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Pre-Medicine

Study Track

What Is the Pre-Medicine Study Track?

You came to find out one thing: does this path actually get you into medical school?

Goshen College’s pre-medicine study track is a pre-professional advising track, not a separate major, that pairs a science major such as biology, chemistry, or exercise science with the courses medical schools require.

You add no extra tuition to take the track, so your cost is just your science major. Pre-health advisors guide your course selection, MCAT preparation, and applications. Goshen College has small classes, so the people reading your recommendation letters already know your name. Students who are the first in their family to aim for medical school, and students arriving from across the world, both belong here as the norm, not the exception.

  • 86%
    Medical school acceptance rate, a five-year average.
  • 91%
    Of classes have fewer than 30 students.
  • 93%
    Of graduates are employed, in grad school, or in service within a year.

    How the Study Track Works

    You choose a science major, and academic advisors layer in the prerequisites medical schools expect. The track combines naturally with biology, chemistry, or exercise science. Advisors confirm you meet every course requirement for your applications, so nothing falls through the cracks in your final year.

    You can join undergraduate research in molecular biology, physiology, and ecology as soon as your first year, spend a summer in the Maple Scholars program, and run labs in the Schrock Science Laboratories. Off-campus research happens through partnerships with AbbVie, Notre Dame, and Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center.

    Medical Experience Without Leaving Home

    You do not have to move across the country to build a competitive application. You shadow physicians at Goshen Hospital and other nearby medical centers, intern at local hospitals, clinics, and community health organizations, and serve through the Center for Healing and Hope and the Center for Civic Innovation, all within Elkhart County.

    Staying close to family while you do this is the norm here, not a compromise. The track prepares you for medical school (MD and DO programs), physician assistant programs, and graduate programs in public health and the biomedical sciences. Recent alumni have gone on to Indiana University School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, and University of Michigan Medical School.

    • My time at Goshen College nurtured curiosity, compassion, humility, critical thinking, and commitment to peace and justice, laying a strong foundation for my work as a physician. Cross-cultural engagement, including time in Senegal and Morocco, broadened my perspectives and taught me the power of connection while the campus community’s culture of support showed me the importance of growing deep roots. I’m deeply grateful for GC’s enduring commitment to helping each student grow, learn, and thrive.

      Joelle Friesen, M.D. '17

      Chief Medical Resident at Mayo Clinic

    A student in scrubs working with an IV

    What It Costs, and How Aid Works

    The pre-medicine track adds no extra tuition. You pay the same as you would for your science major, because the track is advising and preparation layered onto a degree you are already earning. Most Goshen students receive financial aid or scholarships, so the sticker price is rarely what you actually pay. To see your own price after aid, run the net price calculator and talk with a real person in the financial aid office.

    Common Questions About the Pre-Medicine Study Track

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