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How to begin

We recommend you refer to the admissions reference guide or website for your intended profession (refer to our Quick Facts guide for your profession) to start learning about the different schools in your profession. In general, your criteria should include the following:

1. You should apply to the public professional school(s) in the state where are a resident. You will often have your best chance of admission at your public school. Public professional schools are funded by the taxpayers in their state and seek to train the future clinicians of their state. (If you are a resident of a state that does not have a public school for your profession, your state may have a contract arrangement with public professional schools in neighboring states. For example, Colorado does not have any optometry or podiatry schools, but Colorado residents can receive the equivalent of in-state tuition at certain optometry and podiatry schools in other states through the��������Dz�������.)
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2. Also consider other schools that take a reasonable number of non-residents (typically, private schools). Check your admissions reference guide to identify not only the number of seats that are generally allocated to non-residents, but also the number of out-of-state applicants who are vying for those seats.
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3. If you have some sort of special status (strong family ties to a different state, disadvantaged background, etc.), consider schools that offer preference to people with your status. This information can be found on school��websites or listed in reference guides under “Selection Factors.”

How to narrow your list

Refer back to the Quick Facts guide for your profession to identify the number of different schools people commonly apply to for your profession. Do not apply to too many schools (i.e., no more than 15)��especially if you will need to fill out supplemental applications for each school. (If so, each supplemental application will typically require an additional application fee and one to several more essays, and it is important for each of your supplemental essays to be as well-crafted as your original personal statement.)

Even more important than the number of schools to which you apply, however, is choosing a strategic assortment of schools.

Factors to consider:

• "Fit": Do your background and interest align with the school's mission statement and the strengths of their program?��
• GPA (cumulative and science) of accepted students (median and range)
• Standardized test scores of accepted students (median and range)
• Prerequisites
• Required assortment of LORs
• Special curricular tracks (i.e., rural, urban underserved, global health, leadership, etc.)
• Approach to didactic curriculum (traditional lecture, problem-based learning, interprofessional opportunities, etc.)
• Grading scheme (letter grades vs. P/F)
• Approach to (and timing of) clinical training
• Opportunities to engage with special patient populations
• Class size
• Tuition and fees
• Length of program
• Licensing exam pass rates
• For non-rolling admissions: Application deadlines
• Mentorship programs
• Graduate statistics for your intended field/specialty
• Tuition and fees (but keep in mind that private professional schools may offer more financial aid than public schools, to offset higher tuitions.)
• Schools that are in geographical areas you can tolerate for the length of your program (remember:��you will be studying for much of that time!). Also, consider the proximity of people who can provide you with support during your professional education:��family, friends, community of faith, etc.