The Prehealth Podcast at Penn State

Most students barely give the Biographical Section much thought and for most students, it makes a lot of sense. The section is mostly data entry and includes some pretty routine, standard information. But understanding how this information is used in the application process is helpful for students in crafting it with care. Additionally, this section includes questions about a student's legal and i...

Roughly 1 in 4 students at Penn State identify as 1st Generation (this varies by campus). First-generation (first-gen) students tend to have higher satisfaction in their college experience compared to their peers, greater learning gains, and demonstrate a greater ability to overcome setbacks of all kinds. However, they often face psychological, academic, financial, and social challenges that their...

This week, we have another SuperShort. This one focuses on the process for scheduling a Comprehensive Interview as a Penn State student or alum which we use to provide extensive support in the application cycle. LINK: https://science.psu.edu/interdisciplinary-programs/premedicine/prehealth-advising/portfolio-and-comprehensive-interview AUDIO: INTRO Song was Fun Life by FASSounds OUTRO Song was Bes...

In an earlier episode, we talked about what LORs are and how they are used by admissions officers in evaluating an applicant. In this episode, we discuss strategies for approaching and collaborating with your evaluators. A productive and intentional conversation can result in a more detailed and higher-quality letter but that is a lot easier said than done. AUDIO: INTRO Song was Fun Life by FASSou...

This week's episode is a Penn State-specific episode where we talk you through how to set up a veCollect account the RIGHT way through Penn State. veCollect is our confidential letter collection service and an important part of our letter packets service. 2024 Applicant Guide: https://sites.psu.edu/sciadvising/2024-matriculation-applicant-guide/ SUPER SHORTs are episodes under 7 minutes and are mo...

Letters of Recommendation are an essential part of an application and some students treat them as a box to check off but they have real power in an application when used correctly. In this episode, we provide an intro to LORs, how they are used in the application cycle, and some things to think about as you approach this important topic. AUDIO: INTRO Song was Fun Life by FASSounds OUTRO Song was B...

The Penn State PreHealth Portfolio is a tool for students of any future health profession to begin to prepare for the incredibly competitive application processes. This episode discusses the elements of the portfolios, their design, intention, and use by students and PreHealth Advising at Penn State. AUDIO: INTRO Song was Fun Life by FASSounds OUTRO Song was Best Time by FASSounds ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:...

Having a difficult time getting your personal statement started? Feeling like your statement is missing some heart? Or, just want to get some practice in before the big essay comes for you in the future? Then this week's episode is for you! In this week's episode, we are joined by Dave Cassiday a prehealth adviser in our office to walk us through this extra special episode! AUDIO: INTRO Song was F...

Based on an exercise from Simon Sinek's " Find Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team" this episode is designed to encourage you to pause, reflect, and analyze the key experiences in your past and present that have influenced your decision to pursue healthcare. Being able to concisely articulate WHY it is that you want to pursue this pathway is essential to prepa...

Pursuing a career in the health professions is not a decision to be made lightly. More importantly, not everyone comes to this decision at the same time or in the same ways. This episode discusses ways to explore ways of knowing that this is the right path, stories from past students, and our thoughts on whether this incredibly challenging and difficult path could be right for you. AUDIO: INTRO So...

For this week's episode, we are talking about common myths and misconceptions that we hear about during the application cycle. We will have more "mythbusting" episodes in the future but for this one, we start from the very beginning of the application cycle all the way through matriculation. If you are planning to apply this year, this episode is definitely for you. AUDIO: INTRO Song was Fun Life...

We continue our Personal Statement series for this week's episode. Last week, we talked about what the personal statement is and how it is used by Admissions. This week, we provide some general advice on how to approach your personal statement including tips for students and pitfalls that some students sometimes fall into. AUDIO: INTRO Song was Fun Life by FASSounds OUTRO Song was Best Time by FAS...

In the admissions cycle for the Health Professions, there is no part of the application that a student has more control over than the personal statement. And, it is essential to get right if you want to move through the admissions process and get an interview invitation. In this episode, we discuss the Personal Statement and how it is used the application from both the applicant's and admissions o...

Well, it is here! The Penn State PreHealth Podcast's premiere episode has arrived. In this first episode, we talk about what you can expect from this podcast, what OUR plans are for this show, and give you an introduction to what we do to serve students, faculty, staff, and the university as a whole. AUDIO: INTRO Song was Fun Life by FASSounds OUTRO Song was Best Time by FASSounds ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:...