Co-Curricular Opportunities

In addition to your GPA and admission test scores (MCAT, DAT, etc.), professional health school admission officers are interested in applicants who show their care and concern for others, leadership, diversity of interests, motivation and commitment.

Participation in co-curricular activities that include experience in the health care field, community service, leadership, and research experiences are a critical part of becoming a competitive applicant to professional health schools.

Volunteer Opportunities

MSU Center for Community Engaged Learning: Service-learning students contribute their time, energy, and unique talents to nonprofit organizations, schools, hospitals, health care facilities, government agencies, and advocacy groups in ways that help to meet community needs. The service may be connected to a specific MSU course or academic major, or may simply be related to a personal passion.

MSU Pre-Health & Health-Related Student Organizations:
Students involved in MSU's pre-health and health-related RSO's are leaders in community service. Each organization is involved in service at a local, regional, national and/or international level.

VolunteerMatch: Explore a variety of volunteer opportunities in your local area using the VolunteerMatch database.

Shadowing Opportunities

Job shadowing is an opportunity to observe a healthcare practitioner in a particular job of interest. During a job shadowing experience, you will spend time following the individual around to see what a day of work looks like in that career. It's recommended that you dress professionally, bring a list of prepared questions, and carry a notepad and pen or pencil to take notes. 

Finding a Job Shadowing Opportunity 

To locate a shadowing opportunity, consider speaking with practitioners you have connected with in the past or search for various practices in the local area and contact their offices directly. We recommend reviewing this blog post on finding job shadowing opportunities and the information below: 

Location ideas by profession:

• Physician – Hospital, urgent care, out-patient, private/family practice
• Physician Assistant – Hospital, medical practice (surgical center, dermatology, general practice), urgent care
• Dental/Chiropractic/Podiatrist – Private practice in local area
• Optometry - Private practice or large retailer (Walmart, Meijer, Costco)
• Pharmacist – Hospital, Meijer, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Central Pharmacy
• Physical/Occupational Therapy – Private practice, hospital, rehabilitation facility, nursing homes

Other items to consider:

• Private and small practices, such as those involved in dental, physical or occupation therapy, should be considered when trying to obtain shadowing experience. Hospitals and larger institutions often offer volunteering over shadowing
• Call directly to see what opportunities are available.
• Confirm what forms provided by the shadowing site, if any, need to be completed by you in order to shadow.

Preparing for Job Shadowing

To assist you in preparing for a job shadowing experience, please download this job shadowing guide.

Research Opportunities

Research can be done in any subject matter, whether its biochemistry, theater, or psychology. You will develop skills in data collection, critical thinking, problem solving, time management, and more. Explore the information below to locate research experience. 

• MSU Undergraduate Research Office
• Venture - MSU Undergraduate Research Database
• College of Natural Science Research

College and Departmental Websites

The only requirement is your interest, so make sure to check out different college/departmental websites for opportunities.

• College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition
  • School of Packaging
• College of Arts & Letters
  • Department of English
  • MSU Neurolinguistics Lab
  • MSU Language Acquisition Lab
  • MSU Sociolinguistics Lab
  • Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures
• Eli Broad College of Business
• College of Communication Arts & Sciences
  • MSU Behavior, Information & Technology Lab
  • MSU Communication Technology Lab
  • MSU Games for Entertainment & Learning Lab
  • Health & Risk Communication Center
  • Knight Center for Environmental Journalism
• College of Education
  • Department of Kinesiology
• College of Engineering
  • Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratories
  • Biomechanical Design Research Laboratory
• Honors College
• James Madison College
• College of Music
• College of Nursing
• College of Social Science
  • Research Centers & Institutes
  • Department of Anthropology
  • School of Criminal Justice
  • Department of Geography
  • Human Development & Family Studies
  • Department of Psychology
  • Department of Sociology
• College of Human Medicine
  • Research Education Program to Increase Diversity in Health Researchers (REPID)
• College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology Department

Internship Opportunities

Michigan Department of Community Health: Looking for talented, dedicated, innovative students and graduates that want to gain the experience and knowledge of public service.

American Public Health Association Internships: A variety of internships for undergrad and grad students are available.

Center for Disease Control: A variety of hands-on training programs for undergraduate students.

MHealthy Intern: Summer internship opportunities for undergraduate students in the areas of community health, fitness center management, health education, nutrition, tobacco cessation, and marketing.

Van Andel Education Institute Summer Internship Programs: The goal of these programs is to expose aspiring researchers and clinicians to exciting advances in biomedical sciences that will help define their career paths.

College of Natural Science Internships: Information on internships for College of Natural Science majors.

Summer Opportunities

The Association of American Medical Colleges:

• MD-PhD Summer Undergraduate Research Programs: Medical research opportunities for undergraduates on medical school campuses.
• Public Health Training Opportunities: Listing of public health training programs
• Summer Undergraduate Research Programs: Listing of summer programs for undergraduates interested in pursuing careers in medical research..
• Summer Enrichment Programs: Programs located on medical school campuses across the country.

National Institute of Health: The NIH provides a plethora of summer opportunities for students at all levels.

National Science Foundation: NSF funds a large number of research opportunities for undergraduate students through its REU Sites program. An REU Site consists 
of a group of ten or so undergraduates who work in the research programs of the host institution.

Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP): The SHPEP program offers freshmen and sophomore students a variety of academic and career experiences that will support their dental and medical school career preparation.

Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP): The Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) is a gateway to graduate education at Council on Institutional Cooperation universities.

Dentistry:

• University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry Summer Enrichment Program
• University of Michigan School of Dentistry Profile for Success Program

Optometry:

• Indiana University School of Optometry Summer Research Program
• Illinois College of Optometry Focus on Your Future Program
• Ohio State University College of Optometry I-DOC Program

Osteopathic Medicine:

• MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine SUPER Program
• Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Public Health:

• University of Michigan School of Public Health Summer Enrichment Program
• University of Michigan School of Public Health Future Public Health Leaders Program

Michigan State University:

• Undergraduate Research Office
• Venture Undergraduate Research Database
• Undergraduate Student Summer Research Program in Biomedical Sciences

University of Michigan:

• Undergraduate Summer Research
• University of Michigan Medical School Michigan Health Sciences Summer Institute

Wayne State University School of Medicine:

• Summer Fellowship Research Program
• Summer Undergraduate Research Experience

International Opportunities

Before embarking on a health-related international experience, please review:

AAMC Guidelines for Premedical and Medical Students Providing Patient Care During Clinical Experiences Abroad

ADEA Guidelines for Predental Students Providing Patient Care [PDF]

Study Abroad:

• College of Natural Science Study Abroad Programs
• MSU International Internships
• MSU Office of Study Abroad
• MSU Study Abroad Research Opportunities
• Brazil Health Exposure Experience in Belem & Braganca
• Communication Disorders – United Kingdom
• Community Medicine in Yucatan, Mexico
• Community Medicine, Healthcare Delivery System & Culture in South Korea
• Costa Rica: Development, Health and Environment
• The Cuban Health Care System & Culture
• Forensic Anthropology and Human Identification in the United Kingdom
• Global Health Education – Understanding Turkish Cultures and Health Care Delivery System
• Healthcare in Brazil
• LaSalle Beauvais Summer Cooking for Health: From Field to Plate Program in France
• Malawi: Infectious Diseases of Africa
• Medical Ethics & Health Policy in London
• One Health in Nepal
  Pre-Clinical Observation, Culture & Medicine in the Dominican Republic
• Public Health in Ghana: Methods for Community Practice
• Public Health Discovery Adventure in Western Pacific Islands and Japan
• Spanish for the Healthcare Professions in Mexico
   

Atlantis Project: The Atlantis Project Fellowship immerses pre-med and pre-health undergraduates in small hospitals in Europe. Successful applicants spend a few intense weeks observing the daily life of doctors in various specialties.

Child Family Health International (CFHI): CFHI provides community-based Global Health Education Programs for health science students and institutions.

International Service Learning (ISL): ISL enlists medical and educational volunteer teams for the provision of services to under-served populations in Central and South America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Africa.