The Center for Health Sciences Advising

Before I even attended Notre Dame, I asked an upperclassman his best advice for a future Pre-med. He said, “make the Center for Health Sciences Advising your second home under the Dome.” Do just that! Applying to medical school can seem daunting, but my help from the advising team eased that pressure. The Center’s faculty are accessible, knowledgeable and timely with how to prepare for any health profession. Perhaps most importantly, the advising team allowed me to highlight attributes that will serve me well in medicine: compassion, commitment to excellence, and service. For this help, I’m truly grateful.

During my time at Notre Dame, the advisors at the Center for Health Sciences Advising were extremely helpful and supportive in assisting me to apply to medical school. From my sophomore year, the advisors were there to answer any questions I had as well as encourage me along the journey. Something that they emphasized to me early was to do things that I was passionate about and would allow me to grow, not just activities that I thought would look good on an application. This advice permitted me to enhance my application while allowing my pre-med journey to still be enjoyable. I appreciated how very available the advisors made themselves to me whether that was to assuage any concerns I had or to advise me on how I could continue to grow at each step of my journey. I am beyond grateful for their investment in my growth as an individual and success as a future physician.  

From the first day of Welcome Weekend to moments before I walked across the stage at graduation, the health professions counseling staff saw through my development as a person and future physician. With hundreds of health professions students matriculating from Notre Dame each year, I was both grateful and impressed by the level of individual attention I received across my four years. Most importantly, the advisors continuously emphasize the importance of becoming an appealing applicant through personal growth rather than simply checking the boxes – a demonstration of clear alignment with the values of our school.

Throughout my undergraduate time at Notre Dame, the Center for Health Sciences Advising was there to answer any questions and alleviate anxieties about applying to medical school. As a science preprofessional studies major, I am thankful for the unique opportunity to have been in class with the advisors and benefit from getting to know them academically and personally. The advisors recognize and work to understand the uniqueness of each student. Moreover, the advisors have supported me throughout my gap year and continue to be an invaluable resource. The Center for Health Sciences Advising helps students achieve their collegiate and graduate goals with candor, compassion, and commitment. I am forever grateful to the Center for Health Sciences Advising for helping me achieve a lifelong goal of attending medical school.