College of Arts
and Sciences
Pre-Health
Professions Advising Center
Professional School Application Timeline
A timeline for applying to Professional
Schools is found on the following page, application
timeline
.
The following is a generic timeline for students
planning a career in the health professions. Please remember
that there is no such thing as a premed, predent, prevet, etc.
major. You must major is some department such as biology,
chemistry, psychology, biomedical engineering, philosophy,
music, history, etc. Therefore, you need to meet with an
advisor in your major, as well as an advisor who can help plan
your course loads for your pre-professional
courses.
Click here for a flow chart if
you are applying to MD or DO programs.
Freshman Year
Fall
Semester
-
Start researching
majors
- Develop
relationships with professors
- Start
researching careers in the health professions
- Join student
clubs
Spring
Semester
- Begin looking
for volunteer and shadowing experiences
- Develop
relationships with professors
Sophomore Year
Fall
Semester
- Begin
researching Summer Enrichment or Research programs
- Develop relationships
with professors
- Continue volunteer/shadowing experiences
Spring
Semester
- By now you should have
chosen your major and completed your University Core
Curriculum requirements. You should also have taken the
CLAST or filed for exemption so the CLAST is
satisfied.
- Develop relationships
with professors
- Talk with professors and
advisors about summer research opportunities
- Continue volunteer/shadowing experiences
Junior
Year
Fall
Semester
- Research schools for
professional programs. Consider what programs interest you
most, locations, residency restrictions, and admissions
requirements. Narrow down your choices.
- Request printed
materials/catalogs from the schools, and print out materials
from websites
- Plan for Summer
Research/Enrichment Programs
- Begin Test preparation
(MCAT, DAT, GRE. etc.)
- Develop relationships
with professors
- Continue volunteer/shadowing experiences
Spring
Semester
- Request
letters of recommendation from professors, if you do not as
yet have a minimum of 6 evaluation forms filled out by
faculty and submitted to the Premedical Advisement and
Evaluation Committee. Talk to other people (at your
volunteer/work location) regarding letters of
recommendation
- Continue volunteer/shadowing experiences
- Complete
prerequisite courses
- Check your FIU
and other transcripts to make sure there are no errors
present
- Register for
and take the required test (MCAT, DAT, GRE, etc.)
- Finalize
school selections
- Begin
completing your applications including essays. For most
health professions programs, the best time to submit your
application is EARLY in the summer, but otherwise, prior to,
or at the beginning of Fall semester. If you take the MCAT
for the first time in late summer or early fall, your
application will not be complete until the MCAT scores are
reported, in which case you are late in the application
process. Medical schools have rolling admissions, which
means that the earlier your application is complete, the
earlier it can be evaluated, the earlier you are invited for
an interview, and the earlier you are accepted.
Medical School Applicants-- Additional
Items:
- May- AMCAS and
AACOMAS available. Work on personal statement/essay. Send
transcripts
- Submit AMCAS
and AACOMAS
- July/August-
submit Secondaries and have letters of recommendation
sent
- September
through Fall/Spring- interviews and acceptances
- November
1/November 15/December 1- application deadlines for many
schools
Dental School Applicants--Additional
Items:
- April/May-AADSAS
Available. Work on your personal statement/essay, send
transcripts
- June-
submit AADSAS and send letters of recommendation;
- July/August- submit
Secondaries
- mid-August- latest
recommended time to take DAT. You should take the DAT in the
spring, so that if you need to re-take it 3 months later,
you will be able to do so. You want to complete your
applications prior to, or at the beginning of Fall semester.
Dental schools have rolling admissions, which means that the
earlier your application is complete, the earlier it can be
evaluated, the earlier you are invited for an interview, and
the earlier you are accepted.
- September through Fall/Spring- interviews and
acceptances
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