The Office of Academic and Advising Services offers several resources for students who intend to apply to professional and/or graduate schools after completing their studies at Mercer. These resources include: the information on this website; books, brochures, and other information at the office's location in Penfield Hall; and a pre-professional advisor. The pre-professional advisor provides many services to students, including advice on course selection and scheduling as these items relate to preparation for professional and graduate schools; information about the basic requirements and admission procedures of professional and graduate schools; counseling for students who are struggling with or unsure of their current pre-professional track; and referrals to other appropriate resources for information about professional and graduate schools.
In some cases, the pre-professional advisor may help students make connections with Mercer faculty and staff members, as well as people outside of the Mercer community who may serve as useful contacts, such as personnel from professional schools who wish to recruit Mercer students. In addition, the pre-professional advisor serves as a liaison between pre-medicine students and the Health Vocations Advisement Committee (HVAC) by attending HVAC meetings and by helping students to assemble application files for HVAC letters of recommendation.
The pre-professional advisor is also responsible for providing services to Mercer's faculty and staff. These services include disseminating information about changes to Mercer's pre-professional programs, as well as information about opportunities for students to learn more about professional and graduate schools and career options. The pre-professional advisor is available by appointment to answer any questions faculty advisors may have about scheduling classes for pre-professional students or advising students about applying for professional and graduate programs.
Students who are interested in eventually applying to professional and/or graduate schools should read through the relevant information on this website and contact Dr. Carol L. Bokros (pre-health professions advisor) at 478-301-2078 or 478-301-2250.
Students who will pursue a health-related pre-professional curriculum at Mercer should enroll themselves in "Healthvoc-L", the e-mail list for students interested in health-related vocations. Students subscribe to this service by sending an e-mail to mailserv@mercer.edu. The body of the message must contain the following text: subscribe healthvoc-L; end. Announcements related to advising, academic and career programs, and seminars will be sent to this list.
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Pre-Professional Informational Meetings for Mercer Students
Each semester the pre-professional advisor organizes programs and meetings designed to inform current Mercer students about preparing for various professional schools and careers. Seminars and worskhops tentatively scheduled for Fall 2009 are listed below.
Friday, Sept. 4, 2009 “Orientation for New Pre-Med/ Pre-Dent/ Pre-Vet Students”
5:00 p.m., WSC Lec (Information for new students on a pre-medicine track (includes pre-dent, pre-vet, pre-opt, and pre-pod.)
Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009 “Orientation for New Pre-Pharmacy Students”
6:00 p.m., WSC Lec (Information for new students on a pre-pharmacy track (includes GAPDP and non-GAPDP.)
Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009 “Orientation for New Pre-Physician Assistant Students”
6:00 p.m., WSC Lec (Information for new students on a pre-physician assistant track (includes GAPDP and non-GAPDP.)
Monday, Sept. 14, 2009 “Orientation for New Pre-Physical Therapy/ OT Students”
6:00 p.m., WSC Lec (Information for new students on a pre-physical or occupational therapy track.)
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009 “Orientation for New Pre-Nursing Students”
6:00 p.m., WSC Lec (Information for new students on a pre-nursing track.)
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009 “Graduate and Professional Programs at the Medical College of Georgia”
5:00 p.m. School of Medicine - WSC Lec * School of Dentistry - WSC 221 * School of Allied Health - WSC 204
(Information for students planning to apply to graduate programs at the Medical College of Georgia.)
Friday, Oct. 2, 2009 “Programs at the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing”
10:00 a.m., CSC Conf. Rm II (Information about the programs available at the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing.)
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009 “Study Strategies & Test-Taking Tips for Pre-Health Students”
6:00 p.m., STN 261 (Study tips and methods for pre-health students.)
Friday, Oct. 9, 2009 “Mercer’s GAPD Programs for Pre-Pharmacy & Pre-PA: Staying on Track ”
10:00 a.m., STN 243 (Tips to maintain eligibility for the GAPD programs.)
Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 “Becoming a Physician Assistant at Mercer’s COPHS”
10:00 a.m., STN 243 (Information about the M.M.Sc. program available at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.)
Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009 “Graduate/ Professional School/ Internship Fair”
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., UC (Information for students planning to attend graduate or professional programs; information about internships for undergraduates.)
Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009 "Medical and Dental Training at Ross University"
7:00 p.m., KNT 206 (Information about the medical and dental schools at Ross Unibersity in Dominica, West Indies.)
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 “Becoming a Pharmacist at Mercer’s COPHS”
3:00 p.m., CSC Conf. Rm I (Information for students planning to attend pharmacy school at the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.)
Thursday, Oct. 27, 2009 “Interview Workshop for Pre-Health Professions Students”
5:00 p.m., CSC Conf. Rm I (Information for students preparing for interviews at health-related professional schools.)
Monday, Nov. 2, 2009 "Interpersonal Skills for Pre-Health Students"
10:00 a.m., CSC Conf. Rm I (Workshop to encourage the development of healthy one-on-one relationship skills.)
Friday, Nov. 6, 2009 “Exploring Your Options in Health Care Careers”
10:00 a.m., STN 243 (Information for students who want to explore their educational and career options in the health vocations.)
Monday, Nov. 9, 2009 "Medical School Life: A Panel Discussion"
5:30 p.m., tbd (A panel discussion with first- and second-year medical school students about what to expect in medical school.)
Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009 "Podiatric Training at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine"
6:00 p.m., location tbd (Information about the field of podiatry and about the training program at NYCPM.)
Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 “The PharmCAS Application Process”
10:00 a.m., CSC Conf. Rm II (Information for pre-pharm students who are preparing to use the centralized application service for pharmacy schools.)
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009 “Writing Your Personal Statement”
10:00 a.m., KNT 207 (Tips for writing an effective personal statement for medical or other professional school applications.)
Friday, Dec. 4, 2009 “Requesting a Letter of Evaluation from the HVAC”
10:00 a.m., KNT 207 (Advice for students getting ready to request a letter from the Health Vocations Advisement Committee.)