Deciding Where To Apply

Deciding which school best fits the applicant’s needs is a very personal process. All accredited schools produce graduates who are competent and capable of providing quality professional health care. The applicant must decide what values are important and then prioritize and use those as a basis for evaluating the various programs. No valid ranking of health profession programs and graduate schools exist. The best advice to a candidate is to obtain information from the individual schools, talk to recent graduates, visit selected schools and ask pointed questions of faculty and students. Candidates should be most concerned with the academic rigor of a program, the clinical experience offered, and the availability of faculty and support services. Of course, the cost of the program, availability of financial aid, location, culture and ethnic community at or near the college can be contributing factors in deciding which program is best suited to the candidate. Some additional factors to consider are:  

Institutional Profile

  • What is the philosophy and mission of the program? Does it match the applicant’s interests and needs? What does the program expect of its graduates?
  • Under which college is the school housed? Is it in a medical school, graduate school, college of allied health, education, etc…? How does this affect the professional program?
  • What is the stability and structure of the program? How long has the program existed? How long has it been accredited? What is the average length of the program? What is the usual class size?
  • What is the structure of the curriculum in terms of what is taught, how often and when? How early do students see patients? How many community and clinical settings? Where are they located? Opportunity for electives? Community service? Research? Part-time work?
  • What services and resources are available to students? Academic support and advising? Tutoring? Computer and Library access? Housing? Medical care? Parking? Extracurricular activities? 

 

Applicant Profile

    • How many students apply to the program? How many are admitted? How many graduate? How many drop out?
    • What are the graduates of this program doing now?  Where have recent graduates been employed or obtained residencies, internships or fellowships, if applicable? Are alumni available for contact?

    Faculty Profile

      • What is the faculty to student ratio? How accessible are faculty? What are their teaching, dissertation and advising loads?
      • What type of credentials does faculty hold? What are the qualifications of both teaching and clinical faculty? What have been their contributions to knowledge and how current are these contributions?
      • What opportunities are there to work with faculty mentors? Are faculty interests compatible with the applicant’s interests and intended area of study?
      • What projects, grants, and research are ongoing at this institution? Opportunities to get involved?

      For additional help in selecting professional programs, please make an appointment to see one of the Health Professions Advisors in 53-219.