Dear Freshmen and new Transfers,
Welcome to UMBC!

After you gain acceptance into UMBC, you will be required to attend a New Student/Transfer Orientation session to work out your first semester schedule. The Office of Admissions and Orientation (410-455-3244) coordinates orientation days where you meet one-on-one with an advisor to create your first semester schedule. You must register with the Admissions and Orientation Office to attend a New Student/Transfer Orientation day. Orientation advisors evaluate AP credits, transfer credits, your placement test scores, your major(s), your interest areas, your career goals, and then make specific recommendations for your schedule based on all of that information. During New Student/Transfer Orientation Days, students also meet with a representative from their Declared Major to discuss the particulars of entering into a certain Declared Major (for example, Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, English Literature, etc.).

At most undergraduate colleges, including UMBC, deciding to go "PreMed or PreDental" is an informal decision. There is no official major declaration action for PreMed or PreDental, it just means that students have medical/dental school as an eventual goal and are making sure they add the PreMed or PreDental prerequisites to their declared major. Students can decide to go that pathway at any point in their career at UMBC, which might alleviate some decision-making pressure for you in the here and now. Although, preparing to become competitive for professional school does take a few years and is not a quick-process.

UMBC PreMed/PreDental students declare various majors. Most of these students naturally are attracted to the sciences and decide to major accordingly, although majoring in the sciences is not required for medical or dental school. Any major is acceptable for medical or dental school or the other professional areas that fall under The PreMedical and PreDental Advising Office (pre-medical, dental, optometry, podiatry, vet). I always recommend to students to follow their individual passions because your undergraduate career is your time to follow various interests. About 70% of pre-meds, pre-dental, pre-podiatry, pre-optometry, and pre-vet. students are biology majors, followed by 25% biochemistry majors, while the rest fall under Psychology and other myriad choices such as Math, English Literature, Info. Systems, Engineering, Music, etc. Maintaining an excellent academic record is crucial, given our accepted students are averaging 3.7 overall GPA’s and 3.7 science GPA’s.

The office website provides a comprehensive overview of what it takes to become competitive for medical/dental/professional school:
In the short-term, you should focus on the following goals during college, if medical or dental school is going to be option down the road:
1. Earn 3.5+ semester GPA's; earn a cumulative 3.5+ GPA; earn mostly A's and some B's in the sciences and math while avoiding any C's.
2. Obtain research experience, either biomedical or social science/psychology research.
3. Obtain clinical related volunteer experience, via hospitals, clinics, and/or shadowing doctors.
4. Dedicate time to 1-2 community service organizations and help the less-fortunate by volunteering. This does not have to be a medically-related organization. Any .org (dot.org) organization is a non-profit and typically has a philanthropic focus.
5. Become a leader in an on- or off-campus organization. Demonstrate leadership and teamwork skills.

This is a quick snapshot. As you already are aware, the website provides much more detail as to how to go about achieving those goals and suggestions for resources that fall under each goal. Check out profiles of successful premedical and predental students.

For your future reference:
Pre-professional students have two advisors. Sometimes this gets very confusing for students and this might not be a question for you right now, but it’s something to keep in mind once you get on campus.

Your ASSIGNED ACADEMIC/DECLARED MAJOR ADVISOR:
Lifts your registration blocks every semester.
Keeps you on-track with your MAJOR requirements.
Guides you on the General Education requirements.
You must meet with them EVERY semester.

Ms. Roelke, Your PreMedical, PreDental, PreOptometry, PrePodiatry,
PreVeterinary ADVISOR:
Keeps you on-track with the professional school prerequisites.
Provides guidance to help you become a competitive applicant for
professional school.
Answers questions pertinent to the professional school application process
and issues that arise during that process.
You meet with Ms. Roelke, as needed, but not every semester.

Comprehensive Pre-Medical and PreDental information is located under the Preparing, Applying, and Advising tabs on The PreMedical and PreDental Advising Office website.

If you have questions which are not addressed via these resources, please let me know.
Good luck,
Ms. Roelke

Walkins and appointments for current UMBC students will resume once classes are back in session for the Fall 2013 semester. On the first day of classes, walkin hours will be advertised on the News section of the website and the appointment notebook will be at the front desk of the office. More instructional information is contained below.

Questions that arise between now and the beginning of the Fall semester can be emailed to Ms. Roelke at Christy.Roelke@umbc.edu. Please put your first and last name in the subject line. Include your degree and expected graduation date from UMBC in the body of your message.

NEW FRESHMEN and NEW TRANSFER STUDENTS
Incoming UMBC Freshmen and new Transfer Students are required to attend a Summer Orientation day in order to receive advising and obtain assistance with registering for classes for the Fall 2013 semester. Please contact the Office of Admissions and Orientation (410-455-3244 or orientation@umbc.edu) to register for an Orientation and Course Selection Day.

New Freshmen and Freshmen Transfer Students are also expected to attend the Welcome Week workshop, So You Want to Become a Healthcare Professional, on Date To Be Determined. This workshop is part of the Welcome Week Workshop series for New UMBC students.

WALKIN HOURS
Walkin hours will resume for current UMBC students once classes are back in session for the Fall 2013 semester. Students are expected to have a working knowledge of the information on the office website prior to coming to walkins so that more in-depth and robust discussions can talk place in-person. Walkins are on a first-come, first-served basis and typically allow for about 15 minutes per student. No pre-registration is needed prior to visiting walkin hours, although walkins serve current UMBC students only.

APPOINTMENTS
Students are expected to have a working knowledge of the information on the office website prior to coming to appointments so that more in-depth and robust discussions can talk place in-person. Appointments will resume for current UMBC students once classes are back in session for the Fall 2013 semester. Once the Fall semester begins, the appointment notebook will be at the front desk of the office. For appointments, current UMBC students must pre-register for an appointment slot in the appointment notebook which is located at the office's front-desk. Appointments are 30 minutes in-length. In order to avoid double-booking, appointment requests made by email or phone will not be honored.

More information on walkins and appointments is available at http://www.umbc.edu/premed/medical_advising.php.

APPOINTMENTS for UMBC ALUMNI
UMBC alumni in need of an appointment should email Ms. Roelke. Please include the following information in your email: three potential days/times for an appointment, your month and year of graduation, your undergraduate degree, and your career interests (medicine, dentistry, optometry, podiatry, or veterinary science).

UMBC pre-health students have TWO advisors. This website describes the differences between these two advisors.

1. A primary Assigned Advisor in your Declared Major
Your Assigned Advisor in your Declared Major is also known as your Departmental Advisor. Use this Departmental Advisor list to find out who your primary Assigned Advisor is in your Declared Major.

2. A supplemental Pre-Health Advisor
PRE-MEDICAL & PRE-DENTAL ADVISING
Ms. Roelke in The PreMedical and PreDental Advising Office advises all students interested in the following career-interest tracks:
pre-medical
pre-dental
pre-optometry
pre-podiatry
pre-veterinary

Please read the information on Walkin Hours & Appointment Instructions.

Other Pre-professional Advising Offices at UMBC:
ALLIED HEALTH ADVISING
If you are an Allied Health student, you receive advising from the Office for Academic and Pre-Professional Advising, located in the Academic Services Building, Room 102, 410-455-2729.
ALLIED HEALTH includes:
pre-dental hygiene
pre-nursing
pre-occupational therapy
pre-pharmacy
pre-physical therapy
pre-physician's assistant
and all other allied health fields

PRE-LAW ADVISING
Pre-Law advising is provided by UMBC’s Department of Political Science. Please visit their website for more information.

Health Professions Evaluation Committee (HPEC) Kickoff Workshop for the Fall 2014 Cohort

*The deadline for first-time applicants to join the Fall 2014 Cohort is Thursday, February 14, 2013 at Noon.*

If you missed the other two Kickoff Workshops held in December, then this one's for you!

Open to current UMBC Juniors, Seniors, or Alumni who plan on applying to medical, dental, or podiatry school with expected matriculation in August 2014 (starting classes at professional school in August 2014).

The annual Kickoff Workshop dates are advertised on the NEWS section (http://www.umbc.edu/blogs/premed/) of the PreMedical and PreDental Advising Office website at the beginning of each Fall semester.

CURRENT UMBC Students who are First-Time Applicants to professional school:
MANDATORY attendance is required at one of the Kickoff Workshops for any current UMBC student who is expecting to matriculate into medical, dental, or podiatry school in Fall 2014. Current students who are taking classes at UMBC in Fall 2012 are required to attend one of the Kickoff Workshops. The definition of "Current UMBC Students who are First-Time Applicants" includes Previous Non-Completers from previous UMBC cohorts or students who previously applied to professional school but did so independently. First-Time Applicants are those students who desire to apply to medical, dental, or podiatry school with the assistance of UMBC's pre-health committee, for the first-time. All students must meet the minimum requirements of the cohort. The same content which was covered in the two workshops offered in December, will be repeated in this third workshop. No need to RSVP. The deadline for first-time applicants to join the Fall 2014 Cohort is Thursday, February 14, 2013 at Noon.

UMBC Alumni who are First-Time Applicants to professional school:
UMBC Alumni who are not taking classes at UMBC in Fall 2012 are not required to attend any of the Kickoff Workshops. Alumni are always welcome to attend a Kickoff Workshop if they desire, but attendance is not mandatory for alumni who are not taking classes at UMBC in Fall 2012. All HPEC homework assignments and other tasks are handled via email and/or a Blackboard® community, therefore an alumnus does not have to be living in the Baltimore region in order to participate in the HPEC process. UMBC Alumni should email Ms. Roelke at Christy.Roelke@umbc.edu before December 12 to express interest in joining the Fall 2014 Cohort. Please include the month and year of your UMBC graduation. All alumni must meet the minimum requirements of the cohort. The deadline for first-time applicants to join the Fall 2014 Cohort is Thursday, February 14, 2013 at Noon.

UMBC Re-Applicants:
Re-Applicants from a previous HPEC Cohort (students who already applied to medical, dental, or podiatry school with the assistance of UMBC’s HPEC) are not required to attend any of the Kickoff Workshops. Re-Applicants are always welcome to attend a Kickoff Workshop if they desire, but attendance is not mandatory for Re-Applicants who are not taking classes at UMBC in Fall 2012. Re-Applicants should email Ms. Roelke at Christy.Roelke@umbc.edu before the end of May 2013 to express interest in joining the Fall 2014 Cohort. Please include the month and year of your UMBC graduation. All Re-Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the cohort they desire to join.

The Kickoff Workshops explain the application timeline for each professional school area. Students will also be introduced to the pre-application homework documents that must be submitted to UMBC’s Health Professions Evaluation Committee (HPEC), along with the minimum requirements to be a member of the Fall 2014 Cohort.

For additional information, please visit the Applying sections for each career area on the office website:
Medical, http://www.umbc.edu/premed/medical_applying.php
Dental, http://www.umbc.edu/premed/dental_applying.php
Podiatry, http://www.umbc.edu/premed/podiatry_applying.php

The same content which was covered in the two workshops offered in December, will be repeated in this third workshop. No need to RSVP.

Third and Final Kickoff Workshop:
Monday, February 4, 2013
University Center 310
Noon-12:50pm


Past Events:
December Kickoff Workshops:
Monday, December 10, 2012
University Center 312
Noon-12:50pm

Or
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
University Center 312
Noon-12:50pm
(Study Day)

Sponsored by The PreMedical and PreDental Advising Office and the UMBC Health Professions Evaluation Committee (HPEC).