By entering Muhlenberg College as a pre-health student, you have dreams of becoming a physician, dentist, veterinarian, optometrist, podiatrist, physician assistant, nurse, physical or occupational therapist. During the next few years, you will find yourself facing seemingly endless assignments in biology, chemistry, physics and math. These, of course, do not include your liberal arts courses, which are also very important in obtaining acceptance to professional school. Most professors will tell you to spend at least two hours a night studying for their course; that does not include extra time needed to prepare for exams

2 hrs./night x 4 courses = 8 hours of work a night  

Take those eight hours and multiply them by five days a week and you arrive at 40 hours a week of just studying! Of course, you are a pre-health student, so you will need to study on weekends at least another two hours per subject and probably much more. Then there are extracurricular activities, which take up more time. Getting into graduate professional school in the health sciences is one of the most difficult tasks a student could choose to undertake.

Your GPA is one of the most important pieces of information a professional school will have about you. The higher it is, the better. It will serve you well to keep in the back of your mind throughout college – GPA AWARE! Your first year is the easiest time, numerically, to move your GPA up … or down. Your first semester GPA reflects exactly what you earned in your classes. After that, your cumulative GPA becomes more and more inflexible.

Graduate professional schools also look very closely at your science GPA because it shows how well you do exclusively in the sciences. Start out strong and you’ll be in better shape in the long run.

Yes, you can have a social life; yes, you can be involved in campus events and clubs; yes, it takes serious time management skills! Bottom line – do your class work first, then move on to other choices. Four years pass by quickly and the sacrifices you make during your early college years will make it possible for you to receive that thick envelope which every pre-health student dreams of, that envelope containing a letter that reads, “CONGRATULATIONS! The admissions committee of XYZ is delighted to extend to you an invitation to be part of our school community.”

Professional schools are not looking for robots. The only way to show them that you have the coveted well roundedness they’re looking for is to get involved. You must be open to new opportunities and never let fear of failure get in the way. Some of the things you attempt in college may not work out as you would like them to. As long as you learn something about yourself through the experience, it can be a valuable asset. Pre-health students often feel that because they are pre-health, they should be able to take on the world. Sometimes students think that by stretching their time management skills to the limit, they are preparing themselves for the rigors of professional school. You must be wary of juggling too many commitments. Think about being able to draw on real world experiences in order to convincingly demonstrate your leadership and inter-personal skills to an admissions committee.

It would be impossible to compile a list of activities most likely to get you in to professional school. You will be sending your application to several admissions committees composed of diverse people. Those individuals have varied interests and some may place more importance on certain activities than others. However, what they are all doing is looking at what aspects of you are reflected in your activities. You should be able to exude a genuine interest in your related health field. Try to find something in your choices that offers insight as to why you really want to enter your particular career. The goal is personal development with demonstrated commitment, leadership, maturity and the ability to strengthen communication skills while enhancing your overview of the chosen profession.