunteer work. While there are new and exciting opportunities every quarter that students can find through a number of Dartmouth offices that connect students with experiences, they also have a few options specifically for premed students:
Dickey Center's Global Health Initiative is a Dartmouth-wide program dedicated to improving the health of the world's population through multidisciplinary research, education, and service. There are many opportunities through the Dickey Center such as the DarDar-Dickey Internship in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CHRP) in Jamkhed, India, and the Population Health and Development (PHAD) in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Volunteering: Volunteering with the DHMC allows students to gain experience while supporting the community through organizations like the emergency department, Patient Support Corps, and the Intensive Care Nursery (ICN) Breastfeeding Peer Support group.
NSS Off-Term Database: Students can also find opportunities in different US cities or in their own hometowns through Dartmouth’s NSS Off-Term Database (Net ID and password required). Dartmouth students have gained clinical exposure working as EMTs, clinical researchers, and medical scribes using this convenient system.
Dartmouth premed shadowing
All premed students should obtain at least 150–200 hours of shadowing experience. In fact, it is practically impossible to be accepted into medical school without some sort of physician shadowing on your resume.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you should spend all of your time with one doctor. Shadowing professionals in multiple different specialties will give you the most realistic view of medicine, a strong understanding of patient care, as well as a familiarity with different roles in healthcare.
Unfortunately, Dartmouth doesn’t offer a lot of premed shadowing opportunities. The main way for students to find opportunities is through the Nathan Smith Society Program. You must join this society, attend meetings, and meet certain prerequisites in order to be accepted. Additionally, you cannot view any of their documents online until you have been given permission through their office.
Most shadowing opportunities will come from the nearby Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, which has a level 1 trauma center. Shadowing a doctor can also be done through private practices as well. Cold-calling clinics and other medical offices can actually be fruitful for Dartmouth students with limited options.
One part of premed life at Dartmouth that will help you is the fact that networking with other students is very important. Since other premed students are also often struggling to find clinical placements and other experiential learning opportunities, there is a culture of helping each other find open roles.
(Suggested reading: How to Ask to Shadow a Doctor)
Dartmouth premed research
Similar to doctor shadowing, Dartmouth doesn’t offer anything specific to help students gain research experience. Instead, they tell students to meet with a peer mentor, an advisor, or to use their spreadsheet program, HPP. Our experts have found a few additional ways to track down research opportunities in schools where there is less emphasis on connecting students to research:
Ask the faculty and staff. If you’ve made close relationships with a professor in class or office hours, discuss research opportunities with them. They can often refer you to other colleagues as well.
Talk to upperclassmen. Your friends, and especially older premeds, may know of positions in labs that may be opening up as other students graduate. This gives you a quick in to a lab that otherwise may not be listed at the formal Undergraduate Research Support Office.
Cold-call PIs (Principal Investigators). After using up other options, this can be an unexpected way to find research opportunities. Look at the websites of departments you are interested in and send emails to faculty that you think have interesting research. You will likely need to send quite a few emails before getting results, but with determination this method can find you an opportunity unique to you.
(Suggested reading: How to Write a Great Research Assistant Cover Letter)
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Part 4: Getting into medical school as a Dartmouth premed
Being a student at Dartmouth will provide you with a prestigious resume, but that won’t be all you need to earn an acceptance letter from the medical school of your choice. First and foremost, you’ll want to decide whether to take a gap year. This decision will determine when you begin your application: during your junior year, or sometime after graduation.
Regardless of which path you choose, your primary application will require dedicated time. During the year that you’re applying, you’ll need to begin working closely with your pre-health advisor to prepare your AMCAS application, which includes your personal statement and Work and Activities section.
Where you may end up needing the most help is when it comes time to get a committee letter. At Dartmouth, the committee letter process is a bit unique. It’s actually referred to as a composite letter and students are expected to choose someone to write it for them, rather than submit a request to a full committee.
The composite writer must be from Dartmouth Community (including Dartmouth, DHMC, or Geisel), and students must also choose 3-5 “supporting writers” who can be people from either the Dartmouth Community or from elsewhere (such as a volunteer organization)
Once you’re ready to apply, we suggest you follow our ideal medical school application timeline.
Dartmouth premed acceptance rate and admissions statistics
Only 148 students apply to medical school from Dartmouth college every year, and they’re equipped with some of the best stats that matter to med schools.
The average Dartmouth student arrives with a GPA of 4.11 and the rigorous courses continue to challenge students, keeping them at the top of their game. These courses also help prepare you for the MCAT, which you’ll need a great score on to get into any medical school.
Dartmouth doesn’t provide any specific statistics on their post-graduate acceptance rates, but 7% of their graduates said they were pursuing a medical degree immediately after graduation in 2022, and most said they were “well-prepared” for graduate school.
Getting into Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine as a Dartmouth premed
With an acceptance rate of just 0.96% (with only 5.4% of accepted applicants coming from in-state schools), an average GPA of 3.66, and an average MCAT score of 514, it is incredibly difficult to get into the Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, even if you’ve spent the past four years studying right next door.
The fact of the matter is, there are thousands of premed students, including Dartmouth undergraduates, fighting for the chance to attend Geisel SOM. However, the emphasis on networking and engaging with the community will help you to fully understand the needs of the patients in the areas surrounding Dartmouth, the types of medical professionals in the area, and the social environment created by the collective premed and med students, giving you a slight edge during interviews.
(Suggested reading: How to Get Into Dartmouth Medical School: Requirements and Strategies)
Final thoughts
Dartmouth University is well known for its historical significance in American education. Although navigating the Dartmouth premed landscape relies heavily on other students and private advising sessions, by following this guide’s advice you’ll be able to make sure you’re heading in the right direction. Staying on schedule, maintaining a high GPA, and developing your resume of extracurricular activities will leave you ready for success.
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.
