Prospective Students

Thinking about a career in the medical or dental fields?

Start your journey with T-I-G-E-R-S.

Have conversations geared toward finding out what healthcare providers do on a daily basis.
Talk to different types of healthcare providers (i.e. medical doctors, osteopathic physicians, physician assistants, nurses, chiropractors, etc).
Sample questions:
- What do you like/dislike about your job?
- What’s the hardest/easiest part of your job?
- How did you get into this field?

Read articles, journals, and books related to your career path.
Learn about how research impacts the medical and dental fields.
Look up a few medical/dental schools to find out more information (i.e. mission, vision, current admissions requirements- which may change by the time you apply, etc)

This demonstrates your ability to master a subject and gives snap shot of your work ethic.

Volunteer/work in medical/dental and non-medical/dental areas. Medical and dental schools are looking for well-rounded individuals.

“Why do you want to be a _____________?” Think carefully about your answer because it will be asked of you many times for the rest of your career journey.
Think about what you want in a physician or dentist. Work to develop those types of skills.
After any volunteer, shadowing, or medically related experience, take a few minutes to reflect by writing your thoughts, feelings, reactions, and what you learned. This will be helpful later when applying to medical/dental school and working with future patients.

This is your first look into what the medical/dental field is like and may help you decide if the medical/dental field is the career path for you.
Start with your personal healthcare providers, or look at websites for local healthcare facilities (some have established programs).

A career in the health professions is a rewarding and challenging opportunity. Professional health care careers require:

Ways to prepare while still in high school:

Complete as many math and science courses as possible (especially advanced level).
Focus on English and writing courses.
Read, read, read! Reading will prepare you for college study and professional school admission tests.
Volunteer at a clinic/hospital/healthcare facility.
Engage in extracurricular activities to help develop leadership and communication skills.

Students at LSU are provided many opportunities to prepare for medical and dental school admissions:

Challenging courses
Develop clinical skills as lab or research assistant
Counselors are members of National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions
Annual information meetings for freshmen/sophomores
Four-year plan for admission to medical/dental schools
Use of the Premedical/Predental Review Committee to obtain letters of evaluation
Numerous health profession student organizations and an annual Health Professions Career Fair
Nationally competitive acceptance rates and grade point averages
Nearly half of the students accepted to LSU medical and dental schools are College of Science graduates
Recent graduates were admitted to Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Baylor, Vanderbilt, Columbia, Stanford, UT Houston, and Washington U

At LSU, premed/predent are not majors, but professional career goals:

No specific major is required for medical/dental admission.
Most students choose a science major.
Students can choose fields outside of science.
Choose a major that most closely reflects your interests.
All majors must earn credit in the prerequisite coursework required for medical/dental schools.
Take advanced science courses to enhance competitiveness.