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

updated 08/05/2020

Resources

Pre-Health Planning

Review 4 year plans, checklists, common prerequisites, recommended general education courses, and more!