PrE-Medicine Professional Pathway
Program Overview & Goals
Med school is part of the path to becoming a doctor. How you get there is up to you.
Over the past decade, nearly 75% of pre-med students at Hendrix College have been accepted to one or more medical schools, well above the national average of 45%.
And while our pre-med students share a commitment to leadership, resilience, communication, and teamwork—all traits valued by medical schools—they don’t share a specific major.
You can gain the scientific knowledge, problem-solving mindset, and analytical reasoning needed to thrive in med school through many different programs. And while most pre-med students choose to major in fields such as biology, chemistry, health science, or biochemistry and molecular biology, no single path or major guarantees entry to medical school.
Through Hendrix’s Pre-Medicine Professional Pathway, you’ll build a strong foundation in the sciences while benefiting from the flexibility of a liberal arts education. That means graduating not only with the technical preparation medical schools expect, but also with the critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills physicians rely on.
Via Hendrix
Long before you begin preparing applications or studying for entrance exams, Via Hendrix helps you build a strong foundation for what comes next. With guidance from advisors and mentors, you’ll shape a path that combines academic preparation, professional experience, and purposeful planning.
Careers & Outcomes
In addition to the scientific competency demanded by the health professions, a Hendrix education also equips you with the professional habits, critical thinking, and communication skills you need to thrive.
Salary Projections
The median pay for physicians and surgeons is $239,200, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Top Industries
- Hospitals / Health Systems
- Public Health
- Healthcare Administration
- Biomedical /Pharmaceutical Research
- Biotechnology
Career Options
Medicine is just one direction pre-med students take. You could also pursue careers in research, public health, teaching, or other healthcare-related areas.
- Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) / Medical Doctor (M.D.)
- Pharmacy
- Physical Therapist
- Veterinarian
- Physician Assistant
- Dentistry
- Occupational Therapy
Co-op Opportunities
Experience medicine and science up close through your co-op, a semester-long professional experience at the heart of Via Hendrix. Whether you conduct research, work in a physician’s office, or support a community health initiative, you gain sought-after skills. Co-op opportunities might include:
- Franks Dermatology
- Arkansas Children’s Hospital
- Baptist Health Medical Center
- UAMS Medical Center
Roadmap for a Pre-Medicine Student
The path to med school is rigorous, and each medical school maintains its own admission requirements. Your dedicated pre-med mentor will help keep you on target over your four years.
Year One
Every Hendrix student participates in a First Year Experience. From your first day of class, you’ll take the time to examine your passion for medicine and find a direction that fits your goals.
At the same time, you’ll get a running start on planning your post-graduation path. Every pre-med student at Hendrix is paired with a pre-med mentor who serves on the Pre-Med Advising Committee (PMAC). Working alongside your advising team, your pre-med mentor will help you determine whether the accelerated track or gap-year track is the best fit for you, your goals, and your preparation. Because Hendrix students on both tracks are accepted to medical school at nearly the same rate, the decision is ultimately about choosing the path that best sets you up for success.
Regardless of which track you choose, you will start out on one or two sequences of science courses, taking three or four science/math courses in total.
Year Two
Hands-on guidance is a hallmark of Via Hendrix. Your second year will be when you really start to explore your interest in a career in medicine. In addition to continuing your science coursework, experiences such as shadowing doctors, volunteering in the community, or participating in research, will help you gain a clearer understanding of the medical profession and what a career in medicine entails. Throughout the process, your pre-med mentor will work closely with you to ensure you are building a strong and competitive medical school application.
Year Three
Co-op is the highlight of your third year, where you put everything learned in the classroom to use while gaining the kind of hands-on experience that med school admissions committees value.
Students on the accelerated track will use the third year to complete the coursework they need to be ready to study for the MCAT, the entrance exam for medical school. They will then typically take the exam in the summer between their junior and senior years. Students on the gap-year track will continue progressing through the required sequences of science courses. Students on either track will remain engaged in community volunteering and deepening their understanding of the medical profession through shadowing and clinical experiences.
Year Four
Students on the accelerated track will complete their medical school prerequisites, submit their applications to medical school, and, when invited, attend medical school interviews. Students on the gap year track will complete the remainder of their science and math requirements so they are prepared to take the MCAT the summer they graduate from Hendrix. And just as your first year started by exploring your future goals, your Senior Experience provides another opportunity for introspection. Depending on your major, you will engage with a semester-long project that integrates reflection, learning, and preparation for what comes next.
Featured Classes
Regardless of your major, you’ll take a broad selection of classes across the sciences by the time you graduate. Many of these are prescribed, but you still have the flexibility to build a course schedule unique to your interests.
BIOL 250
Genetics
Explore fundamental principles of heredity, including both Mendelian and molecular genetics, in this laboratory class. You will pay particular attention to the genetic principles that affect biological systems in general, and humans in particular.
CHEM 330
Biological Chemistry
Explore fundamental biochemistry with emphasis on cellular constituents and molecular structure and function. This course provides hands-on learning opportunities through a laboratory component.
BIOL 305
Anatomy & Physiology I
Anatomy & Physiology I focuses on the fundamental concepts and mechanisms that regulate important structural and functional properties of the human organ systems. This laboratory-based course is concerned with the normal function of the intact organism with an emphasis placed on musculoskeletal and neuroendocrine function.
PHIL 225
Ethics and Medicine
This course contains a philosophical analysis and evaluation of selected controversies related to the practice of medicine. The typical sort of issues to be studied are abortion, termination of treatment, physician-assisted suicide, the use of reproductive and genetic technologies, and the just allocation of limited medical resources.
Meet the Faculty
As a pre-med student, the professional path ahead is rigorous. Every member of the Hendrix science faculty is ready to help you meet the challenge. And because Hendrix has no graduate assistants, you get the chance to work closely with faculty on research, both through in-class labs and other projects that build valuable analytical skills.
Related Programs
Whether you are drawn to helping others or interested in solving difficult problems, these majors tap those same skills as the medical professional pathway.
Your Next Steps Via Hendrix
When preparing for a career in medicine, science is just the start. The Pre-Medicine Pathway at Hendrix equips you for success by combining personal attention from dedicated mentors with a liberal arts curriculum that develops the whole person.