Information for Prospective Students

If you are interested in learning more about pre-health advising through the CMU Health Professions Program, please download this informational powerpoint presentation. It will provide details about the HPP while offering insight into the advising resources available to CMU students and alumni.

To schedule a campus visit, please visit our Admissions page.

On your pre-college journey, here are a few key questions to ask admissions and the pre-health advisor at each school you consider:

1. What is the pre-health culture like?
2. What majors are represented in the pre-health community?
3. What is the advising experience like for students?
4. How many pre-health advisors are there?
5. When and how often can students meet with the pre-health advisor(s)?
6. What is the pre-health advisor's background?
7. Approximately how many applicants to medical school, dental school, etc. are there each cycle?
8. Can I complete the pre-req courses for my intended pre-professional program?
9. How does the pre-health office support students in the application process?
10. Does the pre-health office support alumni?

OVERVIEW OF THE HPP

The HPP (Health Professions Program) at CMU is an advising resource that provides information and assistance to students (and alumni) interested in pursuing a career in a health profession. We support students who are pre-med, pre-dental, pre-vet, pre-PA, and more. We are here to help advise you on recommended coursework, extracurricular opportunities, shadowing and clinical experiences, and the overall long-term development of your growth as a future healthcare professional.

At CMU, pre-med is not a major! Students are encouraged to study in the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, engineering, computer science, and the arts. Our pre-health curriculum is flexible and can work with any major. The HPP advisor will work with each student individually on developing a customized plan for incorporating courses required for admission to desired health professions graduate programs.

HOW THE HPP HELPS STUDENTS & ALUMNI

For both current students and CMU alumni, our office provides:

• Supplemental academic advising
• Exploration of career options in the health professions
• Exposure to volunteer, research, and clinical opportunities
• Info seminars and application workshops
• Practice interview and committee letter writing
• Personalized advising to explore interests
• Networking!

Some of the pre-health preparations we support are:

• Allopathic Medicine (MD)
• Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
• Physician Assistant (PA-C)
• Dentistry (DDS, DMD)
• Veterinary Medicine (DVM, VMD)
• Clinician/Scientist (MD/PhD, DO/PhD, DVM/PhD)
• Pharmacy (PharmD)
• Optometry (OD)
• Occupational Therapy
• Physical Therapy
• Mental and Social Health (PhD, MS, MSW)
• Other affiliated careers: biomedical engineering, public health, genetic counseling, chiropractic medicine, nursing, sports medicine, podiatry...

There are countless opportunities on- and off-campus for students and alumni to gain clinical and research experiences. While studying, our students have shadowed, volunteered, worked, and completed research, and clinical experience at locations such as:

• UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
• UPMC Magee Women's Hospital
• UPMC Mercy Hospital and Eye Institute
• UPMC Shadyside Hospital
• UPMC Shadyside & West Penn HELP Programs
• UPMC Presbyterian & Montefiore Hospitals
• UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic
• University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
• CMU EMS  (on campus medical emergency services)
• Carnegie Mellon University & University of Pittsburgh (various research labs)

...and many more.

Students can also get involved with organizations on campus, such as:

• DOCS (Doctors of Carnegie Society)
• Global Medical Brigades
• Global Public Health Brigades
• Alpha Epsilon Delta
• Peer Health Advocates
• & the HPP's MSAMP (Medical School Alumni Mentor Program)

Each year, the CMU HPP supports around 35-40 students and alumni who are actively applying to a health program:

Most commonly, our applicants major in:

• Biology, neuroscience, bio-psych / psych-bio, psychology, engineering, chemistry, physics, math, global studies, decision science, info systems, computational biology, BXA (science & art).
• Most of our applicants have only a single major (though engineers usually double major in Biomedical Engineering), but minors in chemistry, creative writing, neuroscience, psychology, and computer science can be common.

Yearly, our acceptance rates for pre-med (MD/DO) applicants range from 61-85%.
This number includes all students who have applied to a medical school during the application year. Our advising, committee interviews, committee letters, and application-prep resources are available to all CMU students and alumni without prejudice or minimum GPA requirement.

See what schools our applicants go to