FAQs

A. The Health Professions Office has two advisers who meet with students individually and in group advising workshops; a community-based learning course that runs every term and places students in health care organizations in the local community; opportunities for career exploration; and a committee of faculty and deans who offer mock interviews and an evaluation letter for students applying to doctoral programs in medicine.

A. Union offers three ten-week terms during each academic year - one from September to Thanksgiving, one from January to March, and one from April to June. The trimester calendar gives students flexibility in scheduling of classes and experiences outside of the classroom like study abroad programs, internships, research, and community service.

A. Union has an eight-year combined B.S/M.S./M.D. Leadership in Medicine Program offered jointly with Albany Medical College and Clarkson University. Most students, however, pursue health professions outside of this program, which has a limited number of spots.

For students currently attending Union College:

Albany Medical College (AMC) offers an MD Early Assurance Program (EAP) that enables successful Union College students to bypass the MCAT and the regular application process. Read more about the Early Assurance Program here.

A. Students have been accepted into varied health-related professional schools while majoring in engineering or the arts, sciences, or humanities.

Students can fulfill core requirements for health professions schools while completing any academic or cross disciplinary major. As a liberal arts college, we do not offer majors in nursing or other specific allied health programs; however, Union students can obtain the prerequisites to pursue these career paths , including Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II. Students interested in specific allied health programs would follow a similar curriculum at Union as a pre-medical student.

A. Volunteer and community-based learning experiences are available at a variety of health care related sites in the local community, including a preschool for students with disabilities; end of life care residential homes; community, rehabilitation, and brain-injury hospitals; and chronic illness support and prevention agencies. Funded or for credit research opportunities are available year-round.

A. Union is test optional unless you are applying to the Leadership in Medicine Program. However, all professional schools require standardized tests, and the SAT is a strong predictor of performance on tests such as the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), Dental Admissions Test (DAT), Optometry Admissions Test (OAT), and GRE (Veterinary and Physician Assistant). Therefore, it is important that students interested in pursuing careers in medicine possess strong test-taking skills.