Timeline
Timeline to Apply
This is a general application timeline for students studying at a four-year undergraduate
institution. This timeline should be used as a guideline and not as a concrete checklist.
Make sure to talk with your advisor about your timeline, as he or she can help you
develop one more specific to you.
Freshman Year
- Meet with a pre-health advisor.
- Enroll in either biology or chemistry courses, as recommended by your advisor.
- Join a pre-health professions club at your school. This is a great opportunity to
meet other like-minded students, network, become involved in community service and
form study groups for your science courses. Meeting upper-class pre-health students
gives you the opportunity to learn about the application process.
- Learn more about careers in the chiropractic profession. Speak with your own chiropractor
and learn more about the advantages and challenges of the profession. Based on what
you learn, why does a career in chiropractics appeal to you?
- Learn about personal finance. Does your university offer a course? Consider how your
student budget, spending habits and use of credit cards impact your student loan debt.
You may also want to look into scholarship and fellowship options. How can you balance
a demanding academic schedule, work, and a comfortable, yet frugal, student lifestyle?
Freshman Year鈥擲ummer
- Work or volunteer in a health care environment. Your goal is to gain exposure to the
health care environment in general and to learn more about the work of chiropractic
professionals. Talk to practicing chiropractors, learn about the delivery of chiropractic
care, and find out about the issues impacting the profession.
Sophmore Year
- Start thinking about selecting a major. Remember, you do not have to be a science
major, but you do need to complete specific science courses.
- Work with your advisor to identify special opportunities for the upcoming summer.
Many universities offer summer workshops to enhance study skills, and to expose undergraduates
to the profession. Check application deadlines.
- Become actively involved in your pre-health professions club. Sign up for committee
work, help organize events and participate in activities.
Sophmore Year鈥擲ummer
- Participate in a summer program, enroll in summer school, or work/volunteer in the
chiropractic office.
- Get a job! Keep that student loan debt as low as possible during your undergraduate
years.
- Start putting together a financial plan for applying to chiropractic school. Take
into consideration fees for the GRE (if required), requesting and submitting official
transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, plus the cost of participating
in on-site interviews.
Juinor Year
- Review the chiropractic school applications and create a timeline for the submission
of your application materials. Look over the application and begin formulating your
application information.
- Identify individuals who are willing to write on your behalf and communicate submission deadlines to them. Be able to document
your chiropractic office observation experiences.
- Start making decisions about the schools you want to attend: location, size of school,
composition of the student body, curriculum and the program鈥檚 emphasis. View websites
and talk with classmates and upper-class students who are now enrolled in chiropractic
school.
- Participate in visitations from chiropractic school admissions officers, visit the
schools and talk to chiropractic students and admissions/minority affairs officers.
- Continue to actively participate in pre-health professionals club activities.
- If required, register for the . The GRE is a computerized examination and can be taken at a date and time of your
choosing.
Junior Year鈥擲ummer
- Submit your chiropractic applications. The application cycle is on a rolling basis.
- If possible, work, volunteer, or participate in a summer pre-health program.
Seinor Year
- Complete advanced science courses. Although most schools only require a year of biology,
many chiropractic schools will tell you that additional courses, particularly in the
sciences but including humanities and social science courses, prepare you better for
the fast-paced chiropractic school curriculum.
- Finish up all course requirements for your degree.
- Prepare to go on interviews. Participate in mock interviews offered by the career
center.
- Obtain a good interviewing outfit. Professional business attire is the norm.
- Depending on the date of an offer of admission, you will have specific response time.
Most (but not all) schools require a deposit to reserve a space in the class at the
time you accept the offer of admission.
- Initiate the financial aid application process to the chiropractic school you choose
to attend. Don't procrastinate! Many financial aid awards are based on the date of
application. Work with the school鈥檚 financial aid office to stay on top of the application
process.
- Prepare for graduation!
Seinor Year鈥擲ummer
- Prepare for your enrollment at the chiropractic school you select. This could mean
participating in a pre-freshman experience, working and earning a few more dollars
before starting school or traveling and relaxing. Have fun!
- Brush up on your reading. Once you are in the program the amount of reading that you
will do will be different from what you have as an undergraduate student. Try reading
more books, magazines, newspapers, etc., anything where you can work on reading speed
and comprehension will help you prepare for chiropractic school.
- Keep working on your hand skills. Continue to play your instrument, participate in
your sporting activity, knit, etc. All those things that you were doing to demonstrate
your hand skills, don鈥檛 stop doing them once you have been accepted.
- Develop and maintain good healthy eating habits, work out on a regular basis, learn
how to relax and find things that are fun to do.