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Pre-Health Advising

George Washington University

Health Professions Advisory Committee

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The purpose of GW’s Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC), which consists of pre-health advisors and faculty members from the sciences and social sciences, is to:

  • Help applicants with the application process for medical, dental, veterinary, optometry, or podiatry school.
  • Help applicants self-assess their own candidacy on top of getting detailed feedback from the committee.

Successfully completing the HPAC process may result in a letter packet for qualifying students. A letter packet is comprised of:

  • A coversheet with the committee's evaluation of the student's candidacy
  • Individual letters of recommendation submitted on the student's behalf to PrivateFolio.

Please note: The letter packet may be provided only after the student completes all application requirements, a subsequent HPAC interview, an HPAC follow-up appointment and is evaluated by the committee at the "meets expectations" level or higher.

What does HPAC entail?

If you've been through HPAC before, you'll notice that it looks a little different than in previous years but the process remains much the same. Continue reading for more information!

Self-Assessment & Check-In Appointment
  • Before you begin on the application, you must complete a self-assessment and a 1-on-1 check-in appointment.
  • After completing the self-assessment, sign up for a 1-on-1 check-in appointment.
  • Please complete the self-assessment before your check-in appointment and bring the assessment with you to the appointment.
  • During the appointment, we'll go through your self-assessment to establish your areas of strength and room for improvement.
  • We'll also make sure you meet all eligibility requirements for HPAC.
HPAC Information Session
  • Attend an upcoming information session to help guide you through all of the components of HPAC and, by extension, your medical or dental school applications. The session is designed to led you through the various written components of the HPAC application that you have to submit. 

  • Dates for HPAC 2024 Information Sessions (if this is your first time participating in HPAC you are required to attend an information session in order to participate in this year's HPAC cycle):

    • Monday, November 20th, 2023 - 3:30pm - 4:30pm ET

    • Wednesday, November 29th, 2023 - 2:00pm - 3:00pm ET

    • Thursday, November 30th, 2023 - 9:00am - 10:00am ET

    • Tuesday, December 12th, 2023 - 9:00am - 10:00am ET

    • Wednesday, December 13th, 2023 - 10:00am - 11:00am ET

    • Monday, December 18th, 2023 - 5:00pm - 6:00pm ET

Submit HPAC Application & Supporting Materials
  • Once you've completed the aforementioned steps, you'll finish and submit your HPAC Application (which is now a word document you can edit and save at your own leisure) directly to Box. The application is comprised of the following sections:
    • Identifying Information
    • List of colleges attended
    • List of letter writers
    • List and descriptions of work & activities (up to 15)
    • Secondary application essays (3)
    • Personal Statement
  • You'll submit your unofficial transcripts from all colleges attended to Box as well.

  • Lastly, you are required to obtain 3 – 5 Letters of Recommendation (to be submitted by your letter writers to your PrivateFolio account).

    • At least one must be from a science faculty member and one from a major faculty member (cannot be the same letter if you are majoring in the sciences).

    • They **do not** have to be from GW faculty (this is a change from previous years).

  • The letter writers that you identify on your application will submit their letters of recommendation to PrivateFolio.

HPAC Interview
  • You will complete a mock medical/dental school interview with the entire committee
  • Interviews will take place from February to April and a link to sign up for a interview time slot will be sent out to all applicants at the beginning of February
Follow-up Appointment
  • You should schedule your follow-up appointment with GW Pre-Health no later than 3 weeks after your interview
  • During the follow-up meeting, we'll go over the feedback the committee has for you and discuss your rating and next steps for receiving your committee packet.

Steps to Participate in HPAC

 

1. You must meet our eligibility requirements

  • Bachelor's degree earned from GW or at least 51% of your Medical/Dental prerequisite courses taken at GW
  • Prerequisites completed by the Spring 2024 semester
  • Minimum 3.0 BCPM (BCP for dental) GPA
  • Clinical experience (involving patient interaction)
  • Consistent community service/volunteer experience
  • Strongly recommended: research experience outside of the classroom
  • Must meet all the deadlines/requirements as outlined below in the application timeline

2. If you meet the eligibility requirements, then you're ready to get started:

Step-by-Step

Complete the HPAC 2024 Self-Assessment. If you have any questions about the HPAC process, feel free to schedule an appointment to meet with us to have your general questions answered.

Schedule a check-in appointment to discuss the self-assessment and your overall candidacy.

Attend an upcoming HPAC Information Session. 

Complete the HPAC Application.

  • To access this document you will need to be logged into your GW account. 
Set up PrivateFolio account:
  • Go to the PrivateFolio website (you MUST use this link in order to receive special account pricing and to be properly affiliated with the GWU Pre-Health Program so that we can access your application).
  • Enter your information, choose a password, and press Submit to create your account.
  • You will receive a confirmation email. Click on the confirmation link in this email, and then log in to your account using your email address and password.
  • You will be asked to choose an account term. As a GW affiliate you have the option of receiving a one-year account for free, or a $10 discount off of a 3 year or 5 year account. If you would like to have access to your letters for future years, you should choose and pay for a 3 year account (discounted price of $14.99) or a 5 year account (discounted price of $27.99).
Reach out to your letter writers and supply them with HPAC Guidelines for Recommendation Letter Writers (PDF).

  • You are required to obtain a minimum of 3 letters of recommendation (a maximum of 5)

  • At least one must be from a science professor and one from a professor from your declared major (cannot be the same letter if you are majoring in the sciences).

  • They **do not** have to be from GW faculty (this is a change from previous years).

In the spring, you'll complete an interview with the committee and a follow-up appointment with us. The sign-up will be available Feb. 1st.
Quick Links

3. What else do I need?

Here are some additional reference materials that may be helpful as you go through HPAC:

4. When is everything due? - HPAC Application Timeline

**All HPAC 1-on-1 appointments and interviews will be held via Zoom.

By Dec. 22, 2023:
  • Attend an HPAC Information Session.
  • Complete the HPAC 2024 Self-Assessment
  • Follow instructions to set up your PrivateFolio account:
    • Go to the Private Folio link (you MUST use this link in order to receive special account pricing and to be properly affiliated with the GWU Pre-Health Program so that we can access your application).
    • Enter your information, choose a password, and press Submit to create your account.
    • You will receive a confirmation email. Click on the confirmation link in this email, and then log in to your account using your email address and password.
    • You will be asked to choose an account term. As a GW affiliate you have the option of receiving a one-year account for free, or a $10 discount off of a 3 year or 5 year account. If you would like to have access to your letters for future years, you should choose and pay for a 3 year account (discounted price of $14.99) or a 5 year account (discounted price of $27.99).
By Jan. 31, 2024 (application deadline):
  • Complete a check-in appointment to discuss the self-assessment and your overall candidacy (All 2024 applicants must meet this requirement, regardless of reapplicant status).
  • Submit completed HPAC Application to Box.
    • Save this document and title it according to this format: Last Name_ First Name_HPAC 2024 Application
      • Ex.: Smith_John_HPAC 2024 Application
  • Submit unofficial transcripts from all colleges ever attended to Box.
    • Download unofficial transcripts from ALL colleges/universities ever attended (including dual enrollment) and title document according to this format: Last Name_ First Name_Institution Name_Transcript
      • Ex.: Smith_John_GW_Transcript
  • Letters of recommendation must be submitted by your letter writers to PrivateFolio by this date
February – April 2024:

Schedule and attend your HPAC interview with the HPAC committee. The HPAC committee is made up of the pre-health advisors and faculty from various departments.

April - June 2024:
  • After your interview, schedule and attend a follow-up appoint with GW Pre-Health Advising to discuss the feedback the committee has compiled for you. The feedback will include the self-assessment, this written application, and your performance during the interview. 
  • Apply to medical/dental school
June - July 2024:

Committee letters are uploaded to PrivateFolio/your application service.

5. Ready to submit your application & materials?

Be sure to submit everything correctly:

  • Submit completed HPAC 2024 Application to Box. Save this document and title it according to this format: Last Name_ First Name_HPAC 2024 Application

    • Ex.: Smith_John_HPAC 2024 Application

  • Submit unofficial transcripts from all colleges ever attended to Box. Download unofficial transcripts from ALL colleges/universities ever attended (including dual enrollment) and title document according to this format: Last Name_ First Name_Institution Name_Transcript

    • Ex.: Smith_John_GW_Transcript

  • Your letter writers submit their letters to PrivateFolio.

Access To Box Folder

 

 

FAQs for HPAC 2024

Where can I sign up for the HPAC info sessions?

You can click HERE to access the sign-up page for the information sessions. If you have not participated in HPAC previously you are required to attend an information session (attendance is NOT required for those that have already gone through the HPAC process).

When should I go through HPAC?

Typically, you go through HPAC the fall and spring before you apply to medical or dental school. So if you're applying to medical or dental school in May, you'll start HPAC the previous fall.

Can I go through HPAC even after I graduate?

Yes! Almost half of HPAC participants are alumni.

What if I need to reapply to medical or dental school?

Then you can go through HPAC again as well. A good chunk of participants end up going through HPAC more than once. 

But if I need to reapply to medical or dental school, can't I just use my HPAC packet from a previous year?

You can...but it'll be out of date. To get an up-to-date packet, we recommend going through HPAC again.

I heard that the committee letter wasn't a thing anymore. So what's the point?

It's true that we're no longer providing detailed letters of evaluation. HOWEVER, we're still providing committee packets which does include the committee's rating of your candidacy, just like before. All that's changing is the advisor letter component. The packets still contain your letters of rec as well.

In any case, the main purpose of HPAC is to help you assess your own candidacy. The packet is just a nice bonus!

What if I don't want to participate in HPAC?

That's totally fine! But keep in mind that some medical or dental schools may ask you to submit a letter of explanation written by your pre-health advisor as to why you don't have a committee packet. We're happy to provide that for you but you must schedule an appointment to talk through the details.

Do I have to pay money for HPAC?

Nope!