The Office of the Health Related Science Advisor is located in Room 143 in the Mendel Science Center. The Advisor, who can be contacted at 610-519-4833 or hpa@villanova.edu, provides information to all students interested in the health professions, such as course requirements, standardized tests and the application process. Materials available for browsing include bulletins or brochures from a variety of schools as well as the following:
- Medical School Admissions Requirements (allopathic medical schools)
- Osteopathic Medical College Information Book (osteopathic medical schools)
- Admissions Requirements of United States and Canadian Dental Schools
- Veterinary Medical School Admissions Requirements
- AMA's Health Professions Education Directory (which has information on 52 allied health occupations)
- The New Physician, a monthly publication of the American Medical Student Association
All of the health professions programs have prerequisite courses, but the major is not an important factor. When considering your choice of major, determine how easily the prerequisite courses will fit into the curriculum for the major. It is very important for you to learn the course requirements and to ensure that the courses are taken in a timely manner. Freshman year may not be too early to begin to take the prerequisite courses. Check with the Advisor as soon as possible to learn what courses you must take and to discuss when they should be taken. It is the student's responsibility to make certain that all requirements are met in a timely manner.
The office also provides letters of evaluation for students applying to some of the health professions programs, especially medical school and dental school. It is wise to meet with the Advisor to discuss this process as well; again, freshman year is not too early to begin this process.
Informational meetings and presentations by local admissions representatives and by alumni in the health professions are held throughout the year. These meetings are to help the student learn more about the professions, the programs and the admissions process. They will also provide an opportunity to talk to admissions representatives about issues of specific concern. The program for the current term is available at the Meetings website. The schedule is subject to change, so check it often.
