The Office of Pre-Professional Programs and Advising is located on the 3rd floor of Garland Hall. We are adjacent to an office that all of you in the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences will be visiting many times freshmen year, the Office of Academic Advising. We want to encourage to you set up a time to meet with an advisor in Pre-Professional Programs and Advising your first year as well! Our primary mission is to make sure you are well-prepared for future careers in the health professions and the law professions. We offer advising services throughout your undergraduate program, whether it be related to selecting courses, securing a volunteer involvement, gaining a legal or health internship, and assisting you through out the entire application process. Our hope is to help you make conscious and thoughtful plans about your future. The set of courses listed below will generally satisfy the requirements of many health professions schools: - 1 yr. of general chemistry with associated labs
- 1 yr. of organic chemistry with one associated lab
- 1 yr. of biological science coursework with associated labs
- 1 yr. of general physics with associated labs s
- 1 yr. of English (composition and/or literature)
- 1 yr. of mathematics (calculus is required by a small number of schools; and/or statistics)
- 1 sem. of biochemistry (required by 30+ schools) with associated labs
Students receiving AP credit for biology, chemistry, and physics will be required by many medical schools to show college-level coursework in that subject on their college transcript. Please note that many health professions schools expect supplemental coursework to be completed in those areas where AP credits are awarded. Generally, a year of biological science coursework with labs will be expected regardless of AP credits. Freshmen with AP credit in one of the prerequisite sciences (e.g., general chemistry) are urged to begin science coursework at Johns Hopkins in a different introductory-level science (e.g, general physics) rather than choosing an intermediate course in the subject where AP credit was awarded. A student's choice of major, as well as the strength of his/her background, will influence decisions regarding AP credit. Be sure to speak with a Pre-Professional Advisor or an advisor in the Office of Academic Advising to determine whether your coursework is compliant with health professions schools requirements. For additional AP information offered by the Pre-Professional Advising Office, please view the following document: What courses should I take if I'm Pre-Law? The ABA does not recommend any particular group of undergraduate majors or courses that should be taken to prepare for legal education. However, there are important skills and values, and significant bodies of knowledge that can be acquired prior to law school: - Analytic and problem-solving skills
- Critical reading abilities
- Writing skills
- Oral communication and listening abilities
- General research skills
- Organization and management skills
- Foreign language skills
- The value of serving the interests of others while promoting justice
How do I find out information about Pre-Professional Advising? We are very proud of our website, http://web.jhu.edu/prepro, as it presents a comprehensive overview of the services of the Office, provides lots of useful information and resources, and addresses questions you might have your first year. Key pages that we strongly encourage you to visit on the site early on are: - Meeting & Events
- E-Newsletters
- Health Professions Advising: Health Professions Overview (which includes Prerequisites for Health Professions Schools, Advanced Placement Credits, The English Requirement for medical school, and Pursuing an Academic Major)
- Health Professions Advising: Pre-Med Course Requirements
- Health Professions Advising: Freshman and Sophomores
- Law School Advising: An Overview
- Law School Advising: Your JHU Years
- Law School Advising: Legal Internship, Fellowship & Work Opportunities
There are three other critical ways you can keep in touch with Pre-Professional Advising: - You can self-subscribe to one of our listservs and get all of the up-to-date information on upcoming programs and events, including the e-Newsletters. Just send an email to sympa@lists.johnshopkins.edu and type in the subject line: "subscribe medclass 2012” or “subscribe lawclass 2012”
- We invite you to attend the orientation program about Pre-Professional Programs and Advising which will be held a few days into your orientation.
- The other way you find out information about pre-professional advising is to set up an appointment to visit us at 300 Garland Hall. The number is 410.516.4140.
What general advice can Pre-Professional Advising offer Freshmen?
As a first-year student at Hopkins, we encourage you to pursue your interests both in the classroom and beyond. You should, however, be careful not to over-commit to involvements outside of the classroom. You do not want to be in a position where your extracurricular activities pull you away from the time necessary to excel academically. Try a couple of activities your first year and, if you find you have time for more, go for it!
As a pre-professional student it is important that you perform at a high level academically. This is why it is essential for all pre-professional students to develop good study habits and a college lifestyle that is conducive to academic achievement. This includes (but is not limited to!) setting aside enough time in your schedule to study and getting a good night’s sleep. If you have trouble in your first semester try to pinpoint your difficulties and remedy them. Many resources are available to you on campus if you need help including your academic advisor, your professors and teaching assistants, the Counseling Center, and this Office.
It is very important that you get to know your professors. This is particularly challenging, however, in light of the size of introductory and some upper level classes. Do your best to get to know them. This will not only help you academically, but also will help you procure letters of recommendation when you apply to medical, other health professions, or law school. Make a point of stopping in to meet some of your professors during their office hours, even if you are in a large-introductory level course. You don’t have to have a major question to ask as a pretense to visiting with a professor; any specific question about a course, curiosity about your course work, or questions about a professor’s research interests are all legitimate reasons for visiting with a professor during his/her office hours. Who are the advisors anyway? David Verrier is the Director of the Office. He received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University. His background is primarily in academic advising and health professions advising. Prior to coming to Hopkins, David served as the Assistant Dean for Advising at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, for 16 years. Ana Droscoski is an Assistant Director specializing in pre-law advising. She is a New York State licensed attorney who practiced primarily real estate, conservation, environmental, and estate law for numerous years in the private and public sector prior to beginning work at Hopkins. She obtained her J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law. Kirsten Kirby is an Assistant Director specializing in health professions advising. Kirsten obtained her M.S.Ed. from University of Pennsylvania and has extensive experience in career education and health professions advising.
Office of Pre-Professional Advising
Suite 300 Garland Hall
410-516-4140
preprofessional@jhu.edu | 
