Students at Harvard can sign up for law and medical school entrance exams through their school’s academic counseling offices.
At Yale, students can go directly to the pre-medical office for information about applying to medical school.
But although UCLA also has top-ranked professional schools, it does not offer the same types of services to its students.
There is no division at the UCLA counseling office devoted specifically to professional-school admissions information, and students said they look to other sources – like each other – for information.
Although there are some resources available to inform students about professional schools, such as information seminars and workshops, students said they often do not know about them.
“I don’t think (the UCLA Career Center) does an effective job of promoting itself, and their location should be closer to campus,” said Angel Kongsomboonvech, a second-year biochemistry student, who is interested in applying to medical school. “Many students may be unwilling to walk down there.”
But administrators in charge of counseling services emphasized that the resources are available for students who are interested.
Albert Aubin, senior associate director in charge of counseling services at the career center, said he works closely with the school and faculty to provide assistance to students who are interested in professional schools.
He said the career center is involved with residential life and hosts about 30 to 50 information sessions for schools of medicine and schools of law to come and speak with students.
Aubin said students should also enlist the help of faculty members, who often are willing to assist undergraduates with personal statements and provide them with letters of recommendation.
He added that he believes the two areas students need help with most are personal statements and interview preparation, and the career center provides preparation programs for both.
Betty Glick, associate vice provost for undergraduate education, said students who get to know professors personally and professionally often have better luck enlisting the help of those professors.
“The most significant way that faculty are involved is through research programs,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity for students to work and get to know faculty and also research in their field of interest.”
But Molly Chen, a fourth-year communication studies student who is interested in business school, said in her experience faculty members have not seemed interested in helping pre-professional undergraduates.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a professor talk to me about graduate or business school,” she said.
Glick said faculty are not trained to assist students who are planning to apply for professional schools, but they are willing to help individual students.
“It’s not that there isn’t a role that faculty play to assist students who plan to apply for professional schools, but it’s about what that role is,” she said.
Some students say they have found other students and outside sources to be the most effective resource for learning about applying to professional schools.
Sarah Wang, a second-year physiological science student, said she believes faculty are not as involved as they could be and she often seeks help from older students.
“If I want to get help, I usually go to older pre-medical students and also attend information sessions in Covel Commons,” she said.
Kongsomboonvech said she generally searches the Internet or talks to a counselor from the Academic Advancement Program for information.
In response to the lack of information readily available for prospective professional school students, other students have organized groups devoted to professional school preparation.
“Everything I’ve ever learned has been through the (coed business) fraternity I’m a part of or through information sessions on campus,” Chen said.
She said she believes coed professional fraternities and organizations are a great networking resource.
“Mainly we utilize our alumni network to help the members or we’ll have actual members who do research on topics such as what the best test prep services are and they give that information to our members,” she said.
University officials said students should also take advantage of the resources offered by the professional schools on this campus.
In a statement, Linda Baldwin, the director of admissions for the UCLA Anderson School of Management, said the school hosts group information sessions to provide students with an overview of the MBA experience at the Anderson School.
She said third and fourth years primarily attend the sessions which are held three times a week.
She said the Anderson School also hosts an information evening for early career applicants including alumni and current students who have had two years or less of work experience and are interested in applying to the school.