Health Professions Advising
Health Professions Advising is available for all Cal Poly students interested in health professions, regardless of their major. The Health Professions Advising Center is currently staffed by three peer advisors who are available on a walk-in basis to help students with their health professions career pursuits.
See a Health Professions Peer Advisor
Health Professions Peer Advising is an important first step in preparing for health professions career. Health Professions Peer Advisors are upper division pre-health students who are trained by our staff to assist students with learning about health professions career options, and who assist students with understanding the components that are needed to build a competitive application profile for their professional programs in the health sciences. It is strongly recommended that students meet with a Health Professions Peer Advisor regularly in their first two years of college education to develop a personal four-year timeline that will ensure they are a competitive applicant for professional schools. This effort shows a serious interest in pursuing a health professions career, and makes the time spent with a staff advisor in the third and fourth year of college more worthwhile.
To learn about health profession career paths most commonly pursued by our pre-health students including:
- Allopathic/Osteopathic Medicine
- Chiropractic Medicine
- Clincal Lab Science
- Dentistry
- Naturopathic Medicine
- Nursing
- Occupational Therapy
- Optometry
- Pharmacy
- Phyiscal Therapy
- Physician Assistant
- Podiatric Medicine
- Public Health
- Veterinary Medicine
To receive assistance with creating a personal four year timeline that includes:
- Guidance on the selection of appropriate prerequisite coursework needed to enter a chosen health professions program.
- Guidance on how and when to obtain applied experiences (community service, leadership, research and health-care).
- Guidance on how to find summer research and clinical internship opportunities.
- Guidance on how to develop a rapport with faculty and other mentors who may become letter writers in their application year.
See a Health Professions Staff Advisor:
Staff advisors provide additional, more detailed application advising for all current upper division Cal Poly students and alumni who are approaching their application year. (Typically Junior or Senior Year)
To receive assistance with all aspects of the application process including:
- Guidance on the components and preparation of the application to professional school.
- Guidance on the selection of appropriate schools based on their individual profile.
- Guidance and critiques on writing the personal statement essay.
- Guidance and critiques on choosing authors for letters of recommendation/evaluation.
- Guidance and critiques on interviewing skills.
- Advice on whether or not to repeat entrance exams.