Prospective Student

• 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 a snapshot 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:

• Rigorous academic preparation
• Intellectual curiosity
• Motivation for learning
• Commitment to service
• Demonstrated integrity and leadership

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.