You may find answers to a number of the most frequently asked questions here. For more information, you could also look at the following Purdue Guides (printable PDF files) or pick up a paper copy in 828 Young Hall:
Guide to Applying to Medical School
FAQs for Current Students
Click to jump to the following:
Can I enter a healthcare field without an undergraduate degree?
What services are available to prehealth students at Purdue University?
What should I major in?
Will it help my chances of acceptance if I have a double major or a minor?
If I graduate in three years, won't that impress medical schools and make them more likely to accept me?
What courses do I need to prepare me for professional school?
How many Purdue applicants are accepted in medical, dental, optometry, and other programs each year?
Should I retake a class?
What do professional school admissions’ offices look for?
Can I enter a healthcare field without an undergraduate degree?
Different fields have different educational requirements. Some fields, such as working as a radiological technician, dental hygienist, or physical therapy assistant, require an associate degree. Other fields you can enter with a bachelor's degree such as nursing, athletic training, and dietetics –– all programs available at Purdue. Many health careers, however, require graduate-level work. Physical therapy, physician assistant, medicine, dentistry, chiropractic medicine, podiatry, clinical psychology, occupational therapy and audiology, for example, all require graduate-level study. That means that you must first earn a bachelor's degree before you can attend one of these programs. If you don't want to go further than a bachelor's degree, you might consider Veterinary Technology, Nutrition, Athletic Training, or Nursing.
What services are available to prehealth students at Purdue University?
The Center for Pre-Professional Advising office works with all students on campus who are considering a health career. She meets with students individually and provides group workshops. The advisors can help you learn about health careers, develop a plan for becoming a competitive applicant, and assist you with your application to professional programs.
The Center for Pre-Professional Advising office develops advising materials on various careers (Career Guides), handouts on common advising questions, and the Guide for Prehealth Students at Purdue as well as other materials. It also maintains this Web site which can help keep you informed on news and events as well as answering many of your general prehealth questions.
The Office also offers a professional file service that stores and distributes the letters of recommendation you gather for your application to a professional program. The Center for Pre-Professional Advisors can also assist you with the application process to professional schools.
What should I major in?
Being a prehealth student at Purdue (as at most schools) is a career interest – not a major. You should choose a major based on your academic interests. There is no "correct" or "best" major. Professional schools generally do not have a required major. You will see that most professional schools, however, do have required prerequisite courses you must take. As long as you take these along with your other coursework, you are a prehealth student. Some schools/colleges do offer pre-health tracks or concentrations (the School of Health Sciences, for example, has concentrations). If you are in one of these programs, feel free to make use of this. If your college does not offer this, do not feel like you need to switch unless your academic interests have changed. Your major combined with the prerequisite courses will be fine.
Professional programs are looking for well-rounded students with broad academic interests. They want people who are interested in learning. When considering a major, it is important that you find one that you enjoy. Generally if you enjoy what you study, you will do better than if you choose a major that you think the professional schools want to see.
Part of your choice of major may include thinking about a backup plan in case you, even temporarily, do not gain acceptance in your chosen professional field. Professional programs are extremely competitive and it may take several years of applications to be successful. You will need something to do during that time. Your academic advisor, the Center for Pre-Professional Advising office and the Center for Career Opportunities can help you think about alternate careers that might be available to you.
Will it help my chances of acceptance if I have a double major or a minor?
Professional schools are most interested in your overall performance. They also seek students who have interests and courses in a variety of fields including the sciences and non-science courses. As stated above, if this is where your interests lie, then by all means pursue these options. Do not, however, do this if your motivation is pleasing the professional schools –– they do not care what your major is or whether you have two of them. Also remember that you can have a number of courses in another field without declaring a double major or minor. They will look more at your actual course selection than the title of your major.
If I graduate in three years, won't that impress medical schools and make them more likely to accept me?
Not really. They see your undergraduate years as your time to explore and mature. Fitting four years of education into three will not provide you with the time to have the richness of experiences, both academic and social, that other students have.
What courses do I need to prepare me for professional school?
In general, professional schools are looking for students with broad interests who have a strong academic background with solid grades. The required prerequisite courses differ by health careers and by school. Look through the Career Guides to see the prerequisite courses that a number of healthcare programs require. Some types of professional programs vary considerably by school in the courses they require. Others, like medical and dental schools, are fairly standard in what you will need for that field. Regardless of which field you choose, you will likely need a strong background in the sciences including biology, chemistry, physics, and math. In addition, professional schools often expect courses in psychology and other social sciences as well as English. They recognize the benefit of social science and humanities courses in developing your reading, thinking, and writing skills.
How many Purdue applicants are accepted in medical, dental, optometry, and other programs each year?
The answer to this question is really not helpful as, ultimately, it is the student who gains acceptance to a professional program –– not the undergraduate institution. By keeping your grades up (ideally in the 3.6 or better range), preparing well for any required aptitude tests, following the advice of your academic advisor and the Center for Pre-Professional Advising office, getting to know faculty, gaining medical experience, being active on campus, and participating in research, your chances of being accepted are very good. Purdue's students who have done these things are quite successful in gaining acceptance into professional programs.
Because there is no consistent method for gathering and reporting data on applicant success rates and the statistics can be confusing, Purdue does not publish this information as a recruiting tool.
Should I retake a class?
If you had one course that gave you trouble, you should probably just move on and not worry too much about it. If it was a required prerequisite for your professional school program, you must repeat it if you have below a C. Ideally you would repeat it at Purdue to show that you mastered the material and didn't just find a similar course where it might be easier. Having too many repeated courses on your transcript will not look good for you. How many is too many? That depends on the school and your overall academic record.
What do professional school admissions offices look for?
First of all, there is no magical formula for gaining entry into a professional school program. Most programs have a lot of applicants and often look for students with credentials well above the established minimums. Making it into a healthcare field will generally take a good deal of hard work, strong grades, strong aptitude test scores, a background of service, some medical experience, and communications skills.
Most programs are looking for well-rounded students with academic interests within and outside their majors. They also seek students who have a record of service and who have been active on campus. You also need to show them your interest in a healthcare field by volunteering time in a healthcare setting, shadowing a practitioner in the field you have chosen, and/or working in a healthcare setting.
Programs generally look at overall grades as well as the science GPA (biology, chemistry, physics, and math). Look under the FAQs for professional school applicants for more detailed information.