You will begin the application process to health professional school the summer between your junior and senior years.  Medical, Osteopathic, Dental, Pharmacy and Vet Schools all have centralized application services, meaning you need only apply once, and your application (and standardized testing scores) will be sent to all of your selected schools.  This application is called the primary application.  Once schools receive your primary application, they will send you their secondary application.  Some schools routinely send out secondaries, regardless of how competitive you are.  Others send secondaries only to those candidates they are seriously considering for admission.  Getting your applications in early will improve your chances for admission, so plan accordingly!

Below are the links to the various application services:

• Medical School (AMCAS):

            http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/start.htm

• Osteopathic School (AACOMAS):

            https://aacomas.aacom.org/

• Dental School (AADSAS):

            https://aadsas.adea.org/aadsas2006/

• Pharmacy School (PharmCAS):

            http://www.pharmcas.org/

• Vet School (VMACAS):

            http://www.aavmc.org/vmcas/vmcas.htm

• Pre-Optometry students and Pre-physical therapy students must apply to each school individually.  You may visit Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (http://www.opted.org/) or the American Physical Therapy Association (http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home) for information on professional schools.

Application Components:

Your primary application will consist of many parts:

• General and Demographic Information
• Activities, awards, professional experiences
• Grades (you will also need to send transcripts from ALL colleges and universities you have taken classes from, including study abroad programs)
• Personal Statement (this should be a thoughtful and interesting discussion, so it will take some time)
• A list of schools to which you would like your application sent
• Letters of Recommendation (you will not see your letter, which is generally a committee letter written by the pre-health committee)

Your secondary application generally includes:

• Your responses to several questions asked by the individual school
• A letter from the Dean of Students addressing your character
• A letter from a long-time personal acquaintance addressing your character

Interviewing: health Professional Schools still regard the personal interview as an important part of the admission's process. Candidates should demonstrate maturity, commitment, and a genuine desire to serve their community. See interview tips.