Pre-Health Career Advising

The Career Services Pre-Health Advising Team offers pre-health advising to all currently enrolled students and alumni from all undergraduate majors who have an interest in pursuing any health or allied health profession.

Schedule an appointment to:

Explore specific health professions and allied health professions.
Connect you with faculty to identify specific Pre-Health prerequisite courses and Pacific equivalencies.
Explore different educational pathways and programs with or without a gap year.
Discuss resume development, review, and feedback.
Assist with obtaining shadowing, clinical, research, volunteer, and other experiences.
Create an action plan to build competitiveness as an applicant for graduate programs.
Strengthen interview skills for graduate school and other opportunities.
Develop and/or review your graduate school application including personal statements.
And much more!

Pre-Health is a general term meant to identify students that are considering pursuing a health profession or career, from diagnostic medical sonography to medicine.

For example, students who may not know the exact Pre-Health Pathway they want to pursue but know they want a career in health can refer to themselves as a Pre-Health student. Whereas students who may want to become physicians or veterinarians can refer to themselves as Pre-Med or Pre-Vet students.

It is important to note that Pacific does not offer a Pre-Health major or degree, nor are you required to pursue a science-based major to pursue a Pre-Health Pathway. Rather, health professional programs (or schools) encourage you to major in a discipline (or major) you truly enjoy as long as you complete the required prerequisite courses for your intended health profession.

Students are highly encouraged to meet with their faculty advisors (major advisors) to discuss class registration and course selection.

Pre-Health Career Advising is supplemental, and students are welcome to schedule an appointments with the Pre-Health Advising Team via Handshake at their earliest convenience.

You may also send any questions or inquiries to Mailyn Villamonte, Assistant Director for Career Services: Pre-Health, at mvillamonte@pacific.edu or Teresa Martinez, Associate Director for Career Services: Pre-Health, at tmartinez@pacific.edu.

The Empowering Pacific Pre-Health through Shadowing (EPPS) Program provides support to Pacific pre-health undergraduate students who may not have all the resources needed to obtain health shadowing hours. Students will gain valuable experience to help them prepare for their future careers in healthcare and develop a deeper understanding of the health disparities and needs of the Stockton community. Learn more here.

Academic Advising

At University of the Pacific, you will have a Faculty Advisor (major advisor) who will guide you in completing your major, degree requirements, and course sequence. Please reach out to your department to learn how they can assist you in determining which of your courses apply to your Pacific major and discuss strategies for completing your major efficiently.

The Pre-Health Career Advising Team assists students in exploring their interests, skills and goals and developing a plan to become competitive applicants for their chosen health profession program. This includes assistance in planning co-curricular activities necessary for a strong application and how to breach the topic of obtaining letters of recommendation.

Transfer Students

Your time as a Pre-Health student at University of the Pacific will be limited, so it will be important for you to schedule an appointment as soon as possible with the Pre-Health Advising Team to ensure that you understand your Pre-Health Pathway’s timeline and application process.

Adjustment to a university curriculum and environment is not always an easy one. Students are strongly advised to take fewer units in their first semester and to increase the number of units as they progress toward degree completion. Students should plan to discuss this with their faculty advisor.

Returning Students & Pacific Alumni

Pacific currently does not have a formal Post-Baccalaureate (Post-Bacc) program for students returning to school to complete graduate-level health professional program prerequisites. However, the Pre-Health Career Advisors offer support to Pacific alumni.

We strongly recommend that you meet with the Pre-Health Career Advising Team as soon as you are accepted to Pacific so that they may assist you in planning your academic and co-curricular activities for a strong application to your health professional program of interest.

Current Students

Whether a currently enrolled student or beginning at Pacific in the upcoming semester, you are highly encouraged to meet with the Pre-Health Career Advising Team at the start of the semester and once a semester thereafter.

To schedule an appointment, you can call our office at (209) 946-2361 or click the link below.

Schedule an Appointment