Applying to Programs

 The Intent to Apply form indicates that you are planning on applying to professional school in the upcoming cycle (2025-2026). On this form you will identify your applicant type (first type/reapplicant); your previous experiences with Prehealth advising; and rank your preparation in seven common areas of your application.

After submitting this form, students will receive instructions on how to add themselves to the 2026 Health Professions Portfolio Google Classroom Page. 

Click Here to fill out the Intent to Apply Form

The Health Professions Portfolio is a mock application document organized in a way include the components of the real application systems (AMCAS, AACOMAS, AADSAS, CASPA, OptomCAS, AACPMAS, PTCAS). These components include organizing biographic information, calculating your GPA, test preparation, developing a school list, including your experiences and descriptions, and your personal statement. All students applying to profession programs should use the mock application within the Health Professions Portfolio. It is designed to get students to work on their application materials before they apply so they can put forward an early and a competitive application. The materials are drafts and by no means are finalized.  

The Health Professions Portfolio is available to students during what we refer to as their “application year”. This typically begins in late August/early September with the Application Year Kickoff session and launch of the Intent to Apply form. Students who complete the form will be added to the Health Professions Portfolio  Google Classroom Page. 

Prehealth Advising offers an in-depth application review and mock interview called a Comprehensive Review. The goal of a comprehensive review is to help applicants provide context to applicants’ experiences, highlight strengths, and identify areas of potential growth prior to applying. In a review, applicants may be asked questions about their background, sample interview questions for their health profession, and discuss ways to improve their overall application portfolio

Prehealth Advisers assist applicants in putting together a polished application package that tells a cohesive story of who they are. Students can expect to receive additional assistance in navigating their applications, and guidance on making strong decisions in relation to the process. 

For the 2024 matriculation cycle, 74.68 % of medical applicants and 91.67 % of dental applicants who completed a Comprehensive Review and applied were accepted to at least one program. This is 21 % higher for medical applicants and 56 % higher for dental applicants than students who were not reviewed. 

Prehealth Advising recommends that all candidates complete a Comprehensive Review as soon as materials are ready. Earlier reviews offer more time to refine application materials. 

Scheduling for comprehensive reviews will open on November 19th, 2024. Students must have an established letter packet and submitted a mock application document to the 2026 Health Professions Portfolio Canvas page by one week prior to their scheduled review date or their review may be cancelled. 

Required for a Comprehensive Review: 

1. Completion of the Intent to Apply Form
2. Applying to Medical, Dental, Optometry or Podiatry School
3. Established a Prehealth Advising Letter Packet
4. Submission of a Mock Application based on the intended health profession

Prehealth Advising offers a letter packet service to students applying to medical, dental, optometry, or podiatry schools. We do not offer a committee letter. 

The letter packet is a collection of up to six letters of recommendation used for medical, dental, optometry, and podiatry programs. Each packet contains a cover letter written by our office providing context to candidates from Penn State. Physician Assistant programs do not accept letter packets.

All students applying to these systems are expected to use the letter packet. Applicants may establish a letter packet starting October 1st, 2024. There is a $50 fee for this service that may be waived upon request based on demonstrated need. 

After establishing a letter packet, our office will follow up with more detailed instructions on how to use the Letter Packet system. Letters that are not used will be stored securely for future use for students who wait to apply or end up needing to reapply in the future. 

Letter requests for the 2026 cycle are available until August 31st, 2025. Letters of recommendation do not need to be received to complete a comprehensive review or submit a primary application. 

Reapplicants should complete the "Reapplicants Only" section of the portfolio. For the first portion of the Comprehensive Review, we will discuss your prior application and your portfolio. We will then conduct the remainder of the interview. 

For Reapplicants needing to access the Letter Packet service:

Complete FERPA waiver (gives permission to collect, review, and release letters) and pay for the letter packet service. 

Please be sure to enter your name and the cardholder's name accurately, especially if you are using a credit card that does not match your name. This allows us to match your name to your payment and prevents delays.  Note: only VISA or Mastercard are accepted.

 Timeline Milestones for Medical/Dental/Optometry/Podiatry Candidates

August 31, 2023              -              Application Year Overview Group Advising Session
September 7, 2023          -             Gap Year Group Advising Session
October 3, 2023               -              Health Professions Portfolio Kickoff Group Advising Session / Workshop
October 3, 2023               -              Comprehensive Interview Scheduling Opens
October 3, 2023               -              Letter Packet System (veCollect) Opens
November 15, 2023        -              Personal Statement Group Advising Session / Workshop
January 2024                    -              Comprehensive Interviews Begin
June 30, 2024                    -              Comprehensive Interviews End
September 1, 2024          -              veCollect Closes for New Requests
Mid-September 2024      -              veCollect Closes for 2025 application year

 Timeline Milestones for Physician Assistant Candidates

August 31, 2023              -              Application Year Overview Group Advising Session
September 7, 2023          -             Gap Year Group Advising Session
October 3, 2023               -             Health Professions Portfolio Kickoff Group Advising Session / Workshop
November 15, 2023        -              Personal Statement Group Advising Session / Workshop
November 2023               -             Personal Statement Reviews (Health Professions Portfolio Page)

Timelines for Application Systems

• April – CASPA opens

• May – AADSAS, AMCAS, AACOMAS Open

• June – OptomCAS Opens

• August – AACPMAS Opens

Cover Letters and Letter Packets are not accepted to PA, Pharmacy and Public Health Programs*. Applicants should request letters of recommendation from individual evaluators. We encourage students in these areas to schedule advising appointments to review their application materials with a Prehealth Adviser.

Additionally, we encourage all applicants to join our Applicant Networking Canvas page for more resources and faster responses to questions you may have. This page has resources for applicants to many health professions programs. 

*The Prehealth Advising Office does not currently have the capacity to offer Comprehensive Interviews for these applicants, but is working toward this in the future.