A competitive applicant to a professional program has several important attributes that you should try to obtain during your four years at Schreiner.

First, your grades are important. Most professional schools want to see overall GPAs of 3.5 and higher. For some programs, a 3.85 is needed to be competitive. Talk to your Health Professions Program team for advice on how you stand for the program you want to enter.

Second, health professions schools usually require an entrance exam. That could be the MCAT, DAT, PCAT, OAT or GRE. Alphabet soup, right? What does it all mean? Talk to us about what is the right test for you, when you should start preparing and how to study.

Third, most programs want to know that you really understand what the profession is all about. It is important that you gain experience through work in the area or shadowing a professional in the field. The experiences you have should enable you to write with authority about your understanding of the patients or clients you will encounter, the care you will give them and perhaps the specific subdiscipline within the field that is most attractive to you.

Fourth, the health professions are about service. Our tagline is “Learning By Heart so You Can Serve With Heart”. You should have within you a deep desire to take care of others and your community. During your time at Schreiner, you will need to be able to demonstrate how you have served in a meaningful way. Service is an intentional part of the Health Professions Program.