Schedule your Pre-Applicant Meeting with HPA in the fall to discuss the timeline for applying to professional school and review key items to consider throughout the year.
Develop a study plan and timeline to prepare for your entrance exam with guidance from HPA. NOTE: If you plan to apply in an upcoming cycle to medical or dental school, you should complete your entrance exam by the end of May.
Attend our fall application support workshop series or watch the recordings.
NOTE: If you plan to enroll in the UTHSC PEP program in the accelerated BSN nursing program, you must complete the Intent to Enroll form before the spring semester of your senior year. This is a different form from the inquiry form on their website.
Winter Break before Application Cycle
Begin preparing financially for the costs associated with the application process.
Determine your letter writers.
Develop a school spreadsheet. Review the prerequisite courses and application opening dates. Research average GPA, test score, shadowing, and volunteering requirements to help you reflect on your school list.
Do brainstorming and reflection activities for your personal statement and experiences.
Spring before Application Cycle
January
Write 1-3 experiences in paragraph form. Submit your 1-3 experiences to your HPA advisor and schedule a meeting to review them together.
Reach out to your desired letter writers (faculty, clinical practitioners) to learn if they would be open to writing a strong letter of evaluation for you.
Search school websites for upcoming information sessions.
February
Write five experiences in paragraph form.
If applying to medical or dental programs, attend HPA's Letter Packet Meeting.
March
Write ten experiences in paragraph form.
Write a first draft of your personal statement. NOTE: Watch our Personal Statement Workshop(s) before writing your first draft.
April
Have all of your experiences written in paragraph form. NOTE: This applies unless you are still participating or it is a planned experience that will occur before applying.
Write a first draft of additional essays, such as Other Impactful Experiences or potential secondary essay topics.
Take your entrance exam by May 31st. (Depends on the Health Profession)
If applying to medical or dental programs, review your letter packet tasks.
You can begin submitting your final draft of your Personal Statement and Experiences for an HPA staff member to review beginning on May 1. Please note that it can take us up to 2-3 weeks to review, depending on the volume of requests.
Email your personal statement as an attached Word document to HPAAssist@rhodes.edu.
Before submitting your Personal Statement, please be sure to review the Personal Statement Workshop in the Applicant Folder.
HPA will review personal statements and experience on a first-come, first-served basis, so we encourage you to submit these items as early as possible to help you stay on track with your application timeline.
The priority time period for submitting your personal statement is May 1-15. We will continue to accept personal statements and experiences after May 15. Please note that this could impact your submission timeline.
Summer and Fall of your Application Cycle
Send a final transcript to your application server after spring grades are posted.
Carefully follow instructions for applications.
Consider attending HPA's Applicant Drop-In Advising in May or June with your application questions.
Submit your primary application. (April-September - Varies by Health Program)
Complete secondary applications promptly and be mindful of deadlines. Submit secondary essays within two weeks of receiving them.
Complete any additional assessments such as CASPer and/or PREview.
Watch the Interview Prep Recording in Box.
Participate in a mock interview with HPA, as you are invited to interview with health programs.
Interview with the schools to which you have applied, if offered.
Primary Application Submission Timeline Goals
Dentistry: Begin your AADSAS application when it becomes available in mid-May. If you are applying to Texas schools, also begin your Texas application (TMDSAS) when it opens in early May to submit by late May. Submit your AADSAS application in June.
Medicine: Start your primary applications in early May when AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS open. Submit your TMDSAS application in May. Complete your primary applications for AMCAS and AACOMAS in June.
Optometry: The OptomCAS application typically opens in late June to begin working on your application. Submit your OptomCAS application in July-August.
Pharmacy: PharmCAS typically opens in July. Submit your primary application in July-August to PharmCAS.
Physical Therapy: The PTCAS typically opens in June. Submit your primary application in July-August.
Physician Assistant: The CASPA application cycle typically opens in April to begin working on your application. Submit your CASPA primary application in June.
Veterinary Medicine: VMCAS typically opens in January. Submit your primary application to VMCAS in July to early August.
