Pre-Professional Advising

Resources for pre-health professions at Connecticut College:

• Pre-Health Advising Moodle website: Students who enroll will receive information and updates about events, resources, internships, and job postings.
• Individualized academic and career advising: Students can meet individually with Page Owen and Sara Abbazia, both members of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP).
• Campus engagement and leadership opportunities: The Pre-Health Club serves as an umbrella organization for the various pre-health subcommittees on campus, including Health Professions for Underrepresented Minorities, the Pre-Dental Committee, and the Pre-Veterinary Committee.
• Local engagement: Through the Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy, students are able to volunteer and engage with the local New London community. Pre-health students are able to volunteer at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, Samaritan House (a health education center), and the Beachwood Post-Acute and Rehabilitation center.

What qualities and background do medical schools look for in a candidate?

Connecticut College is based on traditional liberal arts principles, and it is possible to major in any academic discipline and still complete the required coursework for health professions schools.

Health professions schools do not have a preference for any major. While chemistry, biology, and biochemistry are the most common majors for pre-health students, students should focus in whatever area they find exciting and appealing.

When choosing coursework, students should consider the following:

• Map out an academic plan that includes pre-health coursework and academic major classes.
• Pre-health prerequisites may not be taken abroad. Research study abroad and speak with potential departments about whether or not they will permit any major coursework in programs being considered.
• If a student chooses a non-STEM major, they may consider taking a science course or two above the minimum requirements.
• Ideally, students should avoid taking science requirements in the summer.
• Consider cross-disciplinary minors and concentrations that can enhance one's portfolio.
• Double majors are not that common with pre-health, and schools would prefer to see a mastery of the pre-health sciences.

Additionally, health professions schools generally want to see applicants with the following activities:

• Shadowing hours
• Clinical experience
• Research experience
• Community service/volunteer hours

Ask a law school admissions dean "What is the best academic preparation for law school?" and the answer invariably will be "A well-rounded liberal arts curriculum."

There are no required courses for law school, but at Connecticut College, you'll obtain the verbal and written communication skills, logical reasoning and critical thinking abilities, organizational and analytical skills, broad understanding of human nature and behaviors, and a global perspective that law schools desire. 

Connecticut College graduates are among those attending U.S. News & World Report's Top 25 Law Schools (as of Fall 2016) including:

• The University of Michigan
• Harvard Law School
• Emory University School of Law
• New York University School of Law
• University of Virginia School of Law
• University of Pennsylvania Law School
• George Washington University Law School
• Georgetown University Law Center
• Northwestern University School of Law
• Vanderbilt Law School, University of California- Berkeley
• Duke University School of Law
• University of Pennsylvania Law School
• Washington University School of Law
• Columbia University School of Law

If you are thinking about pursuing a law career, you should know that Connecticut College provides extensive services to help pre-law students achieve their goals, including:

• A chance to meet with admission representatives at regional law school fairs to which Connecticut College students are invited
• Individual appointments with the pre-law advisor
• Guest speakers, including practicing attorneys to discuss law practice
• Pre-law student email newsletter, with updates on law school admission issues and law-related activities
• The Connecticut College Network, for students to discuss law school and law practice with Connecticut College alumni who are lawyers and judges
• A Flexible Career Funding Program to pursue law-related work experiences during all four years at Conn. 
• Reference letter service to store letters of recommendation for law school
• Law-related resource books such as the "Official Guide to ABA Approved Law Schools," "The Big Orange Book of Real LSATs," "The Law School Buzz Book," "Cracking the LSAT," "The Law School Survival Guide," "Best 159 Law Schools" and "Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms," plus the resources available through Shain Library 

There are numerous opportunities for our pre-law students to bolster their admission profiles by pursuing extracurricular activities, including community service experience through the Office of Volunteers for Community Service and sports, as well as participation in one of the College's four academic center certificate programs.

For more information about pre-law advising, contact pre-law advisor Deborah Brunetti at dbrunett@conncoll.edu.

Sign up for the pre-law listserv

Connecticut College students who wish to keep up-to-date with job postings and internships should email Deborah Brunetti at dbrunett@conncoll.edu to sign up to be a part of the pre-law listserv.

An MBA degree program will focus on equipping you with the theoretical and practical skills to make sound business decisions and expose you to the core subjects of finance, accounting, human resources, marketing and information systems.

A well-rounded liberal arts education, therefore, provides you with an excellent complement to and preparation for business school. No specific major is required for business school.

Many business schools look for evidence of leadership ability. Our commitment to shared governance provides you with numerous opportunities to develop leadership skills:

Students like you serve on virtually all standing committees at the College and have their own Honor Council to handle a variety of disciplinary matters. Student Housefellows fill an important role in overseeing the smooth operation of residence houses. The College's Office of Career and Professional Development gives students numerous opportunities to develop leadership skills at area schools, social service agencies, hospitals and various nonprofits. In addition, you can gain valuable leadership skills by participating in any of the assorted student-led organizations and programs on campus.

Many business schools emphasize model-building and case study approaches. They prefer applicants who have utilized their college careers to perfect their oral and written expression as well as their analytical, problem-solving and quantitative abilities — hallmarks of a liberal arts education. In terms of specific coursework, most business schools encourage students to study micro- and macroeconomics, and some also ask for statistics and calculus.

As an undergraduate, you should seek professionally oriented summer jobs and internships, as well as meaningful extracurricular activities to complement your academic record. While a number of business schools allow enrollment immediately after graduation, many prefer two or more years of full-time work experience. Our pre-business adviser also works with graduates after they have obtained full-time work experience and are ready to apply to business schools.

Pre-business resources at Connecticut College include:

• Workshops on preparing for business school, applying to business school and developing the business school personal statement
• Individual advising appointments with the pre-business adviser
• Prominent alumni returning to campus to discuss their careers through a variety of panel discussions, seminars and workshops
• An alumni network for students to discuss a wide range of business-related careers with Connecticut College alumni
• A Flexible Career Funding Program to pursue significant work experiences during all four years at Conn. 
• A reference letter service to store letters of recommendation for MBA programs
• Peggotty Investment Club, a student-run special interest club, whose goal is to provide students with practical education and hands-on experience in financial markets. Members participate in actively managing $120,000 of the College's endowment