UB Prehealth Advising

Health Careers

Preparing for a Career in Medicine, Dentistry, Podiatry, Optometry, Veterinary, Chiropractic Medicine

Congratulations! You are considering a challenging and rewarding professional goal and we wish you every success. To help you adequately prepare for these careers, you must begin early in your UB career in order to build your record of academic and personal accomplishments.

Your Record

To begin, meet with your academic advisor to discuss your interest. Two full-time preprofessional health advisors are available for individual appointments and casual drop in hours. A staff of full and part-time professional advisors further supports this office, located in Student Advising Services, 109 Norton Hall. Workshops and admissions information programs are conducted throughout the year. A resource library is open every weekday, and all the test and central service applications are available to students. You will be building a complete dossier with which to apply to these professional schools. Each of the requirements is an essential part of the whole dossier and includes the following elements.

Undergraduate Major

Choosing a Major: Professional health schools do not necessarily prefer one major to another. The University at Buffalo offers over 90 different majors as well as the option to create your own individualized field of study. UB does not have a specific “preprofessional” major. The key is to select a major which you thoroughly enjoy insuring the greatest likelihood of excellent academic success. Select a major that is of interest to you and that will provide the background necessary to pursue several career alternatives.

Prerequisite Courses

Start planning as a freshman to meet the following course requirements: one year each of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biology, and Physics, all with a year of lab; one year of English; and one year of Calculus is recommended. Although specific requirements do vary somewhat from one profession to another, these five are common to all. Below are the UB courses that we recommend you take in order to meet these requirements.

• Premedical and predental students who are not Biology majors are encouraged to also take BIO 205 and PGY300.
• Veterinary Colleges: Nearly all require biochemistry; others require genetics, microbiology, math and/or nutrition.
• Optometry Schools: All require psychology and statistics; others require microbiology, biochemistry, and anatomy, as well. Check with the prehealth advisor regarding the specific schools you are interested in.
• AP Coursework: AP credit used for prerequisite courses should be followed with additional upper level work. Math is the only subject in which more advanced work is not usually required.

Scheduling courses: Students usually take Chemistry and/or Biology in their first year perhaps adding Math. This is the recommended sequence for Biology majors. Organic and Biology can be taken in the sophomore year and Physics follows in the third year. There are several sequences that can be followed when completing these courses. Advisors will help you throughout your career to select the best schedule possible so that you can complete these prerequisite courses in the right order and in time to take the required admissions tests.

References and the Prehealth Committee Letter

UB has a nine member faculty Prehealth Committee that will assist you in preparing your file of recommendations. Upon application, the Committee will provide all students with a composite evaluation letter addressing their qualifications for professional school. The Prehealth Committee provides the service of mailing the evaluation letter and individual references to all the professional schools to which each student applies and maintains this file for five years.

Admissions Tests

All health professional schools require a strong score on the required admission test. The required tests are as follows:

• Medical Schools – Medical College Admissions (MCAT)
• Dental School – Dental Admissions Test (DAT)
• Veterinary Colleges – Graduate Record Exam (GRE), MCAT (Check each school's requirements)
• Optometry Schools – Optometry Admissions Test (OAT)
• Podiatry Schools – MCAT
• Chiropractic Schools – none

The best preparation for these tests is good performance in your coursework in science, math, and English. UB offers all of the courses for this preparation.

Health Care Experience

Volunteer health care experience is a major consideration for most professional schools. The extensive medical community in Buffalo offers students tremendous opportunities for first hand experience in a variety of settings. Furthermore, the Community Action Corps (370 Student Union), a student organization, has already identified volunteer opportunities in all the major health care facilities in Buffalo and is ready to assist any student seeking such placements. Other volunteer service is also valuable.

Research

Research experience is important when applying to certain health schools. UB, as a major public research university in New York State, has a multitude of faculty doing research and who frequently involve undergraduates in this activity. Any student seeking such experience should pursue these opportunities. begin by consulting UB’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (CURCA).

Early Assurance Programs

Both UB’s Medical School and Dental School have special programs in which sophomores may apply. (The SUNY Medical Center in Syracuse also offers an early assurance program for sophomores.) This assurance of admission affords students the chance to complete additional studies, study abroad, and pursue other interests free of the pressures of the admission process. Acceptance is determined at the end of the sophomore year and matriculation begins two years later, after the student has completed the bachelor’s degree. Interested students should seek the help of the preprofessional health advisors in the freshman year.

Student Organizations

Four student organizations provide information, programs, assistance, and networking for students preparing for health careers. These clubs are:

• AED – ALPHA EPSILON DELTA: national prehealth honor society; speakers
• APMS – Association of Premedical Students: shadowing programs and speakers
• MHRP – Minorities in Health Related Professions: speakers, service, scholarship library
• Pre-Dental Association – speakers, service opportunities

• Chiropractic Medicine
• Dentistry
• Medicine
• Optometry
• Podiatry
• Veterinary Medicine