As you work with your advisor to design your personal pre-health preparation plan, your approach will be guided by the following criteria used by professional schools when considering applicants to their programs:
- Academic Preparation: Is this person academically ready for a rigorous, graduate-level science curriculum?
- Clinical Experience: Is this person making an educated career choice?
- Interpersonal Skills and Commitment to Service: Does this person's activity history demonstrate a long-term commitment to serving others, including those of diverse backgrounds? Furthermore, have they developed excellent interpersonal skills?
- Intellectual Curiosity and Problem-Solving Skills (often expressed through scholarly research): How has this person gone above-and-beyond academic requirements to demonstrate their love of learning and intellectual problem-solving?
Read on for advice in each of these categories of preparation. For a deeper dive into these topics, return to our onboarding video series for new advisees (step 3).
This Self-Assessment Rubric outlines the objectives in each of these categories to become a competitive applicant to professional school.