Black Men In White Coats: A Documentary

February 22, 6:00 p.m.
100 Thomas Building

Fewer Black men applied to medical school in 2014 than in 1978 and Black men have the lowest life expectancy in the United States. With Black men comprising only 2% of American doctors, this comes as no surprise. “Black Men in White Coats” dissects the systemic barriers preventing Black men from becoming medical doctors and the consequences on society at large. 

Join M.A.P.S, Pre-Health Advising Office and the Eberly College of Science Diversity & inclusion in the documentary viewing. A free meal will be served.

Post Bacc Program Information Seminar

Date: February 9th, 2022 at 6 P.M.
Zoom Link

Dr. Robert Rarig of Temple University will present a post-bacc seminar for students who may need to build on their candidacy for professional school. Dr. Rarig is the Senior Associate Director for the CST Post Bacc Pre-Health Program and can provide a wealth of information about what post-bacc programs are, how they may benefit you as a candidate for professional school, and how to fin da program that fits what you need. 

Speaker of Interest: 
Dr. Jonathan Dordick

Date: February 10th, 2022 at 10:35 a.m.
001 CBEB

Exploiting Viruses that Kill and Killing Viruses that Exploit: Some Sweet Science

For more information about Dr. Dordick and his research, please visit http://enzymes.che.rpi.edu/

Prehealth Group Advising

School Choice: Where do I apply?
February 10th, 2022 6 P. M.
Zoom Link

There are hundreds of schools out there for students to apply to. The average medical school applicant will apply to 15 institutions and that can be costly.  This session will discuss strategies for strategically determining where you will apply during your cycle and be as efficient as possible with the investment that is applying. 

The list of dates for Spring 2022 Pre-Health Group Advising Sessions is now available. The full list of group advising sessions can be found here.

Click here to join the Prehealth Group Advising Canvas Course for access to previous session recordings. 

Optometry Sessions at SUNY Optometry

Find it! - these virtual sessions aim to cultivate an intimate, open-style discussion among prospective applicants and various members of our community, showcasing different elements of the student experience they can find here at SUNY Optometry. Each session will cover a different topic and attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and share thoughts with members of our campus community.

Topic: Cultivating inclusion and belonging at SUNY
Discussion Led By: Chief Diversity Officer, Director of DEIB
Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Time: 12pm-1pm (Eastern Standard Time)

Topic: Affordability and career opportunities for OD students
Discussion Led By: Director of Financial Aid, Executive Director of Career Development
Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Time: 12pm-1pm (Eastern Standard Time)

Register Here

2022 AAMC Fee Assistance Program
Now Open!

The AAMC Fee Assistance Program provides financial assistance to individuals who, without this aid, would find it difficult to take the MCAT, apply to medical schools that use AMCAS, and fulfill other application obligations.  

You may also apply for fee assistance if you are applying to D.O. schools as this program covers MCAT costs.  You should apply separately for the AACOMAS fee assistance program to cover application costs.

2022 Fee Assistance Program Essentials

What You Need to Apply

How the Fee Assistance Program Supported My Premed Journey

OptomCAS Fee Waiver Program

The inaugural OptomCAS application fee waiver program aims to minimize potential financial barriers in the application process so that all candidates who wish to apply can.

• Dates: rolling throughout Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, and Feb
• Learn more/Apply Here
• Deadline to apply: 2/20/2022

Eberly College of Science Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The Eberly College of Science Summer Undergraduate Research Program is a 10-week summer training program designed to give motivated Penn State undergraduates in the college the opportunity to engage in full-time (40 hrs/wk) research and related professional development activities. Our goal is to offer students experiences that will help them determine if they want to pursue a career in research while they develop skills for success at Penn State and beyond. 

For more information visit this page. 

Penn State Presidential Leadership Academy

Nominations for Presidential Leadership Academy Now Open!

Interested students may apply for membership in the Academy or may be nominated by members of the university community. Nominations and applications are now open. Deadline for receipt of nominations is February 11, 2022 and the application closes on February 25, 2022.

You may complete the formal nomination or application here.

To apply students must:

• currently be a first-year student
• have a minimum GPA of 3.2 at the time of application
• plan to be enrolled at University Park for second, third and fourth years
• have demonstrated leadership skills, either in or outside the classroom

Students nominated for the Academy will be asked to complete the application process, which includes a resume, two essay questions, and two letters of recommendation.

PreHealth Organization
of the Week:

American Medical Student Association (AMSA)

Penn State's chapter of the American Medical Student Association is focused on professional and academic development for pre-med and pre-PA students.  Our meetings are held biweekly on Tuesdays at 7pm.  Meetings are usually held in 013 Huck Life Sciences, unless we have a guest speaker on zoom. 

Our meetings feature guest speakers (current medical students, doctors, and professors) and presentations from our executive team about MCAT/GRE prep, clinical jobs, volunteer opportunities, and application tips. 

For more information, visit their website. 

Prehealth Comprehensive Interviews Now Open

If you are applying to medical, dental, optometry or podiatry programs for the 2022-2023 cycle to begin at the professional program in Fall 2023, you may complete the checklist below to schedule a comprehensive interview with a member of the prehealth advising team. View the 2023 Matriculation Applicant Guide for more details. 

Comprehensive Interview scheduling is now open. 

Submit your portfolio checklist here. 

Request a Health Professions portfolio here.

Penn State College of Medicine State College Campus

Click here to register and view details

Did you know that in addition to the Penn State College of Medicine Hershey Campus, PSCOM also has a 4 year curriculum campus in State College, PA? We’d love to share more with you about the University Park Curriculum Track, and we’d like to invite you to a series of ZOOM talks that we are hosting – each one focusing on a different aspect of the UP track. I’ve attached a highlight sheet for some additional information.

Sessions available are below. All sessions will be held 6 to 7 p.m.

• Feb. 9: University Park Curriculum Track welcome and Year 1
• Feb. 16: Program Overview, Years 2-4
• March 2: Mock IQ group
• March 16: Life in State College
• April 6: Current student meet and greet

MCAT Information

MCAT Registration for July-September 2022 dates 

Registration for the second half of the testing year will open on Feb. 8 at noon ET. At that time, you can begin scheduling exams held in July through September. Priority scheduling will be available for examinees with approved accommodations, and more information will be provided in the coming weeks. In the meantime, take a moment to learn about registration and scheduling in 2022. 

New Video on AAMC MCAT Official Prep Free Resources  

Learn all about AAMC MCAT Official Prep free resources in a new video tutorial. Log into the AAMC MCAT Official Prep Hub with your AAMC credentials to access all the resources in the video and create your personalized study plan. Visit www.aamc.org/mcatprep to get started today!

Prehealth Drop-in Hours

Prehealth Advising will be available virtually during the Spring 2022 semester at the following times:

Tuesdays from 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Fridays from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Summer Enrichment Opportunities

Are you interested in pursuing a summer experience? Explore the Opportunities that are updated weekly. 

News from the Office of Science Engagement

New opportunities posted weekly!

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

Explore the Opportunities! 

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!