Career Paths

1. US News & World Report
2. College Factual
3. Your undergraduate research advisor (most valuable). Your advisor can counsel you on your potential for acceptance to certain programs, and they may also be able to contact colleagues at other departments, which might aid your application.

Schools generally have a $75-100 application fee, so your upper limit is determined by how much time and money you want to spend writing applications. Realistically, 6-7 applications is the average.

It depends. Most institutions extend visits after an acceptance has been offered; however, some invite students prior to extending an acceptance offer. Your letter should indicate clearly whether or not you have been accepted. If not, clarify this question before the visit. Specific schools and programs (particularly biochemistry programs) have what is essentially a conditional acceptance. In this case, you are interviewed at the visit and then get a second letter notifying you of the final decision.

If information is not provided by the school regarding what to expect during the visit, ask the undergraduate advisor for our department’s brochure for prospective graduate students visiting Notre Dame. There isn’t anything specific that you are expected to ask during the visit. However, you give a better impression if you show interest and talk to the professors. Ask them questions about how they run their group, size and makeup of group (undergrads, grad students, post docs), etc. You could also ask about what a typical graduate student project might look like for their lab. More importantly, you should be asking questions of the faculty and students about the school and program that will allow you to make an informed decision about where you want to go.

Generally, these activities are not considered in the application process. It is more important that you are prepared and committed to doing research.

Of course, the higher the GPA the better. In general, a GPA of 3.5 (out of 4) or higher will make you a viable candidate in most programs. It is also critical that the GPA in the subject area is good. Unexplained poor grades anywhere in your chemistry/biochemistry GPA are a red flag. If you had a bad semester, briefly explain any legitimate reasons (such as illness) for the discrepancy in your academic record. Finally, if you have filled your schedule with easier classes, this will be apparent on your transcript. You want to have taken challenging classes that demonstrate to the admissions committee that you have the background necessary to succeed.

No, but it helps tremendously. Better schools will expect this since it tells them that you are prepared to do research. They are looking to see that you are ready to participate in graduate-level research and are not coming in with false expectations. Most of your competition will have done summer research or will have participated in REU programs around the country, often for multiple years in a row. Some may even have publications if they have worked in a lab for several years.

Yes. Having a paper does not matter as much as a recommendation letter from your undergraduate research advisor. You want this person to provide superlatives in their recommendation. Having research experience counts, having papers counts, but the most important thing is the letter from the advisor and what it says about you. Also, keep in mind that presentation of your research at local and regional meetings looks positive to selection committees. It demonstrates that you 1) have accomplished enough to draw some reasonable conclusions from your data, and 2) have the ability to organize your work into a coherent story to share with others.

It does help the committee identify areas in which you are most interested (i.e. inorganic, organic, physical, analytical, biochemistry, etc.). It also shows that you have really looked at their program and envisioned how you would fit in there. However, there are possible drawbacks as well. If you choose faculty in widely divergent areas (for example a fundamental physical chemist and a total synthetic organic chemist), it may indicate that you don’t know what you want. If you are going to choose names, then make sure it makes logical sense (similar areas, explain interdisciplinary interests, etc.). Also, if you choose faculty who are extremely popular or won’t be accepting students in the upcoming year, you may get bypassed because the committee won’t be sure they have a place for you.

Approximately 1/3-1/2 of our majors plan to attend medical school in the future. Those interested in medical school will find that either program of study fulfills the medical school requirements and leads to high MCAT scores. As a result, our majors experience a high acceptance rate into medical schools.

It is becoming more common for students to wait a year or two after graduation before applying to medical school. This allows students to make the most of their undergraduate education by taking advantage of opportunities such as study abroad, completing a second major/minor, etc. After graduation, students spend one or more years gaining life experiences that better prepare them for a career in medicine. Some examples of gap year activities include research, service (in the US or abroad), or working in a healthcare setting.

Yes, you can. However, there are some considerations you must keep in mind, especially if you do not want to take a gap year. First, it will be necessary for you to go to a location that will allow you to take classes that you need prior to taking the MCAT. Second, it takes a while for grades to come back from the overseas programs. Therefore, you cannot go abroad during the spring semester of your junior year if you plan to apply to medical school that summer. You will need to either plan to go abroad during the fall semester or look at the summer opportunities for international experiences. If you are planning to do a gap year, then you can go abroad either semester.

Our programs prepare students for a wide range of preprofessional programs. It is important to meet with your advisor and the advisor in the preprofessional office early in your studies as each school and program has different entrance requirements. However, students who complete the specific requirements for these programs experience a high acceptance rate for these programs.

You can take the DAT at any point after you complete the course content on the exam: two semesters each of biology and physics and four semesters of chemistry. Most veterinary programs only require the general Graduate Record Exam (GRE), which needs to be taken in August or September of the year that you plan to apply. Some veterinary programs also accept the MCAT in place of the GRE, and the premed guidelines for taking that exam should be followed. For those interested in Pharmacy programs, most programs require the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT). The PCAT is taken after completion of 2 semesters of biology, 1 semester of microbiology, anatomy and physiology, 4 semesters of chemistry, and 1 semester of biochemistry. The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is given four times a year, and students should complete the exam by October in the year prior to their planned start date.