2 Years Before Attending

Connect with Resources

Continue checking in with a Pre-Health Advisor once a semester to touch base about your progress, get any questions you might have answered, etc.
Continue maintaining relationships with professors, mentors, advisors, etc.
Research the entrance exam for your chosen profession. Investigate resources that will help you prepare for the exam and determine which will work best for you.

Continue maintaining a strong GPA across your classes.
Ensure that your course plan leaves time to study for your entrance exam. Keep your course load as light as possible during the semester where you'll be studying for the exam.
Calculate your overall cumulative GPA (including any grades from other schools) and your math and science GPA. Evaluate whether your GPA is within a competitive range for the schools where you'd like to apply. Have a discussion with your pre-health advisor about your findings and determine whether a gap year(s) would be beneficial.

Continue participating in meaningful activities and consider taking on a leadership role related to any of your long-term experiences.
Use AAMC Core Competencies to identify skills you want to build before applying. Reflect on your past and current experiences. Which core competencies do they address? Which core competencies do you want to grow? Seek experiences to develop these skills.
- Note that while the AAMC Core Competencies were developed by medical schools, they apply to all health professions.

Think about who you want to ask to write your letters of recommendation. Ask any current or previous faculty you have in mind and maintain relationships with them.
Consider criteria that are most important to you in a professional school. Research schools and narrow down a list of where you want to apply. As you collect information, use this worksheet to keep track of how well each school aligns with your priorities.
Look into the cost of the application process. Determine a budget and investigate financial assistance programs available for your chosen field.
Research the centralized application used for your field and note the date that it opens. Determine a timeline for taking your entrance exam and applying.
Begin to consider experiences you'd like to gain during a gap year. Is there an area of your application you'd like to strengthen or a skill you'd like to gain?
Study, register for, and take the entrance exam for your profession. Download the worksheet below to use as a guide in planning for your exam.