1. Do well in all of your courses, since both the cumulative GPA and the science GPA are considered in applications to health professional programs. Get to know your professors. When you apply to medical school, you will need in depth letters of recommendation from UNH faculty. (During your junior year, you will develop a file in the HP Advising Office and at that time you will ask professors for letters.) Try to make yourself known to your professors by asking questions in class, seeing them during their office hours, and by getting involved in on-campus research.
2. Health profession programs are interested in well-rounded applicants-take a wide variety of courses. READ at every opportunity. Courses that will develop your reading comprehension and both written and verbal communication skills are especially helpful. To score well on the MCAT, DAT, OAT, or GRE exams, you will need to possess strong reading comprehension skills, and to perform well in an interview and on application essays, you will need to write and communicate effectively. Your verbal SAT scores may be an indicator of your success with the above exams. Go to the MCAT web site; http://www.aamc.org/students/mcat/practicetests.htm, and take a timed verbal reasoning practice test. (Freshman year is not too early to do this).
3. Try to determine which health professions you are interested in. The Health Professions (HP) Advising Office has brochures that outline careers and programs for the following professions: allopathic physician, osteopathic physician, podiatry, dentistry, optometry, naturopathic physician, chiropractic, physician assistant, physical therapist, and pharmacy. These brochures are a good place to begin researching options, but you will also want to shadow physicians, PAs, or PTs in order to gain a first-hand perspective on the profession.
4. Start getting experience in a health professional setting and be sure that some of your experience involves direct patient contact. Experiences can be gained in a variety of ways, including volunteering at a local hospital, clinic, or nursing home; or becoming certified as an EMT through UNH and working for an ambulance corps. Other non-health-related community service experiences are also beneficial, but they cannot substitute for direct patient contact
5. Once you have determined which health profession or professions you are interested in, start to investigate different programs to see where you would like to apply. This is especially important if you are thinking about Physician Assistant or Physical Therapist programs since each individual program has its own prerequisites. The Health Professions Advising office maintains a resource library; however, the most current information is usually available at organization and school web sites.
6. Become comfortable working with people from diverse backgrounds. Health care professionals work with people from around the world, from all socio-economic backgrounds and with a wide variety of belief systems. Get involved in your community. Behave responsibly. Health professions programs will ask if you have ever been arrested or sanctioned by a university judicial conduct board.
