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Pre-Health Timeline

Jump to the following milestones:

Academic Years

This is the time while you are in college/university, including postbac programs and if you are taking additional classes after graduating from UCSC.

Explore Health Professions

Get familiar with health professions that align with your career interest. There are many health professional careers that all have different training requirements.

Programs/Schools of Interest

Begin to identify programs that will best prepare you for your career goals. There are many factors to consider when finding programs that may interest you, including class size, metrics of previous cohorts, mission and values, student resources, location of the school, costs of tuition, and cost of living. 

Academics

Prioritize your academics. Your overall GPA and science GPA are important metrics that admission offices will consider. Prerequisites for programs vary, so you must find the requirements for each program you plan to apply to.

Standardized Exams

Learn which standardized exam you may need. Exam requirements vary by program, and some applications may not require a standardized exam. Many standardized exams also offer fee reduction opportunities. The Application at a glace resource summarizes information from different health professional school applications. Create a study plan to help you prepare for the exam you need.

Letters of Recommendations

Begin/continue developing relationships with your professors. Attend office hours so that professors get to know you. Start to talk to your professors about your career goals and interest in attending medical or other health professional schools.

Experiences

Identify opportunities that will help you develop your skills. The quality of your experiences is more important than the number of different experiences you may obtain. Prioritize the opportunities that are most interesting and exciting to you. They don’t have to be exclusively health or STEM-related. It is important to begin/continue developing your core competencies.

Self-Assessment

Track the current development of your core competencies. Identify which core competencies you can already demonstrate and which you can work on. 

Get comfortable communicating your interest in becoming a health professional. Focus on skills, roles, and responsibilities that you look most forward to in this profession. You need to go beyond the reason of just wanting to help people.

Experience Years (Gap Years)

Experience or gap years are the norm and are typically seen as a positive when applying to medical school or other health professional programs. This is typically one or more years before you plan to apply for medical or health professional schools. You may also begin building your experiences during your academic years.

Do You Need Experience Years or Gap Years?

Consider if experience years will make you a stronger candidate. As GPA and standardized exam metrics become more competitive, having more quality experiences can help students be stronger candidates when they apply. The majority of matriculated medical school students have at least one experience year.

Experiences

Identify opportunities that will help you develop your skills. The quality of your experiences is more important than the number of different experiences you may obtain. Prioritize the opportunities that are most interesting and exciting to you. They don’t have to be exclusively health or STEM-related. It is important to begin/continue developing your core competencies.

Tracking Activities/Work

Track all your relevant activities and work experiences that you will consider including in your application. Important information to track includes dates, hours spent on activities/work, why you did the experience, and how the experience will help you be a future health professional. 

Standardized Exams

Take the exam when you feel you are ready. Follow your study plan for the exam to help you prepare. 

Letters of Recommendation

Follow up with your potential letter writers. Provide them regular updates (e.g., quarterly emails) on your career progress.

Programs/Schools of Interest

Identify programs that want to apply to. There are many factors to consider with finding programs that may interest you, including class size, metrics of previous cohorts, mission and values, student resources, location of the school, costs of tuition, and cost of living. Attend informational sessions hosted by programs of interest. 

Self-Assessment

Update your self-assessment. See how you have progressed in your candidacy and see if you feel that you are a strong candidate for your desired schools.

Application Year

This is one year before you plan to start medical or health professional school. If you plan to start immediately after graduating from UCSC, you should apply the summer before your senior year.

Preparing Application Materials in Winter (January – March)

Begin drafting your personal statement. Your main focus should be why you are interested in being a health professional. Think of a few core competencies you want to highlight in your personal statement. Share experiences that demonstrate those competencies.

Begin drafting summaries for your work/activities section. Consider focusing on work/activities that highlight different core competencies.

Identify your letters of recommendation writers. We recommend getting 3-5 letters that will complement your overall application. Verify the required letters needed with each school you plan to apply to. Ideally, each writer should focus on highlighting different core competencies.

Request official transcripts from all colleges and universities you attended. You will need your transcripts to help you fill out the coursework section of the application. 

Filling Out Primary Application

Begin to fill out the primary application early. The primary application includes submitting transcripts and entering your grades, personal statement, and work/activities.

Submit your application within a couple of months from the date you can start submitting. Many programs review applications on a rolling basis, so they will start reviewing them before their deadlines. 

Complete Your Applications

Ensure that your letters of recommendation writers submit your letters early. They are not required to submit your primary application, but school admissions will not consider your entire application until your letters of recommendation are received. Follow any additional deadlines for supplemental information if provided by admissions.

Prepare for Interviews

Get familiar with the programs that you are interviewing for. Review their website to get a refresher on their mission and values. Be prepared to ask questions about the program.