The Health Professions Advising Committee at Millsaps is a group of faculty
responsible for guiding students through the process of applying to
professional programs in the field of health care, such as medicine,
dentistry, nursing, medical technology, physical therapy, veterinary
medicine and the like. If you are planning to pursue a career in a health-related
field, you should consult with a member of the Committee as you plan
your college curriculum to be sure you take the courses you need in
a timely fashion. This is especially important if you choose a major
outside the sciences.
In addition, you should plan to meet with the Committee in the fall semester
of the year in which you submit your applications to professional programs
for an interview. The Committee chair will give you forms with which
to ask individual professors for recommendations. Your should give these
to faculty who know your academic work well and can provide a thoughtful
evaluation of your potential in a medical profession. A good rule of
thumb is to ask for recommendations from two professors in the natural
sciences and one from a professor in another area. These confidential
evaluations should be returned by the professors who fill them
out to the chair of the Health Professions Advising Committee
before you meet with them for the interview.
The interview with the Committee has several important functions. Along
with your individual recommendations, it forms the basis for a composite
recommendation from the Committee. The Committee will send copies of
the composite recommendation plus the individual recommendations to
all the schools to which you are applying. The interview also gives
you some practice in a formal interview so you may be more relaxed when
the time comes for interviews at the schools that are interested in
your application. It is also an opportunity for you to ask any questions
you might have about the application process.
