Prehealth Advising
Health Professions Portfolio and Comprehensive Interview

The Prehealth Advising Office utilizes a portfolio system for our students considering entering a health profession. This portfolio will serve as a space for students to both track their coursework and activities, and reflect on their personal journey. We encourage students at all stages of their preparation to create and begin contributing to their portfolio. 
 

To request access to the e-portfolio system, current Penn State students and Penn State alumni should complete this form. Please allow 7 business days to be added to the e-portfolio. Current students and alumni will access the portfolio within Canvas. 

Timeline for Penn State Applicants* to Medical, Dental, Podiatry and Optometry Programs

Internal Timeline

• October 5, 2021 – Intent to Apply Form Submission Opens 

• November 1, 2021 – Physician Assistant/Associate (PA) Personal Statement Review Opens

• November 2, 2021 – veCollect Opens - see Applicant Guide for full details

• December 2, 2021 – Portfolio Checklist Submission Opens (alumni should submit via Canvas)*

• January 21, 2022 – Comprehensive Interview Scheduling Opens*

• June 15, 2022 – Portfolio Checklist Submission and Interview Scheduling Closes*

• July 15, 2022 – No Comprehensive Interviews scheduled beyond this date.

• September 1, 2022 – veCollect Closes for new requests, File migration begins**

• October 1, 2022 – veCollect Closes for 2021-2022 application year**

*Rolling Interview Cycle: The requirements for scheduling this interview are located in the Checklist and Guide. 

**all letters from veCollect moved to our internal server.

Timelines for Application Systems

• April 30 – CASPA opens

• May – AADSAS, AMCAS, AACOMAS Open

• June – OPTOMCAS Opens

• July – AACPMAS Opens

Timeline for Penn State Applicants* to Medical, Dental, Podiatry and Optometry Programs

Internal Timeline

• September 21, 2022 – Application Year Kickoff Event and Intent to Apply Form Submission Opens 

• October 2, 2022 – veCollect Opens - see Applicant Guide for full details

• November 1, 2022 – Physician Assistant/Associate (PA) Personal Statement Review Opens

• January 3, 2023 – Comprehensive Interview Scheduling Opens*

• June 15, 2023 – Comprehensive Interview Scheduling Closes at 5PM*

• July 14, 2023 – No Comprehensive Interviews scheduled beyond this date.

• September 1, 2023 – veCollect Closes for new requests, File migration begins**

• September 30, 2023 – veCollect Closes for 2023-2024 application year**

*Rolling Interview Cycle: The requirements for scheduling this interview are located in Canvas. 

**all letters from veCollect moved to our internal server.

Timelines for Application Systems

• April 30 – CASPA opens

• May – AADSAS, AMCAS, AACOMAS Open

• June – OPTOMCAS Opens

• July – AACPMAS Opens

Cover Letters and Letter Packets are not required to apply 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.

To obtain a Comprehensive Interview to review your candidacy, you must complete the following THREE steps:

1. Collect and submit Comprehensive Interview Materials.

Request access to the Health Professions Portfolio in Canvas.

Comprehensive Interview Materials include: Mock Application, Personal Statement, Autobiography, School List/GPA Calculator, Experiences Workbook, (and copy of your previous application if reapplying). Follow instructions in Canvas.

2. Establish your veCollect account.

Complete FERPA waiver (gives permission to collect, review, and release letters) and pay for veCollect account.

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. The $50 processing fee is NON-REFUNDABLE.

Follow instructions in the guide below to set up veCollect account and gain additional insight to set up a well-balanced letter set.

**NOTE: As of June 10, 2022, we are waiving the letter requirement to schedule a comprehensive interview. As long as you have a veCollect account to collect your letters, you may proceed to step 3 below.  

3. Call the Office to schedule your Comprehensive Interview.

You may call once you have submitted your Comprehensive Interview Materials in Canvas and established a veCollect account.

Prehealth Advising Office: 814-865-7620

Reapplicants should complete the "Reapplicants Only" section of the portfolio. The remainder of the portfolio can be completed, but is not required for reapplicants.

For the first portion of the interview, we will discuss your prior application and your portfolio. We will then conduct the remainder of the interview. 

For reapplicants needing to create a new veCollect account:

 Complete FERPA waiver (gives permission to collect, review, and release letters) and pay for veCollect account.

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.

Follow instructions in the guide below to set up veCollect account and gain additional insight to set up a well-balanced letter set.

All applicants choosing to use our letter service will need to establish a veCollect account. Applicants do not need to complete the Comprehensive Interview process to obtain a cover letter and letter packet, but those who have completed it have found it beneficial to preparing a competitive application. 

After June 1, our office will begin sending letter packets to the application systems identified by the applicant. It is the responsibility of the applicant to verify letters are received, quivers are locked, and letter transmission is requested. To request letter transmission, applicants will need to email their comprehensive interviewer or their PreHealth Adviser. If you are unsure who to contact, please email prehealthadvising@psu.edu or call 814.865.7620 for assistance.

Please follow the steps below to establish a veCollect account with Prehealth Advising:

1. Complete and sign FERPA statement to allow us and your letter writers to release your information in your letterset. It is highly recommended that students allow us to collect and release your letters AND waive your right to view the letters of recommendation. 

2. Pay a $50 processing fee. Returning applicants will need to pay this fee again, as it is associated with maintaining an active account each year. If this presents financial hardship, please speak with a PreHealth Adviser who can help assist you with this. 

To sign the FERPA statement and pay online with a credit card,  follow this link to our Consent for Release Form and Payment Page. 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.

Our office will create and activate your veCollect account once you have completed these steps. Within 1-7 business days, you will receive an email with instructions on how to access your account and change your password. Please do not create a veCollect account by accessing the company's website directly. This will only result in a delay in establishing your account, as we will need to delete that account to establish an account associated with our office.  

Note: The $50 processing fee is NON-REFUNDABLE. Even if you choose not to apply, or you choose to withdraw your application, refunds will not be offered, and cannot be transferred to another year. 

*Note: A veCollect account must be established to schedule a Comprehensive Interview. However, letters present within veCollect are not required to schedule your interview. It is recommended to receive your letters as early as possible to ensure you have them when your application system opens.