Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Yes, please!! 

Each application service (AMCAS, AACOMAS, AACPMAS, ADEA AADSAS, PharmCAS, CASPA, OptomCAS, OTCAS, PTCAS, VMCAS, and sometimes private applications) will have a section on your application that will ask if you allow "certain information" to be released to your health professions advisor(s).  It is highly encouraged to authorize this release, as the information will only be made available in a limited and professional context.  This will not share information on your private documentation (transcripts, letters of evaluation, etc.).  It will simply share which programs you are applying to and which program, if any, you matriculate into.  This information is incredibly useful in order for you and other future applicants to recieve the best possible advising.

If you have any questions about this release, please feel free to contact the professional staff pre-health advisor in the Ogden College Dean's Office - Amy Kandler (amy.kandler@wku.edu). 

Students have multiple resources available to them when preparing for professional school.  To view your advisor(s), go to TopNet > Student Services > Registration > View Advisor Information.  This page will list the advisor(s) that are assigned to your account that you must meet with each semester. If you are a freshman or sophomore, you will most likely have a primary advisor (based in ACDC) and a faculty mentor listed on the page.  Juniors and seniors will most likely only have one primary faculty advisor listed (unless you have more than 1 major). 

As a freshman or sophomore, your ACDC advisor will help with course selection and registration processes, as well as providing information on general available resources that are helpful to succeed at WKU.  Your faculty mentor will help monitor your progress towards graduation, and can provide helpful information on selecting elective courses, finding research opportunities, and answering questions about your specific pre-health concentration.  Once you reach junior year, your faculty mentor will transition to being your primary faculty advisor, and will be available for all general advising services.

You can also find assistance in the Dean's Suite located in Ogden College Hall.  Our pre-health professions advisor (located in OCH 1013) monitors Ogden College pre-health student progress toward professional school applications and tracks acceptances into health profession programs.  They can help you look into professional school requirements, committee development, and other related processes.  Feel free to stop by or make an appointment if you have any questions with the general process of getting into your desired professional school.

For more information about how to set up an advising appointment, please visit this website.

Each Ogden College student (students with a declared Ogden major) who has declared a pre-health concentration gets automatically added to a health professions email listserv a couple of weeks after the start of each semester.  This listserv delivers crucial information to be aware of as well as helpful opportunities you can take advantage of.  If you believe you may not be on the listserv for some reason, stop by OCH 1013 or email amy.kandler@wku.edu.

No, at WKU, every student must declare a traditional academic major (e.g. agriculture, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, psychological sciences, etc.). "Pre-Health" is not a specific major or academic track. It is a personal and professional development path that students pursue alongside completion of their degree requirements. 

A major in the sciences is not required. However, having a strong background in the sciences will certainly help you as you pursue a health profession, as it gives you a good foundation to build upon. Most professional schools look for transcripts that indicate students have taken courses to prepare them for the demands of a health professions school.

You can always try again. Apply to the same schools. Apply to different schools. Take more courses. Improve your grades. Gain more relevant experience. Mature.

The key, however, is to focus on the weakest part of your application and improve it.  If you work hard to improve those areas where you were weakest, and possibly turn application liabilities into assets, your next application is far more likely to land you a seat in the professional school of your choice.

Planning for alternatives in advance, however, can give you more options and flexibility. For example, you can apply for competitive internships, study abroad opportunities, and non-profit experience along with professional school. If you receive multiple acceptances, you have choices. If you do not get accepted into professional school, you have an alternative in place that will make you more competitive should you decide to apply again.

Preferably sometime in the March through June "window" of the year prior to your matriculation (i.e. May 2023 for Fall 2024).  This typically occurs during the spring semester of your junior year.  NOTE: Some admission timelines vary (i.e. Physician Assistant) so be sure to plan accordingly.

Most application systems offer Fee Assistance Programs for elligible applicants who have a financial need.  For information on these programs, view this article.

The AAMC is committed to supporting aspiring physicians on their journey to medical school and strongly believes that the costs associated with applying to medical school should not be a barrier. One resource to help offset some of the application costs is the AAMC Fee Assistance Program. The program assists those who, without financial assistance, would be unable to take the MCAT exam, apply to medical schools using the AMCAS application, and more. 

Here are five things you need to know about the 2023 AAMC Fee Assistance Program:  

1. The AAMC Fee Assistance Program is open to everyone with a U.S. address. Learn more about documentation requirements.
2. Applicants age 26 and over do not need to submit their parents' financial information. If an applicant is age 26 on the day their application is submitted, they will not have to submit their parental financial information. 
3. Recipients of the AAMC Fee Assistance Program can save over $2,000 by using the benefits on their premed journey. Each Fee Assistance Program award includes access to the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) website, reduced fees for MCAT registration, waived MCAT Official Prep product fees, assistance in paying for an updated psychoeducational or medical evaluation (if required to support an MCAT accommodation application), waived AMCAS application fees for one application cycle, and waived AAMC PREview^TM professional readiness exam registration fees.  Learn more about the benefits of the Fee Assistance Program.
4. AAMC Fee Assistance Program benefits are not retroactive. If an applicant is awarded fee assistance benefits, they cannot apply the benefits to previous registrations or purchases. For example, if an applicant registers for the MCAT exam, submits their AMCAS application or purchases a prep product before receiving their benefits, they will not be reimbursed or receive the discounted rate.
5. Some medical schools waive secondary application fees for fee assistance recipients. Schools include this information in their Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) profiles. This information can be found under the "Secondary application" - "Fee Waiver Ability" section of MSAR. 

If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact fap@aamc.org. 

You want your essay to accomplish a few things. First, it needs to touch on a couple of the significant accomplishments you've had in the discipline. Second, it needs to highlight your work ethic, drive, and dedication. Third, and most importantly, it needs to impact the readers in a way that makes them think, "We need to meet this person and chat with him/her." This will get you invited for an interview.  The AHEC office offers free Personal Statement Review.

There is no uniform acceptance policy for AP and CLEP credit for health professions schools.  Many will accept AP and CLEP credit as long as it appears on your college transcript.  Others, however, may only accept the score as it would count at their particular undergraduate institution.  Some may not even accept AP and CLEP credit at all.  That being said, a solid science background is essential to do well on the entrance test (e.g. MCAT, OAT, and DAT).  So, if you have AP and/or CLEP credit in the hard sciences, you may find it helpful to retake the course or take additional science courses.

Some do. However, American health profession schools (and this includes medical, dental, osteopathic, veterinary and most graduate schools in the health professions), for the most part, will not accept applications from anyone other than American citizens or permanent residents ("green cards").

The first reason is that a professional school education is very expensive. The tuition is expensive, but the tuition is actually only a fraction of what it costs to educate a doctor. There is a tremendous shortage of medical doctors in the United States right now, and a corresponding emphasis on training students who can practice within this country. If you are planning to stay in the US after your medical training, you can work on applying for citizenship first, in order to indicate your intentions. Secondly, as part of your medical education, you will need to work in hospitals. An F-1 visa specifically prohibits employment.

Also, unlike for undergraduate education, private scholarships are virtually nonexistent for professional school. American students finance their education largely through government-sponsored loans, which are only available to citizens and permanent residents. International students are often required to place in escrow a sum equivalent to two to four years tuition and fees, which currently can run to over US $300,000.