Welcome! We are excited that you are considering the University of Connecticut for your collegiate career and are interested in getting engaged as a pre-health student. UConn is a fantastic place to learn, explore, and connect, as we hope you'll come to learn during your time here.
The Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Advising Office provides resources and advising to UConn students and alumni interested in pursuing careers in the health professions. Our office specializes in working with our pre-medical and pre-dental populations, but we encourage all students to explore their career options in health fields. Our advisors practice a holistic, competency-based style of advising that encourages students and future applicants to engage in self reflection, rigorous pursuit of academic enrichment, and intentional exploration of co-curricular activities and engagement. You can meet our advising team here.
Our office is proud to boast medical school matriculation rates of around 60% annually and dental school matriculation rates of 80% (or higher) annually. These percentages track well above national matriculation rates and are reflective of the fact that our UConn students have the chance to flourish while they are on campus and beyond. The tools that our office uses are intended to enhance the performance and potential of our pre-health population. We encourage anyone interested in pursuing this field to do so and to work closely with us; we particularly recognize that many populations are historically underrepresented in the health professions, and we are committed to reaching out to students from those backgrounds and providing programming that is tailored to their needs.
To get started with exploring how UConn may be the right place for you, click on the icons below!
In addition to the community that our advisors, peer ambassadors, and students are able to create on campus, we also encourage you to learn more about the broader campus community and how other departments/offices on campuses may enhance your experience while you're here.
Honors Program—Honors students at UConn are part of a community of scholars whom are leaders, creative thinkers, and committed citizens. The Honors framework, designed by a team of academic experts, allows students to dive deeply into their academic and research interests, receive exceptional academic and programmatic support, and learn alongside other bright, inquisitive students.
Students are either accepted into the program as incoming first-year students, or they can apply as rising second- or third-year students. Honors students are part of a learning community and have access to specific honors dormitories; all students are placed in first-year Honors housing.
Learning Community Program—There are 34 distinct Learning Communities on the UConn campus that provide cohorts with the opportunity to find a sense of place on a big campus, make meaningful connections with faculty, staff, and other student leaders, and engage in deeper learning and service activities. There are several learning communities related to the pre-health professions, including the Public Health House and the WiMSE House.
Office of Undergraduate Research—As an R1 institution, UConn is one of the best places in the country to engage in impactful, innovate research. Our large student population means there are many university-supported faculty engaging in research that are excited to connect with undergraduate scholars. The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is a resource for all undergraduates in all majors on all UConn campuses seeking to enrich their undergraduate experiences through participation in research, scholarship, and creative activity.
You can keep up with our office by following us on Instagram!
Find us @uconn_premed_predental
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FAQs
For current high school student that are interested in applying to the University of Connecticut, we encourage you to visit the Office of Undergraduate Admissions' website to learn more about our academics, life at UConn, how to apply, and how to visit campus if you are inclined to do so!
For recently accepted students that want to know how they can make the most out of their time at UConn, we encourage you to review the questions and answers below.
If you have any questions that are not answered here, or elsewhere on our website, you are welcome to email our office at premed_predental@uconn.edu
How does the Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Advising Office support me as a student?
Our office is pleased to offer a vast array of information, programming and events, and networking opportunities for our pre-health students.
To just name a few:
—We are continually updating our website to offer the most current and helpful information possible. Just some of the highlights are our pages on Clinical Experience, Community Service, and Growth Years.
—We have a robust schedule of events each semester that we encourage students to engage with, including our Group Advising Sessions, Workshops, and Chats with Alumni.
—We continually forge connections with campus partners—like the Office of Undergraduate Research, Center for Career Development, and Office of Community Outreach—as well as cultivate our own current student networks through our Peer Ambassadors program, and maintain relationships with our graduated students through our Alumni Network.
In addition to these resources, our advisors are available year-round to meet with pre-health students. Advising appointments are scheduled based on student desire, meaning that UConn students are free to schedule appointments with our office as frequently (or infrequently) as they want to discuss things like coursework, co-curricular preparation, application planning, and more!
Our office is also proud to recognize the importance of Black and Brown lives, acknowledge systems of oppression, and center diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work. To this end, we are committed to a sustained, holistic approach to advising that supports and celebrates the success of students from historically marginalized, underrepresented groups.
Do I need to fill out a specific application to become a pre-health student?
No!
There is no formal application or sign-up process for pre-health students. Whomever wishes to follow a pre-medical or pre-dental track can do so, regardless of major and regardless of what academic year they are in.
Our office asks that once a student arrives at UConn and/or decides they want to follow a pre-health pathway, they subscribe to our newsletter and attend at least one group advising session to become acquainted with our office and the support we offer.
How does the office aid in the application process to medical or dental school?
Our office is proud to offer health professions candidates a Letter Packet, which includes individual letters of recommendation collected by the applicant and an individualized, non-evaluative cover letter written by our advisors. This cover letter highlights specific strengths and particular assets of each applicant's candidacy.
We aid all candidates that are seek out the help of our office; we do not perform a selection process with prospective applicants and do not discourage passionate students from pursuing a health professions application.
You may notice that our model differs from some other schools that offer Committee Letters for their applicants. While our office did follow this model in previous years, we have decided to transition towards our new Letter Packet Model for a couple specific reasons:
- This model allows us much more time to individually meet with applicants, better learn their stories and who they are, and provide specific, tailored advice for their unique application process. Because we spend less time writing committee letters, we are able to dedicate the bulk of our time to this engaged and holistic coaching experience.
- Committee Letters typically involve some form of evaluation of applicants. As stated above, our cover letters are non-evaluative in nature, meaning that we will never act as gate keepers in anyone's application process. We strive to be as supportive of all of our applicants as possible by highlighting each person's unique strengths, passions, and interests.
To read more about how to apply with our office, click here.
Can I be a pre-health student at a regional campus?
Yes!
Our office is happy to provide both in-person and virtual advising to our entire pre-health population. While our office is based out of the main Storrs campus, we offer dedicated group advising sessions and workshops across the regional campuses throughout the year. Additionally, our website serves as a fantastic resource for any student that is looking for guidance on how to get engaged and stay engaged throughout their collegiate career at UConn.
What is the Special Program in Medicine (SPiM) and how can I apply for it?
SPiM is a BA/BS–MD program that links four years of undergraduate preparation with four years of medical school at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine (UConn SOM). Members of the SPiM program can only be accepted as an incoming-first year student; there are no opportunities to apply into the program once you have matriculated to the university.
SPiM students are automatically members of the University of Connecticut Honors Program and an exclusive cohort of other SPiM students. If one remains in the SPiM program throughout their time at UConn, by maintaining a certain grade point average (GPA), scoring above a certain threshold on the MCAT, and accumulating a designated number of experiential hours before applying to medical school, they have almost guaranteed admission into UConn SOM.
To learn more about SPiM and how to apply, we encourage you to visit the Office of Undergraduate Admissions page here, as well as the Honors Program information here.
What is the Special Program in Dental Medicine (SPiDM) and how can I apply for it?
SPiDM is a BA/BS–DMD program that links four years of undergraduate preparation with four years of dental school at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine (UConn SODM). Members of the SPiDM program can only be accepted as an incoming-first year student; there are no opportunities to apply into the program once you have matriculated to the university.
SPiDM students are automatically members of the University of Connecticut Honors Program and an exclusive cohort of other SPiDM students. If one remains in the SPiDM program throughout their time at UConn, by maintaining a certain grade point average (GPA), scoring above a certain threshold on the DAT, and accumulating a designated number of experiential hours before applying to medical school, they have almost guaranteed admission into UConn SODM.
To learn more about SPiDM and how to apply, we encourage you to visit the Office of Undergraduate Admissions page here, as well as the Honors Program information here.
Do I need to be a member of SPiM or SPiDM to be a pre-medical or pre-dental student?
No!
The SPiM and SPiDM populations are a very small percentage of the overall pre-health population at UConn. Depending on the size of each applicant class (those that choose to apply to medical or dental school in a certain calendar year) and the size of the respective SPiM/SPiDM applicant class, those students only make up around 3% — 6% of all applicants.
If you are wondering how you can get involved as a pre-health student and what kinds of steps you will need to take in order to be able to apply to health professions school, we encourage you to explore the wealth of resources we have listed on our website.
If you applied to either of these programs and were not accepted, do not worry! There are still a variety of ways to find your community on campus, challenge yourself academically, and engaged in a variety of co-curricular activities. You might consider applying to the Honors Program, or look into joining another learning community on campus. We encourage everyone to review the resources linked on the website above to see what else the university has to offer.
Can I be considered a pre-medical or pre-dental student if I am in the School of Nursing or School of Pharmacy?
Yes!
Both the School of Nursing and School of Pharmacy offer specific bachelor's degree programs that prepare students to earn professional degrees and practice in their respective fields after four years of study. To learn more about the B.S. in Nursing program that prepares you to become a licensed Registered Nurse (RN), click here; to learn more about the B.S./PharmD program that prepares students to graduate with a B.S. in Pharmacy Studies and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, click here.
Typically, students that pursue entry into these programs do so in order to practice in those respective fields. However, we do work with a small handful of applicants every year who have completed one of these programs and are still interested in pursuing a different career in the health professions.
For those students that are interested in being a pre-medical or pre-dental student at the same time as being enrolled in the one of these programs, it is incredibly important to be diligent about meeting course requirements and communicating often with both our advisors and their normal academic advisor.