While some Mount Holyoke students attend health profession school directly after graduating from college, most will have one or more years in between. This period of time is an excellent opportunity to strengthen your qualifications for professional school; depending on your personal needs, interests, and preferences or restrictions, there are many options. Some common experiences that our graduates pursue between Mount Holyoke and professional school are:

• Jobs

• Fellowships

• National service opportunities: Teach For America, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps

• Post-baccalaureate programs (see below)

• Graduate school

If you are a junior or senior and unsure of your next steps, now is an excellent time to visit the pre-health office and talk over your post-graduation plans as they relate to your professional aspirations.

Post-baccalaureate coursework

Not everyone is academically prepared for professional school by the time they graduate from college. A student might need to finish one or more prerequisite courses, or they may need to increase their GPA in order to be competitive for the program they hope to enter. 

An excellent starting place to learn about post-baccalaureate options is the website of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP). (You can also read more from the American Dental Education Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges).

Whether you need to finish prerequisites or enhance your academic record, there are two basic ways to complete courses after college graduation: taking classes as a non-degree student at an appropriate institution, or enrolling in a part- or full-time post-baccalaureate pre-health program. Since many students do not fall squarely into one single definition of a post-baccalaureate student, we recommend that after reviewing the information here and on the NAAHP page, you make an appointment with the pre-health office to discuss your needs and options.