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Preparation and application
Becoming a healthcare professional can be a long journey. This guide will help you plan ahead so you’ll be ready for when you graduate.
Admissions committees consider the following when deciding to admit you to their program:
- Cumulative GPA
- Science GPA for medicine (Biology, Chemistry, Math, Physics)
- Letters of recommendation
- Hands on experience (volunteer and paid positions)
- Community service and other extracurricular activities
- Completing pre-requisite courses
- Score on the entrance exam
- Personal statement
- Secondary application materials (if applicable)
- Interview
Make sure you are also researching individual schools to ensure you are meeting admissions requirements.
During that initial year, we suggest you:
- see a premedical advisor
- explore career options
- shadow a practitioner in the field you are considering or conduct an informational interview to gain a realistic view of the profession
- join a club or organization on campus
- discuss your major and degree with your academic advisor
- take prerequisite courses for your health professions program
During your sophomore year, we suggest you:
- continue seeing your premedical advisor
- continue taking your prerequisite courses
- maintain an updated and detailed timeline of your next few years of preparation, including:
- courses and entrance exams to be taken
- plans for clinical experience
- application cycle deadlines
- continue or begin gaining clinical experience in places such as:
- Flagstaff Medical Center Hospital
- North Country Healthcare
- Taylor House
- consider research opportunities in the biology and chemistry departments
- consider other clinical or community service
- visit the Office of Student Financial Aid and/or your academic department website for scholarships
Fall term
During your fall term, we suggest you:
- make an appointment with a premedical advisor to discuss your application plans
- sign up to take your entrance exam
- prepare for your entrance exam
- consider authors and request letters of recommendation
- begin working on your personal statement
- research schools to which you intend to apply
- continue gaining clinical experience, and any research or community service
Spring term
During your spring term, we suggest you:
- continue seeing your premedical advisor
- continue taking prerequisite courses, as well as those needed for your degree plan
- prepare for your entrance exam
- take your entrance exam
- follow up with letter of recommendation authors
- prepare for applications, which typically open between May and June
- begin asking individuals for letters of recommendation from academic faculty and from your clinical experience
Summer after junior year
During summer, we suggest you:
- send in your primary application
- consider taking your entrance exam
- anticipate the arrival of secondary applications
- apply for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) program
Finally, in your senior year, we suggest you:
- make an appointment with your premedical advisor for consultation about your plans
- continue completing degree and prerequisite courses
- continue anticipating the arrival of secondary applications
- anticipate invitations for interviews
- continue gaining clinical experience, and any research and community service
- anticipate receiving acceptance, denial, or wait list decisions during the spring
- plan for reapplication or alternate plans in case you are not admitted