Preparation

Preparing for a career as a health care professional is very challenging.  Similar to the AAMC’s E-A-M Model, we created the “Inside/Outside of the Box Model” below to help you visualize and understand the multiple factors needed to apply to health professional schools. To become a competitive applicant for admission, you need to be a STRONG applicant “Inside of the Box” AND have some “Outside of the Box” experiences that will make you interesting and unique from other applicants.

Pre-Health Student Experiences: Inside & Outside of the Box

WHAT MAKES YOU INTERESTING AND/OR UNIQUE?

“Inside of the Box” Experiences = Foundations to Competitiveness

The factors below are highly recommended to ensure you have the CORE academic and extracurricular experiences to become a competitive applicant for health professional schools.

ACADEMIC Preparation

Prerequisite Courses

Health professional schools require prerequisite courses to be completed by Pre-Health students prior to entering a school/program. Pre-Health students can BE ANY MAJOR as long as they complete the prerequisite courses required by the schools.

Common prerequisite courses* required by health professional schools include, but are not limited to:

  • BIOLOGY: General Biology I & II with labs
    (At UCF: BSC 2010C & BSC 2011C)
  • GENERAL CHEMISTRY: General Chemistry I & II with lab(s)
    (At UCF: CHM 2040 + CHM 2041 [or CHM 2045C] & CHM 2046 & 2046L)
  • ORGANIC CHEMISTRY: Organic Chemistry I & II with lab(s)
    (At UCF: CHM 2210 & CHM 2211 & CHM 2211L)
  • BIOCHEMISTRY
    (At UCF: BCH 4053 [3 credits] or BCH 4024 [4 credits])
  • PHYSICS: Physics I & II with labs
    (At UCF: PHY 2053C & PHY 2054C or PHY2048C & PHY 2049C)
    (Prerequisite for PHY 2053C is Trigonometry, Prerequisite for PHY 2048C is Calculus I)
  • ANATOMY: Human Anatomy
    (At UCF: ZOO 3733C – Prerequisite: Biology I)
  • PHYSIOLOGY: Human Physiology
    (At UCF: PCB 3703C – Prerequisite: Biology I & Chemistry I)
  • MICROBIOLOGY: General Microbiology
    (At UCF: MCB 3020C – Prerequisite: Biology I & Chemistry II)
  • GENETICS
    (At UCF: PCB 3063 – Prerequisite: Biology I & Chemistry II)
  • SOCIAL/BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
    (Commonly taken courses at UCF: General Psychology (PSY 2012), General Sociology (SYG 2000), Social Psychology (SOP 3004 – Prerequisite: General Psychology), Etc.)

*See a UCF PHPL Advisor to receive our prerequisite charts for the health professional schools in Florida and to discuss the specific prerequisite courses for your chosen health professional schools.

Overall GPA & Science GPA

Overall GPA should be 3.5 or above to be a competitive applicant for health professional schools.

Science GPA should be also be around 3.5 or above to be a competitive applicant for health professional schools. The types of courses that will be calculated into a Science GPA will vary by health professional school application system, but will typically include Biological Sciences (ex. General Biology, Anatomy, Microbiology, etc.), Chemistry courses, and Physics courses, and sometimes Mathematics and Statistics courses.

Overall GPA & Science GPA Averages for:

  • Allopathic Medicine (M.D.):
    Overall GPA – 3.71 (2017), Science GPA – 3.64 (2017)
  • Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.):
    Overall GPA – 3.56 (2016), Science GPA – 3.50 (2016)
  • Dentistry:
    Overall GPA – 3.55 (2016), Science GPA – 3.46 (2016)
  • Physician Assistant:
    Overall GPA – 3.56 (2013), Science GPA – 3.50 (2013)
  • Physical Therapy:
    Overall GPA – 3.57 (2015), Science GPA – 3.44 (2015)
  • Pharmacy:
    Overall GPA – 3.50 (estimated), Science GPA – 3.40 (estimated)
  • Veterinary:
    Overall GPA – 3.66 (UF Average, 2016), Science GPA – 3.58 (UF Average, 2016)
  • Optometry:
    Overall GPA – 3.50 (estimated), Science GPA – 3.40 (estimated)
  • Occupational Therapy:
    Overall GPA – 3.4 (estimated), Science GPA – 3.3 (estimated)
  • Podiatry:
    Overall GPA – 3.3 (2014), Science GPA – 3.2 (2014)
  • Chiropractic:
    Overall GPA – 3.0 (estimated), Science GPA – 3.0 (estimated)
  • Public Health:
    Overall GPA – 3.3 (estimated), Science GPA – 3.2 (estimated)

Admissions Tests

Treat your admission test as the most important test you will take in your life so far. Your score on your admission test can greatly affect your competitiveness for admission. Students who earn high scores on admission tests like the MCAT often study for 2-3 months, 5-6 days per week, 4-8 hours per day for their test. Different tests, different student learning styles, and different student life circumstances will necessitate different amounts of preparation time and different types of preparation though. PHPL Advisors can discuss test preparation options with you and help you determine the best test prep option for you.

  • Allopathic Medicine (M.D.):
    MCAT Average – 510.4 (2017)
  • Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.):
    MCAT Average – 502.17 (2016)
  • Dentistry:
    DAT Average – 20.3 (Academic Average, 2016)
  • Physician Assistant:
    GRE Average – 306 (2015)
  • Physical Therapy:
    GRE Average – 305 (2015)
  • Pharmacy:
    PCAT Average – 65th percentile (estimated)
  • Veterinary:
    GRE Average – 312 (UF Average, 2016)
  • Optometry:
    OAT Average – 320 (estimated)
  • Occupational Therapy:
    GRE Average – 303 (estimated)
  • Podiatry:
    MCAT Average – 21.4 (old MCAT scale, 2014)
  • Chiropractic:
    No exam needed
  • Public Health:
    GRE Average – 303 (estimated)

EXTRACURRICULAR Preparation

All health professional schools desire for you to be a WELL-ROUNDED applicant. The types of experiences below are some of the most common we see from students who are successful in gaining admission to health professional schools. The recommended amounts of the experiences are not required by health professional schools, but based on evidence and observation from advisors in our office of successfully admitted students in the past. *The types and amounts of experiences are not required, but solely intended to be a guide to help students build a competitive application.*

Health-Related – Community Service/Volunteerism

Definition: Involvement in a service activity in a medical/clinical setting and without compensation.

Amount Recommended:

  • Pre-Med Students: At least 100-150 hours
  • Other Pre-Health Professions Students: At least 50 hours

Common Locations in Central Florida:

Non-Health-Related – Community Service/Volunteerism

Definition: Involvement in a service activity not in a medical/clinical setting and without compensation.

Amount Recommended:

  • Pre-Med Students: At least 100-150 hours
  • Other Pre-Health Professions Students: At least 50 hours

Common Organizations at UCF or in Central Florida:

Shadowing/Observation

Definition: The non-participant observation of a health professional as s/he cares for and treats patients and carries out other responsibilities of their profession. Health professional schools ideally want to see shadowing/observation multiple health professionals in many different specialties (breadth) and for extended periods of time (depth).

Amount Recommended:

  • All Pre-Health Students: At least 100 hours

Common Sites to Search for Shadowing in Central Florida:
(Note: The websites below are resources to find health professionals; inclusion on the websites below does not indicate the health professional has agreed to shadowing)

Leadership

Definition: A position of responsibility for others with a purpose to guide or direct the actions of others. Leadership can be demonstrated in a variety of settings, including at school, employment, church, community, and in organizations. Leadership is very broad and it can occur in many areas. The areas include, but are not limited to, being a student organization officer or director, RA, TA, tutor, mentor, trainer, or coach.

Amount Recommended:

  • Pre-Med Students: At least 2 leadership positions for at least 1 year combined
  • Pre-Dental, Pre-PA, and Pre-PT Students: At least 1 leadership position for at least 1 year
  • Other Pre-Health Professions Students: At least 1 leadership position for at least 1 semester

Common Opportunities at UCF to Show Leadership:

Opportunities Outside of UCF to Show Leadership:

Research

Definition: Involvement in a scholarly or scientific hypothesis investigation that is supervised by an individual with verifiable research credentials such as a professor or physician. Research experience may be gained in any discipline and performed at any site. Health professional schools are not particular about what type of research a student does, they just want the student to have a familiarity with and background in research.

Amount Recommended:

  • Pre-Med Students: At least assist a professor (or physician) with their research and try to obtain a presentation (like at UCF’s SURE or a conference) and/or publication in a journal. An independent research project such as UCF’s Honors in the Major program is even more beneficial.
  • Other Pre-Health Professions Students: At least engage in a research project or experience from a class, such as UCF’s PILOT program. Assisting a professor with their research outside of class or an independent research project such as UCF’s Honors in the Major program are even more beneficial.

Common Options for Undergraduate Research at UCF:

“Outside of the Box” Experiences

Definition: Experiences outside the traditional health professional school preparation experiences that will make an applicant interesting or unique from other applicants. Examples of “outside of the box” experiences include:

  • Sports/Athletics Involvement (even intramural sports)
  • Arts/Dance/Music Involvement
  • Study Abroad
  • Business Experience
  • Mission Trips (international or abroad, medical or non-medical)
  • Cultural Competency Experiences
  • Hobbies
  • Artistic Endeavors
  • Non-Science Major/Minor
  • Multiple Research Publications
  • Healthcare Work Experience (if Pre-PA, then this is highly recommended)
  • Military Experience
  • “Distance-Traveled”**
  • Life Experiences
  • Many others!

** “Distance Traveled” is defined as the road traveled to become a health professional school applicant. For example, the “distance traveled” by a socioeconomically disadvantaged applicant is often farther than other applicants.

Amount Recommended:

  • All Pre-Health Students: 1-2 “outside of the box” experiences

Note: The experiences listed on this page are not required by health professional schools, but they are recommended based on evidence and observation from advisors in PHPL Advising of successfully admitted students in the past. *The types and amounts of experiences are not required but solely intended to be a guide to help students build a competitive application.*

UCF Pre-Health Student Organizations

Joining a Pre-Health student organization at UCF is a great way to interact and network with your UCF peers who have similar goals, listen and learn from speakers who are practicing in health care or are from health professional schools, and enhance your resume by gaining access to a wide variety of volunteerism and community service events, possible shadowing, possible leadership opportunities, and likely other extracurricular activities too.

Pre-Medical Student Organizations at UCF

Pre-Health Student Organizations at UCF (representing multiple Pre-Health professions)

Pre-Dental Student Organization at UCF

PDSA (Pre-Dental Student Association) – Website / Knight Connect page / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube

Pre-Physician Assistant Student Organization at UCF

APPA (Association of Pre-Physician Assistants) – Website / Knight Connect page / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Pre-Physical Therapy Student Organization at UCF

UPTA (Undergraduate Physical Therapy) – Website / Knight Connect page / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Pre-Pharmacy Student Organization at UCF

PPS (Pre-Pharmacy Society) – Website / Knight Connect page / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Pre-Veterinary Student Organization at UCF

PVS (Pre-Veterinary Society) – Website / Knight Connect page / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Pre-Optometry Student Organization at UCF

POA (Pre-Optometry Association) – Website / Knight Connect page / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube

Pre-Occupational Therapy Student Organization at UCF

POTO (Pre-Occupational Therapy Organization) – Website / Knight Connect page / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Pre-Public Health Student Organization at UCF

none

Pre-Podiatry Student Organization at UCF

none

Pre-Chiropractic Student Organization at UCF
none

Pre‑Health and Pre‑Law Advising
Division of Student Learning and Academic Success
phpladvising@ucf.edu
407-823-0101
Trevor Colbourn Hall, Suite 133

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