september 2015 - university of...
TRANSCRIPT
THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA HPAO NEWSLETTER Volume 10
UA Health Professions
Advising Office Newsletter
September 2015
As we enter September, the school year is in full swing! Get On Board Day was a huge success, and we hope that you have found some
great organizations to become involved in this year. September is also the month that starts the advising season. Don’t forget to make an
appointment with an advisor in your college or your major; also make an appointment with your Pre-Health advisor to ensure that you are
taking appropriate steps on your pre-health track. Details about advising are included on the next page.
If you are a freshman, it is also time to start thinking about choosing a major, if you have not already. Use resources such as DegreeWorks
and the majors website (ua.edu/majors) to research different major and minor options. Pick a major that is interesting to you and utilizes
your academic strengths. Remember that the prerequisite courses for your professional school will prepare you for that school, so you can
use your major as an opportunity to study a subject that you will not be able to study in professional school.
What’s New
Our pre-health office has updated its website! Information about events, workshops, advising, etc. is all available there. Check us out!
Watch our advising video “5 Things that Every UA Pre-Health Student Should know.” Follow us on Instagram and Twitter!
Our Newsletters
Our newsletters come out every month and cover a variety of topics! Have a topic that you want us to discuss? Email us at
[email protected] and we will try to feature it in our newsletter!
Instagram: @bamaprehealth
Instagram: @bamaprehealth
Email: [email protected]
Join our listserv
This is how we send out important info to pre-health
students
UA HEALTH PROFESSIONS ADVISING OFFICE NEWSLETTER | September 2015
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It’s Advising Season! As registration opens in October, do not forget to make your advising appointment! If you are a first year student in
the college of Arts & Sciences, make an appointment with your appropriate advisor here: as.ua.edu/appointment. If
you are a student in a different college, please contact that college to find out how to make an advising appointment
for course registration. If you are a second, third, or forth year student, you should make an appointment with your
faculty advisor. Please review the following ways to seek help from an advisor:
1. Walk-in Advising:
-Less than 10 minutes i.e., quick questions or have a form signed
-M-F from 12:30-4 in 200 Clark Hall
-Not always a pre-health advisor
2. Appointments:
-30 minute sessions
-Discuss career track, choosing major/minor, create an 8 semester plan, course
registration (for freshmen) or other issues requiring more one-on-one time
3. Changing a Major/Minor:
-Can be done in mybama: student tab “Major/Minor” button
-Must visit with an advisor if you are switching colleges
4. Course Scheduling (for freshmen only): -Research courses you need prior to coming in
-Have an 8 semester plan filled out in DegreeWorks
5. Add/Drop Courses:
-Meet with an advisor to discuss consequences of adding/dropping a course before
you take action
6. Email/Phone Calls:
-For quick questions that do not require discussion
-Include your full name and CWID in a voicemail or email
Katie Elmore (A-F)
Marian Denham (T-Z)
Eve Machado (G-L)
Latandra Smith (M-S)
Before your appointment:
Visit ua.edu/majors to view the 8 semester plan
for your major or intended major
Review DegreeWorks to get an idea of the
courses that you want to take next semester
Review the prerequisites on the pre-health
website to make sure you know any additional
courses that you may need
If you don’t know how to use DegreeWorks,
watch the tutorial videos on mybama
Decide whether or not you plan to take summer
classes
UA HEALTH PROFESSIONS ADVISING OFFICE NEWSLETTER | September 2015
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The Pre-Health Advising Office is starting a new series of workshops to prepare sophomores to become
competitive applicants. As a sophomore, you are generally starting to take the more difficult science
courses, such as organic chemistry. The goal is to identify areas of weakness in your application and
develop a plan to address those weaknesses. We will have one workshop in October and two additional
workshops in the spring. Possible topics for the workshops include: evaluating your competitiveness,
what being a “well rounded” applicant looks like, how to find your areas of weakness, and the ins-and-
outs of the application process. We will also be asking YOU for ideas about topics, so be looking for an
email from the listserv for more information on topics and how to sign up!
Tips for Getting Involved!
1. Explore Your Options: Before you make a commitment to an organization, attend the meetings
of multiple different organizations. Every group differs in time commitment, initiatives,
requirements, and size. You can’t join every group, so pick the ones that fit you best! Visit “The
Source” website to browse all of the student run organizations.
2. Be Intentional: Commit to organizations that you are passionate about and that you will be
willing to invest your time. Pick a couple of organizations that you will stick to, and don’t
spread yourself too thin. Will you be a valuable member to the organization? Or will
you simply be “on the roster”? What opportunities will the organization provide in
return?
3. Make Time in Your Schedule: Your weekly schedule should incorporate time
for studying AND extracurricular activities. Make it a habit to attend weekly
meetings.
4. Remember Your Long-Term Goals: There are many reasons to become involved
in an organization: to connect with other students, to serve the community, to
develop leadership skills, etc. Think about how being involved in the
organization over 4 years will impact you as a person. If you can’t join an
organization because of a time conflict this semester, keep it on the docket for next
semester.
Sophomore Workshops
Have you seen our new video? Go to www.prehealth.ua.edu to view our “5 Things That Every UA Pre-health Student Should Know” video!!
UA HEALTH PROFESSIONS ADVISING OFFICE NEWSLETTER | September 2015
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Upcoming Events: Monday, September 14
th at 6:30 pm, Lloyd 330: Pre-OT Society meeting
Thursday, September 17th
at 5pm, Lloyd 120: Pre-PA Society meeting; Nancy Dunn, the
Admissions Coordinator from the University of South Alabama PA Program will be
speaking
Announcements:
Interested in Research? Check this out: Hey Juniors and Seniors! Looking for a great research opportunity to beef up that resume?
How about going to preschools (cute kids!) and helping to collect physiological data like
EKG traces, galvanic skin response, saliva samples, height, weight, etc. Participants (for
credit or volunteer) must have a Tuesday or Thursday morning free from 7:30am to 12:30pm.
Contact Edward Quinn at [email protected] if interested.
McWhorter School of Pharmacy Open Houses: You’re invited to join McWhorter School of Pharmacy for an Open House! At the event, you'll
meet faculty and staff, tour campus and the pharmacy school, and have an opportunity to ask
questions of the Pharmacy School Admission Staff. This fall, Open House events will be on
Friday, October 2 and Friday, November 13 at 3p.m. If you're interested in attending
pharmacy school, you don't want to miss this! Please feel free to call 205-726-2008 if you have
any questions. Click HERE to register for an Open House!
MCAT 2016! The MCAT 2016 testing dates are now available! You can find the calendar HERE.
Pre-Health Student Organizations
Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED)
Minority Association of Pre-medical
Students (MAPS)
Pre-Dental Society
Pre-Optometry Society
Pre-Physical Therapy Society
Society of Engineers in Medicine
Pre-PA Society
Pre-Pharmacy Society
Pre-Veterinary Society
Pre-Occupational Therapy Society
Tri-beta
Health Occupations Student
Association (HOSA)
Alabama Student Rural Health
Association
UA HEALTH PROFESSIONS ADVISING OFFICE NEWSLETTER | September 2015
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