Welcome to the Pre-Health Professions Program at C.W. Post

THE PRE-HEALTH PROFESSIONS COMMITTEE

The Pre-Health Professions Program is designed to assist students in their pursuit of admission to health professional schools, such as medicine, dentistry, optometry, podiatry, and veterinary medicine, etc. The program is administered by a committee consisting of faculty members from various academic departments of the University.

Students planning to apply to medical, dental, veterinary, optometry, chiropractic or podiatry schools should register with the Pre-Health Professions Committee as early as possible in their academic careers. The Committee is happy to receive Freshman registrants. The Pre-Health Professions Committee Chair will counsel students as to courses which they should take to fulfill the requirements of the professional school they wish to attend. Committee members also advise students preparing for the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test), DAT (Dental Admissions Test), or other examinations.

When a student has registered with the Pre-Health Professions Committee Chair, he/she will be assigned to a member of the Committee who will serve as the student's sponsor throughout the college years. The sponsor will advise the student in program planning and will maintain contact through in-depth interviews.

The Committee Chair advises students about their course of study, their possibility of admission to professional schools and other issues related to professional schools.

In addition the Pre-Health Profession student will be interviewed by two Committee members. The interviewers' evaluations will be placed in the student's file which is used to write the letter of recommendation to the professional schools.

PRE-HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENT FILE

After registering with the Pre-Health Professions Committee Chair, the student will be asked to complete a file which will be used to formulate an overall evaluation of his/her ability, personality and commitment. The student file will consist of an autobiography, academic appraisals from faculty members, interview evaluations, descriptions of volunteer work and other non-academic recommendations from employers, physicians, dentists, or others. The student's file forms the basis of the composite letter of recommendation to the professional schools. Most health professional schools prefer a composite letter to support the student's application.

REQUIREMENTS FOR PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS

A student who wishes to pursue a career in the Health Professions may choose any major, keeping in mind that the professional schools seek applicants with good liberal arts backgrounds. The professional schools require the following minimum science courses:        

1 year of General Biology (BIO 103,104)
1 year of General Chemistry (CHM 3,4)
1 year of Organic Chemistry (CHM 21,22)
1 year of General Physics (PHY 3,4 - for which Calculus (MTH 7,8) is a prerequisite)

Pre-Health Professional students should attempt to complete these requirements before the end of their junior year so that they are prepared to take the MCAT, DAT, etc., in April of their junior year and take advantage of some advanced science electives.

Students are encouraged to participate in Aesculapius, a student club for pre-health professional students.

PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS TESTS

The admissions tests (MCAT, DAT, etc.) should be taken in April of the student's junior year. The application forms for these tests are available on-line at the Association of American Medical Colleges.

COMMITTEE LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

When the pre-health profession student has completed the requirements for the professional school, taken the professional school admission test, and completed his/her file, the sponsor, together with the chairman of the Pre-Health Professions committee will write a composite letter based on the contents of the student's file, which will be sent to those professional schools to which the student has applied.

For further information, please contact

Dr. Joan Shields, Chair
Pre-Health Professions Committee
Chemistry Department
Pell Hall, Room 318
C.W. Post Campus, Long Island University
Brookville, NY 11548
 Telephone: 516-299-4157

or e-mail Joan.Shields@liu.edu

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