General Information for All Health Professions

Your Major is Not Important

Health Professional Schools have a list of required courses for admission; beyond them, they do not care what your major is. Admissions personnel will tell you to major in what interests you. You will not be able to distinguish yourself by majoring in a non-science discipline, nor will you look better by majoring in science.

Double majoring or minoring is something you should do if you are interested, not in order to impress the professional schools.
If you are a non-science major you should not shy away from taking science courses.

Obtain Experience in the Field

One of the most important factors for all professional schools is your experience in the field.

Answer the question: “Why do you want to become a ____(fill in your profession)?”

You cannot answer this question in the abstract; you must have some practical experience that has shown you why you want to enter the field. Most students shadow a physician, pharmacist, etc. or volunteer in the hospital for an initial experience. Ideally, you should go beyond that by trying to get some actual contact with patients. You can get a job in a physician’s office, or work as a nurse technician, phlebotomist, or patient transporter to name a few.

Consider Doing Research

A majority of successful Centre applicants have done scientific research at Centre, a large university, or both.

You should not assume that you MUST do research in order to be accepted since there have been plenty of successful Centre applicants who have done no research. Nor should you assume that you MUST do SCIENTIFIC research.

You should do research if you have a true desire to learn about a discipline in a more practical setting (compared to lecture and lab). Professional schools view research experience favorably because it teaches students valuable problem-solving skills.

Get Involved in Service Activities

Besides demonstrating experience in a professional setting, you should demonstrate a commitment to service.

The health professions are service-oriented. Many successful applicants from Centre are involved in the After School Program, Best Buddies, are resident assistants, or have significant leadership roles in their fraternity/sorority philanthropic programs. The deeper your level of commitment, the more attractive you will look. Working on one house for a couple of hours for Habitat for Humanity is not impressive.

Other Activities

Health professional schools do look for well-rounded students. They are interested in students who have dedicated participation in non-academic activities. Many successful Centre applicants have been varsity athletes, musicians, and campus leaders. Students who have studied abroad also tend to stand out.

General Advice for Application Components

Personal Statement

The most important part of the actual application to any professional school is the personal comments section. This section is an opportunity for you to tell the school something about yourself and your motivations to become a physician, a pharmacist, a nurse, etc. It also offered the opportunity to discuss your qualifications for professional school.

It's important to start thinking about what you value and how you want to portray yourself and your experiences in your personal statement. Start writing about your experiences early!

Evaluations

Professional schools are also very interested in what other people have to say about you.

How do your professors and employers evaluate your qualifications for health professional school?

For many health professional programs, 3-4 letters of evaluations are required from faculty and health professionals in the field as well. Be sure to do your own research because each school you apply to may have slightly different evaluation requirements.

For medical school, the Health Profession Advisory Committee (HPAC) constructs a composite evaluation for all current Centre students applying to medical school. Most medical schools require a committee evaluation if the college or university has an advisory group. The committee evaluation is a collection of evaluations from science professors and non-science professors, staff members, coaches, or administrators. Usually the HPAC will solicit evaluations from five science professors and two non-science people. The evaluations cover academic potential, personal attributes, and professional promise. The HPAC also interviews all applicants and includes comments on the committee evaluation. Centre’s committee evaluations are well-respected by medical schools because they present such a thorough and honest portrayal of the applicants.

It is important to start making connections with faculty and health professionals early.

Interviews

After reviewing all of your numbers, application materials, and composite evaluation, a professional school will determine if you should be granted an interview. Practice interviews the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) are essential preparations for the real thing. If you perform well in the interview you have a good chance at acceptance.

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