What is Pre-Health?
Pre-Health is a broad term that includes a multitude of health professions that students may pursue. Health Professions Advising (HPA) is the office that focuses on supporting pre-health students and includes 2 dedicated professional advisors. Prospective students, both undergraduate and graduate, are welcome to contact the Health Professions Advising staff at any point (healthprofessions@pugetsound.edu).
Advising Resources
- Individual advising is available in-person or virtually (via Zoom) to any University of Puget Sound undergraduate student, graduate student or alum at the Office of Health Professions Advising (HPA) in Thompson Hall 203. Pre-health students work closely with both a faculty advisor within their major/program and a Health Professions Advisor who specializes in pre-health advising. This combination of support ensures that students remain on track to graduate, and receive timely and personalized pre-health advising support tailored to the specific professional health program. Health Professions Advising services are available to alumni regardless of how many years they have been away from the University, or what professional path they may have taken after graduating.
- Mock interviews are conducted each spring for pre-health students who are preparing for professional health program interviews. The mock interview format mirrors the structure that most students will encounter during graduate program interviews, and includes a panel of University faculty and staff from the Health Professions Advising Committee (HPAC) who are highly informed regarding professional health programs. Students may repeat the mock interview process in subsequent years if desired, or if recommended by the mock interview panel.
- When students apply to medical or dental school, a committee letter of evaluation is prepared on their behalf. This letter is preferred by many medical and dental schools as one means of evaluating candidates, and summarizes students’ academics, activities, recommendation letters, and interaction with HPA, as established through individual contact and an interview.
- A number of workshops and events are offered throughout the academic year. Workshop topics include: alumni and health professions school visits, personal statement writing, interviewing preparation, and application strategies, among others.
- Finally, the HPA website features a variety of helpful information and resources.
If you have any further questions or concerns feel free to contact the Health Professions Advising office at healthprofessions@pugetsound.edu. Prospective students may also include an in-person meeting with a Health Professions Advisor during a campus visit, which is facilitated through the Office of Admission.
The 10 year average for University of Puget Sound is over 80% (compared to a national average of 40%), which speaks to the personalized advising support and intentional planning that Puget Sound pre-medical students receive.
All students are eligible to participate in the University of Puget Sound's Health Professions Advising Program as soon as they arrive on campus, beginning with new student orientation. We help you decide which future career may be best for you and how to meet the academic and other requirements for your chosen path. In addition to frequent one-on-one advising meetings, regular group workshops take place throughout the year for potential applicants to all health professions. Once a student nears the application process, they are strongly encouraged to participate in interview preparation workshops, mock interviews, personal statement workshops, and guidance through the application process. Medical school and dental school applicants are eligible for a committee letter from the Health Professions Advising Committee, along with extensive support around the letter packet (letters of recommendation) component. Mock interviews are available to all professional health program applicants during the calendar year in which they apply. HPA also hosts representatives from different professional health programs to visit with students about the admissions process and their schools.
Become a self-directed learner. Set goals. Become increasingly responsible. Exercise self-discipline. Diagnose, prescribe and evaluate your own learning, and use learning resources (Center for Writing and Learning, for instance). Recognize your own limitations. Gain experience working with diverse populations who have identities different from your own. As part of the learning process, volunteer or paid work experience in the health fields is very important*. Engage in community service opportunities in which you have great passion, and demonstrate a sustained commitment to the activity over an extended period of time (activities do not need to be limited to the healthcare field). You must know what a typical day is like in the life of the professional you wish to become. While grades and admissions test scores are important, they aren't the whole picture.
*Students can visit the HPA Gaining Experience webpage to explore opportunities.
Medical school and dental school applicants* are eligible to request a Committee Letter from the Health Professions Advising Committee (HPAC) if all of the following criteria are met during the calendar year in which an application is submitted:
1. Completion of a mock interview with HPAC;
2. Attendance at both Applicant Meeting Part 1 and Part 2, hosted by the Health Professions Advising Office (HPA);
3. Attendance at both Personal Statement Workshop Part 1 and Part 2, hosted by the CWL;
4. Advisor access granted for all centralized application services to which an applicant is submitting a primary application (AMCAS, AACOMAS, AADSAS, and/or TMDSAS);
5. "Request for Committee Letter" form submitted to HPA by April 1;
6. Undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0+ and undergraduate science/math GPA of 3.0+**; and
7. MCAT composite score of 500+ or DAT composite score of 18+**.
*All other professional health programs do not accept committee letters.
**Applicants with one or both GPAs below 3.0, and/or applicants with MCAT/DAT scores below the listed minimum, are eligible for all other support services provided by HPA.
The Health Professions Advising Program doesn't recommend any one particular approach to test preparation. Whether it be a course which is taught in regular class sessions such as the Princeton Review or Kaplan or one that is computer-based, the choice is yours to make. Puget Sound students have been successful test takers using all methods of preparation: self-study, informal groups, class-based, and computer-based.
Successful students in the past have done the following: Taken the required courses and done well in them, studied hard for the relevant admission test (if required) and done well, had a consistent record of community service and clinical experience through paid or unpaid experiences, applied in a timely manner to a reasonable mix of schools matching their interests and accomplishments, developed the kinds of relationships with professors and others that will enable them to obtain strong letters of recommendation, practiced interviewing skills, and had a clear understanding of their motivations for healthcare as well as the ability to articulate this in writing and in interviews.
See the complete historical list of medical schools our students have been accepted to over the years.
The Health Professions Advisors are well prepared to support students interested in nursing, including Accelerated BSN, Entry-Level MSN, Direct-Entry NP and Direct-Entry DNP programs. Pre-nursing students are strongly encouraged to begin working closely with a Health Professions Advisor early in their time at Puget Sound to ensure nursing pre-requisites are fulfilled. Pre-nursing students can select any academic major while fulfilling nursing prerequisites.
Beyond the required medical school prerequisite courses (select offerings from biology, chemistry, physics, biochemistry, statistics, psychology & sociology), a broad liberal arts background is encouraged and expected, as is majoring in the field of greatest interest. When a student is “pre-med”, that typically suggests that they are completing the courses required for admission to medical school, but have selected a major in a specific subject matter.
The Health Professions Advising (HPA) Student Ambassadors are a group of pre-health students who are available to connect directly with prospective pre-health students. They can share a bit about their journey as a pre-health student at Puget Sound, answer questions about health professions advising support, and provide valuable insight into the life of a pre-health student. To contact an HPA Student Ambassador, simply visit the HPA Contacts page and scroll to the section titled "HPA Student Ambassadors".
Yes! Each spring, the Health Professions Advising office awards 8-10 financial scholarships to pre-health students who are in their sophomore, junior or senior year of study. All pre-health students who have reached sophomore standing are eligible to apply, provided they have a 3.5+ cumulative GPA at point of application and are actively working with the Health Professions Advising office for pre-health advising support. Half of the scholarships require demonstrated financial need as determined by the FAFSA, and the other half do not require financial need to qualify. Scholarship award amounts vary from an average of $1,000 to $12,000 per award.
Parents, guardians and caregivers of prospective students are welcome to contact Nova Fergueson, Health Professions Advisor, for conversation: nfergueson@pugetsound.edu or 253-879-2708 (direct office phone).
Yes, all pre-health students are eligible to enroll in our Human Anatomy & Human Physiology courses (a 2-semester series), which includes a human cadaver in the lab component of the courses. Pre-health students typically enroll in the Human Anatomy & Human Physiology series during their sophomore, junior or senior year. As a powerful teaching tool for pre-health students, students are taught to practice the utmost respect for cadavers and to acknowledge the significance of the donor's gift.