Pre-Professional Advising Center
Program Overview
Dreaming Big? PPAC Is Your Launchpad for Health and Law Careers!
Hey UCR Highlanders! Are you already looking ahead, envisioning yourself as a compassionate doctor, a trailblazing lawyer, a groundbreaking researcher, or another vital professional in the health or legal fields? If so, you're in the right place, because the Pre-Professional Advising Center (PPAC) is specifically designed to be your ultimate guide and support system! We provide all the essential information, personalized advising, and unwavering support you'll need to turn those ambitious dreams into a reality. Our goal is to help you build an incredible academic and extracurricular foundation that will make your applications shine!
Think of PPAC as your strategic partner throughout your entire pre-professional journey. We'll help you navigate the complex pathways to graduate and professional programs not just in the health professions (like medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, optometry, and more!), but also for law school. That's right, we have dedicated staff specifically for pre-law advising, ensuring you get expert guidance tailored to the unique demands of legal education. We'll help you figure out what courses to take, recommend impactful extracurriculars, guide you on gaining crucial experiences (like shadowing, volunteering, or research), and generally make sure you're building a compelling profile that stands out to admissions committees.
One of the absolute best things about PPAC is that our advising services come at absolutely no upfront cost to you! We believe every UCR student should have access to top-notch guidance without financial barriers. However, it's really important to be aware of the costs that come later in the application process. Once you're ready to actually apply to these highly competitive programs, you should anticipate spending a significant amount – typically between $2,000 and $7,000. This covers critical expenses like test preparation (think MCAT, LSAT, DAT, OAT, etc.) and the actual application fees for centralized services such as AMCAS (medical), AACOMAS (osteopathic medicine), AADSAS (dental), OptomCAS (optometry), or LSAC (law school). We'll help you understand and plan for these expenses as you get closer to your application cycle.
Ready to start building your future in healthcare or law? Don't wait! Swing by the Pre-Professional Advising Center. Let's get excited about your potential and start mapping out your incredible journey to becoming a leader in your chosen field! What steps are you most eager to take first?
Target Audience
All UCR undergraduate students and alumni can utilize the Pre-Professions Advising Center (PPAC).
There are no eligibility criteria to utilize PPAC services. First-year students meet with HPAC Ambassadors. Second years - alumni meet with PPAC Advisors.
Deadline
You don't need an application to use PPAC advising/services; earlier is better.
Juniors/seniors/alumni who apply to a health professions cycle, applications are encouraged to be submitted by the end of June/July of the application cycle.
Pre-Professions Advising Center
Rivera Library, B03 (Lower Level)
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
Tel: (951) 827-6233
Email: ppac@ucr.edu, Charles.Scruggs@ucr.edu