Health Sciences Advising (HSA) is now located on the first floor of South Silo (through the breezeway south of the Silo, across from the Craft Center, downstairs from Experimental College). You'll know you're in the right place when the door opens for you! All pre-health students are encouraged to stop by the South Silo or call 530-752-4475 to sign up for a group advising session in their field of interest (e.g. Pre-Med 1A) or to make an appointment to see an advisor who will assist them with their concerns. In addition to seeing an advisor in person, view our Web videos through the Advising Services Video Player. The following are brief descriptions of the major services provided by Health Sciences Advising.

Preparing For The Health Professions

The following are the major health professions for which the Health Sciences Advising office offers guidance. Multiple HANDOUTS for most of these areas are available to download and print..

Obtaining Letters of Recommendation
Pre-health students are encouraged to discuss with advisors how to gather appropriate letters of recommendation that will be necessary for application to health profession schools or programs. Note that applicants to only dental, medical (allopathic, osteopathic, podiatric) and optometry schools use a specialized service for handling their letters of recommendations -- it is called the Pre-Health Professions Advisory Committee (PHPAC) Letter Service.

PHPAC CHANGE NOTICE (posted 10/25/07): For students applying for admission to health profession schools for 2009 entry and beyond please see the new Professional Letter Service  Web page. The PHPAC information stated below is for Fall 2008 entry only. For further information contact Health Sciences Advising Office at (530)752-4100, Room 160 South Silo.

PHPAC
The Pre-Health Professions Advisory Committee (PHPAC) Letter Service is a system that compiles academic and personal information and coordinates the collection of letters of recommendation in order to provide a Committee Letter for students who are applying to dental, medical (allopathic, osteopathic and podiatric), and optometry schools. Although using the PHPAC letter service is optional, these health profession schools strongly prefer the Committee Letter system.

The VirtualEvals (VE) service provides an efficient, secure way to transmit the Committee Letter (including supporting letters of recommendation) electronically to participating US medical and optometry schools. For more detailed information, please refer to these Virtual Evaluation forms:

• Virtual Eval List - Allopathic Medicine
• Virtual Eval List - Osteopathic Medicine
• Virtual Eval List - Optometry

Please be sure to check the Important PHPAC Updates webpage for changes in policy, changes in schools participating in the VE service, and other important information.

Writing The Personal Statement
The personal statement is the initial opportunity for applicants to present themselves as interesting and unique individuals who deserve a closer look.
Detailed instructions on how to write an effective personal statement are available at the HANDOUTS page. A Web video presentation of the same information can be found through the Advising Services Video Player.

Applicants may submit their written personal statement to be reviewed by a trained staff advisor. Call (530) 752-4475 or visit the Pre-Professional Advising Office in South Silo for further information.

Staying Informed

Handouts
Refer to the HANDOUTS page for a list of useful handouts that can be printed, including information on the basic prerequisite courses and how you can best fulfill them at UC Davis. Although these handouts are self-explanatory, we strongly urge applicants to consult with an advisor if they have any questions or concerns.

Programs
Throughout the year, Health Sciences Advising organizes a number of useful workshops, recruiter visits and other programs aimed at keeping prehealth students and applicants informed and prepared for careers in the health professions. These programs are announced on the prehealth-events listserv (see below) and also on the HSA Calendar on this website.

Prehealth-events Listserv Subscription
All prehealth students are encouraged to subscribe to the prehealth-events e-mail listserv to stay up-to-date on what is happening on campus and elsewhere of interest to prehealth students. This service is free and is open to anyone, including UC Davis alumni and prospective students. Sign up and receive weekly updates on upcoming events, announcements, information, and useful advice. This is also the way HSA keeps in touch with prehealth students, especially those in the application process.

UC Davis students can subscribe online with “Get E-News!” by following the instructions to manage your UC Davis list proc email list subscriptions. Select '"prehealth-events” for your new subscription. Alternatively, UC Davis students or alumni and others interested in the health professions may subscribe by sending an e-mail message exactly as follows:

To: listproc@ucdavis.edu
Subject: [leave blank]
Body: subscribe prehealth-events your name

Unsubscribe online as above, or send an e-mail message from your original subscription address exactly as follows:

To: listproc@ucdavis.edu

Subject: [leave blank]

Body: unsubscribe prehealth-events

To change your subscription address, simply unsubscribe from the old address and resubscribe using your new email address. It is not necessary to have a UC Davis email address to subscribe to this listserv. All are welcome.

If you have graduated but did not unsubscribe before leaving UC Davis and are having your email forwarded, please contact IT Help at <ithelp@ucdavis.edu> for instructions on how to unsubscribe.

Calendar
Stay informed about HSA events by subscribing to the prehealth-events listserv and referring to the HSA Monthly Calendar.

Resource Center
Useful information about careers in the health professions can also be found in the Career and Graduate Study Resource Center, located at 114 South Hall. This library contains catalogs, information bulletins, computers for using the internet, MCAT (and other test) preparation information, binders of health-related current events, samples of secondary applications, admissions questionnaires, interview feedback forms and many other reference materials for a number of health professions.

Getting Advice

Staff Advisors
A team of experienced professional staff advisors are available to assist students with questions about any health profession listed above after they have attended a group advising session and/or met with a peer advisor, especially when they are getting ready to apply or are in the application process. Prehealth students may drop in to see a staff advisor or, in some situations, schedule a 30-minute in-person or phone appointment by coming to the Pre-Professional Advising Office in South Silo, or by calling (530) 752-4475.

Student Advisors
Well-trained prehealth peer advisors are available to assist students with questions they may have about a given health profession, especially when they are first considering a health profession or are in the early stages of preparation for professional school. Prehealth students may sign up for a group advising session, or drop in, or schedule a 30-minute in-person or phone appointment by coming to the Pre-Professional Advising Office in South Silo, or by calling (530) 752-4475. It is HSA policy that students meet at least once with a peer advisor before scheduling an appointment with a staff advisor.

Contact Information

Advising Services

Health Sciences Advising

Pre-Professional Advising Office

160 South Silo (First Floor)

UC Davis

One Shields Avenue

Davis, CA 95616

(530) 752-4475
(530) 752-7377 (fax)