Students who have chosen pre-health career path probably know all about the academic and pre-professional advising center in the 2nd floor of the Melville library. Having worked with their academic advisors for their first two undergraduate years, students who still plan to apply to medical school, dental school, or schools of osteopathic medicine are soon in touch with James Montren and Joane Maniaci, two individuals who spearhead the final stages of pre-health advising for the entire undergraduate student body on campus.
According to Montren, the number of applicants has climbed dramatically in the past several years. Just last year, 252 letters of recommendation were written for students on campus, while this year, Montren predicts that the number will reach about 375 students. He admits that the process of completing and sending out medical school applications is a tedious and exacting task. The process requires diligence from both the academic advisor as well as the student.
Montren offered some comments regarding his views of the future prospects of pursuing a career in a health profession.
Montren said, ‘Schools are looking for quality,’ referring to the vast amount of extra and co-curricular activities’ that pre-health students participate in. He continued, ‘Students need something to show they are competitive.’
Concerning the future appeal for the profession, Montren stated, ‘I think interest in the health professions is on the rise, especially in dentistry.’
However, Montren did acknowledge that the system of healthcare administration is changing. Concerning the amount of money that is going into the healthcare system today, Montren commented, ‘The game of healthcare is changing. But people will get acclimated.’
The field of medicine in particular, according to Montren, is still on the rise primarily because of the new technological and pharmaceutical developments coming up. Montren noted, ‘More specialties are coming up.’
Students who choose to pursue a pre-health track must fill certain course requirements. These basic science courses are important for entrance examinations to medical, osteopathic, and dental schools, the MCATs and DATs. Other than these several requirements basic science and math requirements, students who choose a particular health profession as their goal are relatively free from constraints. For more information concerning pre-health advising, students should browse to http://www.aamc.org or Stony Brook’s own pre-health advising page, http://www.sunysb.edu/healthed/.
