Med School Application Support

The health professions advising team at Beyond Barnard supports all students and alumnae as they apply to health professions programs. We educate prospective applicants on the application processes for these programs, which can differ markedly from the college application process. Our team also provides advising, programs, and resources for navigating the complex application process. Beyond Barnard offers individual advising and workshops to address topics like:

• Participating in Barnard’s Committee process
• Understanding centralized application services for health professions programs
• Writing and revising your personal statement and other elements of your application
• Choosing the schools to which you will apply
• Preparing for professional school interviews
• Financing your professional education

All Barnard alumnae are welcome to meet with a health professions advisor and attend events. The majority of Barnard’s applicants to health professions programs are alumnae, and they have access to all of the same resources as current students via Beyond Barnard. Questions? Email beyondbarnard@barnard.edu.

Barnard's Committee Letter

Barnard’s Committee Letter is a narrative introduction that holistically presents each applicant’s level of preparedness for entry into their desired health professional program. Health professions programs highly value the institutional perspective provided by Barnard’s Committee letter. In order to receive a Committee letter, Barnard students and alumnae engage in an internal application process in the academic year prior to their professional school applications (for example, students and alumnae planning to apply to professional schools in summer 2026 will begin our process in fall 2025). Our Health Professions Advisory Committee interviews prospective applicants to medical and dental schools each spring in order to create an individualized letter for each applicant, with attention to:

• Academic accomplishment
• Research and scholarship
• Medically-related experience
• Community service and engagement
• Additional activities and experience

All Barnard students and alumnae who plan to apply to medical or dental schools are eligible to receive a Committee letter, provided that they adhere to our internal portfolio and document submission deadlines. We do not use GPA or MCAT score cutoffs in determining eligibility for a Committee letter. We believe that the Committee process provides prospective medical and dental applicants with a valuable opportunity to reflect on their accomplishments and goals as they prepare for an intensive professional school application process.

Current students and alumnae who are interested in participating in the Committee process should log into Handshake to review important information, including the application timeline, important dates, and Committee policies and procedures and contact the prehealth advising team at prehealthadvising@barnard.edu. 

Prospective applicants to other health professions programs (veterinary, nursing, PA, etc.) should contact Beyond Barnard to learn about applications to those programs and ways in which our team can support you. Questions? Email beyondbarnard@barnard.edu.