Below you will find many of the workshops that Dimensions offers during the year to help prepare you for a career in healthcare. These include content on many topics such as staying on top of your coursework, getting involved on campus and in the community, finding research opportunities, and developing a strong application to professional or graduate school.

Required workshops

If you want to meet with the Health Professions Committee, you must participate in the required workshops.

Personal Statement Writing for the Health Professions: Block 3

The personal statement is one of the hardest parts of any application. Knowing how to write a personal statement for the medical community is just as important as knowing what motivates you to pursue the health profession. This workshop breaks down how to write a competitive personal statement for graduate and professional programs in the health professions. Students will learn tips and tricks for applying their experiences and thoughts to paper and the types of questions to answer when writing their personal statement for healthcare programs.

Understanding the Application Process for Healthcare Programs: Block 5

Applying to graduate and professional programs in healthcare is an extensive, time consuming process. Every detail matters when it comes to giving admissions committees a reason to keep you in the applicant pool rather than eliminate you. This workshop will review the medical school application process as well as the processes for other health professions. This workshop will also inform students how to prepare for and what to expect from the Health Professions Committee (HPC). This workshop must be attended in order to utilize the HPC.

The Reality of Healthcare Today: Block 6

Healthcare is constantly evolving as a result of changes in insurance coverage, the economy, access to healthcare, and technological advancements. Are you aware of today’s healthcare environment and how it will impact your future healthcare role? This workshop will give students an idea of how the role of the healthcare provider has changed in the last 20 years and how it will continue to change in the coming years. This workshop will also help students think critically about their intended role in healthcare and the role it plays in the greater healthcare picture.

Optional workshops

Pre-Health Luncheon: New Student Orientation

New students interested in a professional pre-health program at Cornell College will learn about Dimensions, the Health Professions Committee, and how to utilize these services as a Cornell College student. Students will also receive an overview of what is expected when applying for graduate and professional schools in healthcare.

Determining Prerequisites for Healthcare Programs: Block 1

Students pursuing graduate and professional programs in healthcare are not required to major in a specific field. Even if a student is interested in majoring in a science, not all science degree tracks automatically include all of the prerequisites required of graduate and professional schools in healthcare. This workshop will help students think about how to choose a major when pursuing a healthcare career, how to determine program-specific prerequisites, and the types of grades and MCAT scores (graduate admission exam scores) graduate and professional schools look for in competitive applicants.

The Competitive Edge: Finding the Right Experiences for Healthcare Programs: Block 2

All graduate and professional healthcare programs look for similar experiences in applicants including service, leadership, research, clinical experience, and shadowing. With hundreds of options on campus alone, how do you choose which activities to pursue? How can you be sure you are involved in what’s best for your future application? How will your experiences set you apart from other applicants? This workshop will help students understand what makes a pre-health experience meaningful and what admission committees look for in application-worthy experiences. This workshop will also teach students how to choose meaningful activities leading up to their graduate and professional school applications and how to reflect upon and make connections between their experiences.

How to Find Internships and Research Opportunities in Healthcare: Block 4

Internships and opportunities to conduct scientific research outside the classroom are high-caliber experiential learning opportunities desired by all pre-health students. Not only can these opportunities strengthen your understanding of the scientific process; involvement in internships and research can strengthen your application to graduate and professional school. This workshop will teach students how to search for internships and research opportunities provided by Cornell College and how to navigate the competitive application processes both on- and off- campus.

Reading group

The Dimensions reading group meets on the first and third Wednesdays of blocks 1-4. The group provides a break from academic literature and the opportunity to interact outside of class with others who share similar interests. You can help select books addressing an aspect of healthcare and/or medicine, and are challenged to think about medicine from numerous perspectives through lively discussions. Reading groups are limited in size to foster meaningful discussion. If you attend consistently, books will be provided to you by Dimensions free of charge.