About Pre-Health

You are undertaking a serious and rigorous journey that will require careful advisement and planning as you complete your undergraduate degree.  As you consider a health care career, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Grades are important! A strong GPA is critical for health care education beyond your bachelor’s degree, but it also demonstrates that you have a thorough understanding of scientific concepts that are important for admission tests and are foundations of medical education.
• Choose a major that interests you and then be sure to complete the necessary pre-requisites for your intended career. Many students choose biology or chemistry – but the major really is up to you!

• Take advantage of extracurricular opportunities such as research, shadowing, summer programs, and internships. No matter your chosen health field, you will need to have patient contact experience to demonstrate that you have an understanding of the demands placed on health professionals. You also need to show you have the demeanor to be a caring health provider. These opportunities will also provide relationships with supervisors who can provide individual letters of recommendation – so be sure to show your best self!

   

Core competencies for entering medical students as listed by the American Association of Medical Colleges:

Thinking and Reasoning: Critical Thinking, Quantitative Reasoning, Scientific Inquiry, Written Communication

Intrapersonal Competencies: Ethics, Reliability, Resilience, Capacity for Improvement

Scientific Competencies: Living Systems, Human Behavior

Interpersonal Competencies: Service Orientation, Social Skills, Cultural Competencies, Teamwork, Oral Communication

You can develop these skills in any major.

As you near the application process for your post-baccalaureate training, the Pre-Health committee, the Career and Professional Development staff, and advisors will guide you through the application process and prepare the committee recommendation for submission with your program application.

Pre-Health advisement at Buffalo State University is a whole-campus affair!

If you are a first or second year student and have an assigned professional advisor, they should be able to help you with your course selection.

If you want more information about pre-health professions, you can see Shannon Casterline in Biology for guidance about who can help you in each major.

Not sure about your chosen health-care major?? No problem! Cate Vivacqua in our Career and Professional Education (CAPE) office can help you determine a path that works for you.