Application Process

Tandon specializes in advising on medical and dental applications. We can assist with all others to a certain extent.

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Application Process

Applying to health professional schools is a significant undertaking with many moving parts. Unlike undergrad, students do not just apply widely and get in somewhere. This competitive process results in less than 50% of applicants successfully matriculating into these health schools. The proper discipline and preparation is required for all interested applicants.

Most health professional schools require applicants to submit applications more than a year before they plan to matriculate and require, in addition to the completion of the prehealth course sequence, letters of recommendation, evidence of extracurricular involvement, standardized test scores, essays and interviews.

Preparation

Applicants are expected to participate in the process and stay informed of application procedures in the following ways:

• Complete Tandon's Prehealth Professions course - PHP-UY 4000. This is required for all students applying to a health professional school and requesting a committee letter. We recommend you complete this course during the academic year in which you are planning to submit your health school application. Otherwise, you would need to complete this during the final year of your undergraduate studies, even if you are planning to complete a gap year.
• Review the medical school application timeline or a timeline for your chosen application (dental, optometry, veterinary, physician assistant etc.)
• If you haven't already, please fill out the Tandon Prehealth Interest Form. This will give you access to the Tandon Prehealth Portal, which will serve as your prep hub for your committee letter application.
  • Do not fill out the interest form more than once! If you are unsure if you already filled it out or not, try to log into your Prehealth Portal or check with Tandon Prehealth before filling out another form.
  • If you do not remember your password, send an email to tandonprehealth@nyu.edu and we will confirm it for you.
  • If you fill out the interest form more than once, it will result in 2 accounts and your application will not be submitted correctly.

  Important information for reapplicants:

  • Reapplicants must follow all of the above steps as detailed below. This is whether you are a reapplicant to the committee, to a health professional school, or to both.

  December - CLA Part 1

  Intent to Apply to a Health Professional School

  due December 15th each year
  (for Fall 2024 matriculation, Part 1 must be submitted in Fall 2022)

  • Submit Part 1 by December 15 ~two years prior to the fall term in which you want to begin your health studies.
  • ONLY students who submit Part 1 will be contacted about filling out the rest of the CLA.
  • Note: you must log into your Prehealth Portal in order to submit Part 1 of your CLA.
  • Both new applicants and reapplicants must submit Part 1 EACH year you intend to receive a committee letter.
    • If you are a late reapplicant who is requesting the same committee letter from a year prior submitted to your reapplication, you can just fill out Part 3 during spring/summer instead of submitting Part 1 and Part 2. If you want your committee letter updated, you must fill out Part 1 and Part 2 by the stated deadlines.

    February - CLA Part 2

    Application Materials for Committee Letter

    due February 1st each year
    (for Fall 2024 matriculation, Part 2 must be submitted in Spring 2023)

    • Submit Part 2 by February 1 one year prior to the fall term in which you intend to begin your studies.
    • You cannot submit Part 2 if you haven't already submitted Part 1. Only students who submitted Part 1 will be contacted with the link for Part 2 after December 15th.
    • Note: you must log into the Committee Letter Application Portal in order to submit Part 2 your CLA.
    • Both new applicants and reapplicants MUST submit a new Part 2 each year.
      • If you are a late reapplicant who is requesting the same committee letter from a year prior submitted to your reapplication, you can just fill out Part 3 in spring/summer instead of submitting Part 1 and Part 2. If you want your committee letter updated, you must fill out Part 1 and Part 2 by the stated deadlines.

      General requirements for Part 2 include:

      1. Academic information
      2. Personal statement
      3. Activity List
      4. Short Essays
      5. Prerecording
      6. Other materials

      February - Interview Day

      Spring 2024 Interview Day: Saturday, February 24, 2024

      Every applicant must be present for an interview. Interview time slots can be requested in Part 2, but will be assigned by the Prehealth Committee. Your request is not guaranteed! Everyone is expected to join in person in Brooklyn at Tandon for their interview.

      *Exceptions can ONLY be made for alumni that are not in the area and cannot easily make it to Tandon as a result.

      March - Health Professional Exams

      Sign up and sit for a Standardized Health Professional School Exam

      • If you haven't already taken it, make sure you have a scheduled date for your health professional school exam (MCAT, DAT, OAT, GRE etc.).
      • Also, don't forget about CASPer and/or AAMC PREview if your intended applications/schools require it.