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To prepare oneself for admission into a health professional program, a "timetable" might include the following activities:
Freshman Year
- Enroll in and attend pre-professional Survey course
- Gather information on all health-care professions
- Select major program
- Begin pre-professional core science courses
- Begin professional observations and job-shadowing experiences
- Consider health-related volunteer opportunities.
- Establish good study skills. Academics come first!
- Become familiar with the university and all of the resources available to you.
- Read extensively in science and non-science areas.
- Get to know faculty - they are a great resource for major/career information and for future references and letters of recommendation.
Sophomore Year
- Open letters-of-reference file through Interfolio (stop by Career Services for information) and begin acquiring letters from faculty members.
- Take the time to develop relationships with faculty members – they are a great resource for major/career information and for future references and letters of recommendation.
- Research health professional schools you want to apply to and learn about specific requirements.
- Work on study habits and time-management skills that will allow you to improve your grades, or keep your grades at a high level in increasingly rigorous courses.
- Start preparing for standardized exams by reviewing material covered in your introductory science courses.
- Continue co- and extra-curricular activities that develop desirable personality traits and provide relevant experience.
- Begin to explore research opportunities.
- Continue to read extensively.
Junior Year
- Request application materials from the health professional schools to which you plan to apply. Visit or talk with admissions representatives at these schools.
- Register for pre-professional exams (i.e. MCAT, DAT, OAT, GRE, PCAT, etc.)
- Complete pre-professional exam.
- Early summer: Complete primary application (provided through standardized service where application information is dispersed to schools of choice.
- Late summer: Complete “secondary” applications, send letters of reference.
- Continue and/or expand your involvement with student clubs/organizations and community activities/volunteer programs.
- Begin to write your personal statement and refine interviewing skills.
Senior Year
- Refine your interviewing skills and set up a mock interview(s).
- Early fall term/winter term: Go to interviews.
- Graduate!
