While some Health Profession Schools use their own application offered through their school website, most Health Profession 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. 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. 

The personal statement is your chance to share who you are, beyond your metrics, to highlight meaningful qualities and experiences, and to share why you want to pursue a career in that health profession field.

Personal statement tips:

• Make your statement clear and concise.
  • Make it easy for the reader to understand what you’re trying to say.  
  • This isn’t a creative writing piece. 
• Your statement should answer the question “why this health profession (why medicine? why dentistry? etc.).”
• The majority of your statement should be about you and your experiences.
  • It’s likely people in your life have influenced you, whether that’s a doctor you shadowed or a grandparent who was ill. However, they aren’t applying and you are. It’s ok to mention them, but keep the focus on you.
• Focus on the experiences that have been meaningful to your path towards a career in healthcare – not the most meaningful experiences in your life. 

Brainstorming Ideas

• Utilize the Writing Center’s Brainstorming Guide. 
• Read through the AAMC Core Competencies, and write down which of the competencies are your top strengths.
  • You can certainly consider other soft skills beyond the competencies, too.
• For your top three strengths, think of an experience/anecdote that illustrates a time when you used that competency.
• Flesh that experience out into a story.
  • Why did you pursue that experience?
  • How did you feel during the experience?
  • What did you learn from the experience?
  • How did that experience influence where you are today – applying to health profession school?

Refining and Editing

It’s not uncommon to write multiple drafts and edit your statement many times. Get your thoughts on paper and then give yourself time away from your statement. Come back with fresh eyes to edit. 

Plan to have at least three people review your Personal Statement.

• Someone who can read it critically and objectively for grammar and syntax. The Writing Center is good for this. 
• Someone who knows you well and can confirm whether your voice is coming through. This might be a family member or friend.
• Someone who knows healthcare and can comment on your motivations and fit for the profession. This might be a doctor you’ve worked with or a mentor.  

You can certainly ask more people to review it, but at some point you might get too many opinions. 

Tips by Profession

Video: Creating a Great Personal Statement

Dental School

Medical School

PA School

Need Help?

Set up an appointment with the Writing Center or review their Personal Statement Guide.

What is a secondary application?

After submitting your primary CAS application, some schools will have an additional application with questions specific to that school. These applications are called secondary or supplemental applications.

Almost every medical school (MD and DO) has a secondary application. Some schools send secondaries as soon as the primary has been submitted. Some schools wait until after the primary application is processed. Still others will wait until the primary is processed, and then screen applicants based on the primary, and only send secondary applications to selected applicants. Secondary applications for medical school often involve one or many essay questions, and often involve a fee, anywhere from $50 to $150.

Other health professions might have secondary or supplemental applications, but it varies greatly by school. They are rarely as essay-intensive as medical school secondaries.

Prewriting

One strategy for preparing for secondaries is to prewrite common secondary prompts. Some schools use the same secondary prompts every year, while other schools change them. Here’s a list of secondary questions sortable by school and year. 

• Use a Word, Excel, or Google document to track secondary prompts and start prewriting responses.
  • As you start receiving secondaries, track release and due dates in your tracking document. It’s likely that you’ll receive many secondaries all at once, so it’s important to prioritize deadlines.
• When writing, don’t worry initially about word limits. Try to write authentically and answer the question thoroughly.
• After you’ve written a response, don’t delete anything. Keep one edition of the response as fully written and copy/paste when you make edits to fit character/word limits for specific schools.
• Don’t repeat any information from your primary application when answering secondary questions. The admissions committee is going to read your entire application, not just your secondary responses and you should highlight different anecdotes and/or experiences than you did in your Personal Statement or Experiences section.
• Especially when prewriting general responses that can be adapted for different secondaries, be sure to proofread before submitting! Make sure the school name, any unique programs, and other school-specific information is correct for the school you’re submitting it to.

Common Secondary Prompts

There are some secondary questions that are commonly asked by schools.

• Why are you interested in our school?
  • How to answer this question: Review the school website and try to incorporate specific aspects of the school mission, curriculum, research institutes/programs, and student extracurricular opportunities as they relate to your own experiences and interests. It shows that you researched their programs and features, and that you’re not just copying and pasting generic reasons that can apply to any other school.
  • Tie your interests and values to 1) that school’s mission statement and 2) a specific component of that school. Whatever you value, write about your experience, then write about how you plan to continue pursuing that interest by incorporating the name of a specific program or organization that you plan to get involved with at that school.
• How will you contribute to this school’s diversity?
  • How to answer this question: Many people tend to think of diversity as race and culture, but there are other possible ways to address this question. What unique experiences or perspectives do you have? What makes you different from other applicants?
  • Ideally, you’d find some way to relate your experiences/perspectives back to how they will help you in medical school, or at least relate it back to being able to use that unique experience or quality to connect with people. 
• What are your plans for your application year?
  • How to answer this question: Schools want to know what you’ve got planned from the time you submit your application until you would start their program. Whether you’re currently enrolled in courses or in a gap year, it’s important to highlight what your plans are for the months ahead. Ideally, you will continue pursuing some of the experiences you’ve described in your application.
• Describe a challenge and/or failure you’ve faced.
  • How to answer this question: Focus on a challenge that allowed you to grow as a person. Don’t blame others; be honest about your weaknesses. If faced with a similar challenge again, it’s important to address what you would do differently to prevent a similar result.
• How has COVID-19 affected you?
  • How to answer this question: This is a chance for you to provide context to challenges you faced, or opportunities you missed out on as a result of the pandemic.

Some schools have optional essays. Should I answer them?

Yes, you should take advantage of every opportunity to make your case for admission. If you’re unsure what to write about, adapt a response from another secondary. Just make sure you aren’t repeating information from other parts of your application.

When should I submit my secondaries?

Some schools have deadlines for their secondaries. Generally, submitting secondaries within 2 weeks is the standard. If you don’t submit secondaries in a timely fashion, that might signal to schools that you’re not really interested in their program. 

How many letters are required? Who should I ask for letters?

While requirements can vary by health profession and by individual school, in general schools require two letters of recommendation from science faculty and one additional letter (that can be academic or professional). Generally, a science faculty includes any biology, chemistry, or physics course. Some schools will allow other fields including neuroscience, engineering, or kinesiology to count towards the science requirement, but it’s important to check directly with the school.

For the third letter, some schools will require a letter from a healthcare provider in that profession (for example, you might need a letter from a DO doctor you’ve worked or shadowed with to apply to a DO school). Other schools will accept another academic letter (from a non-science faculty), a letter from a mentor/supervisor from an extracurricular experience or job, or a letter from a research P.I.

Some schools might allow or ask for more than three letters. It’s important to check with individual school requirements.

Who shouldn’t I ask for a letter?

You shouldn’t ask for character letters (from your friends or family), or letters from important people who don’t know you in an academic or professional capacity (for example, politicians who are family friends). 

What should they write about?

Letter writers should talk about your potential to do well academically in health profession school and your professionalism and preparation for your future profession. They should refer to the core competencies when describing your potential.

How do I get to know professors?

Just like it takes effort to build a relationship with friends, it takes effort for you to build a relationship with professors. 

• Be an active participant in class. Sit in the front row. Ask questions. 
• Go to office hours.
  
  • Don’t just go to office hours and ask your professor to reteach you material. Go prepared. Try to figure out the answer on your own first, and go to office hours to clarify specific questions and concepts. 
  • Ask about professor’s research, ask about their background, or how class material applies to one of your other interests. Ask for advice on your future career goals.
• Try to take the same professor for more than one class.
• Stay in touch. Check in with your professors (either by email or by dropping by their office) after class ends. 

Here are some tips for getting to know professors in online classes. 

How do I ask for a letter?

It might seem intimidating to ask for a letter, but most faculty have written letters in the past and are used to the process. Be polite and provide information to make it easier for the individual to write you a letter.

• Set up a meeting with the individual. 
• In the meeting, ask if they would be willing to provide you a positive letter of recommendation. Let them the know the timeline of when you need a letter from them and how the letter will be added to your application (for example, they will receive an email with a link to upload the letter to your application).
  • If they say no, or say it won’t be a positive letter, then it’s best for you to ask someone else.  
• If they say yes, ask what you can provide that will help them write their letter.
  • Follow-up with the requested materials as soon as possible. 
  • If they don’t know what materials they would need, provide a copy of your Personal Statement, Resume, and any relevant projects/papers/assignments from their class. It can be helpful to write a short statement of what you learned from them or concepts/examples of items discussed in their class that have helped you in future classes.
• Let them write the letter. Don’t pester them. If you provided enough advance notice (see below) and gave them your timeline, you don’t need to email them daily to ask why the letter hasn’t been submitted.

When should I ask for letters?

Earlier is always better. If you plan to apply in the summer, ask for letters in March/April. If you’re asking the individual for a letter, other students are likely asking that individual, too. Be respectful of their time and ask far in advance of when you need the letter. 

If you ask for a letter, expect them to need at least 1-2 months to write the letter. It’s unrealistic (and rude) to expect someone to write you a letter in a week, so it falls on you to plan ahead. Asking in March/April should allow the individual plenty of time to write you a letter by June/July.

I’ve asked for a letter from my professor, but they haven’t responded. What should I do?

First, when did you ask for the letter? Was it a day ago, a week ago, or a month ago? Give professors 2 weeks to respond to your email. If they don’t respond after 2 weeks, follow up with another email. If they don’t respond to that email and you aren’t able to connect with them in person, it’s unlikely that they won’t be willing to write you a letter and you should reach out to another professor. 

Can I submit letters directly into my application? 

You don’t submit any letters into your application. You will enter your letter writer’s contact information into your application and then they will receive a personalized email link/prompt with instructions for them to upload their letter into the application system.

The best practice when it comes to letters of recommendation is for you to waive access to your letter in your application. That means you won’t be able to read the letter after the application is submitted, allowing the letter writer to be honest in their comments. Whether your letter writer sends you a copy of their letter is up to them, but it’s best not to pressure them to do so.

Can I ask for a copy of my letter in case I have to reapply? 

Whether your letter writer chooses to share their letter with you should be their choice (and is not typically done), but if they do share, you still won’t be able to upload a letter into any future application. Letters always have to come from the letter writer. 

If you need to reapply, stay in touch with your letter writers and ask if they would be willing to update or submit the same letter from the prior application(s). Many individuals save letters of recommendation from year to year and can easily update the date on the letter to resubmit. 

Another option is a third party letter collection service like Interfolio which allows you to collect letters (without being able to read them) from letter writers and then submit letters to applications whenever you need to. 

More letter recommendation tips here.

MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test)

• Used by Medical (MD, DO) and Podiatry schools
• Cost: $320
• Register
• Content 
• Scoring
• Study Resources:
  • AAMC Resources

GRE (Graduate Record Examination)

• Used by Audiology/Speech Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, and Veterinary schools
• Cost: $205
• About the Test
• Test Content
• Register for the test
• Scoring
• Study Resources:
  • ETS resources
  • Book: Official Guide to the GRE

DAT (Dental Admissions Test)

• Used by Dental schools
• Cost: $475
• Register for the test
• Content and Scoring
• Study Resources:
  • DAT Practice Test and Modules

PCAT (Pharmacy College Admissions Test)

• Used by Pharmacy schools
• Cost: $210
• Register for the test
• Content
• Scoring
• Study Resources:
  • Test Blueprint and Practice Problems
  • Practice Test

OAT (Optometry Admissions Test)

• Used by Optometry schools
• Cost: $490
• Register for the test
• Content and Scoring
• Study Resources:
  • OAT Practice Test and Modules

PA-CAT (Physician Assistant College Admissions Test)

• This is a new test (launched in summer 2020) used by a limited number of PA programs. The majority of PA programs still accept the GRE. 
• Cost: $228
• Test Content
• Register for the test
• Scoring
• Study Resources 

What schools should I apply to?

There are several factors to consider when deciding on schools. 

Budget: Applying to schools is expensive (see the Finances section below). You should only apply to schools if you know you will fully be able to pay all application fees. 

Metrics: Most schools release data regarding admitted student averages or ranges for GPA/standardized tests. Some professions have the information in a database and most schools list that information on their website. 

It’s important to be realistic about your chances of being admitted to that school. If you fall way below their average or range, your chances are slim. 

In-State/Out-of-State/Private: Health profession schools are either publicly or privately funded.

• Public schools, which are supported by state funds, often have stipulations that a certain percentage of their class must be in-state residents. If you’re from that state, you have a stronger chance of being competitive.
  • If you’re an out of state resident, it’s important to look at the number of applicants they interview and accept from out of state. If it’s very competitive for out of state students to be admitted, it’s likely that school only considers out of state students with very strong metrics.
• Private schools are not primarily supported by state funds and typically do not prefer in-state residents.
• Some schools might ask what tie or connection you have to that state. If you have family from that state, attended school in that state, or lived there (even if it’s not your primary state), those are all factors schools consider in their admission review.  

Ranking: The U.S. News and World Report releases rankings for health profession programs. While attending a high ranking school is not necessary for success in your career, in some professions, ranking can have an influence on your network and post-graduate opportunities. 

Applicants vs. Interviews vs. Matriculants: Some schools receive 5+ times the number of applications than they have spots available in their class. Most schools release data on the number of applicants who apply, the number who are offered interviews, and the number who matriculate into the program. Schools that have high number of applicants and low acceptance rate are known as high yield or more selective. 

Mission of school: Every school has a mission statement, usually found on their website, which drives the type of education they provide. For example, some schools are teaching institutions, some are research intensive institutions, and some are service driven. 

Opportunities for Current Students:

• Scholarships
  • Does the school offer scholarships at admission or to current students?
  • What does it take to be eligible?
• Research
  • Does the school offer research opportunities for current students?
  • Do students have to be enrolled in a specific course/pathway to participate in research or is it open to any student?
• Curriculum
  • Are classes offered Pass/Fail?
  • Is class attendance mandatory?
  • Is there a dress code?
  • Does the curriculum incorporate problem based learning or small group discussion?
  • Do students set up their own clinical experiences or does the school do it for them?
  • Is the school located on an undergraduate campus, a health sciences campus, or a satellite campus?
  • Where are the clinical sites located (in relation to where classes are located)? Will students need to travel more than one hour to get their clinical sites?
• Student Experience
  • What student organizations are available?
  • How does the administration handle student feedback?
  • What opportunities are available for national meetings/professional memberships?
  • What opportunities are available for dual-degrees? International experiences?
  • What opportunities are available for interdisciplinary education?
  • Are tutoring services available?
• Location
  • Is it located in an urban, suburban, or rural area?
  • What’s the cost of living in that area?
  • Will you need a car to get to the school or to your clinical rotation sites? Is public transportation available?
  • How far is it from your home? 
  • Is there on campus housing?
• Graduate Outcomes
  • What are the success markers for graduates? This might include residency/fellowship match rates or job offers. 

What is a SJT?

A Situational Judgement Test (SJT) is a screening tool that presents the test-taker with hypothetical scenarios and asks them to identify the most appropriate response.  SJTs assess core competencies (soft skills or people skills).

SJT are additional tools that Health Profession Schools utilize to differentiate and assess candidates. 

CASPer: 

• https://takecasper.com/
• What is it: 90 minute online test. Test-takers watch 12 video scenarios and type out timed responses to 3 follow-up questions. 
• Cost: $12 to take, $12 per school to send scores
• Prep
• Used by: Dental, Medicine (MD and DO), Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, Speech Language Pathology, Veterinary
  • Not universally used; varies by school
• Timing: Take during application cycle; results only valid for current cycle

AAMC SJT: 

• https://students-residents.aamc.org/aamc-situational-judgment-test/aamc-situational-judgment-test
• What is it: 90-105 minutes online exam with text-based scenarios that present hypothetical dilemmas similar to what you may encounter in medical school.
• Cost: Free as of Summer 2021
• Prep 
• Used by: Selective medical schools (MD)
• Timing: Students who plan to apply to one of the schools requiring SJT should register to take the test. It will be offered on select dates throughout the application cycle. 

Audiology/Speech Language: CSDCAS 

Dental: AADSAS 

Medicine:

• MD: AMCAS 
• DO: AACOMAS

Occupational Therapy: OTCAS 

Optometry: OptomCAS

Pharmacy: PharmCAS 

Physical Therapy: PTCAS

Physician Assistant: CASPA 

Podiatry: AACPMAS 

Veterinary: VMCAS