Navigating the Pre-Health Path at UCF: A Comprehensive Guide to Advising and Requirements

For students at the University of Central Florida (UCF) aspiring to careers in healthcare, navigating the pre-health track can feel like a complex journey. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the advising resources and requirements available to UCF students, with a particular focus on the College of Health Professions and Sciences (CHPS) and the Pre-Health and Pre-Law Advising (PHPL) office, now under Academic Advancement Programs (AAP).

Academic Advising within the College of Health Professions and Sciences (CHPS)

The College of Health Professions and Sciences (CHPS) provides a strong advising structure to support its undergraduate students.

Academic Success Coaches

All students within CHPS are assigned an Academic Success Coach. These coaches provide academic support tailored to the specific majors within the college. Students can schedule appointments with their assigned coach through MyKnight Star, accessible via the MyUCF account. The Academic Success Coaches are committed to helping Knights succeed by providing advisement regarding their academic programs.

Course Registration and Overrides

Students can register for courses during their enrollment appointment time, which is posted in MyUCF. Notably, undergraduate students with a UCF GPA of 3.5 or higher as of February 1st are eligible for multiple term registration. For courses offered within CHPS, students should contact their Academic Success Coach to request an override if needed. The coach will then work with the relevant department to determine if the override can be granted.

Transient Course Requests

CHPS will consider a student's request to take a course at another institution towards their major. For courses taken outside of the Florida College or University System, students must complete and submit a Non-SUS Transient Student Form. It's crucial to remember that students must be enrolled at UCF during their term of graduation and cannot be transient during that final term.

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Late Add Requests

Late add requests are reserved for extenuating circumstances and are only accepted during the second week of the semester. These requests require review and processing time. If approved by CHPS, the late add request is then submitted to UCF Academic Services for final review and approval.

Orientation Requirements

All First Time in College (FTIC) students are required to attend orientation before registering for courses at UCF.

Transfer Student Considerations

Students transferring to UCF with an Associate of Arts degree from an institution within the Florida College System will have all General Education Program requirements met. However, students transferring from private or out-of-state institutions will have their credits evaluated for equivalency.

Pre-Health and Pre-Law Advising (PHPL) Office (AAP)

The Pre-Health and Pre-Law Advising (PHPL) office, now part of Academic Advancement Programs (AAP), plays a vital role in guiding students interested in pursuing careers in health and legal professions. The PHPL team guides and supports students through the multiple aspects of their preparation and application with the ultimate goal of helping them become a competitive professional school applicant. They offer individual appointments and walk-ins throughout the year.

Resources and Services Offered

The PHPL office provides a variety of services for Pre-Health students and alumni, including:

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Advising: Guidance on course selection, extracurricular activities, and overall preparation for professional school.
Letters Packet: Assistance with compiling and submitting letters of recommendation.
Personal Statements: Support in crafting compelling personal statements for applications.
Mock Interviews: Practice interview sessions to help students develop their interview skills.
Practice Tests: Access to practice tests for standardized exams like the MCAT and LSAT.
Workshops and Webinars: Informative sessions on various aspects of the application process.
School Visits: Opportunities to visit and learn about different professional schools.
Library: A collection of books and resources available in the office's lobby.

AAP Roadmap and Action Plan

The AAP Roadmap is a visual guide designed to help students understand the different components involved in building a competitive professional school application. It outlines four phases: Exploring, Building, Mastering, and Applying. Complementing the Roadmap is the AAP Action Plan, a working document that students can use to record their progress toward an advanced degree. The Action Plan is intended to be updated frequently and utilized during meetings with AAP and Academic Success Coaches.

Preparing for a Career in Healthcare

Preparing for a career as a health care professional is very challenging. It will require you to work very hard for a very long time. Health professional schools will assess you in three main areas: Experiences, Attributes, and Metrics (E-A-M).

Key Considerations for Pre-Health Students

Several factors are crucial for students preparing for health professional schools:

GPA: A strong GPA is essential. Aim for an overall GPA of 3.5 or above to be a competitive applicant. The Science GPA should also be around 3.5 or above. The types of courses that will be calculated into a Science GPA will vary by health professional school application system, but will typically include Biological Sciences.
Coursework: Completing the necessary prerequisite coursework is vital. This typically includes courses such as BSC2010C, BSC2011C, CHM 2045, CHM 2046, BCH 4053, CHM 2210, CHM 2211, PHY 2053, and PHY 2054.
MCAT Preparation: Treat your admission test as the most important test you will take in your life so far. Your score on your admission test can greatly affect your competitiveness for admission. Students who earn high scores on admission tests like the MCAT often study for 2-3 months, 5-6 days per week, 4-8 hours per day for their test. Different tests, different student learning styles, and different student life circumstances will necessitate different amounts of preparation time and different types of preparation though.
Experiences: Gaining relevant experiences is crucial. This includes shadowing health professionals while they work. These experiences are typically unpaid.
Leadership: Demonstrating leadership skills is highly valued. A position of responsibility for others with a purpose to guide or direct the actions of others. Leadership can be demonstrated in a variety of settings, including at school, employment, church, community, and in organizations.
Research: Involvement in a scholarly or scientific hypothesis investigation that is supervised by an individual with verifiable research credentials such as a professor or physician. Research experience may be gained in any discipline and performed at any site. Health professional schools are not particular about what type of research a student does, they just want the student to have a familiarity with and background in research.
"Distance-Traveled": The road traveled to become a health professional school applicant.
UCF's 42 Hour Rule: One advantage that Biology majors have in this is UCF’s 42 Upper-Level Hour Rule. The 42 Upper-Level Hour Rule requires that undergraduates take at least 42 hours of upper level course work (i.e.; 3,000 and 4,000 level classes). Some majors require that you do all 42 hours with them and others do not. The Biology undergraduate requirements necessitate a minimum of 35 hours of upper level course work.

Pre-Health Professional Organizations

There are a number of pre-health professional organizations on campus. These are student clubs that are dedicated to helping student to prepare for, and to apply into, a career in the health professions. They are a great way to learn what challenges await you and to prepare for them. Club events include visits to health professional programs, visits with faculty and students at professional schools, shadowing opportunities, and charity events.

Preparing for Law School

Successfully applying to law school requires planning. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) along with UCF’s Pre-Health and Pre-Law office are resources to guide you as you prepare, apply, and choose where you want to go to law school. It is recommended to begin the law school application process about 15-18 months prior to your planned law school enrollment.

Resources for Pre-Law Students

ABA’s Standard 509 Reports: This is the official “Entrance Statistics” for students enrolling in each law schools.
ABA’s Employment Summary Reports: This is the official “Exit Statistics” for students seeking employment after graduating from each law school.
LSAC’s Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools: Utilize this guide to search by Undergraduate GPA, LSAT, state, region, keyword, etc.
LSAC’s Handouts: LSAC has materials created to support students on their enrollment and learning journeys from prelaw through practice.

Holistic Review in Law School Admissions

“In making admissions decisions among applicants with comparable LSAT scores and GPAs, the Committee considers a number of other factors. These include: interesting or demanding work or service experience; leadership potential; rigorousness of undergraduate course of study; graduate study; economic need requiring significant employment during college; social or cultural disadvantages; and extraordinary family or personal responsibilities.

“We seek to enroll a class with varied backgrounds and academic skills. Such diversity contributes to the learning environment of the law school, and historically has produced graduates who are leaders in every area of law and who serve all segments of society.

Personal Statements and Diversity Statements

“The Admissions Committee requires a personal statement. In no more than three typed, double-spaced pages, please discuss your reasons for pursuing a legal education and your goals or future plans upon graduation. Some law schools will offer an opportunity for you to discuss what diverse perspective you can bring to their school. This perspective does not have to be focused solely on “typical” diversity topics (ex. race/ethnicity).

“Candidates are encouraged to submit an optional statement describing the diverse skills that they have developed, including relevant specific life experiences, and how such skills and experiences would foster diversity at the College of Law.

“The College of Law recruits students from diverse racial, economic, educational, and ethnic backgrounds. A statement to clarify any gaps or weaknesses in your application.

Character and Fitness Disclosures

“If you answer yes to any of the Disciplinary Information questions, submit with your application a full statement of the relevant facts for all incidents.

“If you answered YES to any of the character and fitness questions, you must submit a detailed explanation including date(s), circumstances surrounding the incident, and the final outcome. In some cases, court documentation may be required.

“Have you ever been accused of violating the honor code, student conduct code, or other disciplinary code; warned, placed on probation for academic, residential or disciplinary reasons; suspended, requested or advised to discontinue studies; dropped, expelled, or requested to withdraw; or otherwise been subjected to discipline for academic or conduct reasons by any post-secondary school, college, university, professional school, or law school?

“Have you ever been arrested, detained, or restrained; taken into custody; or accused formally or informally of a violation of law or ordinance? You should disclose each instance even though the charges may have been dismissed, or you were acquitted, or adjudication was withheld, or a conviction was reversed, set aside, or vacated. If you have any charges pending or active warrants for your arrest, you are required to answer yes. This question includes periods before you turned 18. If your records were expunged pursuant to applicable law, you may not be required to answer yes, but you should carefully read the Character and Fitness Disclosure. A Dismissal is not an expungement. You must include any traffic violations (even those you believe to be minor) if the violation resulted in a jail sentence, suspension, or revocation of driver’s license, or a fine of more than $200.00. Any arrest, including a written arrest, charge or conviction of driving while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs or alcohol must be disclosed, regardless of sanctions or outcome. If you are unsure whether to answer “yes,” we strongly recommend answering “yes” and fully disclosing all incidents. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction.

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