Getting Started
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 Â鶹´«Ã½ 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.
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Questions?
If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact Reneldo Randall atÌýrrandall@odu.edu.
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.
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Helpful Links from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)Ìý
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.
Ìý
Helpful Links from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)Ìý
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.
Resources for Pre-Health Students
Download this Excel spreadsheet to help calculate your GPA.
One of the best ways to make yourself a competitive candidate for admission to the professional health program of your choice is to gain experience through shadowing, volunteering and internships. Do not put this off; you should start gaining experience in your chosen profession starting in your freshman year at Â鶹´«Ã½.
Hospitals that accept volunteers
- Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters
- Sentara
- Riverside
- Bon Secours
Local organizations & clinics
- Virginia Beach Emergency Medical Services
- Jordan Young Institute
- Scribe America
- Hampton Roads Cardiology PLLC
- Intrepid USA Healthcare, Inc.
- Wagner Macula and Retina Center
- The Virginia Volunteer Health System (VVHS)
- Western Tidewater Free Clinic
- Chesapeake Care Clinic
- EVMS HOPES Student-Run Free Clinic
- Virginia Association of free and Charitable Clinics
Pre-health mentorship
Contact:Ìýprehealthmentor@odu.edu
Learn more about theÌýÌýat Virginia Commonwealth University.
Please view the below video on personal statements brought to you by the Pre-Health Advisory Committee at Â鶹´«Ã½. This presentation will provide strategies for crafting a personal statement that reflects your accomplishments while helping you stand out from the crowd.
You will also find resources here that will assist you in formulating some ideas for your own personal statement:
If you are applying during the current application cycle (June) and would like to have a one-on-one discussion to further workshop your personal statement, there will be opportunities available during the spring semester. You will receive an email from prehealth@odu.edu with further details.
Joint Programs
- Â鶹´«Ã½, Eastern Virginia Medical School Joint Program in Medicine
- VCOM Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Joint Program
Pre-Health Tracks
Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Students
Any student wishing to apply to a postgraduate professional health program may use the PHAC's services, regardless of major. Applying to a professional health program is a long and rigorous process; therefore it is important to establish yourself as a pre-health student early in your college career so that you can utilize the various people and resources that are dedicated to helping you succeed and achieve your goals.
Eligibility
Required:
-
Completion of BIOL 121N/122N, BIOL 123N/124N, CHEM 121N/122N and CHEM 123N/124N
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At least some experience in one or more of the following categories (80 cumulative hours):
- Volunteering (Clinical or Non-Clinical)
- Internships
- Scribing
- Shadowing
- Research
- Other
-
Attend PHAC Orientation Session
- Introduction to the application process
- Timeline and action steps
Recommended:
-
Professional schools typically require a minimum of a 3.0 GPA
You must complete the application for evaluation by the Â鶹´«Ã½ Pre-Health Advisory Committee (PHAC).