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Q. What is HPAP?
A. The Health Professions Advisory Program (HPAP) is
a counseling, advising, and resource service sponsored by
The College of Arts and Sciences for students interested in
learning about and applying for admission to health professional
schools or seeking careers in the health field. It is available
to any student or graduate of Syracuse University, or SUNY
College of Environmental Science and Forestry, without charge.
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Q. Advising and the HPAP Schedule
A. In your first year, stop by the HPAP
office in 323 Hall of Languages and sign up to be put on the
mailing list for newsletters and invitations to advising sessions.
With other members of your class, you attend advising sessions
to learn about HPAP and University resources. Workshops in
your first and second year help with study skills as well
as managing time and stress. Your name also will be added
to an e-mail listserv that announces events of interest to
you and solicits your opinions. Check our web site for summer
programs.
In subsequent years, topics for advising sessions
(at least one for each class each semester) include succeeding
in science, internships, and other hands-on experiences, research,
financing graduate school, and preparing for application and
admission to professional school. if your career goal is medicine,
dentistry or podiatry, you will meet with your advisor, a
faculty member of the Health Professions Advisory Committee
(HPAC). Advising helps keep you on schedule. You enhance your
academic record by pursuing research, community service and
internships.
As a junior, you begin the application process by
selecting the professional schools best suited to you, writing
your personal statement, and assembling materials such as
recommendations for your dossier- all with the help of the
HPAP staff. A full-length, practice MCAT is given on campus
on a Saturday each spring, two to four weeks before the official
test day. There is a charge for this test. This helps you
prepare for the formal MCAT a few weeks later.
During the summer before or in the fall of your last
year, you send in your applications- early. You then prepare
for interviews with the help of the HPAP staff; an interview
workshop is conducted for seniors and practice interviews
(that can be videotaped) can be arranged. You write up your
interviews for future students and keep in regular touch with
HPAP about the progress of your applications.
Throughout your college career, you are encouraged
to schedule individual meetings with HPAP staff members to
discuss both academic and personal matters.
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Q. Resource Center
A. The Resource Center in 323 Hall of Languages contains
catalogues of U.S. and other health professional schools. There
are admissions and financial aid guides, and other reference
materials. There are admissions tests, review materials, interview
guidelines, and up-to-date information about health-related
issues. Computers are available to update your HPAP file, and
download and complete electronic applications. There is also
a list of summer opportunities and a notebook with comments
from former students about their experiences at interviews.
The Resource Center is open and available every weekday from
8:30 am to 5:00 pm during the school year.
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Q. Recommendations
A. Recommendations are directly requested by HPAP from
faculty, supervisors, and employers after you ask for the
references. Your advisor, a faculty member of the HPAC, drafts
your committee letter of recommendation using his or her personal
knowledge about you and your letters of reference. The letter
is reviewed by the Committee with your credentials at hand.
HPAP sends your Committee letter and copies of your individual
recommendations to the schools where you apply. A credentials
service is provided for those who choose not to have, or who
do not qualify, for a Committee letter.
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Q. Does Syracuse University have a medical school?
A. No. There is a medical school next to campus, the State
University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical College of Medicine.
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Q. Do you have a pre-med major at SU?
A. No. We believe you are better off majoring in an area
you find particularly interesting in which you can pursue
research or other scholarly work.
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Q. What does it take to get into medical school?
A. In our experience, students with very good to excellent
chances for admission have cumulative grade point averages
of at least 3.40 out of a possible 4.00, including the standard
courses recommended by medical schools, and an averages score
of 10 or better on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
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Q. How many students do you get into medical school?
A. No college "gets students into medical school."
You are admitted on the basis of college academic records,
admission test scores and extracurricular activities. There
latter experiences include patient/medically-related and community
service as well as research and fun. Personal evaluations
add much to your credentials as an applicant.
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Q. What percentage of applicants from Syracuse get in?
A. It varies; what is important is that, with diligence
on your part including taking full advantage of HPAP, you
will know your chances for admission before you apply.
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Q. What are your students average MCAT scores?
A. MCAT scores are correlated with SAT or ACT scores,
for the most part. One should try, while in college, to improve
study skills and efficiency of time management in order to
exel in increasingly difficult subject matter. The MCAT scores
can be much better than those predicted by SATs. Our average
scores equal average scores of the national pool of test takers.
Almost all of those with scores above 30 gain admission.
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Q. Do I have to major in science?
A. No. Many successful applicants decide to major in science,
but that's because they like the subject. Choose a major you
enjoy and elective courses appropriate for the kind of graduate
or professional school you want to attend.
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Q. What courses are required?
A. Most health professions schools require a year of English
including composition, a solid background in math, and a year
each of general biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry
and other general physics. Science courses must include labs.
Except for the Graduate Record Exam required by veterinary
schools and the Dental Admission Test, which does not test
physics, other admission tests evaluate your ability to use
science knowledge as well as your verbal and reading skills.
You take the appropriate admission test in the spring of your
junior year, which means you complete the required science
courses by the end of that spring.
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Q. What one thing can I do to most improve my performance
and chances of admission to professional school?
A. READ, READ READ! Also, learn for the long range; don't
memorize and forget it- you don't want to have to learn again
and again the same material, particularly if that material
forms the basis of the curriculum at your desired graduate
or professional school.
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Q. Is there anything else I should be aware of?
A. Yes. HPAP is implementing new procedures regarding how
we recommend students. To read about this change, please see
the committee policy or pick up Words to the Wise in 323 Hall
of Languages.
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