Preparing for a career in the health professions involves much more than completing coursework. From tracking GPA calculations to documenting clinical experiences, staying organized early can make the application process significantly smoother. Many health professional school applications require detailed records of coursework, activities, and hours that can be difficult to reconstruct years later.
To help students stay organized and prepared, three of our Health Professions Peer Advisors (HPPAs) have shared some of their favorite tools and strategies. Below you will find resources for calculating your GPA the way professional schools may evaluate it, tracking your experiences and hours, and organizing your application progress. These tools are simple to use and can help you stay on top of your pre-health journey from the start.
Tips from Jasmine, pre-med HPPA
GPA Calculator tool
“Health professional schools may evaluate applicants using multiple GPA calculations that could be different from the GPA shown on the university transcript. I like to use a GPA calculator designed for pre-health students to help accurately estimate your overall, science (BCPM: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math), and non-science GPAs based on how application services such AMCAS categorize our coursework. Additionally, retaking a course looks different on your transcript compared to how they categorize it in applications. By organizing your classes and grades early, I have found that I can better understand my academic standing, areas for improvement and trends, and make organized decisions about future coursework, retakes, or academic planning. To use this GPA calculator, just make a copy and start editing. You may make a separate copy for BCPM and another one for overall if you would like. There is a chart on the side for you to reference. There are calculations already built into the calculator so that the GPA calculates itself. If you have any other questions, please reach out!”
Pre-dental students: Please see AADSAS’ GPA calculator tool.
Mappd
Jasmine’s Tutorial: Mastering Mappd- A Comprehensive Guide to Tracking Your Pre-Health Journey
“Mappd is a site designed to help pre-health students succeed. Not only can you track hours for every job and extracurricular, but you can also track your overall GPA, science GPA, test scores, and more. It is very organized and structured, keeping pre-health students on top of their game in their undergraduate years. You can also keep track of all the schools you are applying to, your application status, and what still needs to be done during the application cycle. Here is a comprehensive video on how to use the platform. The best part is that it is free!”
Tips from Hailey, pre-med HPPA
Pre-Health Hour Tracker
Hailey’s Pre-Health Hour Tracker Template
“Keeping track of your experiences as a pre-health student may not feel urgent now, but it is one of the best (and easiest) ways to reduce stress when application season arrives. Most health professional schools require you to report dates, total hours, descriptions, and supervisor contact information for your activities. While it might seem like you will remember these details, several years of involvement can be difficult to piece together later on.
This hour tracker template was designed to help you stay organized from the start by providing a simple place to log your experiences as they happen. By updating it regularly, you can avoid the last-minute scramble of piecing together timelines and searching for contact information.
How to Use This Template:
- Download your own copy to your computer or OneDrive before editing.
- Update it regularly. Enter your activities as you complete them so you don’t miss anything!
- Log the important details. This includes organization or provider, dates, hours, and a brief description of your role. Writing a few notes now can make a huge difference later when you are preparing applications or trying to remember meaningful moments.
- Let the spreadsheet do the math for you. The template automatically calculates your total hours as you add entries.
- Use the tabs to stay organized. Separate sheets are included for shadowing and volunteering, and you can add additional tabs (such as clinical work or research) by clicking the “+” button at the bottom.
Think of this tracker as a living document that grows alongside your pre-health journey. Staying organized early allows you to focus more on engaging in experiences than trying to remember them later. Your future self will thank you!”
Tips from Jovita, pre-dental HPPA
Jovita’s Pre-Health Experiences Tracker
“Use this tracker for anything academic or extracurricular. Think of it as a master sheet of your college experience.
How To Use This Template:
- Make a copy of this template and create a separate sheet by clicking the plus button in the bottom left corner.
- For every activity, fill out the information for each column.
- In the reflections column, write a brief reflection about your experience. Most applications will ask you to describe your extracurriculars, so try to identify a few meaningful points you can expand on later. I recommend jotting down your main takeaways after each experience while it’s still fresh in your mind—it will make writing your applications much easier later on.
- To see hours for a specific experience type, use the filter on B1 to view only those activities.
- Use the other filters to sort by date, alphabetical order, or any other category.
- Once you are familiar with the tracker, feel free to delete any of the italicized reference text!”
In summary, staying organized throughout your pre-health journey can make the application process much smoother. Tools like GPA calculators, experience trackers, and planning platforms can help you better understand your progress and keep important information in one place.
Remember, you don’t have to figure everything out on your own. If you have questions or would like support planning your next steps, we encourage you to schedule an advising appointment with our office. You’ve got this—and we’re here to support you every step of the way!
Jasmine, Hailey, and Jovita are Health Professions Peer Advisors (HPPAs) and part of the UConn Class of 2026.
