Overview
This course helps students build a personalized pre-health action plan, develop strategies for professional communication and interview success, and effectively present their experiences, goals, and identity throughout the application process. Through workshops, reflection activities, and panels featuring admissions leaders and healthcare educators from programs across Texas, students gain insight into what makes applicants successful while building the skills and confidence needed to navigate the next steps of their pre-health journey. It is recommended to take NSC 107M the fall of your application year and requires completion of NSC 107J or NSC 107K.
“Hearing everyone’s stories reminded me that there are many different paths into medicine… my own path does not have to look a certain way to be valid or meaningful.”
Module 1: Your Pre-Health Action Plan
- Introduce self-assessment through the “what, why, how, and when” of the pre-health journey.
- Begin developing a personalized timeline for academic and professional planning.
- Incorporate application deadlines, coursework, extracurriculars, work, research, volunteer experiences, and personal commitments.
- Understand how different aspects of the journey connect and align over time.
Module 2: Your Interview Prep
- Review common interview formats and effective response strategies.
- Practice answering interview questions using personal experiences and supporting evidence.
- Strengthen professional communication skills for interview settings.
- Hear from an admissions panel featuring representatives from Long School of Medicine and Texas Tech Health Sciences Center who will share insights into what makes applicants successful in health professions interviews.
Module 3: Your Exam Prep
- Prepare students for professional school entrance exams using effective study strategies.
- Develop SMART goals to support structured and measurable academic progress.
- Explore financial considerations related to professional school.
- Learn how to create realistic and sustainable plans for achieving exam and academic goals.
Module 4: Your Letters of Recommendations
- Learn best practices for requesting recommendation letters professionally and effectively.
- Build a comprehensive recommendation packet to support application materials.
- Develop strategies for building professional relationships, even without an established network.
- Hear from admissions leaders and faculty from UT Health San Antonio programs in medicine, dentistry, physician assistant studies, and physical therapy on what makes an impactful recommendation letter.
Module 5: Your Personal Statement
- Identify meaningful experiences that can be used to shape a compelling narrative.
- Learn how to tailor writing to a specific audience for clarity and impact.
- Practice seeking, receiving, and applying feedback to strengthen writing.
- Hear from a panel featuring admissions professionals and faculty from UT Health San Antonio and UT Southwestern Medical Center programs in medicine, genetic counseling, physician assistant studies, and clinical nutrition about what makes a personal statement memorable and effective
To gain the most benefit, students are encouraged to take all three seminars in sequence as outlined. Students pursuing the Pre-Health Professionals Certificate are required to take two of the seminars.