How to Establish Yourself with the Pre-Health Advisory Committee (PHAC)
During your first semester, you will attend a PHAC Orientation session with Reneldo Randall, Director of Advising. He is your first point of contact for all things pre-health.
During this initial meeting ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ students will be provided the following information:
- Introduction to the application process
- A timeline and action steps
- Introduction to the services offered by the Pre-Health Advisory Committee.
Pre-Health Process Year by Year
First Year
- Prioritize your coursework and aim for a competitive GPA as a foundation.
- Join clubs and/or organizations to stay involved with your campus.
- Begin building relationships with your professors and advisors.
- Attend Pre-Health orientation.
- In the spring, begin searching for summer research and/or volunteer opportunities.
- Create resume and portfolio.
Second Year
- Continue to expand upon your foundation from freshman year.
- If you fell short in one area your first year, be sure to compensate for that your sophomore year.
- Attempt to gain leadership rolls in your clubs/organizations
- Begin looking at the MCAT/DAT/GRE/PCAT exam process.
- Start to build a list of prospective professional programs.
- Try to gain some clinical experience.
- Continue to keep in touch with your professors and advisors.
Third Year
- Begin studying for your MCAT/DAT/GRE/PCAT.
- Become familiar with the professional school application process.
- Continue acquiring clinical and volunteer experience.
- Look for more research opportunities.
- Be sure to keep in contact with first and second year professors for prospective letters of recommendation.
- Begin to draft your personal statement.
- Have ready an up-to-date version of your academic resume and portfolio.
Fourth Year
- Finish up professional school prerequisite coursework.
- Have taken or take the required professional school entry exam.
- Begin the process for the Pre-Health Committee Letter.
- Sign up for a Pre-Health Mock interview.
- Finish and submit professional school applications.
Pre-Health Advisory Committee Letter Process
Students planning to apply during the current application cycle should complete the following steps in order to schedule a committee interview. The committee interview is required for students requesting a committee letter from the PHAC for applications to medical or dental school. Students applying to all other professional health programs (pharmacy, physician assistant, optometry, podiatry, etc.) are encouraged to attend the pre-health interviewing workshop.
-
Step 1
-
Be eligible and have applied officially to work with the pre-health advisory committee .
-
-
Step 2
- Fully complete and submit the .
-
Step 3
- Sign up for your pre-health mock interview . Committee interviews will be conducted between May 1st and November 1st.
-
Step 4
- Participate in Mock Interview.
-
Step 5
- Submit Committee letter writer request/submission details (AMCAS -MD, AACOMAS - DO, Interfolio information, etc.) to Reneldo Randall (Pre-Health Advisor) at rrandall@odu.edu.
-
Step 6
- Committee letters are typically completed in two to three weeks after the mock interview has been completed and the committee letter details have been received.
Pre-Health Process Year by Year
First Year
- Prioritize your coursework and aim for a competitive GPA as a foundation.
- Join clubs and/or organizations to stay involved with your campus.
- Begin building relationships with your professors and advisors.
- Attend Pre-Health orientation.
- In the spring, begin searching for summer research and/or volunteer opportunities.
- Create resume and portfolio.
Second Year
- Continue to expand upon your foundation from freshman year.
- If you fell short in one area your first year, be sure to compensate for that your sophomore year.
- Attempt to gain leadership rolls in your clubs/organizations
- Begin looking at the MCAT/DAT/GRE/PCAT exam process.
- Start to build a list of prospective professional programs.
- Try to gain some clinical experience.
- Continue to keep in touch with your professors and advisors.
Third Year
- Begin studying for your MCAT/DAT/GRE/PCAT.
- Become familiar with the professional school application process.
- Continue acquiring clinical and volunteer experience.
- Look for more research opportunities.
- Be sure to keep in contact with first and second year professors for prospective letters of recommendation.
- Begin to draft your personal statement.
- Have ready an up-to-date version of your academic resume and portfolio.
Fourth Year
- Finish up professional school prerequisite coursework.
- Have taken or take the required professional school entry exam.
- Begin the process for the Pre-Health Committee Letter.
- Sign up for a Pre-Health Mock interview.
- Finish and submit professional school applications.
Pre-Health Advisory Committee Letter Process
Students planning to apply during the current application cycle should complete the following steps in order to schedule a committee interview. The committee interview is required for students requesting a committee letter from the PHAC for applications to medical or dental school. Students applying to all other professional health programs (pharmacy, physician assistant, optometry, podiatry, etc.) are encouraged to attend the pre-health interviewing workshop.
-
Step 1
-
Be eligible and have applied officially to work with the pre-health advisory committee .
-
-
Step 2
- Fully complete and submit the .
-
Step 3
- Sign up for your pre-health mock interview . Committee interviews will be conducted between May 1st and November 1st.
-
Step 4
- Participate in Mock Interview.
-
Step 5
- Submit Committee letter writer request/submission details (AMCAS -MD, AACOMAS - DO, Interfolio information, etc.) to Reneldo Randall (Pre-Health Advisor) at rrandall@odu.edu.
-
Step 6
- Committee letters are typically completed in two to three weeks after the mock interview has been completed and the committee letter details have been received.