Pre-Health Journey
Pre-Health Journey
Many students are interested in pursuing a profession as a healthcare profession and they may find the process to be both challenging and rewarding. Building a competitive profile generally takes a minimum of 2-3 years of active preparation. Therefore, from the moment you step on campus, you should be intentionally participating in activities both inside and outside of the classroom to prepare for your application. Below are some resources I encourage you to review and use.
General Qualities Programs are Looking For
Health profession programs are looking for well-rounded students who exhibit a holistically competitive application. There is no "perfect formula" to gain admissions but programs want to be sure that you can not only withstand the rigor of their program and pass your board examinations but that as a future healthcare provider you will be someone who others would want to go to for care and dignify the profession.
In order to develop a holistically competitive profile, most students need to actively prepare for 2-3 years prior to applying to their program of interest.
Subjective factors include:
- emotional intelligence and maturity
- interpersonal and intrapersonal skills
- humanism/concern for others
- critical thinking skills
- passion for healthcare
- "fit" for medicine
Objective factors include:
- strong science and overall GPA
- competitive test score (MCAT, DAT, GRE, PCAT, OAT)
- completion of most or all prerequisite courses
- substantial exposure to healthcare (i.e. shadowing, volunteering; recommend at least a few hundred hours of quality experiences)
Average Matriculant GPA and Exam Scores
| School | Overall GPA | Science GPA | Average Exam Score |
| Medical School (M.D.) | 3.73 | 3.64 | 511.5 MCAT |
| Medical School (D.O.) | 3.54 | 3.45 | 503.8 MCAT |
| Dental School | 3.55 | 3.45 | 20.5 DAT |
| Veterinary School | 3.60 | 3.50 | 60.5% Quantitative/ 72.0% Verbal GRE |
| Physical Therapy School | 3.57 | 3.41 | 48% Quantitative/ 54% Verbal GRE |
| Occupational Therapy | 3.20 | not reported | GRE not reported |
| Pharmacy School | 3.31 | 3.15 | 409 PCAT |
| Optometry School | 3.44 | not reported | 330 OAT |
| Physician Assistant | 3.63 | 3.50 | >300 composite GRE |
| Podiatry School | 3.40 | 3.20 | 495 MCAT |
| Audiology Programs | 3.50 | not reported | not reported |
| Chiropractic School | 3.00 | not reported | not required |