Establish your timeline
A page within Pre-Health Student Resource Center
Pre-Health timeline
Below is a generalized timeline a pre-health student might follow. Each student's situation varies! You can find a more detailed timeline in the "Pre-Health Prep" Canvas course. You can now self-enroll in the course!
Pre-health timeline
Year 1 - Exploration and adjustment
- Meet with your assigned advisors and if you want additional perspectives, reach out to the Pre-Health Student Resource Center and/or the Academic Advising Center
- Attend events to explore careers, majors, and possible involvement opportunities
- Join a student organization that interests you, pre-health or otherwise
- Work hard in your classes and maintain a high GPA, and gain experience as able
- Consider enrolling in Introduction to Health Professions, HP 106
Year 2 - Preparation and acceleration
- Continue with previous commitments, plus anything you missed from Year 1 – it’s still a good time to join a student organization, for example
- Meet with a pre-health advisor in the Pre-Health Center
- Begin a rough plan of your next few years of coursework, if possible
- Develop alternative plans – what else would you be interested in doing if your main plan doesn’t work out?
- Do a job shadow or informational interview – reach out to your “network”, and see an advisor for help
- Start gathering information on programs you may apply to - this is often best done in a spreadsheet format
- Talk with professors in their office hours to develop relationships
- Start tracking your experiences – it’s a good idea to also keep a journal of what you have learned
Year 3 - Application and continuation
- Deepen your involvement - take student leadership positions that make sense for you
- Strengthen your relationships with professors, advisors, and people you have met in the profession - a simple email update is sometimes appreciated
- Do not lose focus on maintaining strong grades
- See Pre-Health Center's information on applying with confidence!
Year 4 - Interviews and consideration of next steps
- Attend an interview workshop in the fall semester (these are usually coordinated by and marketed to specific pre-health student clubs such as pre-med, pre-PA, etc.)
- If you get an interview offer, make an appointment with a career advisor for interview practice
- If you don’t get an interview offer or acceptance letter, consider the alternative options you explored in Years 2 and 3, and/or look into gap year plans, with the intention of applying again