First Year Advice
We recommend that first year students take no more than one or two science courses in their first semester. The first year is a transitional year and involves becoming accustomed to a new setting, a new set of social and extra-curricular activities, new living arrangements, new responsibilities, and new ways of learning and studying. College-level science courses, especially those with a laboratory, can be unexpectedly time-consuming and demanding, particularly for students who have not had a strong science preparation in high school. Regarding courses that will supplement your preparation for a career in health, take a look at the courses in the Health Studies Cluster. Be sure to consult your academic advisor and the health professions advisor if you have questions or concerns. You may also sign up for the “Health Professions Newsletter,” which goes out at least once a month highlighting upcoming events and other opportunities, by sending a request to the Health Professions Administrative Assistant at health.professions@wesleyan.edu, and adding the words “HP Newsletter” under the subject line of the email message.
Besides avoiding overloading on courses and engaging in too many extracurricular activities, health professions students should also avoid dropping below the suggested four courses per semester. To be competitive for the health professional school you are considering, applicants should demonstrate an ability to handle a science-intensive curriculum and a commitment to in-depth learning of a particular area or areas of interest as prospective major(s).
For more information about the pre-requisite science and English courses and samples of course schedules for application to a health profession program go to the Health Professions Course Requirements and take a look at what a schedule for someone who wants to study abroad and submit their application to medical school after their third year looks like as opposed to someone applying after their fourth year of college. These sample schedules should help you to develop your own plan, which you can discuss with your Health Professions Advisor. It is important to remember that your academic plan does not need to match anyone else’s plan and that it should be a flexible plan that you can change as your goals expand and change.
While you do want to achieve an overall strong performance in sciences, your academic metrics are only one of the factors in the admissions process. Your personal qualities, life and clinical experiences, and motivation are also critical factors. Health professional admissions committees look favorably on students who have tested their interest in a health career through community service, health-related internships, extracurricular activities, or significant research. Each health professional program will have developed their own criteria and priorities for admission, reflecting the goals and mission of the respective school. All medical schools are looking at your application materials to glean attributes and qualities that might apply to you as an individual, among these the commitment to serve others and the ability to lead are very important. To assess these qualities, the admissions committees at medical schools will carefully review the statements and essays in your application, letters of evaluation, your coursework (including trends in academic performance and level of course difficulty), and personal interviews. Your efforts in tackling the core competencies defined by the AAMC which medical schools expect in their applicants will be noted. For more information on the core health professions competencies check out the Preparing for Admission resource.
When assessing your readiness to apply, take time to listen to the All Access: Medical School Admissions podcast, which is a series of conversations with the deans of admission at various medical schools, hosted by the Case Western School of Medicine. You may also enjoy the Beyond the White Coat Podcast from the AAMC, which “convenes authentic conversations between members of the academic medical community, AAMC leaders, and other health professionals on timely issues.”
Additionally, to gain a well-rounded perspective on having an impact regarding the “world’s most pressing problems and what you can do to help solve them,” listen to “The 80,000 Hours Podcast” which includes in-depth conversations about these issues with people who are coming up with creative solutions.
For those of you interested in applying to medicine, you may benefit from reviewing the Applicants and Matriculants Data. You may review the Medical School Admission Requirements™ Reports for Applicants and Advisors and should also take a look at the AAMC.org website and search for the Medical School 101 webpage for some useful tips. You may also view the Medical School Admissions Guide.
To remain informed, consider subscribing to newsletters related to the health professions of your interest or that you are considering for a future career, many of which are available for free. For example, subscribe to the AAMC Premed Navigator Newsletter and the ADEA GoDental Newsletter or visit the Public Health News Wire to stay informed on issues that affect community health. If you enjoy reading, join the Public Health Book Club and broaden your perspective. The NIH Research Matters newsfeed will keep you up to date with studies such as “Tracking SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Wastewater.”
Additionally, we have several health-professions-related student groups on campus. Go to WesNest to join the American Medical Student Association, the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students, the National Organization on Rare Diseases Student Association of Connecticut, the Pre-Veterinary Medicine Club, the Wesleyan Pre-Dental Society, the WesEMT Club, and the Black Undergraduate Medical Association..
