Most professional schools require that applicants present a composite evaluation/recommendation by a designated preprofessional faculty committee as a part of their application dossier. The Medical Professions Advisement Committee (faculty representatives only) performs this function at ETSU.

    The Medical Professions Advisement Committee usually sits for evaluation purposes in June and November of each year. (Other sittings are possible but are not undertaken except in unusual circumstances.) Hence students should begin the evaluation process at least three months prior to a scheduled Committee sitting to ensure that all necessary materials are at hand for the Committee's consideration. IT IS THE INDIVIDUAL STUDENT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO INITIATE THE EVALUATION PROCESS IN A TIMELY FASHION. A detailed set of instructions on the evaluation process, together with the necessary forms, are available from the Medical Professions Advisement Office. Depending on which profession the student wishes to enter, the Medical Professions Advisement Committee evaluation must be completed between 9 and 15 months prior to the date the student hopes to enroll in professional school.

The factors which the Medical Professions Advisement Committee considers include:

• Complete transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate courses attempted-both at ETSU and elsewhere. Consideration is given to the strength and quality of the curriculum attempted. The Grade Point Average (GPA) on all college/university work is of major interest.

• A note about GPA: ETSU uses "net" GPA in determining graduation requirements. In this scheme, when a course is repeated, only the second grade is used in computing the student's GPA. Professional schools, on the other hand, use "gross" GPA in evaluating applicants' transcripts. This method uses both the repeat and original grades to compute GPA. The "net" and "gross" GPAs will be the same if no courses are repeated, but may be quite different if there are numerous repeats. Specifically, the "gross" GPA will be somewhat lower than the "net." In this booklet, GPA refers to the "gross" value used by professional schools.

• Performance on the appropriate professional aptitude test (MCAT, VCAT, etc.) if such data is available at the time of evaluation.

• Written evaluations by at least four (4) faculty members of the student's choice under whom the student has studied. Ideally, two should be science faculty and two non-science faculty, with no two from the same department. All must be regular, full-time faculty of professorial rank (assistant professor or higher). Except in unusual circumstances, members of the Medical Professions Advisement Committee do not provide these evaluations.

• Practical work experience, volunteer or compensated, in a related health care setting. (Some professional schools require such experience; all encourage it.)

• Personal interviews with two (2) members of the Medical Professions Advisement Committee. These interviews will focus on the student's background knowledge of his/her chosen profession and motivation to pursue a career in that area.

• Other pertinent factors such as extracurricular activities (especially leadership roles), involvement in student service organizations, employment experience, etc.

IMPORTANT NOTICE…
    While every effort is made to ensure that this Guide is accurate and up-to-date, it is nevertheless inevitable that errors and discrepancies will occur. Professional schools may change their admissions requirements without informing advisement offices in advance. The performance standards expected of applicants may change from year to year as the size and quality of the applicant pool changes. There may be editorial mistakes in the preparation of this material. For all of these reasons, students should use this Guide as just that-a "guide" to assist them as they prepare for application to professional school. Students should double-check important admissions and application information with the Medical Professions Advisement Director and, if any question remains, communicate directly with the appropriate professional school(s).