Prepare

How do you prepare for health professionÌýadmissions?

A guide toÌýexperiences that give your applicationÌýdepth.

Preparing for a career in a health profession involves many steps.

In addition to meeting standard academic requirements, professional schoolsÌýexpect a demonstration of a wide range of experiences, abilities, knowledgeÌýand skill. We have split resources into three sections—academics, experiences and timeline, as well as an additional events calendar—to help you get started.

It can be a lot to organize and locate, but our office is here to helpÌýyou identify experiences that positively affect your application to a health profession school and brainstorm how toÌýget the most out of them.

Academics

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Besides class choices, our students most often ask us what professional schools lookÌýfor in successful applicants. These principles are a great starting point, and OPHA's pre-health advisors can help you figure out how these look in your journey.

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  • Complete required coursework to gain necessary foundational knowledge.
  • Earn high grades to illustrate you are ready for health profession schoolÌýcurriculum.
  • Engage in broad-based curricula, in addition to demonstrating strong abilities in sciences.
  • Demonstrate interest in coursework outside of your major, which could be accomplished through a minor or certificate.
  • Show an appreciation of people, their behavior, their beliefs, and perspectivesÌýthrough studies in the social sciences, languagesÌýand cultures.
  • Study for entrance exams well in advance and do your best to earn your highest marks.
  • Apply quantitative reasoning and appropriate mathematics in ways outside of your coursework.
  • Apply knowledge of the sciences to solve problems and formulate research questions and hypotheses.
  • Effectively convey information to others verbally and in written form, which can be improved through coursework.

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  • Major in an area of study that excites and challenges you, allowing you to learn and to succeed in your studies.

  • If you major in one of the sciences, be sure to take coursework outside of your major.

  • If you major in non-science, take the time to preform well in your pre-requisite courses and consider taking a few beyond the required to demonstrate your skill in the sciences.

Experiences

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  • Engage in patient-facing experiences, critical for you to decide if you are comfortable working with patients and develop the interpersonal skills you need as a future clinician.
  • Engage in professional-facing clinical exposure, which could include shadowing healthcare professionals.
  • Demonstrate a desire to help others through volunteering or engaging in service.ÌýThe more divese the work, the better.
  • Show an appreciation and respect for multiple dimensions of diversity through a wide range of activities.
  • Serve as a leader in a student organization, sports group, volunteer program, research, or other opportunity.
  • While not required by many schools, research can enrich your understanding of coursework and demonstrate key competencies to schools.
  • Set goals for continuous improvement and focus on learning new concepts and skills.
  • DemonstrateÌýtolerance of stressful or changing environmentsÌýand how you can adaptÌýeffectively to them.
  • Engage in reflective practice - keep a journal and write about yourÌýclinical and non-clinical experiences.
  • Work collaboratively with others to achieve shared goals, whether that be in a student organization or research project.

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Timeline

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    Events for Pre-Health Students

    To receive tailored guidance on how to best prepare,
    declare pre-health and join OPHA.