Pre-Medical Program

Getting the undergraduate experiences necessary to qualify a student for medical school can be challenging. Faculty members at The College of Saint Rose help to ensure that students who want to go to medical school have the advice, coursework, and support they need to help them prepare an effective application. At Saint Rose, pre-med students are guided by a committee of six faculty members who are dedicated to keeping students on-track for medical school.

Composition of the Committee
The Pre-Medical Program Committee includes four faculty members from the Sciences, one Psychology faculty member, and one faculty member from the Arts or Humanities (see sidebar for memebers).

Coursework
Students in the Saint Rose pre-medical program must complete and submit completed evaluation forms (obtained from the committee chair-currently Dr. Steven Strazza) for each of the following:

• Two biology courses
• Two English courses
• MAT 190 Calculus
• A second mathematics course
• PHY 190 and 191 Fundamentals of Physics I & II
• Four chemistry courses (including one in general chemistry and one in organic chemistry)

Credential Review
Each spring semester, the Pre-medical Program Committee reviews each pre-medical student's progress by examining individual academic progress reports and performance in core courses (listed above). Students receive the committee's written recommendations and advice to resolve any problems and to promote strong academic performance.

Mock Medical School Interviews
As a part of the ongoing evaluation and support process, the committee offers each pre-medical student an opportunity to participate in mock interviews designed to prepare students for this important part of the medical school application process.

Letters of recommendation
In the fall of the senior year, the members of the Pre-Medical Program Committee conduct a thorough evaluation of the pre-medical student's performance and subsequently compose a committee letter of evaluation to support the student's applications to medical school. Students are also advised to solicit letters of recommendation from individual faculty members who have taught them during their undergraduate program.

Additional Activities
Because entrance to medical school is highly competitive, we advise our pre-medical students to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities to enhance their medical school application packages. Many pre-medical students prepare for the required Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) by supplementing the strong instruction we offer in core courses with an MCAT preparatory course. The Pre-Medical Program Committee also encourages students to attend our monthly Science Colloquium Series on current issues in Science. Pre-medical students also are advised to participate in the many opportunities we offer for undergraduate research and to engage in volunteer and service-learning activities that bring Science and Medicine to life. Many pre-medical students also choose to pursue internships in a variety of exciting clinical and professional settings.

Our science programs give students an excellent preparation for either graduate work in science or the medical fields, or entry level positions in industry. Over 70 percent of all advanced degrees in science are awarded to students who received their bachelor’s degrees from small liberal arts colleges like Saint Rose.

Steven Strazza
Physical and Biological
Sciences Department

Steven Strazza, Ph.D.,
associate professor of chemistry

Mary Cosgrove, M.S.
instructor in biology

Kevin Gannon, M.S.
assistant professor of physical science

Gary McLouth, D.A.
associate professor of public communications

Donna Reittinger, Ph.D.
professor of psychology

Eric Eslinger, Ph.D.
assistant professor of earth science