1. What major do I have to be to get into a health profession program?
You can be any major, as long as you fulfill the prerequisites for the programs you are applying to.
2. How do I become a pre-health student?
By identifying as a pre-health student, you are not committing to a major or minor. Rather, you are preparing for your indicated health profession’s pre-requisites. To participate in pre-health advising, we require that each student attends a 1-hour information session. The information session gives the most current and holistic information to become a competitive pre-health applicant.
3. Who does HPAO serve?
Pre-medical, Pre-dental, Pre-pharmacy, Pre-PA, Pre-optometry, Pre-veterinary medicine students ONLY.
4. Do health profession schools only focus on GPA and standardized test scores?
Although schools highly value academics, they also take into account other factors when evaluating an applicant. Such factors include experience in clinical settings, community service, work, shadowing, research, and leadership.
5. What is the difference between an academic advisor and a health professions advisor?
An academic advisor’s role is to aid you in concerns related to your major, general education courses, degree requirements, and registration. A health professions advisor’s role is to advise you on coursework and other requirements that will aid you in your pre-health endeavors as you pursue a health profession or allied health field. By working with both your academic advisor and a health professions advisor, you will become familiar with the requirements of both your general academic education and your chosen health professional program.
6. How do I get started?
Before receiving advising, you must first join the canvas page. The HPAO Orientation can be found on the modules page, and this is where you will receive general information regarding your health profession of interest and it covers our office services in more depth.
7. How do I schedule an appointment?
We use Calendly (not EAB navigate) to schedule appointments. New appointments become available every Thursday at 4:00pm! Links are on our Canvas homepage or on our website under the “Advising” tab.
8. Who can I receive advising from?
If you are a first-year student, you can come to walk-in advising from 10am-4pm with trained Peer Mentors in GMCS 323.
If you are a second-year pre-med or pre-PA, you can schedule an appointment with an Advising Assistant through the respective Calendly links on our homepage.
If you are a third-year student or above, you can schedule an appointment with Logan Watson, the HPAO advisor/director, through Calendly as well.
9. I need advising ASAP, what should I do?
We are not always able to accommodate issues on extremely short notice, but if you have an urgent issue, fill out the Urgent/Time Sensitive Appointment request form (linked on the Canvas homepage) and be as detailed as possible. We will try to get back to you between 24-48 hours after you submit your request.
10. I have AP credit for a pre-health pre-req, is that okay?
Most health profession schools/programs do not accept AP credit. You will have to take the pre-req course in-person at a four year institution for a letter grade.
11. Are online classes for pre-reqs okay?
Normally, online courses are generally not accepted by health profession schools for the pre-health pre-reqs for entry. However, if courses are/were taken online during the COVID-19 pandemic because that is the ONLY way courses are/were being offered at your institution (SDSU or CC) then most schools will accept these. We strongly encourage you to take all pre-reqs in-person especially if they are offered in an in-person format.
12. Which classes can I take over the summer?
You can take any prerequisite class over the summer, as long as you take it at SDSU and IN-PERSON.
13. Can I major or minor in pre-med or pre-PA?
No. Being pre-med or pre-PA is not a major or a minor at SDSU.
