Students admitted to the H2GMD program are not required to take the MCAT, have opportunities for mentorship and research at the USC School of Medicine Greenville, and have opportunities to interact and engage with the dean prior to medical school matriculation.
Program Highlights/Benefits
- MCAT not required
- Early Acceptance to Medical School
- Mentorship and Research Opportunities
- Engagement with Medical School Dean
Who Should Apply?
Applicants seeking admission to the H2GMD program are expected to possess a comprehensive understanding of the duties, obligations, and liabilities associated with the medical profession. Highly qualified candidates should be able to demonstrate their clinical insight through prior healthcare exposure or observation hours. Such clinical experiences may encompass a variety of activities, including but not limited to shadowing in a healthcare environment, as well as engagement in volunteer, community, and campus-wide extracurricular pursuits.
The USCSOMG seeks to enroll students from various backgrounds who have achieved academic excellence, bring a unique set of perspectives and insights to the academic environment commensurate with the population they serve, and who exhibit exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, integrity, honesty, empathy, a propensity for teamwork, maturity, emotional stability, leadership, a strong work ethic, self-direction, and passion for becoming a doctor.
Rising South Carolina Honors College juniors who have completed four semesters at the Columbia campus are eligible to apply to the H2GMD Program. Applicants may major in any area of study and must have a minimum institutional GPA of 3.75 at the time of application. H2GMD applicants are not required to take the MCAT.
The following courses must be completed at the University of South Carolina with no grade below a “C” prior to matriculation.
- Biology/Lab: 8 Credit Hours
- General inorganic Chemistry/Lab: 8 Credit Hours
- Organic Chemistry/Lab: 4 Credit Hours
- Biochemistry: 3 Credit Hours
- Physics/Lab: 4 Credit Hours
- Humanities, Social, and Behavioral Sciences: 9 Credit Hours (Must include at least one semester of English composition/literature. Up to two semesters of AP or IB credit may be applied.
We also recommend taking courses in:
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
- Anatomy
- Physiology
At USCSOMG, the admissions committee recognizes that some pre-requisite courses may not be completed before applying or being interviewed. In the event of admission students must successfully complete the following prior to matriculation at USCSOMG.
- All undergraduate studies
- All South Carolina Honors requirements
- Required pre-med courses with a minimum grade of “C”
Conditions:
- Replacement Courses: To apply AP/IB credit for any of the pre-requisite courses, the
following must occur:
- The credit must appear on the transcript as USC course equivalent credit.
- There must be equivalent subject matter coursework taken at USC in place of each AP/IB course. For example, an upper-level biology is required to replace taking BIOL 101. Minimum GPA requirements apply to all replacement courses.
H2GMD applicants are not required to take the MCAT.
Three letters are required at the time of application submission. At least one of these letters must be from a science faculty member at the University of South Carolina. Letters of recommendation should be submitted by the author directly through this link.
- Inform your letter writers of your waiver decision in writing. Contact Brandon Gordon, M.Ed. for more information.
- Letters must be submitted by the author by the August 1st deadline and may not be submitted by the student.
Applicants are encouraged to acquire healthcare experience, including patient-focused hours and observation, and participate in extracurricular activities.
- There is no minimum requirement for healthcare experience-related hours.
- Clinical insight should be conveyed through an applicant’s essays and interview responses.
- Examples of clinical exposure may include shadowing or observing a physician, volunteering at a clinic, serving as an EMT, or working as a hospital scribe or pharmacy technician.
- Application Link
- Application requires completing essay questions and writing a personal statement
- A save and resume feature is enabled so the application can be completed in more than one sitting
- Upon submission, applicants will receive a copy of their responses
- Submit the application online by no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT, August 1
- Submit unofficial transcripts to Brandon Gordon, by no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT, August 1
- Letter writers must submit letters of recommendation directly through this link by no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT, August 1
USCSOMG will notify applicants of their interview status by August 15.
Interviews will be virtual with USCSOMG in September. Learn more about our interview process »
Interviewees will receive notification of an admissions decision on October 1.
Accepted applicants must accept or reject their acceptance within 2 weeks.
A matriculation deposit of $250 is required.
Applicants who accept the offer of admission to the USCSOMG through the H2GMD Program cannot apply to any other medical schools during the same application cycle.