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Pre-Med

Welcome to the Lowell Pre-Med Advising webpage! The Lowell House Premedical Committee is a group of physicians and physicians-in-training who can help you decide whether to enter a career in medicine and guide you along the first steps to that career.

The Lowell resident tutors on the committee are Anna-Sophia Boguraev (co-chair), Natalie Swartz (co-chair), Gha Lee, Haim Moore, and Jennifer Kizza, MD. 
The Lowell House resident pre-med tutors are Jennifer Kizza, Haim Moore, Gha Young Lee, Natalie Swartz, and Anna-Sophia Boguraev.

The Premedical Committee

We help you decide whether you want to enter a medical career, and guide you through course requirements, MCAT preparation and obtaining letters of recommendation. When you apply, the committee will write a Dean's cover letter (aka Committee Letter) on behalf of Harvard College, and will send this letter along with your other letters of recommendation to AMCAS on Aug 15, 2024.

We encourage you to get to know your resident pre-medical tutors! We are here for you – to help you decide whether to enter the medical profession and to guide you through the admissions process. Arrange a time to meet with one of us virtually via lohomed@fas.harvard.edu.

**If you are interested in applying to medical school or would like to receive important email notifications pertinent to premedical students, subscribe here to our list-serve specifically for pre-med students at Lowell. The pre-medical committee will email any announcements to this list-serve, so please make sure that you are subscribed!**

Timeline for 2024-2025 Applicants

The Lowell House Office uploads the Dean's Letter and designated letters of recommendation to VirtualEvals on August 15, 2024.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What Does the Premedical Committee Do?

We help you decide whether you want to enter a medical career, and guide you through course requirements, MCAT preparation and obtaining letters of recommendation. When you apply, the committee will write a Dean's cover letter (aka Committee Letter) on behalf of Harvard College, and will send this letter along with your other letters of recommendation to AMCAS on Aug 15, 2024.

We encourage you to get to know your resident pre-medical tutors! We are here for you – to help you decide whether to enter the medical profession and to guide you through the admissions process. Arrange a time to meet with one of us virtually via lohomed@fas.harvard.edu.

When Should I Take the MCAT?

Take the exam before June (at the latest) to apply this cycle, although it is possible to apply with a June exam if your application is otherwise stellar. Register more than 20 weeks prior to the desired test date – test dates fill up quickly! Discounts/fee waivers and preparation materials will be provided to students who qualify for the AAMC Fee Assistance Program.

Recommended Resources from AAMC:

  • The MCAT® Essentials for Testing Year 2018: Free guide to MCAT (on AAMC website)
  • Khan academy videos (free): More than 1,100 free videos and 3,000 review questions
  • Psychology and Sociology Textbook Roadmap (free from AAMC): Find with Google search
  • 4 Full-length official MCATs ($35 each, from AAMC)
  • Official AAMC Section Question Bank ($45 from AAMC): 300 questions. Biochemistry, psychology, sociology
  • Official AAMC Practice Question Bank ($72 from AAMC): 720 questions (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Critical Reasoning and Analysis)

How do I go about asking for a letter of recommendation and where should they send it?

Start with this excellent guide on the MCS website on who should I get recommendations from and how do I do it? Then be sure to give your recommender's this Waiver Form, which must be signed and returned to Lowell House (instructions in the form). Given the COVID-19 pandemic, e-mail to lowell@fas.harvard.edu (with scanned signatures) or snail mail submission are both acceptable. Their letter must be on official letterhead and must be submitted to the Lowell House Office by April 12, 2024. The Lowell Pre-Med Committee will send these letters to AMCAS on Aug 15, 2024 with the Dean's letter.

Please follow-up directly with the House Office at lowell@fas.harvard.edu to inquire about the status of any letters of recommendation as these are not managed be members of the pre-medical committee.

What Other Advising Resources Are There?

  • Lowell House Office – Holds all your recommendation letters, even after you graduate.
    • Tel: 617-495-2283, email: lowell@fas.harvard.edu.
    • Hours are M-F 9-4, summer hours are variable, usually M-F 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM; call ahead to confirm.
  • Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS) – College-wide information for Harvard premedical students. We HIGHLY recommend you sign-up for the premed listserv, meet one-on-one with an MCS pre-med advisor, and attend their application workshops!
  • Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) – MCAT information and application statistics
  • The AAMC Fee Assistance Program  (FAP) provides benefits for MCAT registration, access to the Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR), and AMCAS benefits. Benefits are not retroactive, so be sure to apply early enough to receive full benefits of the program. Students who are eligible for high financial aid at Harvard College are likely to be eligible for the Fee Assistance Program. 
  • M2 schedule – Shuttle Harvard Longwood Medical Area. You can also take the T (GreenLine-E to Longwood).
  • Lowell Non-resident Tutors - our wonderful cohort of practicing physicans and medical students who mentor pre-medical students - Excellent resource for career decision-making discussions, and shadowing opportunities. See Medicine section, Lowell SCR Directory

How do I get on the Lowell House pre-med list-serve?

Subscribe here!