Curriculum Planning and Professional School Application Deadlines

Pre-professional students must be aware that a professional school may require receipt of an application a full year before graduation. For instance, the common applications for many professional health programs open in the summer after one's junior year. Students should pay close attention to priority deadlines set by programs. In addition, many programs use a rolling admissions process, which gives early applicants an advantage because their application is reviewed upon submission. By waiting until a deadline, applicants might find that a program is already filled.
Students who are planning to attend graduate school should be aware of rolling admissions processes as well and should enter their senior year ready to apply in the fall.

General Pre-Professional Application Timeline

Year 1: First-year students should connect with the Pre-Professional & Graduate School Planning advisors in the Career Center and their academic advisor about their pre-professional interests.  Students should allow themselves a space to explore all of their options within their desired field.  In addition, they should start seeking opportunities to get involved on campus through pre-professional clubs and other student organizations.

Year 2: Second-year students should plan to either attend a resume writing workshop or to meet with a career advisor to start building a resume or CV.  These will be needed as application documents when applying for part-time jobs, internships, or even seeking shadowing opportunities.  Building a network of faculty, staff, and professional mentors as early as sophomore year can be beneficial for students when seeking practical experiences and thinking ahead to the need for professional school recommendations.  Students should continue working with their academic advisor to ensure that they are completing the required pre-requisites for their desired program.  

Year 3: In the third year, work with your academic advisor to assess academic standing and completion of pre-requisites to ensure you are on track for admission into your desired program.   Third-year students should begin preparing and registering for whichever test they need to get into their desired program.  If pursuing professional health programs, create a common application account for the specific program and begin preparing application documents.  Most professional health program applications should be submitted prior to entering your fourth year.  For this reason, the most prepared students complete their first mock interview with the Career Center during their third year.  With many common applications opening in the summer, it is possible that a professional school would invite a student to interview as early as September.  Be sure to look at a variety of programs and schools to have the best possible chance of being admitted.  

Year 4: Entering your final year of college, you should have completed or have an assigned date by the fall semester for whichever testing is required from your desired program.  Continue practicing for anticipated interviews with the Career Center.  Keep in contact with a pre-professional advisor for guidance on funding or evaluating acceptance offers.  Students should work closely with the pre-professional advisors in the Career Center on alternative plans if a gap year is needed to complete pre-requisites and required practical hours as well as to further improve competitiveness of application.