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Your first step to a successful
career In Healthcare.
Pre-Health Advising
George Washington University's Pre-Health Advising team assists and supports students as they explore graduate and professional programs in healthcare. Individuals interested in pursuing a health profession are encouraged to meet with a pre-health advisor to determine prerequisites, consider strengths and areas for opportunity, reflect on readiness to apply, and discuss application timeline, preparation for professional exams and program choices.
Our advisors are well-equipped to offer guidance on the nation's leading medical, dental, physician assistant, nursing, optometry, veterinary, podiatry, chiropractic, pharmacy, physical therapy and occupational therapy programs.
Meet Our Advisors
The GW pre-health advisors are available to guide you through the process of applying to professional health programs and schools. Through introductory information sessions and one-on-one advising, we are committed to helping students successfully pursue their career goals.
*GW Faculty and staff may request a Pre-Health Overview for a course they teach or for department meetings, which includes a quick 10 - 15 minute presentation on what pre-health advising is, resources available to pre-health students at GW, when they should meet with the pre-health advisor, and an approximate timeline/lifecycle of a pre-health student.
Frequently Asked Questions
GW pre-health students can choose any major they'd like. There is not one specific major that makes an applicant on any of the pre-health tracks more competitive than another. As such, GW pre-health students choose a variety of majors including (but not limited to):
- Biology (19.2%)
- Public health (17.2%)
- Neuroscience (15.5%)
- Arts & Sciences (12.6%)
- Other (10%)
- Exercise Science (6.9)
But overall, please choose a major you have a genuine interest in and liking for.
Over 70% of our pre-health students are pre-med. However, no matter what pre-health track you are on, you get the same in-depth 1-on-1 advising and support to ensure you can be successful on your path to a healthcare career.
Our next biggest cohort is pre-PA and pre-dental at 6.5% each. The remainder comprise the allied health professions and pre-PT.
This percentage varies between allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) programs. In addition, the percentages include only those students who have elected to disclose their acceptances with us.
In 2021, an estimated 349 GW students applied to MD programs. This number includes transfer & non-degree seeking students. 149 were accepted which is an acceptance rate of 38.39%. This is in line with the national average of 38.31%. Nationally, a total of 60,363 students applied and 23,124 were accepted.
For DO programs, an estimated 52 GW students applied and 23 were accepted which is an acceptance rate of 44.23% and is again in line with the national average of 43.68%. Nationally, 28,013 students applied and 12,235 were accepted.
GW students apply to schools all across the country but below are some of the most commonly applied to programs from the 2021 application cycle.
MD Programs:
- GWU
- Georgetown
- Temple
- Drexel
- Tulane
- Tufts
DO Programs:
- Philadelphia College of O. Medicine
- New York Institute of Tech College of O. Medicine (NYITCOM)
- Touro College of O. Medicine, NY
- Lake Erie College of O. Medicine
- Rowan University School of O. Medicine
Before you worry about finding clinical or research, get adjusted to college first! Find what study strategies work for you, work on time management skills and start getting to know all of the great resources available to you such as peer tutoring, student success coaching, career advising and more! Your grades build the foundation of your competitiveness and its importance should not be underestimated.
Beyond that, join a student org and begin volunteering in the DC community!
Feel free to email your questions to [email protected] at any time!