Pre-Health Advising at Illinois Wesleyan provides support for students who are considering a career in healthcare.
Many of our students, in a variety of majors, are interested in pursuing professional programs—medicine, dentistry, physician assistant, occupational/physical therapy and more—after graduating from IWU. In addition to the academic advising students receive from our faculty, IWU offers guidance and resources so students can learn about a range of career paths and navigate creating a competitive application. Students planning to apply to professional school after graduation seek ways to build profiles of meaningful experiences that will enhance their chances of admission by volunteering, job shadowing, and conducting internships.
This is your journey and you should take time to consider what’s important to you. Planning for a career in healthcare will require you to make a plan and seek advice. Think about experiences you want to pursue in college. Do you want to research or study abroad while you are in college? Have you considered how and when you will find the time to secure the necessary experience to be a competitive applicant? We are here to help!
Course Planning & Schedules: Please consult your assigned academic advisor(s). They are equipped to assist with course selection, degree requirements, registration questions, and semester-by-semester planning. If you are unsure who your advisor(s) is, please use this document link for instructions.
Career & Professional Strategy: Connect with the Hart Career Center for health professions exploration, application strategy, job shadowing, internships, and career planning. You can schedule an appointment through Handshake.
Additional Advising Support: If you need further advising assistance beyond your primary advisor or the Career Center, feel free to reach out to Student Success at success@iwu.edu as an additional resource.
Self-Guided Exploration:
Explore a wide variety of healthcare fields, prerequisite paths, and career overviews on ExploreHealthCareers.org.
Research pay, required education, work environment, and job growth by using the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics Handbook (filter by Occupation Groups such as "Healthcare").
Access pre-med planning timelines, MCAT resources, and application guides at AAMC Students & Residents.
Pre-health (pre-med, pre-dental, pre-OT, etc.) is not a major but rather a track of courses to best prepare you for the professional school of your choice. While some majors require courses that better align with prerequisite courses for professional schools, there is no specific major required for a career in healthcare