Associate Director, Health Sciences & Pre-law Advising

Swarthmore College; Swarthmore (Delaware County); On-site; USD 80,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Swarthmore College’s Career Services seeks an Associate Director of Health Professions & Pre-Law Advising to provide strategic, holistic, and equitable advising to students and alumni pursuing medical, dental, veterinary, law, and related fields.

Based on campus, this role partners with faculty and admissions offices to shape programs and resources for 850 undergraduates and 100+ alumni candidates annually.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to deliver holistic pre-health and pre-law advising.
• Experience serving as academic advisor to undergraduate students.
• Strong collaboration with faculty, admissions, and alumni mentors.
• Experience creating and maintaining program resources and websites.
• Commitment to equity and inclusive excellence in advising.

Responsibilities

• Advise students and alumni on health professions and pre-law pathways.
• Lead committee activity and equity initiatives; produce annual admissions reports.
• Provide ongoing academic advising to a small cohort of students annually.
• Collaborate with Career Services to connect students with internships and opportunities.

Skills

Emotional intelligence

Collaboration

Student communication

Job description

Position Title: Associate Director, Health Sciences & Pre-law Advisor

Work Type: Full time

Location: Swarthmore College

Approved Location Type: On Campus

Work Shift: Day Shift (United States of America)

Who We Are:

At Swarthmore, Career Services partners with colleagues across campus, including faculty, to promote a campus culture of career wellness, such that all students feel empowered to explore their interests and navigate fulfilling career paths. We believe in meeting students and alumni where they are at, acknowledging that each person's career journey is unique, whether they are exploring new possibilities or have a particular destination in mind. Swarthmore Career Services fulfills its educational mission of inclusive excellence through collaborative programming and our individualized approach to advising. These strategies help students and alumni leverage their strengths, connect learning within and in and beyond the classroom, and prepare to engage as leaders making a difference in their chosen fields.

The Opportunity:

The Associate Director of Health Professions & Pre-Law Advising delivers strategic, holistic, and equitable pre-professional advising and admissions counseling to Swarthmore College students and alumni (~850 current undergraduates and 100+ active alumni candidates annually). Positioned within Career Services and reporting directly to the Director of Career Readiness & Alumni Connections, the individual in this role will develop and manage relevant programming, resources and informational materials, services, and collaborative initiatives that support the exploration of and preparation for graduate study in the health professions and legal fields. Potential fields of interest include medicine, allied health, law, and related graduate fields, including dentistry, veterinary, nursing, public health, physician assistant, pharmacy, optometry, podiatry, physical therapy, among others.

Essential Responsibilities:

The Associate Director oversees the institutional Health Sciences Advisory Committee letter process for medical and dental school applicants, manages pre-law application support, cultivates relationships with admissions deans and alumni mentors, and leads cohort-tracking and data-driven equity initiatives, including producing annual reports on admissions statistics. The person in this role will also serve as an academic advisor to ~10 first and second-year students each year. This work involves empathic, timely, and confidential communication with students, alumni, and occasionally parents navigating high-pressure, highly selective processes and complicated decisions related to health professions and pre-law pathways.

A successful candidate for this role must possess high emotional intelligence, strong collaboration/relationship-building skills, and the ability to communicate sensitively with students (and others) as they navigate challenges/new-directions and encounter high pressure/expectation situations.

Academic & Pre-Professional Advising

• Provide comprehensive pre-health and pre-law advising for students and alumni on the decision making, process, and strategies information about the requirements for law, medical, dental, veterinary, and other health professions schools.
• Serve as academic advisor to ~10 first and second year students annually.
• Manage and maintain email distribution lists for students and alums, so as to communicate programs, summer opportunities, jobs, and other matters of interest.
• Make presentations at events like Orientation, Garnet Weekend, Swatstruck, faculty meetings and recruitment events.
• Oversee the creation and maintenance of the Health Sciences and Pre-law websites, including guides, resources, admissions statistics, and links to jobs, internships, volunteer opportunities, school information and application services.
• Maintain and build relationships with law school and health professions admissions representatives.
• Monitor and stay up-to-date on Swarthmore curriculum changes and requirements as well shifts in medical school and law school admission processes.
• Participate in regional and national associations (e.g. NEAAHP, NAAHP, NAPLA, LAN, etc.) to stay current on health professions and pre-law advising; Serve as the College's representative on NECOME, a consortium of medical schools and liberal arts colleges, and the TRICO advisors' consortium.
• Collaborate with the Career Services team to help students and alumni explore and connect with related research, clinical, and real world experiences such as internships and gap year opportunities.

Health Professions & Law School Admissions Support

• Meet with and guide student and alumni applicants to medical, dental, veterinary and law school through the admissions process, including application assistance, interview prep, essay feedback, and recommendations.
• Maintain and analyze annual admissions-related data and statistics for health professions and law-school processes and outcomes, incl