Through our pre-pharmacy pathway, you'll prepare for pharmacy school with the help of faculty mentors and career advisors.
Pharmaceutical professionals play a vital role in promoting wellness and ensuring safe pharmaceutical practices. As experts in medicine, they advise patients and other healthcare practitioners on the safety and proper use of medications, fill prescriptions, and perform vaccinations.
The path to becoming a pharmacist begins with a pre-pharmacy pathway. At Widener, you can choose from more than 10 majors, ranging from biology and chemistry to mathematics and digital media informatics. Regardless of the major you select, you'll work in advanced research facilities, partner with faculty mentors, and shadow local professionals. As you complete your pathway, you'll be prepared to take the next step of your journey: entering pharmacy school.
With support from your health professions advisor, you'll leave Widener ready for a powerful pharmaceutical education and a rewarding career. It all starts here.
The Widener Medical Scholars Program is designed to attract broadly-educated candidates who are interested in entering the practice of medicine.
Selected students participate in an immersive, hospital-affiliated, medical school-like experience that involves shadowing physicians at Crozer-Chester Medical Center (CCMC), located a few blocks from Widener University. The CCMC affords you the opportunity to explore the clinical areas of pediatrics, internal medicine, and family medicine in-depth while you are at Widener during the summer.
Following the shadowing rotations, Widener Medical Scholars remain on campus and complete a research project with a Widener faculty member and present their results at the Summer Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (SURCA) Symposium. The Widener Medical Scholars Program prepares students to be competitive applicants to medical schools in the Philadelphia area and beyond.
Requirements
No more than eight (8) Widener Medical Scholars are admitted each year. To qualify for the program as a high school senior, you must satisfy Widener University admissions criteria, select an academic major in which to pursue your pre-medical preparation, and submit a Supplemental Widener Medical Scholars Application by January 15 of your senior year. The Supplemental Widener Medical Scholars Application includes a 750-word essay that summarizes the experiences, events, and thoughts that have led you to your interest in medicine and to your decision to seek admission to the Widener Medical Scholars Program. Selected applicants will be notified on or by April 15.
Widener Medical Scholars accepted as high school seniors will enroll in SCI 190: Introduction to Research during their first semester at Widener to prepare for research with a faculty member as early as their freshman year.
Preference is given to students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in medicine, including members of underrepresented racial and ethnic populations, socioeconomically disadvantaged or first-generation college students, or students from a medically-underserved area. Residents of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, or Maryland with an interest in practicing medicine in an under-resourced area like Chester are also encouraged to apply.
Ideal high school candidates will have a combined critical reading and mathematics SAT score of 1350 or greater with at least a 600 in the two sub-tests. Applicants should also have community service and medically-related volunteer experience.
As part of your pre-pharmacy pathway, you'll pursue your interest in pharmacy while also exploring your interest in another major. No matter which path you choose, you'll take the required science courses you need to enter pharmacy school.
Options include:
To get started with your pre-pharmacy pathway, select your undergraduate major from within our Undergraduate Major Options and complete an online application
During your freshman year, you will work closely with your academic advisor to create a curriculum that prepares you for pharmacy school.
Power your path to pharmacy school with real-world experience and real-world support.
With support from your health professions advisor, you'll experience life beyond your pre-pharmaceutical pathway. You'll have the opportunity to volunteer in nearby pharmaceutical facilities or shadow Widener alumni in pharmacy school. As you build your network, you'll understand what it takes to thrive as a student and professional.
Experience constant support as you prepare for pharmacy school. Complete mock interviews with your pre-health advisor and a career advisor. Review your application with the health professions advisory committee. Seek advice from a vast network of alumni. Each step of the way, you'll benefit from the guidance of academic experts.
No matter what you choose to study, you'll learn from faculty who invest in your success. Through small classes, collaborative research projects, local excursions, and study abroad trips, your professors will serve as your biggest supporters. And when you apply to pharmacy school, they'll be the first to review your application and write your letters of recommendation.
Our pre-pharmacy students serve as competitive applicants to a wide range of pharmacy schools. As a Widener student, you'll join them.
Kirkbride Hall
Room 562C