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Undergraduate Preparation for Health Professions

Solid academic preparation at the undergraduate level is critical for applicants to any graduate-level program. For health profession schools, this includes completing required coursework, engaging in experiential learning such as shadowing and community service, getting to know the faculty, achieving a solid grade point average, and doing well on professional school admissions tests. To be successful in health profession schools, students typically need strong abilities in math and science, as well as critical thinking and communication skills.

Explore

As a freshman, attend the HPPLA Orientation meeting for your area(s) of interest in the fall semester. Shadow health professionals and seek out opportunities to volunteer in your community. Throughout your time at IU, take every opportunity to meet with health profession school officials when they visit campus for the Health Programs Fair and informal information sessions. Meet with a HPPLA Pre-Health Advisor to discuss your interests and career goals.

Learn

Consult the HPPLA Guidebook for your area(s) of interest for in-depth advice on every step in preparing for health profession school. All the advice contained in the HPPLA Guidebooks is written by HPPLA Pre-Health Advisors and comes out of real-life experience helping IU students succeed in gaining admission!

Plan

You’ll have lots of decisions to make about which career path to follow, sequencing of required coursework, when to take professional school admissions tests and how to prepare, where to apply, and what to write in your personal statement. Meet with a Pre-Health Advisor to create an individualized strategy for success.

Work!

Work hard to be the best student that you can be. Engage with your professors and classmates. Put academics first.

Information for Pre-health Students

Current undergraduate students can find resources for getting started, preparing for your career, suggested coursework, and how to apply to graduate programs in the health professions of their choice in our HPPLA Guidebook. You can view the different pre-health sections of the guidebook by clicking below, or if you're just starting out, visit the new students section first.