Health Professions Advising and Preparation

Saint Anselm College offers courses that prepare you for graduate study in medicine (allopathic, osteopathic, and podiatric), dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant and any other allied health profession.

Major

Your choice of major is independent of your career goals. Many students choose to major in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, psychology or natural science. You are encouraged to choose a major in which you can excel.

Courses

When planning your schedules you are advised to include the following courses:

  • BI 103-104 General Biology I and II
  • CH 130 General Chemistry
  • CH 150 Structure and Reactivity
  • CH 251 Organic Chemistry
  • CH 230 ST:Reactivity and Function
  • BI 336 Biochemistry
  • PS 121-122 General Physics I and II (or PS131-132 Classical Physics)

Recommended courses that will also fulfill the college’s core requirements:

  • EN 105 - Freshman English
  • Aesthetic Reasoning – a course in the English department, as many schools have 1 or 2 semester English requirements.
  • Quantitative Reasoning – BI 345 Biostatistics, or any other statistics course such as SO212, PY301, or BU121
  • Social Scientific Reasoning – any psychology or sociology course that fulfills this outcome.

Some of the professional schools (i.e. physical therapy, physician assistant, pharmacy and entry-level MS nursing) require BI 331-332 Human Anatomy and Physiology (this course is not recommended for medical or dental school preparation), and BI 318 Microbiology for majors. Students should look carefully at the programs that they may want to apply to as the requirements for these programs vary significantly.

Advising

Since your choice of major is independent of your ultimate career goals, you will have an academic advisor in the major. The chief health professions advisor will assist you in insuring that you are enrolled in the proper classes, as well as a provide assistance navigating the application process.

Preprofessional Committee

Prior to applying to graduate programs, the college’s Preprofessional committee interviews students and writes a letter of reference for the student. The committee is comprised of faculty across disciplines who are both supportive and keenly interested in helping students proceed on their chosen paths. Interviews typically occur in the spring of the junior year. Contact Information Carolyn Weinreb, Ph.D. Chief Health Professions advisor at chpa@anselm.edu.