Prehealth Advisors
- Prehealth Advisor Profile
- Getting an Advisor *Updated April 6, 2009*
- Advisor's Letter of Recommendation
- Expectations of Advisees
- Advisor Role and Responsibilities
Prehealth Advisor Profile
MIT draws its prehealth advisors from many groups: MIT faculty, physicians at MIT Medical, MIT Dental, and the MIT-Harvard Health Sciences and Technology (HST) Program, and research affiliates from HST, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brigham and Women's Hospital. Among the physicians, physician-researchers, faculty members, and others who make up the 50+ MIT advisors are people who balance their professional lives with activities that range from speed skating to playing the violin. Every year they find time to discuss health profession careers with their advisees and to write letters of recommendation for them. Their expectation in return: responsible, timely, and continuing communication with their advisees.
Getting an Advisor
Students and alums must request a prehealth advisor between September 1st - November 30th two years prior to their desired matriculation year to a health profession school. (Ex. If seeking fall 2011 admission to a health profession school, request a prehealth advisor between September and November 2009.)
Advisors are only guaranteed to individuals who fulfill the prerequisite prehealth registration meeting and submit their prehealth advisor request form by the November 30th deadline. Current MIT students are given priority when assigning prehealth advisors. Advisor assignments to alums may be contingent on local residence in Massachusetts and availability once current MIT students meeting the November 30th deadline have been assigned.
Steps to Requesting a Prehealth Advisor
Once you have completed a prehealth registration meeting, please submit the following to the Preprofessional Advising Office between September 1st and November 30th:
- Prehealth Advisor Request Form (hardcopy)
- Credential Service Form (hardcopy) if you haven't already opened a credential file.
- Updated prehealth registration questions AND your responses to the following two questions (uploaded to your CareerBridge profile).
- During your prehealth registration meeting, what areas for improvement were identified to imrove your candidacy for a health profession program?
- Based on the feedback you received during your prehealth registration meeting, what are your specific plans for further developing your candidacy for a health profession program?
- Resume (hardcopy)
Please note that these items will be provided to your assigned prehealth advisor and serve as his or her first impression of you as a candidate for a health profession program. The requested documents and forms above should be proofread and completed to the best of your ability.
Advisor Assignments for those who meet the November 30th deadline will be posted by December 20th on individual student and alum profiles in CareerBridge.
Study Abroad Students
Opportunities for individuals to expose themselves to different cultures and methods of learning, like study abroad, are excellent. Prehealth students who are considering study abroad are encouraged to first meet with the Preprofessional Advising staff to strategize their application timeline to best incorporate a study abroad experience. It is important that the intended study abroad experience does not conflict with the actual application cycle to a health profession program. In addition, please note that the completion of prehealth course requirements should not be done while abroad, as health profession application services (AMCAS, AADSAS, etc.) and health profession schools do not accept foreign transcripts.
Individuals considering study abroad complete a prehealth registration meeting and apply for a prehealth advisor by May 15th to receive a prehealth advisor prior to summer break or the start of the study abroad program.
Alumni Seeking Prehealth Advisors
Preference is given to undergraduate and graduate students in the advisor assignment process. Advisor assignments to alums may be contingent on local residence in Massachusetts and availability once current MIT students meeting the November 30th deadline have been assigned. Please know that MIT alums are not guaranteed advisors.
For informal mentoring and career exploration, we encourage alumni/ae applicants living outside of the Massachusetts area to utilize the resources offered through ICAN (Institute Career Assistance Network). The ICAN database will allow alumni to find physicians in their area to conduct informational interviews, and possibly organize shadowing and/or volunteer opportunities.
Advisor's Letter of Recommendation
Your Prehealth Advisor's letter is not a composite letter (a letter that compiles information from your other letters and is sent on its own to a given school or program), as it is at some other schools. In addition, your advisor's letter is not a Prehealth committee letter. Rather, it serves as a letter from the Advisory Board at MIT, and is sent with all of your other letters including a form that explains approved prehealth courses at MIT. Your Prehealth Advisor has access to all of your letters of recommendation, and we feel that it is to your advantage that he or she reads them. Many advisors do quote students' other letters of reference in their own letter. Nevertheless, your advisor's letter is not considered a composite letter, because all your letters are sent to the medical, dental, or other health profession schools.
Expectations of Advisees:
- Complete a required Prehealth Registration meeting and submit updated Prehealth Registration question responses based on registration meeting discussion.
- Open a Credential Service file to store your letters and application materials.
- Contact your prehealth advisor by phone or email within two weeks of receiving your advisor assignment. Please note: Failure to contact your advisor within that time frame may result in your advisor being reassigned to another individual.
- Inform Prehealth Advisor AND the Preprofessional Advising Office of any changes in your application plans.
- Maintain contact with your Prehealth Advisor, apprising him or her of your application progress, exam preparation and results, etc.
- Supply a copy of your personal statement, resume, transcript, and MCAT scores to the CDC by June 30th of your application year (Ex., June 2010 for 2011 matriculation). These items will be sent along with your letters of recommendation to your prehealth advisor for his/her use when writing your letter of recommendation.
Role and Responsibilities of Prehealth Advisor:
- Serve as a mentor
- Meet with his or her advisee(s) one to two times per semester, and keep in touch via e-mail and phone.
- Explore advisee's motivation for medicine.
- Encourage advisee to gain exposure to the health profession settings through volunteer work and shadowing.
- Assess and evaluate advisee’s motivation, commitment and fit for a career in the health professions.
- Provide support to Preprofessional Advising, when appropriate, in providing additional guidance on advisee’s application. (Ex. personal statements, mock interviews, etc.)
- Write a letter of recommendation representing the MIT Prehealth Advisory Board based on relationship with his or her advisee, the advisee’s credentials and application materials. (Exam scores, Transcript, Resume, Extracurricular Activities, Personal Statement and Letters of Recommendation)
Last updated on Wednesday, April 29, 09 at 11:52:29 AM EDT.
