Penn State Health Professions Portfolio

Now Open!

Penn State Prehealth Advising is now utilizing an e-portfolio for students preparing to apply to health professional school. The portfolio allows you to record academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and reflect on preprofessional competencies. It has been developed to reflect the information required in application systems like AAMCAS, ACOMAS, and AADSAS.

Utilizing the e-portfolio allows you to continuously review your preparation and candidacy over a multi-year period leading up to applying to school.

If you plan to apply to medical, dental, physician assistant, optometry, or podiatry school for 2022 matriculation, please begin building out your portfolio. This will provide the basis for comprehensive advising leading up to your application submission and interview season.

Students planning to apply to other health professions programs and students expecting to matriculate after 2022 can request access to the portfolio on October 12, 2020.  

Pre-Health Group Advising Sessions

Join our Prehealth Group Advising Canvas Course to get the direct links* to the sessions and access the recordings. 

Direct links to live session can also be found on our website. 

THIS WEEK:

Anatomy of an Applicant - Oct 7 @ 12P   Zoom link Password: 449959

News from the Office of Science Engagement

The Office of Science Engagement has many resources and ways for you to get involved with internships and jobs!

Explore the Opportunities! 

Visit with Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine

Friday, October 9 at 1:00PM EDT

Interested in learning more about the MD program at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine? Please join Dr. Stan Kania  for a brief presentation to learn about their curriculum, program, and admissions process.

A Q&A session will also be held to ensure all questions are answered.

Access the meeting here! 

Password: 593677

Penn State College of Medicine University Park Curriculum Track's "Closer Look" Information Sessions

Join Penn State College of Medicine virtually to get a closer look at a curriculum that combines community engagement with health systems science and innovative educational strategies to empower you to thrive in your learning and professional growth. Penn State College of Medicine University Park Curriculum Track will prepare you for limitless career opportunities and the practice of medicine in a rapidly changing health care environment.

Pre-registration is required for each Zoom session. You may register for multiple sessions.

Dates

• 6 p.m. Oct. 6, 2020: UPC track admissions/selection process
• Noon Oct. 15, 2020: Year 1 - an in-depth look
• 6 p.m. Oct. 20, 2020: Year 2 - clerkships
• 6 p.m. Nov. 3, 2020: Year 3 - return to foundational sciences
• Noon Nov. 11, 2020: USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 study prep
• 6 p.m. Nov. 17, 2020: Year 4 and residency prep
• 6 p.m. Dec. 1, 2020: Life in and around State College, Pa.
• 6 p.m. Dec. 3, 2020: Student meet-and-greet
• 6 p.m. Dec. 8, 2020: Faculty meet-and-greet

Register now to learn more!

Penn State College of Medicine Primary Care Day

Saturday, October 31

Don't miss this opportunity to hear from Hershey professors, clinicians, and students, while getting a deeper sense of this particular specialty and the important role it plays in medicine and our society.  Take note--Primary Care often includes other specialties such as family medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, and sometimes obstetrics and gynecology and thus might be of interest to a great many of you!

Registration closes Friday, Oct 23.

Register today!

Metta Meditation  and Creative Activities for Life in Pandemic Times

Thursday, Nov 12, 12:00 -1:00 pm EST

In an effort to reinforce a sense of community, provide a space for a bit of self-care, and offer some creative activities for centering in these pandemic times, the following Zoom sessions have been planned for Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. (EST), starting in October (10/7) and running through the rest of the semester.

Most sessions will be guided meditation sessions to help us connect with ourselves and others, and find a sense of wellbeing.  However, on Wednesday, October 28, we’ll have Pandemic Poetry Slam, so if you’re interested, bring a poem (any format) that you’ve written about the pandemic experience and share it—or just come listen to the work of others.  On Wednesday, November 11, we’ll have an erasure/found/black-out poetry session, so bring a page from a book (you’re willing to destroy), a magazine, a newspaper, or a piece of junk mail, as well as pens/markers/pencils, and create a poetic masterpiece from something pre-existing.  Other sessions will be added as we go along, but our default will be guided meditation.

Time: Oct 7, 2020 07:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/95772397354

Free MCAT Prep App by MedSchoolCoach

MedSchoolCoach has created an all-encompassing solution built specifically for the MCAT. MCAT Prep is jam-packed with features including:

• Video Tutorials – 80 hours of high-yield content across all AAMC sections and topics.
• Study Scheduling & Progress Tracking – Plan what you need to do each day during MCAT prep and track your completion through the entire MCAT journey.
•  Flashcards – 1,000+ flashcards presenting a term or concept for you to define.
• Practice Questions – More than 1,000 questions, paired with detailed explanations, that allows you to check your comprehension.

MCAT Prep by MedSchoolCoach has leveled the playing field by making the app completely free. Premium features will be introduced in the future, but the app will always be an affordable way to study for the MCAT.

EPPIC Workshops

This upcoming month, EPPIC will offer eight workshops for students and scholars on a variety of skills related to pronunciation, presentations, academic reading, and writing (full list below). This semester, all of our programming is online via Zoom!  

In October, EPPIC will also offer individual consultations on spoken and written academic English, sessions of Let’s Talk (a weekly speaking group designed specifically for J-1 visiting scholars), and our final three sessions of  Speak UP (a speaking group for students, postdocs, and fellows that meets 2x a week).

Registration for EPPIC Individual Consultations is ongoing, and it's still not too late for students/scholars to sign up for an EPPIC Advising session to create a personalized schedule. 

Art, Design, Health and Student Well-being Panel Discussion

You are invited to attend a panel discussion where faculty and staff will explore potential innovations and collaborations around the intersection of art, design, health and student well-being at Penn State.  The Arts & Design Research Incubator (ADRI) along with Health Promotion and Wellness will be co-hosting this event on Monday, October 12, from 3:00p.m. to 4:30p.m.  We encourage Penn State faculty, staff, and students interested in the intersection of these topics to attend.  Follow the below link to learn more and register for the upcoming event.

https://adri.psu.edu/event/think-tank-exploring-intersection-art-design-student-well-being 

Articles to Consider 

Articles to consider during this difficult time in our nation.

Read some now!

Virtual Fairs & Open Houses

-MANY NEW EVENTS!-

Feel like you are missing out by staying at home? Want to learn more about osteopathic medicine, medical school in the Caribbean, or postbacc opportunities? Visit and connect with these and other programs virtually at these live events!

 Check it out today!

Miss an issue of the newsletter? 

Head over to our website for an archive of past issues to see what you missed!