It is important to apply to health professions schools when your application is strong and most competitive. Most typically, students submit their application to a common application service in June, no later than July, one year before the August or September plans to matriculate. For many students this will by the summer before their senior year. For others this may be after their senior year.

Please note: Completing the central application early (June) will improve your chances of being invited to interviews and being accepted by schools. Most schools use a rolling admission process. With the number of applications submitted, health professions schools are in no need of waiting for late applicants to fill their classes. Remember, it will take the central application services time to verify your application before sending it out to the schools you designate, as the application cycle progresses this can take as long as four to six weeks.

Please watch our "">How to Choose a School" workshop. Students should begin researching professional graduate programs as early as their sophomore year. You should begin selecting specific schools you would like to apply to at least 6 months before beginning the application process. This may seem fairly simple but it isn't. Students need to know the schools and what each one is looking for in an applicant. It is important to consider how your personal goals and characteristics match professional schools. Some of the things to consider are:

Search for Schools

The national average for the number of medical schools students apply to is 15. More commonly this ranges anywhere from 12-20 schools per applicant. Costs to apply might include a centralized application fee, additional fee per school for centralized service, and professional school fees. It is important to also remember incurring additional fees for the interviewing process. These include: proper attire, travel to and from interviews, and housing costs. This quickly becomes an expensive process.

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. Students should select:

1. 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. These are schools where the average GPA and entrance exam scores are higher than yours.
2. Schools to which you would like to attend and for which you feel you are competitive. Your GPA and entrance exam scores are within the school's average range.
3. Schools for which you feel you are very competitive as backup schools. Your GPA and entrance exam scores exceed the school's average.

Make sure you only apply to schools you would consider attending!

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 for admission including health care experience, motivation, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, personal statement, maturity, well-rounded education, commitment to health care, course loads, etc.

Use the following resources to assist in your search of specific schools:

• Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR): This reference gives detailed information about medical schools and their admissions requirements in regards to their application procedures, deadlines, accepted class profiles, costs, and much more! There is a copy for checkout in the OHLPA library on the 2nd floor of Farrior Hall.
• American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Official Guide to Dental Schools: This reference gives detailed information about dental schools and their admissions requirements in regards to their application procedures, deadlines, accepted class profiles, costs, and much more! We also have one copy for checkout in the OHLPA library on the 2nd floor of Farrior Hall.
• Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements: This reference contains veterinary school admissions requirements for US and Canadian schools as well as some international programs. AAVMC does not sell the book directly; you need to contact Purdue University Press for more information. We also have one copy for checkout in the OHLPA library on the 2nd floor of Farrior Hall.
• AACPM Colleges of Podiatric Medicine College Information Booklet: Booklet comes with the AACPMAS application and in the on-line application.
• Osteopathic Medical College Information
• Pharmacy School Admissions Requirement: book. The website also provides selected summary information for all the Pharmacy schools in PDF.
• Schools and Colleges of Optometry Admissions Requirements and information is available in PDF on their website.

Also, refer to professional association websites (AAMC, ADEA, AAVMC, AACOM) for good information on preparation and application to schools/programs. Each school has its own website.

Once students select schools of interest, the best way to find out about individual schools is to search the schools' websites or contact them directly and ask for informational brochures, catalogs, etc. If you have further questions about information not in their printed information, call the schools and ask questions.

Have one file folder for each school you select. Carefully review the website and jot down information important to you. Begin a list of questions for each school where the answers cannot be found on the website. This list of questions will be helpful for when you go to an interview.

The Office of Health and Legal Professions Advising (OHLPA) library has catalogs for many healthcare profession programs. Feel free to come in and review these.

Factors to Consider

Some of the issues important to keep in mind when selecting professional schools are:

Mission Statements
Search the websites of each school. Carefully read the mission statements of the schools. These vary widely and it is important to note how your personal goals and demonstrated academics and activities coincide with the mission statement of the schools you plan to apply to.

How to consider schools: 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. Students should select:

1. 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.
2. Schools to which you would like to attend and for which you feel you are competitive.
3. Schools for which you feel you are very competitive as backup schools.

Make sure you only apply to schools you would consider attending!

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 for admission including health care experience, motivation, letters of recommendation, extracurricular activities, personal statement, maturity, well-rounded education, commitment to health care, course loads, etc.

Curriculum
Curriculum varies from program to program and school to school. In considering schools to apply to it is important to recognize how you learn best and what type of curriculum best supports your learning style.

Some schools maintain a traditional pattern with the first two years containing basic science courses such as: biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, pathology, etc.). This is followed by two years of clerkships or elective rotations. Many schools are shifting to include student exposure to clinical patient care within the first two years or an introduction of problem based learning.

Whether applying to dental, medical, or veterinary schools it is important to be knowledgeable about the options before applying.

Patient Exposure
Depending on the location of the medical school, exposure to the types and numbers of patients will vary. It is a remarkably different experience if one is at an urban, inner city facility versus a suburban or rural facility. Keeping in mind how this varies is important to your decision.

Location
What area of the country do you wish to live in? Is it important to live close to your family or support system? Do you want to be in an urban, suburban or rural environment? What are the living situation and cost of living in different areas? Are there work opportunities for your spouse or partner? Also consider the year round climate of location of school. There are many questions of personal importance to consider when selecting where you will spend the next four years.

Cost
Public or private institution? The cost factors are remarkably different. State public institutions receive state tax funds to reduce the cost of health professions education. Private schools will cost more. You will need to explore financial aid options along with scholarships.

Grading System
Know how you perform best. Do you require the competitive nature of receiving grades for academic performance and a competitive environment or do you thrive in an atmosphere where grades are "pass or fail?"

Please watch the "Personal Statement Workshop". Each application service requires a personal statement, and each has its own instructions. This is your opportunity to demonstrate to the admission committees the personal side of you. The committees want to know what motivates you to pursue this profession, how you've explored the profession, what you've learned from these experiences and what impact the experiences have on your desire to be a healthcare professional. This gives students an opportunity to go into more depth about experiences that cannot be found in other areas of the application or did not get a chance to describe in enough detail.

Questions to reflect on before you begin writing:

• You volunteered a lot of hours, what did you experience?
• How did your experiences motivate you even further to pursue this career?
• What unique qualities/experiences do you have that you would like the committee to know about?
• What did you learn about your profession?
• What did you learn about being a patient?
• What did you learn about the clinician/patient relationship?

The following are excerpts from the application instructions for each application service:

AMCAS (M.D.)
"This is your opportunity to provide personal information that is otherwise not included on the application. Consider and construct your comments carefully; many admissions committees place significant weight on this section."

AADSAS (Dental)
"Your Applicant Essay provides an opportunity to explain why you desire to pursue a dental education."

VMCAS (Veterinary Medicine)
"Your personal statement should help the admission committee(s) learn something about you as a person, about the development of your interest in veterinary medicine, and about your career goals."

Tips for Personal Statements

1. Watch or attend the "Personal Statement" workshop.
2. Use the Writing Center in Broward Hall to review what you have written.
3. Let several people who know you well and several people you don't know as well read what you've written. Have them tell you if they can identify your motivation and passion clearly.
4. You can have a FINAL copy of your personal statement ready reviewed by a Pre-Health advisor before submitting it with your online application.
   • If you plan on using OHLPA services please complete the Personal Statement Checklist (PDF, 343 KB) and turn it in to the OHLPA assistant on the second floor of the Academic Advising Center along with your final draft of your personal statement.

It is required that you attend a Personal Statement workshop before submitting your personal statement for review.

How long do personal statements need to be?
The maximum length will vary by profession. The maximum character limits for each application service are:
AMCAS: 5,300
AACOMAS: 4,500
AADSAS: 4,500
VMCAS: 5,000
PHARMCAS: 4,500
AACPMAS: 3,500
CASPA: 2,970 (495 words)
OPTOMCAS: 4,500
PTCAS: 4,500

A Pre-Health resume is an easy way to keep track of all of your activities and honors as a student. While you won't need to submit a resume with your application, you will need to give a copy of your resume to the people who write your letters of recommendation. You will also use it to fill out your application to professional school.

• A pre-health resume is designed to be roughly 3-4 pages in length that highlights all your experience and activities history (both pre-health and not). This is different than a 1 page professional resume.
• Some relevant information to provide: personal information, name, address, phone, email, education (major, minor, overall GPA, and science/math GPA).
• The basic categories and headlines should include: healthcare experiences, volunteer/community service, employment, leadership, research, honors and awards, military service, extracurricular activities/affiliations (those that do not fit above), hobbies and interests, and skills.

Sample résumé (PDF, 203 KB).

Letters of recommendation are usually required of all applicants by professional school admissions committees. All letters of recommendation are carefully read by the admission committee. However, letters of recommendation have varying influence depending upon the realism and depth of insight into the candidate the letters provide. Many letters are superficial and are only frustrating to the admissions committee. In general, the longer the writer has been acquainted with pre-professional students in general and with the applicant in particular, the greater the depth and the validity of the evaluation; thus the letter would have greater influence on the admissions committee's deliberations. The most meaningful letters are from professionals who have known the applicant well as a student, or those who supervised the applicant and have a basis of comparison to other pre-professional students.

Requesting Letters from Your Recommenders

Anytime after your first term at the University of Florida, and prior to applying to professional school, ask at least three faculty members if they would be willing to write detailed and favorable letters of evaluation on your behalf. Some of your letters should be from professors you have taken courses with recently.

During your sophomore year, you should be able to list 3 faculty members (both science and non-science) and at least 1 character reference as possible recommenders. If not, you know what you need to do in the upcoming year.

Request your letters early (beginning in the fall semester in the year of application) as many students are requesting letters from the same faculty members and letters may be delayed. Having to wait for letters may delay consideration of your application; seriously reducing your chances of admission.

Provide recommenders with a copy of:

• Your personal statement
• Your résumé
• Instructions for submitting the letter
• If your recommender is an employee of the University of Florida, you need to provide your recommender with a completed and signed UF waiver form.

Submitting Letters:

Recommenders must submit letters. Applicants do not submit the letters. Submission of letters is usually done through the centralized application service, but is occasionally done directly to the schools or through commercial vendors such as Interfolio.

How many letters?
This will vary by profession and school. Please see the links below for your profession.

Make sure you check the requirements for the specific schools you are applying to as requirements can change or vary.

Most all professional graduate schools will require entrance exams. There are preparation services and information available to assist students to become prepared to take the exams DO NOT TAKE AN EXAM JUST TO SEE WHAT IT IS LIKE. Only take an entrance exam when you are ready and you want exam scores reported to the schools you are applying to. See a Pre-Health advisor if you have questions.

It is never too soon to begin preparation for entrance exams. Each health professions school has an entrance exam for admission. See below for tests and website links:

• Allopathic and Osteopathic medical schools: Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
• Dental schools: Dental Admission Test (DAT)
• Veterinary schools: Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
  *Some will accept MCAT scores, check with individual schools.
• Pharmacy schools: Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT)
• Podiatric: (MCAT)
• Optometry: Optometry Admission Test (OAT)
• Physical Therapy: (GRE)
• Occupational Therapy: (GRE)

See our Resources page on how to get a copy of an entrance exam preparation book. With the completion of each of your science pre-requisite courses, review that section of the book to keep up review of content and knowledge.

Primary Applications

Most healthcare professions schools participate in centralized application services for submission of the primary application, transcripts, personal statements and letters of recommendation. IT IS CRUCIAL FOR STUDENTS TO READ THE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS PRIOR TO BEGINNING THE APPLICATION. Be sure to be aware of all DEADLINES associated with the application cycle for your profession. SEE BELOW UNDER CENTRALIZED APPLICATION SERVICES for more details for each service.

Supplemental Applications

Some professional schools send out supplemental applications to all applicants; others send these only to students after an initial review of the primary application. Make sure these are completed and returned well before deadline dates.

Centralized Application Services

Most medical, dental, veterinary, pharmacy, physician assistant, podiatry, physical therapy, optometry, and public health schools utilize a centralized application service. The applicant sends one application to a central processing location that verifies transcripts, calculates GPA's, and forwards the information to the schools the student designated. Not all schools utilize such services, so it is important to check with each school to make sure you know how to initiate an application. Most schools, after receiving the preliminary application from the centralized application service, will require additional information, and an additional application fee. Applications can be completed online or downloaded online.

The interview process is a very important part of the selection process. Generally, interviewers study the applicant's file more closely than any other member of the committee and present their impressions of the applicant's case to the entire committee. The interviewer's assessment of the applicant can greatly influence the final ranking of the applicant by the admissions committee. Interviews usually take place in the fall and spring.

Students currently applying are strongly encouraged to watch the Preparing for Interviews workshop. If you have been invited for an interview, you might want to schedule a mock interview with a pre-health advisor or the Career Resource Center.

As you research schools for application, keep a file folder for each school. As you review the website for each school, begin to make a list of questions where answers CANNOT be found on the website. These questions will be excellent to ask during your interview. You can also request printed information from the schools you have applied to and review this in detail.