WHAT ARE “PRE-PROFESSIONAL” PROGRAMS?
“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” – Benjamin Franklin
If you have already started exploring college sites and their academic offerings, you probably have seen a section such as “Pre-Professional Programs”.
Pre-professional tracks are in undergraduate programs that prepare you for a professional degree after you complete your bachelor’s. If you know which career you want to pursue after graduation, there may be an advisory program in place to help you get there. The two most common tracks are pre-med and pre-law, but there are also pre-professional programs designed to help those students become veterinarians, chiropractors, dentists, architects, etc.
The list is longer than you might expect.
A pre-professional “major” is not a major in the traditional sense, it’s more of a track to follow. A faculty adviser will help you pick out the best courses and extracurricular activities to increase your chances of being admitted to your professional program of choice.
Pre-Professional is just that: “Pre” professional. Choosing a pre-professional program and completing your plan does not however simply guarantee you admission into a professional program.
TYPES OF PRE-PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS
The most common include:
· Pre-Law
· Pre-Med
· Pre-Engineering
Other programs, mostly in health care, also have pre-professional programs. Pre-dentistry, pre-pharmacy, pre-chiropractic, pre-podiatry, pre-physical therapy, pre-veterinary medicine, and pre-business are rare but specialized programs at some colleges and universities.
Remember that just because you choose a pre-professional major and completed your plan, does not guarantee you admission to a professional program. Competition in admissions to professional programs are stiff, so be sure you are willing to dedicate the next several years of your life to making yourself stand out among your peers.
WHAT EXACTLY ARE THESE PROGRAMS?
These programs are offered by colleges to students who know (or want to explore) which field they want to work in upon graduation. The programs give you a track to follow to help you succeed in your goals.
SPECIALIZED FACULTY ADVISORS HELP:
· Complete all the prerequisite courses required by graduate schools
· Access experiential learning opportunities
· Discover internships, study abroad programs, and volunteer work
· Participate in summer opportunities and enrichment programs
· Prepare for standardized tests like the MCAT or LSAT
· Navigate the process of applying to graduate schools
· Obtain the necessary letters of recommendation
Most students will meet with their advisor at least once per semester. Pre-professional programs also host events throughout the year to provide students with opportunities to expand their networks and broaden their horizons.
HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM A MAJOR?
You can major in whatever you like and still enroll in a pre-professional program. Most students will choose a major that is an obvious fit for their future career, such as Biology for pre-med. If you do this, there will be a good amount of overlap between requirements for graduation and graduate school prerequisites, which makes life a bit easier.
Still, there are English majors and even Performance Studies majors who are accepted into medical school. You would need to take all of the required science courses and study for the MCAT in addition to fulfilling the requirements for your major, so it would be similar to the process of earning a double major.
Program advisors can help you to choose a major that works well with your career path.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF THIS?
The programs give you a solid platform from which to launch your career. It will help you to achieve your career goals by giving you access to a team of advisors who can help you meet all of your target schools’ matriculation requirements.
Prerequisites may vary widely from one school to another; they may even include courses not offered by your school. Aspiring veterinarians often need to take online courses from other universities to meet all of the prerequisites for graduate school matriculation. If you’re in a pre-professional program, your advisor will make sure none of these prerequisites slip through the cracks.
EXAMPLE OF MEDICAL SCHOOL ACCEPTANCES
Fewer than 50% of medical school applicants are accepted. The rate of acceptance for dental school applicants is around 55%. Students who participate in pre-professional programs are far more likely to matriculate into graduate schools. Rates vary according to school; keep this in mind as you research potential colleges.
HOW DO I FIND A PRE-PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM?
At many schools, you can find it listed on the website alongside the majors and minors. You can also contact admissions to see if they offer any programs if you do not see it on the school website.
PRE-LAW
Law schools look for academically well-rounded candidates. There isn’t one particular major that leads to acceptance to law school, but admissions committees prefer to accept students who excelled in their studies and took at least a few classes related to law.
Pre-professional law programs groom students to be critical thinkers and excellent communicators as these are two of the most important assets of an effective lawyer. Since there is not one specific track, colleges that offer a pre-law major usually provide students services that help their chances of getting into law school.
PRE-ENGINEERING
A pre-engineering program is designed to facilitate the successful transition of qualified students into an engineering major. The program provides a structured pathway of course work combined with academic advising to prepare students to enter the engineering major of their choice.
A Pre-Engineering Program (PREP) will have fundamental classes in mathematics, sciences, and engineering, allowing students to earn a dual degree. This could also be a great way to save money by going to a community college, transferring into an engineering bachelor degree program, and / or have time to decide which area of engineering they really want to study.
PRE-MED
The rules for getting into medical school are a bit stricter, requiring students to decide on a pre-med track by their freshman year (or stay in school longer if they decide after freshman year). Pre-med students can choose any major, but the American Association of Medical Colleges’ Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) suggests they complete the following courses:
· One year of biology
· One year of physics
· One year of inorganic chemistry
· One year of organic chemistry
The MSAR also urges students to take courses in mathematics and expository writing. If you’re in high school and thinking about the pre-med track, the Princeton Review suggests a heavy dose of sciences; chemistry, biology and physics can give you a head start on what you will learn in pre-med.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRE-MED VS. PRE-HEALTH
Pre-med programs are ideal for anyone who plans to become a medical doctor. Pre-health programs are broader and well-suited to anyone who wants to work in medicine.
Popular majors for pre-health students include:
· Biological Sciences
· Math and Statistics
· Physical Sciences
Undergraduate requirements for these two programs are so similar that many schools include their pre-med program under the pre-health umbrella.
PRE-HEALTH CAREERS:
· Anesthesiology
· Audiology
· Chiropractic
· Dental Hygiene
· Dentistry
· Exercise Science
· Forensic Science
· Medical Laboratory Science
· Medicine
· Naturopathic Medicine
· Nursing
· Nutrition
· Occupational Therapy
· Optometry
· Podiatry
· Pharmacy
· Physical Therapy
· Physical Therapy Assistant
· Physician Assistant
· Public Health
· Radiology Tech
· Respiratory Therapy
· Speech Language Pathology
· Sports Medicine
· Veterinary Science
As you can see, there are some good reasons to consider getting into one of these programs and chatting with an admissions officer or program advisor if you are looking to pursue a career in one of these specialized areas.
