Health professions schools look
at a number of factors when determining whether to accept an applicant to their
program. While each school has their own formula for weighting each
factor, all of the following are considered important parts of the application.
Academics
- Completion of all required courses.
-
The grades earned
in those courses. (Often a 2.0 or 3.0 minimum is expected for each)
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Course load.
(Were science courses taken one-at-a-time or were several taken each
semester? Professional programs are generally rigorous with 15-18 credit
hours of science courses each term, and schools want to know that students
can handle multiple science courses at a time.)
-
Performance in
non-required courses. (Demonstrating good study skills and academic
ability)
Academic major is NOT a factor. Schools prefer students to select majors
they enjoy (it's likely the last time you'll have a chance to formally learn
about that subject) rather than majors they think the schools want them to
select. The most important factor when choosing a major is remembering
that you'll have to take at least 7 courses in that area, so you need to pick
something you want to spend a lot of time with.
Health Care Experience
-
Working (or volunteering) with patients in some type of health care setting.
(You can't really know whether you enjoy working in health care unless you
have spent time in that environment. For some professions and schools,
a minimum number of hours of documented health care experience is
required.)
-
Having some type of experience with your career of choice. (While
general experience with patients is important, you need to demonstrate some
level of knowledge about your chosen career. Volunteering and
shadowing are great ways of getting first hand knowledge about a
profession.)
Personal Life
-
Community involvement (Health care is a service profession, and many
schools expect to see some type of community involvement/service in an
applicant's life. They are not looking to see how much you can
put on a resume; many applications limit the number of activities that can
be reported. Instead, they are looking for a few activities that you
feel strongly about and are likely to still be involved with twenty years
from now.)
Personal Essay
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This is your opportunity to tell schools who you are and why you have chosen
that profession.
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Keeping a journal of your health care, volunteer, and work experiences can
help you think about a) what you liked, loved, and got frustrated with
in those experiences; b) how your understanding of health care has
changed over time; c) ethical challenges in health care; and d)
personal growth, interpersonal relationships, and an understanding of your
strengths/weaknesses.
One
tool that can help you see how well you are doing in all of these areas is the
Applicant
Self-Assessment Handbook published by MSU's College of Human Medicine.
It also provides many hints and tips for strengthening a weak area. (While some
of the items in the handbook are specific for human medicine, most of it is
applicable for anyone entering a health profession.)
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