Academic Advising

Welcome to Boston College! The Pre-Health Staff is dedicated to providing you with guidance and resources towards your pursuit of a career in the health profession. We encourage you to meet with Pre-Health Advisors throughout your undergraduate career.

There are many paths to a career in the health professions, and your goals at BC should be to explore and develop your academic interests and relevant experiences. Consider a major that aligns with your passions and areas in which you excel to ensure a strong performance.

Pre-Health students considering a program major are encouraged to reflect upon “The Three Key Questions” posed by Fr. Michael Himes, Professor of Theology at Boston College:

  • What brings me joy?
  • What am I good at?
  • Who does the world need me to be?

These items are suggestions so you should adapt to suit your own path.

  • If you haven't already registered at Orientation with the Pre-Health Program, email premed@big5vn.com with your name, class year, Eagle ID and career interest (medical, dental, veterinary, other) to receive Pre-Health Program announcement emails
  • Attend the Freshman Meeting typically held in September
  • Explore health-related careers
  • Get to know your Pre-Health Advisors
  • Utilize available advising and academic resources at Boston College 
  • Develop good study skills: attend office hours, create study groups, seek tutoring assistance
  • Find a mentor through the AAMC Mentors portal and get to know your BC professors and other administrative staff
  • Visit department websites to research programs of study, perhaps a minor or concentration as well
  • Look into Health Professions Volunteer Opportunities
  • Gain health-related and research experience
  • Get involved on or off-campus with health-related or service organizations and clubs (e.g., the Mendel Society or Pre-Dental Society) 

Know Your Overall and Science GPAs

Medical, dental and veterinary schools have their own centralized application services that will compute your overall and science GPA based on their calculations. To assist you in evaluating your competitiveness your BC calculated Science GPA can be found on Agora “My Services” then “Course History”.

Approximate National Mean Science GPA for Accepted Applicants:

  • Allopathic/M.D. 3.64 Consult: MSAR Online (subscription required)
  • Osteopathic/D.O. 3.43 Consult: Osteopathic Medical College Information Book
  • Dental 3.45 Consult: ADEA Offiicial Guide to Dental Schools*
  • Veterinary 3.50 Consult: Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements*


*You can access the books at O'Neill Library or Ebooks by looking up the course by the ID BIOL1000.01 at Course Reserves

Read The Sophomore Packet

The packet reviews essential information that can ultimately help you file a successful application to the health professions graduate program of your choice. 

Complete a Self-Assessment Form

After completing this self-assessment, we encourage you to make an appointment with a Pre-Health advisor.

Self-Assessment Form

For those who are currently entering the application process, all information, steps, advice, and resources can be found on our Preparing for Health Professions Graduate School page.

Preparing for Health Professions Graduate School

Health professions graduate schools vary in their attitudes toward advanced placement. The following are general guidelines, but students are encouraged to contact individual schools for clarification of policies at specific institutions.

Guidelines

For the student who was granted advanced placement in a science (biology, chemistry, physics), most health professions graduate schools will accept this as long as the student takes an equivalent number of courses (and laboratories) at a more advanced level within that discipline. Please keep in mind that pre-health requirements may or may not coincide with the requirements of a major.

There are pluses and minuses to taking advantage of advanced placement opportunities. On the plus side, it allows the student to get more quickly involved in intellectually challenging upper level courses. On the negative side, one's freshman year is often a significant period of adjustment. This, combined with the highly competitive nature of health professions graduate school admissions, may argue for careful course planning during one's freshman year. Below are some guidelines for the subjects in which advanced placement is commonly awarded.

University Advanced Placement Guidelines

The Pre-Health Committee at Boston College feels that study abroad can be a very positive and enriching experience for selected undergraduates. There are, however, several factors that should be taken into consideration before students make a final decision about whether or not to spend time abroad. The Pre-Health Committee strongly recommends that your cumulative averages (science and overall) be in the competitive range (e.g., 3.5–3.6 for medical school) before you study abroad.

If you are a pre-health student thinking about studying abroad, it is best to start planning early. We recommend you meet with a Pre-Health Advisor during the spring semester of your freshman year or fall semester of your sophomore year.

Though most health professions graduate schools accept science courses taken during summer school, the majority strongly prefer that most of your sciences be taken at your home institution during the academic year. Summer science courses should be kept to a minimum (e.g., not more than one two-semester core science course during your undergraduate career).

Health professions graduate school admissions committees generally expect a summer science course to be taken at a four-year institution, preferably at a college or university of the same selectivity as Boston College. Some institutions will not accept courses taken at community colleges.