» Pre-Health 4-Year Plan

Regardless of your degree program, it is wise to prepare yourself for admission into a health professional program by following a "timetable" that might include the following activities:
  • Freshman Year
  • Sophomore Year
  • Junior Year
  • Senior Year
    • Pay attention to what you enjoy and what you are good at.
    • Visit the explorehealthcareers.org website and gather information on health-care professions that sound interesting to you.
    • Think about what degree program you might enjoy.
    • Begin pre-professional core science courses.
    • Begin professional observations and job-shadowing experiences, if your schedule permits.
    • Establish good study skills and focus on academics.
    • Take advantage of academic resources available in the Tutoring, Testing and Learning Center.
    • Get involved in a study group and surround yourself with people that are serious about their studies.
    • Get to know faculty - they are a great resource for major/career information and for future references and letters of recommendation.
    • Meet new people and enjoy what college has to offer.
    • Attend faculty research symposia and consider doing research with a faculty member.
    • Commit to a major that will help you prepare for a career in the health profession and choose a faculty advisor that can help you reach your goals.
    • Continue health-related volunteer opportunities and start to engage in co- and/or extra-curricular activities that involve community service and develop desirable personality traits. 
    • Research health professional schools you may 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.
    • Volunteer as a tutor for freshman level science classes.  Not only will this allow you to review foundational material but you will learn it in deeper ways.
    • Continue - involvement in school clubs.
    • December through February apply for a summer research  internship with various organizations such as the National Institute of Health (NIH) or the American Heart Association.
    • Get involved in a faculty sponsored research project.
    • 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.  Think about becoming an officer in a student club.
    • Begin to write your personal statement and refine interviewing skills.
    • Refine your interviewing skills and set up a mock interview(s).
    • Early fall term/winter term: Go to interviews.
    • Graduate!