Pre-Health Program
Professional Development
HPAC offers professional development for pre-health students of all levels.
Beginning Students
Pre-Health Living and Learning Communities
New students living on campus can apply for a Pre-Health LLC, a community of students with similar career goals who live in the same apartment building. Because they take many of the same classes and seek similar growth opportunities, LLC students are in a unique position to help each other succeed. LLC students have advantages during class selection and registration, as well.
Pre-Health RHET 1101
All freshmen are required to take RHET 1101, a class designed to help students succeed at UT Dallas. Several RHET 1101 sections are reserved for pre-health students; taught by HPAC advisors, they include material specific to pre-health professional development.
ISGS 1100 - Career Exploration in the Health Professions
ISGS 1100 is of special interest to students beginning their pre-health journies. Taught by HPAC advisors, the class revolves around interviews with professionals from many health fields. Its goal is to help students understand the many health fields and specialties, and the diverse requirements and rewards of each.
Continuing Students
Free Tutoring - HPAC employs top-quality student instructors to tutor pre-health students in General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics, and General Biology. Tutoring is available to walk-ins at the HPAC Resource Room--check with HPAC for times.
HPAC hosts fascinating seminars and panel discussions. 2007-2008 events include:
"Forty Years in Medicine" - Dr. Rebekkah Naylor discusses her pursuit of cardiothorasic surgery in 1968, an era without female surgeons. Her story progresses through a county hospital residency, a mission outreach to India, her amazing 30 year career in that country amidst political and social strife, and her impressions upon returning to the United States.
"Biomedical Research Symposium: MD, PhD, or MD/PhD?" - Leaders from UT Southwestern gather to discuss the research opportunities for M.D., Ph.D., and M.D./Ph.D. students. A don't-miss event for students interested in expanding the practice of medicine! Panelists from UT Southwestern Medical School:
Dennis McKearin, Ph.D., Associate Dean for the Medical Science Training Program
Michael McPhaul, M.D., Associate Dean for Student Research
Nancy Street, Ph.D., Associate Dean of the Graduate School
Andrew Zinn, M.D./Ph.D., Chair of the Admissons Committee
" Patient Choice and Physician Conscience: Collaboration or Conflict?" - Renowned ethicist Edmund Pellegrino, M.D., discusses the growing tension between the patient's desires and demands and the physician's personal and professional conscience. Where is this conflict taking us? Is it in the patient's interests? How can patient freedom to choose and the doctor's conscience be balanced?
"Sicko" Screening and Panel Discussion - Students and advisors come together to watch the movie Sicko in one of UT Dallas's large projector rooms. Afterward, a panel discussion will address problems with the US health care system, from medical, ethical, and legal prospectives. Held in conjunction with the UT Dallas Pre-Law Society.
Dental Admissions Symposium - Admissions officers from every dental school in Texas meet at UT Dallas to discuss the admissions process, the applicant pool, and what traits they like to see in prospective dental students.
Mock Admissions Committee - Admissions officers from across Texas join HPAC to lead students in this one-of-a-kind event. Each admissions officer will from several student participants into a mock admissions committee, then review a pool of sample applications. Students will gain an admissions officer's perspective on what makes an applicantion stand out, and which applications get passed over.
Accepted Students Panel Discussion - UT Dallas students accepted to professional schools in 2007 return to share a student's perspective on the application and interview process.
Applying Students
HPAC provides a wealth of resources and benefits for students applying to professional schools.
ISGS 3100 - Pre-Health Professional Development - Taught by pre-health advisors exclusively for students who will apply to professional schools next year, ISGS 3100 aims to cover professional behavior which, while not taught in most professional school classes, can make or break your application--and your career.
Interview Skills - Students receive information about what to expect during a professional school interview. Topics include typical interview questions as well as what to wear, where to stay, how to plan travel, and how to deal with difficult topics or inappropriate questions, among others. See News and Events for dates.
Personal Statement Writing - Includes details about writing the personal statement for medical or dental school applications. We will cover the writing process, important elements of the personal statement, suggestions for editing, and evaluation. Includes an interactive review of a sample personal statement.
See News and Events for dates.
General Applications Orientations - Reviews all details of the UT Dallas Health Professions Evaluation (HPE) process as well as the professional school admissions process including requirements, timeline, applicable deadlines, etc.
See News and Events for dates.
Application Seminars - Includes details about completing the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS) application and the American Medical Colleges Application Service (AMCAS) application. Other topics covered include application to dental schools outside of Texas (ADSAS), osteopathic medical schools (ACOMAS), and foreign medical schools, and submission of transcripts and secondary applications.
See News and Events for dates.
Re-Application Seminars - Specifically targeting those who have applied in previous years, this seminar focuses on perfecting documents and overcoming the hurdle of past rejection. See News and Events for dates.
The Health Professions Evaluation (HPE) Process - A first layer of the admissions process for eligible medical and dental students, the HPE process begins months before the application deadline. Participating in HPE helps students to get to know their advisors and to complete the lengthy application to Texas medical and dental schools. Students also receive practice interviews with UTD faculty and a valuable Committee Letter, presented directly to the medical or dental schools on the student's behalf. See Admissions for HPE details.
Clearinghouse Services - All applicants may have their Letters of Evaluation sent to HPAC, where we collect and distribute them to professional schools for free. Using HPAC as a clearinghouse ensures distribution of letters through VirtualEvals, an exclusive online service utilized by most professional schools and available only to pre-health advisors.
