Advising & Next Steps
Students who receive their MS in Physiology are prepared to go on to pursue further education in the health sciences or to enter the workforce. Students in our program receive world-class advising for the allied health professions, as well as career counseling from experienced professionals. All students who matriculate into the program are assigned a letter writer who will write a letter of recommendation to any schools applied to, as well as act as a reference for any jobs applied to. We work very hard to give the most current and up-to-date advising possible for whatever path a student chooses to pursue.
Alumni Success
We are dedicated to supporting our students in their pursuit of further education in the health sciences.
Pre-Med Advising
The program includes both group-based advising and 1:1 advising from medical center faculty who are experienced interviewers for Georgetown University’s School of Medicine, and we work to get students into programs all over the country. We have no official linkage agreements, but we advise individual students on how to achieve their goals.
All students interested in pursuing medicine are required to take our Biomedical Career Pathways course as one of their electives. Biomedical Career Pathways consists of study skills workshops, presentations on the medical school application process and best practices for each piece of the application, interviewing skills workshops, and presentations from medical school admissions officers on primary care medicine, military medicine, osteopathic medicine, and others.
Pre-Med Timelines
Typical timelines for pre-med students in our program:
+ 0 Gap Years
For students with an MCAT score above 75th percentile and significant clinical and service experiences, entering the medical school admissions cycle during the program year may be advised. For those with a pre-existing MCAT score below 75th percentile, we do not advise entering the medical school admissions cycle during the program year.
Timeline would be as follows for those aiming to matriculate to medical school in the academic year immediately following the end of the MS in Physiology program:
» By June 2021: Take MCAT; score 75th percentile or higher
» June 2021: Submit AMCAS for 2022 Entering Class
» August 2021: Begin MS in Physiology program
» September 2021-April 2022: Med School Interviews/Acceptance
» May 2022: Graduate from MS in Physiology program
» August 2022: Start Medical School
+ 1 Gap Year
For students who need to take or retake the MCAT after completing the MS in Physiology program, or who need more clinical experience, +1 or +2 Gap Years is the suggested timeline.
For those with a pre-existing MCAT score below 75th percentile, we do not advise entering the medical school admissions cycle during the program year.
Timeline would be as follows for those who will enter the medical school admissions cycle after graduating from the MS in Physiology:
» August 2021: Begin MS in Physiology program
» May 2022: Graduate from MS in Physiology program
» May 2022-June 2022: Study from MCAT
» Mid- to Late June 2022: Take MCAT
» July 2022: Submit AMCAS for 2023 Entering Class
» August 2022: Find a gap year job, ideally clinical
» September 2022-April 2023: Med School Interviews/Acceptance
» August 2023: Start Medical School
+ 2 Gap Years
For students who need significant study time before taking/retaking the MCAT and/or significant clinical experience after completing the MS in Physiology program, +2 Gap Years is the suggested timeline.
Timeline would be as follows:
» August 2021: Begin MS in Physiology program
» May 2022: Graduate from MS in Physiology program
» June 2022: Find a gap year job, ideally clinical
» July 2022: Begin studying for the MCAT
» January 2023-March 2023: Take the MCAT
and/or
» May/June 2023: Take the MCAT (or retake if necessary)
» June 2023: Submit AMCAS for 2024 Entering Class
» September 2023-April 2024: Med School Interviews/Acceptance
» August 2024: Start Medical School
+ 3 Gap Years
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+ 4 Gap Years
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Career Counseling
All biomedical graduate students have access to our Office of Biomedical Career Strategy & Professional Development. This office is designed to help students network, find jobs, and be prepared for the application process. There are workshops for CV writing, interview skills, as well as many other services. More information about the Office of Career Strategy & Professional Development
Gap Year Jobs
After graduating from the MS in Physiology, most alumni take gap year jobs while they study for the MCAT and apply to medical school. We recommend, when possible, seeking positions that are clinical or clinically adjacent; in some cases, jobs will be advertised as one- or two-year term positions or “ideal for” pre-med students, meaning they expect that you’ll leave the position once you’re admitted to medical school. Depending on the organization/sector, having a Masters degree may qualify you for a higher tier position and/or higher rate of pay.
Here are the types of gap year jobs our alumni have taken after graduation while applying to medical school:
- Medical Assistant
- Scribe
- Clinical Research Assistant
- Emergency Medical Technician
- Anatomy Lab Manager
- Bioengineering Project Manager
- Cancer Research Analyst
- Clinical Research Coordinator
- College Adjunct Instructor
- Disaster Preparedness Consultant
- Healthcare Management Consultant
- Hospital Administration Assistant
- Lab Assistant
- Medical Laboratory Administrator
- Medical Office Assistant
- Middle School Science Teacher
- Patient Access Coordinator
- Perioperative Specialist
- Pharmacy Technician
- Regulatory Analyst
- Research Assistant