Pre-Health Programs

Graduate and professional schools place high value on a liberal arts education, and MHC has an excellent reputation for producing highly motivated students who are well prepared for graduate studies in the health professions. The Office of Pre-Health Programs and the Committee on the Health Professions offer extensive information, resources, programs, and opportunities to guide you in your choices and through the application process.

Careers in health include many specializations, including dentistry, nursing, veterinary medicine, medical research, and public health, as well the practice of medicine. It is rare for an entering student to know with certainty which specific branch of the health professions will be most suited to her talents and interests. Your job is to explore those possibilities directly, while at the same time letting your experiences in classes, research labs, internships, workshops and even informal conversations inform your decisions.

All students who are planning for a career in the health professions should:

1. Sign up for emails announcing pre-health events. This is your best means of staying connected.
2. Attend workshops and events sponsored by Pre-Health Programs.
3. Formally declare their intentions no later than March 31 of the year in which they are planning to begin their application to health professions schools.

Students declare their intent by completing a preapplication packet. This packet is intended to help optimize the student’s efforts in completing an application that will be successful and to aid the committee in supporting the student’s application. Students who fail to submit a preapplication packet by the deadline may not receive the full support of the committee.

Pre-Health Programs serves undergraduate Mount Holyoke students planning for a career in the health professions as well as postbaccalaureate students who are returning to school to fulfill prerequisite science courses. These pages are divided generally into an undergraduate section and a postbaccalaureate section, but you are encouraged to peruse both, as much of the information is interchangeable.