Description
This resource provides information about who pre-professional students are, why CLA advisers work with them, and what their most common advising issues are.
Who are pre-professional students?
There are two categories of pre-professional students. The first category includes students who begin their college career in CLA but must transfer to another program outside CLA to complete their training. This includes programs such as:
- health sciences (medical technology, nursing, etc.)
- business (Carlson School of Management)
- majors from other UMTC campus colleges such as social work through the College of Human Ecology
- technology
- elementary education
The second category of pre-professional students includes those who require a bachelor’s degree and post-baccalaureate training in order to practice in their chosen field. Oftentimes their B.A. or B.S. degree program must be designed around a particular set of required courses to meet admission requirements for the post-baccalaureate program. This includes programs such as:
- law
- medicine
- secondary education
- business (many majors can lead toward a business career)
Pre-professional programs almost always have competitive admission programs. This may mean that students need to meet specific GPA, coursework, and/or extracurricular requirements.
Note: It is important for CLA advisers to recognize the difference between pre-professional programs that require a completed undergraduate degree and programs that do not require a completed undergraduate degree. This information will help you and the student determine the specific type of coursework, degree, major, or other extracurricular experience needed to gain admission to the desired program.
For those requiring a major prior to admission, the student’s chosen major should reflect their “Plan B” career choice. Completion of prerequisites is more important than the chosen major.
Why do CLA academic advisers work with these students?
There are two main reasons why CLA advisers work so closely with pre-professional students. First, if a student is not directly admitted to a college that houses pre-professional majors as a freshman, the most viable alternative is to admit them to the College of Liberal Arts. Students complete pre-requisite coursework in CLA and transfer to the college of their choice. Because such programs are competitive, all students should have a Plan B major, usually within the College of Liberal Arts. Second, first year students may not know what they want to major in upon entering the University. It is also possible that students will change their major and decide that the major in which they are most interested is housed in another college. Thus, CLA advisers have to be prepared to advise students who are planning to transfer out of CLA as well as aid students who transfer into CLA from another college.
When do CLA advisers most commonly work with these students?
Commonly, advisers work with students who are considering transferring out of CLA during the first two years of their degree program. Since all students are required to declare a major by the time they reach 60 credits, it is in the pre-professional student’s best interest to transfer into their desired program as early as possible. Students who wait may encounter difficulties as the 60 credit deadline approaches.
Note: CLA advisers should also be prepared to work with pre-professional students who have decided that a liberal arts education is better suited for their needs. Advisers will need to assist students in creating a new degree plan that fulfills the CLA degree requirements.
Advising Issues
This information is applicable to the CLA student applying to competitive programs within CLA and the student who is transferring to a pre-professional major not housed in CLA.
The “Plan B”
Because students must declare a major by the time they reach 60 credits, advisers should help students choose an alternative program in case they are not admitted to their desired program; this is called a “Plan B” major. In the course of discussing alternative programs or majors, advisers should be sensitive to students’ reluctance to consider other options than their first choice.
Gaining practical experience
By the second semester of their first year, students interested in pre-professional programs should be gaining some type of practical experience related to their program. This includes volunteer work, paid work, or internship experience with an organization in their field. Experience is important not only because it gives students real-life insight into their field, but also because many admissions committees look for some type of practical experience when screening potential candidates.
Pre-professional students should continue to gain experience throughout their educational careers at the University of Minnesota, as it will make them more competitive candidates for jobs and post baccalaureate programs. Note that it is important to convey to students it may be to their advantage to gain experience in a variety of settings.
Focus on the major to the exclusion of other requirements
Pre-professional students may be very focused on getting right to their major and may be reluctant to take liberal education courses. As the student’s advisers, it may be necessary to explain why liberal education courses are important and that these courses are not optional. All University of Minnesota-Twin Cities students must complete the liberal education requirements.
Pre-professional program liaisons
It is necessary as an adviser to stay abreast of changes to requirements that affect pre-professional students. CLA does not have formal liaisons for all programs, but there are some unofficial liaisons.
Jim Galvin — Health sciences
jgalvin@class.cla.umn.edu
Karen Crouch — Business
kcrouch@class.cla.umn.edu
Angela Whitney — Coordinator/Pre-Law Adviser
cclc@class.cla.umn.edu
Julie Ann Edin — Education
jaedin@class.cla.umn.edu
Claudia Hasegawa — Computer science
hasegawa@class.cla.umn.edu
Les Opatz — Journalism
lopatz@class.cla.umn.edu
Sue Hunter Weir — Design
huntweir@class.cla.umn.edu
Any other pre-professional areas do not have official liaison links.
Related Information
CLA Degrees, Majors, and Minors, section 2.1
Undergraduate Catalog
Career and Community Learning Center
University Senate Policy on Major Declaration by 60 Credits (#11)
Links to U of M colleges and professional schools
Forms/Instructions
Pre-professional program planning sheets for health science programs are available on the CLA Health and Natural Science Student Community website: http://hns.class.umn.edu/
