On March 14, Grand Valley State University students will get the opportunity to see first hand what it takes to enter the world of health-related professional schools. The Professional School Fair will bring 40 representatives from schools and programs from around the country in order to prepare students for a health-related career after their time at GVSU.

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in GVSU’s Henry Hall Atrium and is presented by GVSU’s Pre-Professional Clubs, CLAS Academic Advising Center and Vice Provost for Health.

The program is open to all GVSU students, but those who are interested in a career in any health-related field are encouraged to attend, said Julie Amon, an academic adviser at GVSU’s CLAS Academic Advising Center.

According to the program flyer, chiropractic, dentistry, genetic counseling, medicine (MD and DO), occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies and podiatry will have representation. Participants will receive information about professional school opportunities and expectations.

The program is designed for attendees to interact with admission representatives from various professional schools, said JoAnn Litton, senior academic adviser at the CLAS Academic Advising Center.

Litton encourages attendees to be well-prepared with questions for the representatives. “(Students) can bring a list of questions they would like to ask the schools,” Litton said. “Students will find it helpful if they ask the same, or similar questions of each school so they can compare later.”

Professional dress is encouraged, as students should be ready to present themselves professionally to the representatives.

“Suits are certainly not necessary,” Litton said. “But definitely not workout clothes or ripped up jeans.”

Litton also advised participants to bring summaries of any of their research papers or presentations that relate to health-related topics.

According to the program flyer, more than 40 different schools and programs will be represented, including the California School of Podiatric Medicine at Samuel Merritt University, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, and Spectrum Health Medical Genetics.

The various representatives were chosen to provide GVSU pre-professional students with the opportunity to explore a wide range of different programs, Amon said.

She added that the goal of the fair is to provide students with a better understanding of various programs and potential schools available after graduation.

“We are hoping that students will learn more about the schools they are interested in attending after graduation, and perhaps learn about a program they didn’t know about before,” Amon said.

Litton added that the fair may also give participants an edge when it comes to the application process.

“It’s a chance for the students to have the admissions folks put a face with a name on an application they’ll see later,” she said.

For more information about the Professional School Fair or to see a list of attending schools, visit www.gvsu.edu/clasadvising.
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