Post-Bacc
Bob Rarig, Ph.D. (he/him/his) is the Program Director for the Temple College of Science and Technology Post Bacc Program. He directs the admissions process for the various tracks within the program, including a Basic Sciences ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated October 12, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Pre-Health
For over 40 years, medical and dental school applicants have been asked to provide an institutional “committee letter” packet of recommendations if their prehealth offices provide a supportive evaluation. SDN has fielded questions about committee ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated September 27, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Pre-Health
In many literary epics, the protagonists’ journey is adversely affected by the weather or some force of nature. In Odysseus’s voyage home, Frodo’s quest, Dorothy’s journey down the yellow brick road, or Katniss Everdeen’s persistence ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated September 21, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Pre-Medical
A highly sought-after speaker about integrating virtual reality and digital innovation, Rohan Jotwani (he/him) is an assistant professor in clinical anesthesiology and assistant director of education at Weill Cornell University School of Medicine. Dr. Jotwani ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated August 22, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Pre-Health
Every application cycle, applicants request expert reviews on the Student Doctor Network to help them assess “What Are My Chances” (WAMC) at getting accepted to their desired health professional programs. While GPA and test metrics ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated July 27, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Pre-Medical
Amanda Griswold (she/her/hers) is the Director of Admissions for the DO program at the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine. Tell us about your position at your institution and your role in the admissions process. Amanda ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated October 18, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Medical
Beginning with the 2024 cycle, the AAMC allowed AMCAS and ERAS applicants an opportunity to describe Other Impactful Experiences (OIE) that have helped define their perspective on life. Replacing the “Disadvantaged” essay, the Other Impactful ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated June 18, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Medical School
The below interview with Dr. Neil Saley, author of Medical School: Experience the Journey has been lightly edited for clarity. Emil Chuck, PhD: My name is Emil Chuck. I’m the Director of Advising Services (for ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated May 23, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Pre-Health
Most advice to applicants focuses on the personal statement and description of work or activities required to complete the initial centralized application service (CAS) application. In contrast, I urge you to write your school-specific “secondary” ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated April 19, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Pre-Medical
Luckson Omoaregba (he/his) serves as the inaugural director of pathway programs at the Warren Alpert Medical School (AMS) at Brown University. About Luckson Omoaregba Tell us about your position at your institution and your role ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated March 1, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Pre-Medical
What are “strong ties,” and what do they mean for health professional admissions? A “strong tie” is usually associated with the amount of time the applicant has spent within the community or state where the ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated March 1, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Pre-Health
Once when I was director of admissions, incoming students viewed and discussed a “common orientation movie” called Coded Bias. Released in 2020 before the pandemic, this documentary (available on PBS for a while) presented the disparate impact ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated February 15, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Pharmacy School
Heidi Fuchs is the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Enrollment Management at Touro College of Pharmacy (NY). Her passion for working with students and being a catalyst on their professional journey started with her first ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated February 15, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Pre-Medical
Your success in any application cycle depends on how well you match a school’s metrics profile and the schools where you send your application – your school list. While applicants to non-medical or dental programs ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated February 9, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Pre-Health
Barbra Roller, Ph.D. (she/her), is the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs at the Florida International University (FIU) Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM). She also serves as the Administrative Director of the Graduate Certificate in ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated January 25, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Pre-Health
Happy new year, and for many of you, happy new semester! This article is for community college or university students starting a new set of classes this month, especially nontraditional postbac students that need GPA ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated September 25, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Pre-Health
Abstract: This article guides pre-health students through the fee assistance programs available for health professions application services. It explains how adjusted gross income from federal tax returns determines eligibility for most programs, details the documentation ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated December 22, 2025 by Emil Chuck, PhD
Pre-Dental
Dr. Steven Chang (he/him/his) is the Director of Admissions at the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) School of Dentistry. Tell us about your institution. Dr. Chang: The University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry is ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated December 19, 2022 by Emil Chuck, PhD
News
In Part 1, I introduced you to some of the results from the 2022 SJT Experience Survey, sponsored by the Health Professional Student Association. This anonymous survey captured input from 86 respondents who took a ... Read more
Emil Chuck, PhD
Updated May 23, 2023 by Emil Chuck, PhD