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Selecting a Professional School
You should begin selecting schools to which you would like to apply at least 6 months beforehand. The best way to find out about the individual schools is to contact them directly and ask them for informational brochures, catalogs, or visit them on-line. You should call and ask them questions about information you find important, which may not be in their printed information. The Office of Health and Legal Professions Advising (OHLPA) Library, has catalogs for many health profession programs. The OHLPA Library, located on the second floor of the Academic Advising Center is open from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
It is recommended you obtain one of the following publications to help choose the schools to which you will apply.
- Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR)
Association of American Medical Colleges
Section for Publication Orders
2450 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
Tel: (202) 828-0400
Fax: (202) 828-1125
http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/start.htm
- Official Guide to Dental Schools
American Dental Education Association
1400 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: (202) 289-7201
Fax: (202) 289-7204
http://www.adea.org/student-applicant/default.htm - Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements in the
United States and Canada 2000 Edition
Purdue University Press
1207 South Campus Courts, Bldg. E
West Lafayette, IN 47907-1207
Tel: (800) 933-9637
http://www.aavmc.org/VMCAS/VMSAR_publications.htm
- AACPM Colleges of Podiatric Medicine College Information
Booklet
Booklet comes with the AACPMAS application, in the on-line application and at the following website http://www.aacpm.org/apply/apply.asp - Osteopathic Medical College Information
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
5550 Friendship Blvd. Suite 310
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815-7231
(301) 968-4100
http://www.aacom.org/colleges
Make sure you get the most recent edition. Copies are available for review in the OHLPA Library. Most of these publications contain information on admission requirements for individual schools, in addition to statistical information on accepted students. Some of them also include information about the respective professions. Most schools are also located on the worldwide web, which is an excellent source of information. It is important to verify information such as admission requirements and application procedures with each individual school.
Note: Having a GPA and test score higher than a school’s average does not mean you will be accepted, or even invited for an interview. Many other factors will be considered, including health care experience, motivation, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, personal statement, maturity, well-rounded education, commitment to health care, course loads, etc.
When considering a school, find out whether they consider out-of-state residents (if it is in a state of which you are not a resident), the average GPA and test scores of recently accepted applicants, tuition, location (do you want to live there for four years?), and special programs/initiatives. You should choose at least a couple of ‘dream schools’ – those that you may not have much of a chance of getting in to, but which you would love to attend. Then choose several schools to which you would like to attend and for which you feel you are competitive. Finally, choose a few schools for which you feel you are very competitive as backup schools. Make sure you only apply to schools you would consider attending!
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