Pre-Med

Welcome to the Lowell Pre-Med Advising webpage! 

Getting Started

1. If you are considering the pre-med path (whether you are undecided or committed), it is imperative that you subscribe to the Lowell pre-med list-serve. This list-serve is specific to pre-med students at Lowell. The pre-medical committee will email any announcements to this list-serve. If you use your college.harvard email, please also subscribe with a non-Harvard email, as we will lose touch with you after your graduation when your email is deactivated. 

2. As you approach each step of the process, please start by reviewing guiding pre-med materials from the Mignone Center for Career Success (MCS). We find the Premedical Information for Harvard Students: Timelines, Courses, & Resources (2024-2025) booklet to be particularly helpful. We encourage you to review these materials as a first step whenever you have questions. 

 

 

The Premedical Committee

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. We can help you consider whether you want to enter a medical career and can help guide you through navigating 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. Lowell House (like all other Harvard Houses) submits this letter on Aug 15 of the current cycle.

We encourage you to get to know your resident pre-medical tutors! Arrange a time to meet with one of us via lohomed@fas.harvard.edu.

The Lowell resident tutors on the committee are Anna-Sophia Boguraev (chair), Andrew Castillo, Akila Muthukumar, and Kavya Shah, and Jennifer Kizza, MD. 

 

Timeline for 2026-2027 Applicants

NOTE: DUE TO HARVARD-WIDE POLICY CHANGES, OUR SUBMISSION DATES HAVE MOVED EARLIER. WE CANNOT ACCEPT ANY LATE MATERIAL THIS CYCLE.
We encourage early submission of all materials, as deadlines are non-negotiable and cannot be modified. It is your responsibility to ensure that referees submit their references to the Lowell House Office by the posted dates. Application packets that do not have all material submitted by the deadline will be considered incomplete and will not receive cover letters from Lowell House for the 2026-2027 application cycle.

  • January 17th, 2026 from 6-7 PM EST on zoom - Lowell 2026-2027 MANDATORY Applicants Meeting
  • January 25th, 2026 at 5p: Complete NRT preference form DUE for pairing [FORM]
  • By Feb 1 (if not much earlier) - Have asked all of your letter writers to complete a letter of recommendation.
  • Due March 1, 2026 (5:00pm EST) - Lowell Q2 Pre-Med Questionnaire, submitted via google form
  • Due March 1, 2026 (5:00 EST) - Submit unofficial transcript via google form to the premed committee
  • PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR Q1, Transcript, Release Form, and Dean's Letter Request in a single form submission ensure they are received and filed together. Any materials submitted after 5:00pm on March 1st, 2026 cannot be accepted.
  • Due March 1, 2026 - 4-5 letters of recommendation turned into the Lowell House Office (see below)
    • Letters must be on letterhead, and include a signed and completed Waiver Form
  • Early March - Virtual Lowell House Committee Discussions take place at Lowell House (sign-up link available after completing Q2 Questionnaire)
  • By ~May 1 -Aim to have a final draft of your personal statement completed to allow your application narrative to be complimented in your committee letter
  • May 2026 - AMCAS opens for inputting information into your application.
  • Late May 2026 - AMCAS opens for submissions. We HIGHLY recommend submitting on opening day. Medical school admissions are rolling, and you will be at a disadvantage if you submit later.
  • Due May 15, 2026 - You can submit up to 1 letter after the April deadline if it it from experiences / class concluding in Spring 2026
  • Due June 1, 2025 - A complete copy of your submitted AMCAS (and/or TMDSAS and/or AACOMAS) to lohomed@fas.harvard.edu

The Lowell House Office uploads the Dean's Letter and designated letters of recommendation on July 1, 2026.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What other advising resources should I refer to?

  • 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!
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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!

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 1, 2025. The Lowell Pre-Med Committee will send these letters to AMCAS on Aug 15, 2025 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.

Bonus tip: We recommend asking for letters of recommendation from writers soon after you have worked with them (for example, at the conclusion of the semester), even if you are not applying for several years. Letters are much stronger the closer to the experience they are written.

When Should I Take the MCAT?

The latest we recommend taking the MCAT is in April so that you will have you score back in time to submit your AMCAS application by the end of May. You may technically take the exam as late as May in order to apply for the current cycle, though we only recommend doing this in extenuating circumstances with an otherwise stellar application. If you intend to take the exam later than May, please discuss with the premedical committee ASAP as we may be unable to include your score in your Dean's letter. 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 2025: 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)