Requirements for Entrance in August 2014

The MCAT is required and should be taken no later than September 2013 to be considered for admission in August 2014. Applicants are strongly urged to complete the regular four-year undergraduate curriculum and take the appropriate recommended courses before the study of medicine. The school encourages a balance between the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.

Minimum academic requirements for admission are satisfactory completion of the required subjects as specified below with a total of ninety hours of acceptable semester hours at the time of registration. All coursework must be completed in a satisfactory manner, at a grade-level of C or better, in an educational institution within the United States that has been approved by an appropriate accrediting agency. On-line or correspondence coursework is not accepted.

Acceptance of advanced placement for credit toward fulfilling specific requirements in the sciences (biology, chemistry, and physics) may be approved on a case-by-case basis.  Transfer credit from medical schools outside of the United States is generally not permissible.

REQUIRED SUBJECTS

Chemistry

Eight semester hours of general/inorganic chemistry with laboratory
and
Eight semester hours of organic chemistry with laboratory

Physics

Eight semester hours of general physics with laboratory.

Biology

Eight semester hours of general biology with laboratory.

English

Six semester hours of spoken and written English.

OTHER RECOMMENDED COURSES

Enrollment in any of the following science courses may be beneficial to applicants: biochemistry (strongly recommended), cell biology, comparative vertebrate anatomy, computer sciences, embryology (developmental biology), histology, mathematics, microbiology, molecular genetics, physiology, statistics (epidemiology). Selection from the following arts and humanities courses is recommended: economics, English, ethics, foreign languages, history, philosophy, psychology, public speaking, sociology.

MEDICAL COLLEGE ADMISSION TEST (MCAT)

LSUHSC School of Medicine in New Orleans requires every applicant to take the MCAT.  The test is administered multiple times during the year at testing centers throughout the nation.  This examination must be taken at an appropriate time by all applicants. To apply for the MCAT examination or additional information sign on to the MCAT web page: www.aamc.org/mcat

The MCAT is required and must be taken by September 2013 which enables scores to be received by the Admissions Office prior to the November 30, 2013 AMCAS application deadline. 

Future applicants should be aware that the new revised MCAT²⁰¹⁵ will be given for the first time to those applying for the entering class of 2015. There will be substantial changes to the MCAT which will require a broader knowledge than the current MCAT requires. In preparation for this exam, it is highly recommended that applicants to medical schools consider taking coursework in sociology, psychology, ethics, biochemistry, and statistics. 


AMERICAN MEDICAL COLLEGE APPLICATION SERVICE (AMCAS)

All applicants must apply through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS). A web application is available from the AAMC's website: http://www.aamc.org/

It is strongly recommended that applicants carefully consider the contact information on their AMCAS application. The "Preferred" address listed on the AMCAS application will be used by LSU for any mail sent by US Mail.  E-mails are most often sent via the AMCAS server to the e-mail listed on the AMCAS application.  As many campus e-mails may expire during the year of the application process, it is suggested that applicants subscribe to a generic e-mail provider for application purposes.  It is also important that any changes in mailing or e-mail address always be updated through AMCAS. Those updates are forwarded to the Admissions office by AMCAS.

For informational purposes, the address and telephone number for AMCAS is indicated below:

American Medical College Application Service
Association of American Medical Colleges
Section for Student Services
2501 M Street, NW. Lobby-26
Washington, DC 20037
(202) 828-0600

The Association of American Medical Colleges also has a one-stop medical education shop on the Web, connecting all aspiring and new physicians to the services and information they need.
It's home base for everyone with medicine in their future: http://www.tomorrowsdoctors.org

SECONDARY APPLICATION

All applicants must submit the LSU Secondary Application to the School of Medicine. All applicants must be in compliance with the Technical Standards in order to be considered for admission.  The Technical Standards may be viewed at: admissions/docs/TECHNICAL%20STANDARDS.pdf  Once the Office of Admissions has received the AMCAS application, the applicants will be notified by e-mail with the web address to download the Secondary Application.  All Louisiana residents will be sent the electronic link to download the Secondary Application. The Secondary Application will be sent to pre-screened non-resident applicants. The deadline for our office to receive the Secondary Application is January 15, 2014. 

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

It is strongly advised that applicants obtain their letters of recommendation from their school’s pre-professional/pre-med advisory committee.  In this case, applicants should follow the pre-professional/pre-med advisory committee’s individual rules and deadlines for obtaining their letters.  If an applicant chooses NOT to use their pre-professional committee or is no longer eligible to use their committee, the applicant must then submit THREE letters of recommendation from professors/teachers who have taught them in DIDACTIC classes in science and math.  Letters from teachers/instructors of one (1)-hour lab courses or from research instructors WILL NOT fulfill the required letters of recommendation. 

LSU School of Medicine will participate in the AMCAS Letter Service for the 2014 application cycle.  Be sure that you designate LSU-NO SOM on your AMCAS application to have access to your letters under the AMCAS Letter ID you provided to your advisor. Additional letters, while not required, may be submitted for consideration by the Admissions Committee. Letters may also be mailed to the Admissions Office by the letter writer to the Admissions Office, LSU School of Medicine, 1901 Perdido St., Box P3-4, New Orleans, LA, 70112.

If you have been out of school for a short period of time (less than two (2) full academic years), and are unable to obtain a committee evaluation, you should make every attempt to get evaluations from at least three (3) faculty members IN THE SCIENCES from schools previously attended. 

It should be noted that it is highly desirable that an applicant not have more than a two (2) year lapse between their most recent coursework and the application year.  If you have been out of school for an extended period of time (more than two full academic years), you should still attempt to obtain faculty evaluations.  If you are unable to do this, you should get letters from individuals with whom you work.  It is strongly recommended that one of these letters be from your immediate supervisor or employer.  In addition, you may have letters of evaluation sent from individuals who know you well; however, these should be limited to two (2) letters of reference. 

In order for an application to be considered complete, an applicant’s file must contain the AMCAS application, the LSU School of Medicine-New Orleans Secondary Application and the required letters of recommendation or the Pre-Med composite recommendation. The deadline for applications to be completed in this office is January 15, 2014.  Incomplete files WILL NOT be reviewed.