Professional programs do NOT require students to major in any one particular area and they do not prefer one major over another. You should choose a major based on your strengths, interests, and personality. As long as admission requirements are met you MAY BE IN ANY MAJOR and still apply and be accepted to professional healthcare programs. Major in whatever you find interesting and exciting. Health professions schools value well rounded and educated applicants. You will also be evaluated on the rigor of the courses you take and the number of credits you take each semester. Completing two majors and/or two minors will NOT make you more competitive.

Health professions schools place a priority on well-rounded achievement. Be sure to demonstrate your academic abilities and excellence through completing your major requirements and pre-requisite courses with excellence and rigor. Go beyond the minimal expectations.

• Be sure to demonstrate your ability to engage in rigorous course loads by taking 15-17 credits and two sciences each semester (after your first semester at UF). Try to maintain strong overall and science GPAs of 3.5 or higher.
• Be careful not to get over-involved outside of the classroom: Remember a general rule of thumb is to leave approximately two to three hours of study time for each credit hour spent in class. For example, if a student carries 15 credits during the semester, plan approximately 30 - 45 hours in study and course preparation time outside the classroom. This amounts to a full time job! Your academics come first. You may require some help with developing new study skills or time management skills. Use campus resources available to you. Be involved but manage your time well!
• Healthcare professions schools place emphasis on well-educated and well-rounded applicants: Pursue not only the pre-requisite courses but also courses that demonstrate your love for learning, personality, interests and intellectual breadth outside of the sciences.

Many professional schools do not accept AP or IB credit by itself to fulfill prerequisite requirements. Therefore if you have earned AP or IB course credit in prerequisite courses we recommend that you either retake these courses or take higher level courses in the same area.

When discussing whether to repeat courses you have AP/IB credit for or take upper division courses in the same areas, consider whether these courses taken at the high school level are adequate preparation for not only upper division biology, chemistry, math and physics courses, but for standardized tests and the foundational courses you will encounter in the professional schools.

Please refer to the chart below to review options if you came to UF with AP credits for pre-requisite courses.

Repeating courses

1. Repeating a course in which you have already earned a C or better is not looked upon favorably by professional schools in most cases. You need to demonstrate that you can successfully complete courses the first time you see the material. Professional schools would rather see stronger performance in a higher level course than a repeated course. If you do not do well in your early foundation courses, we recommend that you take upper division coursework in the same area to demonstrate academic proficiency in that area.
2. All grades in all attempts must be reported to healthcare professions schools. UF does not have grade forgiveness or grade averaging. Therefore all attempts will count toward your transcript.
3. Healthcare professional schools do not accept grades less than a "C" in pre-requisite or required coursework. If you earn a "C-"or below, repeat the course.
4. If you struggled in or earned a "C-"or below in the first half of a sequenced or required course, DO NOT take the second course in the sequence. Please speak with your instructor or an advisor.
5. If you completed prerequisite courses 5 or more years ago you will need to check with the schools you plan to apply to in order to determine whether or not you need to repeat them.

Withdrawals

1. Healthcare Professions Admission Committees will look for academic patterns when they review applications for admission. It is important to not establish a pattern of withdrawing from your courses or saving courses to take during the summer or with a lighter course load.
2. If you believe you are able to earn a "C" or above in the course, complete the course and then take a higher level course in the same area to demonstrate academic abilities.
3. If you believe you will earn a "C-"or below, it is best to drop the course with an understanding it will be important to earn a "B+" or preferably an "A" in the second attempt.

See our "Should I Drop My Course?" handout for more information.

The following suggested course timelines are just that, suggestions. You will take pre-requisites for the health profession of interest within the context of your major. Therefore, you will develop an individual academic plan based on major requirements and health professions pre-requisites. If you need assistance, please see a Pre-Health advisor.

• Medicine, Podiatry, Chiropractic, Naturopathic (PDF, 128 KB)
• Dentistry (PDF, 129 KB)
• Veterinary Medicine (PDF, 128 KB)
• Pharmacy (PDF, 127 KB)
• Physician Assistant (PDF, 176 KB)
• Optometry (PDF, 178 KB)
• Physical Therapy (PDF, 128 KB)

Elective courses are a great way for you to pursue your own interests and to prepare for the humanistic, social, and ethical sides of health care. Use them to learn about your future patients: their cultures, languages, and the social challenges they may face. Do NOT choose courses just because you think they will help you improve your GPA. This will appear as though you are not up to a challenge. We have a list of suggested courses (PDF, 119 KB) for students wishing to choose courses specifically related to the health professions and developing cultural competency.

You may have arrived at UF with numerous advanced credits. Many students may be able to complete their major in three years, and some students erroneously believe professional schools look positively on students completing their degrees earlier than in four years. This is not usually the case. Most Deans of Admission indicate a preference for students who have demonstrated academic performance throughout a four year period. An application filed after only two years will certainly not be as rich as one filed after three or four years of demonstrated academics and experiences. If for financial necessity you complete your degree in three years, consider taking a "gap" year between undergraduate and professional school to work or continue service activities. This way your application will reflect a full three years of academic performance and will be a stronger, more competitive application. When in doubt, feel free to consult with a pre-health advisor.

Students often ask, "Do I have to do research to get into medical, dental, veterinary, etc school?"

Research is not an admission requirement, although it demonstrates intellectual curiosity, critical thinking skills, and team work. Often doing research leads to a paper, abstract, or poster which demonstrates communication skills. Even if you do not intend to pursue research in your career, most health professionals are life-long consumers of research. Therefore, developing an appreciation for it will be useful in the future.

Research does not have to be science based but can be within your non-science major interests. You should pursue research with consistency and commitment, not just as a way to "look good."

How do I find a research project? Many students are unsure of where to find research. The UF Honors Program website gives excellent advice on how to get involved. Taking the one-credit Science for Life course (IDH3931) is also a great way to become aware of the many research opportunities on campus. Whatever approach you take, BE PERSISTENT. There are plenty of research positions on campus, but it may take asking quite a few people before you find one that's available.

Do I have to do research for credit? No. Doing research for credit is fine, but it's not necessary. Having the experience and learning from it are the important things. There will be space to list your research experiences on your application to professional school.

Please see our Resources page for research ideas and links.

Clinical Volunteering

As a student pursuing a career in healthcare, it is important to have healthcare experience. The experience will be more meaningful when you have direct patient interaction. You want to have opportunities to understand the nature of a doctor-patient relationship and see how you act around those who will depend on you for their well-being. Health professions schools will look for demonstrated exploration of healthcare through involvement in patient contact related opportunities. Reasons for this include:

1. Most students indicated they want to "Help people." They are convinced they love working with people and want a career where they make a difference in people's lives that is meaningful and of value. Working with people who are ill, stressed or in crisis is very different from working with those who are healthy and feeling well. Students may determine they truly like working with people. Some will find they enjoy working with those who are ill; others will find they don't.
2. It is imperative to understand and respect the need for teamwork within healthcare. Students need to experience this type of teamwork and recognize working as a team is expected and necessary.
3. Healthcare professionals assume a great deal of responsibility for others. Volunteering provides a glimpse of this to students but offers enough to help students identify and begin to appreciate this aspect of the profession they wish to pursue.
4. The healthcare professions are constantly changing. Volunteering in a clinical setting allows exposure to these changes and provides a realistic understanding of the field.

Shadowing

Don't forget about shadowing a professional in your area of interest. That is a great way to become more familiar with the challenges and expectations of the profession. You will need to find professionals to shadow yourself. Start by asking your own doctor, family friends, or ask for recommendations from other pre-health students. Shadowing experiences can last anywhere from a day to a semester or more. Typically once you find a professional to shadow, this person is then able to recommend others in the field.

Please read our shadowing handout (PDF, 188 KB) to get the most from your experience. You can also find more information on our Resources page.

Health-care is community service. You should express your personal interests and passions through the community service activities you choose. Experiences for community service may be done at schools, homeless shelters, non-profit organizations, or a variety of other settings. They provide experience beyond superficial aspects and demonstrate your personal interests and commitment to work within the community. Activities are usually more meaningful if you continue them for a year or more.

Please see our Resources page for ideas on where to volunteer in the community.

While at UF you will want to explore your interests and strengths through on and off campus activities and experiences. We encourage getting involved to increase your leadership skills and demonstrate initiative. You can gain leadership experience in a variety of ways including employment, being a camp counselor or TA, or participating in student organizations. Participation is not limited to Pre-Health organizations, any organization that interests you is fine. You do not need to be an officer but you do need to show leadership qualities by taking initiative and following through. Being a leader means more than being a member.

Many students are interested in spending time abroad. This is a great way to explore another culture and get out of your comfort zone. One way to do this is through study abroad. Study abroad is not a requirement but it is an added bonus in exploring your interests and personal strengths. There are certain times during undergraduate study when this is more opportune and does not interfere with the application process. Please see a Pre-Health advisor to discuss your plans. DO NOT TAKE PRE-REQUISITE SCIENCE OR MATH COURSES WHILE DOING STUDY ABROAD. These courses should be taken at your home institution only. Contact the UF International Center for more information.

Medical mission trips offered through private organizations are also popular with students. UF does not endorse any of these programs. These are private programs that you should carefully research. Students participate at their own risk and should be fully aware of the ethical issues involved in international medical volunteer programs. PLEASE READ the following guidelines before investigating programs. Remember, if you wouldn't do it here, don't do it there! You should not be testing, diagnosing, treating, or prescribing unless you are a licensed professional eligible to practice in the country you are in. This applies to working with people AND animals. Every country has unique laws that govern who can provide patient care. Performing duties you are unqualified to do can have severe, even fatal, consequences for both you and the patient.

- Guidelines for Pre-Medical Students doing clinical work abroad
- Guidelines for Pre-Dental Students doing clinical work abroad

Even if you are simply observing, consider this from the AAMC:

"The mere presence of students can impact a clinic or hospital setting, even when the student does little more than shadow local clinicians. Students would do well to consider what it is like for a patient to be observed by a comparatively wealthy young foreigner, often of a different race or gender. For some patients, the presence of a student signifies interest and is appreciated. For others, an observer inhibits full disclosure.

If, as is natural and appropriate at home, the student wishes to ask questions, it is hard to know how this will be interpreted by the patient. Does the question show concern, or does it distract the physician, taking time and attention from the patient? Does the question increase the patient's anxiety? In crowded hospital wards, in the interests of privacy, physicians often speak very quietly, and only those who are close can see and hear. Again, how might the presence of foreign observers affect communication, caregiving or the learning opportunities of local students by taking up limited space? In short, it is important for students to recognize that their physical presence can be helpful and, at the same time, potentially disruptive for the people with whom they interact."

From the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics December 2006, Volume 8, Number 12: 851-854.