Health Programs Fair is Wednesday in Alumni Hall

Students who plan to pursue careers in medicine and health-related fields can start making connections at the Health Programs Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today in Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union.\nThere will be information on every field from allopathic medicine and athletic training to health information administration and social work. Assistant Director of the Health Professions and Pre-Law Center Rachel Tolen said that even though doctors and nurses are familiar roles, there are many more fields in health and life sciences to explore.\nAdmissions representatives from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, IU’s School of Medicine and School of Dentistry, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and many more will attend to tell students what their schools are looking for in applicants.\n“It is very important that (students) come and talk directly with people who make decisions about who is admitted and get their perspective,” Tolen said. “Admissions (representatives) are very eager to talk to students from freshman to senior level.”\nAccording to the Health Professions and Pre-Law Center, only about one out of every two applicants gets accepted into medical school, and volunteer work can help make an applicant stand out from the crowd.\nHealth-related clubs and volunteer organizations, including Bloomington Hospital and he new Volunteers in Medicine, will attend the fair to inform students of local opportunities to gain experiences that they can add to their resumes.\nIU academic departments also will have representatives at the fair to talk to students about majors and classes that will make their backgrounds for different health-related careers stronger.\nFreshman Madhavi Singhal, a biochemistry and pre-med major, plans to attend the Health Programs Fair.\n“Med schools are really competitive, and I think it would help getting advice from the people who actually deal with the applications,” Singhal said.