As a reflection of our commitment to our students, Willamette’s does not impose a limit to working with our graduates. Whether you are a current student, or graduated five years ago, we encourage you to reach out if you are looking for support with your career and/or navigating the process of applying to postgraduate programs in healthcare.
Links to resources specifically applicable to alumni and applicants:
- Application Review Process
- Individualized Advising
Advising for Applicants
Current students and Willamette alumni who are planning to apply to a professional or graduate program related to healthcare are invited to participate in our Application Review Process.
Process Overview
Your application is the culmination of many years of hard work. Through our application review process, we aim to guide you through the steps needed to prepare the strongest application possible–one that demonstrates the unique strengths, characteristics, perspectives and experiences you will contribute to your future program and profession of choice.
Participants in this process will be assigned an advisor who will be their primary point of contact throughout the application cycle. Participants will also be provided with an application workbook that will prompt you to assess your candidacy, think through your application strategy, and complete a mock draft of your application. You and your assigned advisor will meet at least twice during this process: once to discuss your candidacy and application strategy and again to review a mock version of your application.
Who can participate in this process?
Current Willamette students and alumni who are planning to apply to a professional or graduate program related to health in the coming year. This includes applicants applying to programs related to medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, pharmacy, public health, health administration, and other health-related fields.
Application Review Timeline & Steps
Submit our Applicant Intake Form
After submitting an Intake, you will be provided with the most recent version of our Applicant Workbook (find a sample version here) and information about next steps in the process. Applicants will either be invited to attend a scheduled information session or will meet with the FamilyCare Pre-Health Director for an orientation to the process.
Our application support process is divided into three primary phases. Applicants will meet with their advisors after completing phases one and two of this process.
PHASE ONE: Assessing your candidacy and developing your application strategy
Applicants will be asked to complete and submit parts 1-4 of the Application Workbook, which includes a self-assessment, application timeline, draft school list, and a worksheet for thinking through your possible letter writers before meeting with their advisors. Priority Deadline: April 1
PHASE TWO: Developing a mock version of your application
Complete parts 5-7 of the Applicant Workbook, including a competency assessment, personal statement draft, and draft of your work and activities section. Priority Deadline: April 19
PHASE THREE: Submitting your application and preparing for interviews
Applicants submit a PDF version of their application post-submission and agree to releasing information to advisors.
Applicants may request mock interviews for general practice or to prepare for actual interviews at any point after they have submitted their application by submitting a Mock Interview Request Form.
- In addition to the two meetings I will have with my advisor, can I reach out to my advisor as questions arise during the application process?
Yes, you may reach out to your advising team as you have questions. You will be assigned a primary and a secondary advisor. Please make sure that both advisors are included on your email to ensure you are able to receive a timely response.
- What do you mean by “priority deadline?”
Applicants who do not meet the priority deadlines to complete phase one and phase two of this process will still be able to participate; however, we will give priority for advising meetings, material reviews, and interviews to applicants who meet the priority deadlines. These deadlines are also meant to support you in completing application-related tasks in a timely manner so that you are on track to submit your application early in the application cycle (this is especially important for programs that have rolling admissions such as medical schools, occupational therapy programs, and optometry programs).
- What if I am planning to apply to a health-related program with a different application timeline or format?
This process was formed around the application timeline for medical schools and other programs that use common applications that open in late Spring and Summer. These include dental, OT, PA, and optometry programs. If you are applying to programs with an application cycle that opens in the summer or fall, initiating this process in the Spring will mean that you are able to get an early start.
The Applicant Workbook was also founded on a similar workbook developed by health professions advisors at Princeton University for their medical and dental school applicants applying to participate in the committee letter process. We have attempted to make the workbook adaptable to the needs and format of most healthcare programs that use a common application (this is many if not most fields focused on clinical healthcare). Programs related to nursing, public health, and health administration sometimes use a common application, but application deadlines are quite variable. You may modify your workbook to better reflect the format of the common application or program applications you will be submitting. If you have questions about this, please contact Claire Hoffman at choffman@willamette.edu.