Premedical and Health Careers Advising

OCS Virtual Services

OCS is open for virtual services, but our building at 54 Dunster Street is closed for the time being. We are actively monitoring email accounts during normal business hours (Monday – Friday, 9AM-5PM). We are conducting virtual advising appointments by phone, Skype, and Zoom, and hosting webinars in place of in-person events.

For general questions, email ocsrecep@fas.harvard.edu.
For summer funding inquiries, email ocs_summerfunding@fas.harvard.edu.
For employer-related questions, email ocsrec@fas.harvard.edu.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us and to your Harvard network.

Explore Resources and Services

Premed and health careers advisers provide services for Harvard College students and alumni pursuing health-related fields: human medicine (allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine), public and global health, dental medicine, veterinary medicine, nursing, and other health fields such as optometry, pharmacy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Due to specific funding regulations arranged through Harvard College, OCS cannot offer Harvard Extension School students premedical advising.

Review information on:

Meeting Academic Requirements, Admission Requirements & Policies, Getting Experience, Applying to Medical School, Additional Health Careers, and more.

July premed and pre-health advising and programming at OCS:

Current undergraduates:

Watch for special programming for premed and pre-health students and sign up for the premed newsletter.
Regular 30-minute SKYPE, Zoom, or phone premed and pre-health appointments will resume on Monday, August 3 and can be scheduled through Crimson Careers.

Current medical school applicants:

We will continue to send you important updates about the medical school application process via the OCS applicant listserv throughout the summer (and for the duration of the application cycle until late spring, 2021). Current (2021) applicants not yet subscribed to this list can do so at https://lists.fas.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/harvardocs-medschool-applicants-list using a @college.harvard.edu address, @post.harvard.edu address, or @alumni.harvard.edu address.
If you are a current (2021) applicant with individual questions or concerns about your application or MCAT, please reach out to your House Premedical Tutors during July.
If you encounter an issue that requires immediate attention and that your House Premedical Tutors are not able to assist you with, please email the OCS front desk staff at ocsrecep@fas.harvard.edu, and an OCS pre-health adviser will get back to you within one business day.

Alumni services:

In July, the OCS pre-health advisers are focusing on supporting current undergraduates with fall term planning, as well as turning our attention to program planning, employer and alumni outreach, web development and updates to our publications, and other administrative work. Therefore, we are not providing individual advising appointments or drop-ins for premed and pre-health alumni in July.
Alumni seeking an appointment for advice about premed or health professions plans are invited to schedule a 30-minute individual SKYPE, Zoom, or phone appointments when we resume regular 30-minute premedical and pre-health advising appointments on Monday, August 3, 2020.

Fall semester: OCS Premedical and Pre-Health drop-in and one-on-one advising is only available to students currently enrolled in the College.

Enrolled sophomores, juniors, and seniors are eligible for 30-minute SKYPE, Zoom, or phone premed and pre-health appointments.
Enrolled first-year students are invited to attend a Pre-Health 101 workshop to be eligible for one-on-one premed and pre-health advising.
Enrolled juniors and seniors new to OCS premed and pre-health advising are invited to attend a Pre-Health 101 workshop to be eligible for one-on-one advising.
Juniors and seniors on leave may attend educational programs on applying to medical school.

Students trying to decide whether to take a Leave of Absence:

Students trying to decide whether to take a Leave of Absence are strongly encouraged to consult with a trusted adviser before finalizing their decision. The College has trained a special team of advisers to help students work through this decision. Please email fall2020advising@fas.harvard.edu to connect with these advisers.