Preparing for your Application
- Are you ready to apply? Take the application self assessment to identify your strength and growth areas.
- Application Tracker: Keep track of your experiences and parts of your application in an customizable Excel spreadsheet.
Timeline to Apply
- Application Timeline: Plan for your application with a timeline of what to complete the semester before, the semester you intend to apply, and what happens while you’re in the application cycle.
Parts of the Application
While some health profession schools use their own application offered through their school website, most schools utilize a Centralized Application Service (CAS) as the primary application. The benefit of the CAS is that you can apply to multiple schools using the same application. Read below for the different parts of the CAS application.
Biographical Information
- Name, Age, Gender, Current and Permanent Address, Citizenship Status, Race and Ethnicity, Family Information, High School and Universities Attended
Transcript Entry
- Using your transcript, you will be asked to enter all courses completed (including repeated classes) from all colleges/universities attended into the application. This will be used to calculate a cumulative GPA, science/math GPA, and other GPAs (including undergrad GPA, graduate/post-baccalaureate GPA, non-science GPA, GPAs by subject area, GPAs by year, etc.).
- You will also submit official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended directly to the CAS.
- You can indicate any courses in progress (current semester) or planned for future semesters.
- Most application services allow you to update in-progress grades even after your application is submitted.
Standardized Tests
- You will enter your unofficial scores and test date directly into the application and submit official score reports to the CAS or the CAS will link directly to the test service website and allow you to pull over your official scores and test dates.
- All test scores must be reported. Schools vary in whether they will look at the most recent attempt, the highest attempt, or all attempts.
- Some schools will accept other test scores beyond the preferred test (for example, they might prefer MCAT, but also accept GRE or DAT scores). It’s important to check directly with school websites to see which score is required/preferred.
School Selection
- Designating which Health Profession Schools you want to submit applications to.
- Some schools have additional applications – called secondary or supplemental applications. Secondary/supplemental applications are either directly accessible in the CAS, on the school website, or sent out via link after the primary is screened by the school.
Personal Statement
- An essay that should explain your motivations for the career, what experiences you’ve had that demonstrate your fit for the career, and shares relevant information about what will make you a good candidate.
- Essay prompts and character lengths vary by profession.
Activities/Experiences/Achievements
- An overview of your extracurricular experiences relevant to your journey to Health Profession School.
- Includes clinical, shadowing, volunteering, research, student organizations, work/jobs, leadership positions, presentations/publications, honors/awards, other.
- Most applications will allow you to describe the experience, the amount of time you were involved (total hours, hours per week), your role in the experience, and ask for a contact person who can verify your involvement (name, phone number, email address).
Letters of Evaluation
- You will enter name, contact information (phone number, email) for individuals writing you a letter of evaluation/recommendation.
- Schools vary in the number of letters they accept and who those letters should be from (academic or professional).
- For most schools, once you’ve entered the contact information into your application, the letter writer will receive a link to upload a letter on your behalf.
