Health Professions Advising

At many institutions, pre-health students complete a mock application to gain letters of recommendation from their school’s evaluative committee. At Muhlenberg, the purpose is not only to get the committee letter — it’s to build a really strong application that’s the best representation of who you are and what you have to offer.

The mock application curriculum stretches over an entire year and is open to all pre-health students, including those interested in medical, dental, veterinary and physician assistant programs, among others, as well as alumni who’ve taken a gap year (or a few). Here’s what it looks like:

Assess Your Readiness

Because all pre-health students must apply a year before they intend to matriculate, students who envision going straight from Muhlenberg to those programs must apply at the end of their junior year. Students’ senior-year accomplishments — research and shadowing experiences, leadership positions in campus organizations, capstone projects — can only appear on the application if they plan on a gap year after Muhlenberg. The mock application curriculum begins with a fall presentation that details what a strong application looks like.

Work on the Application, Piece by Piece

The curriculum continues with assignments that break the mock application down into manageable chunks:

• An autobiography that tells a student’s whole story (not just the “why I want to be a doctor/dentist/veterinarian/etc.” story), which will inform the personal statement they will send to every school
• A reflection on their strengths, their weaknesses, what draws them to the career, and why they think they’re ready to apply
• A grid exercise that has students consider how the experiences they’ve had in class, on campus, and professionally align with the core competencies health professions students are expected to have
• A personal mission statement that details a student’s values, the population they’d like to serve, and their overall vision for their professional life. Students compare their mission statement with the mission statements of five schools to help them narrow down where to apply.

Polish the Draft, Solicit Recommendations, and Prepare to Apply

By the time the mock application is due in February, students have been given the time necessary to craft the strongest possible drafts. Between March and May, the director of health professions advising meets with each applicant to provide final feedback and walk through the application process. That period is also when Muhlenberg’s evaluative committee writes its letters of recommendation.