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Programs and Services in the Health Professions Advising Office

Learn about the programs and services that distinguish our office and help our students.

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Health Professions Advising Office

The Health Professions Advising Office (HPAO) at the University of Mississippi is the largest full-service health professions advising office in Mississippi and the southeastern conference (SEC). Our mission is to counsel UM health professions students on available opportunities for a health care career and advise students towards a competitive application. We take your aspirations and help you to become to best candidate for professional school.

Enroll in HPAO with your UM application or by completing the online form linked below.

Enroll in HPAO

Our most important services is the year-round personal advising for your health profession. Our office specializes in understanding what it takes to get you to your destination. We are knowledgeable on every single degree program, which helps us create a specialized plan for you. Make an advising appointment.

HPAO Programs and Services

Our office has been nationally ranked by Science Times due to our extensive services and the success of our students. The following is the list of typical services and programs of our office in addition to the welcoming, supportive community provided by our staff.

  • Health professions sections of the university’s freshman orientation course. Our HPAO staff offer specific health professions-themed sections of the EDHE 105: First-Year Experience course taken by the vast majority of freshmen. This freshman orientation course is designed to ease the transition from high school to college, and provide a systematic way to connect with the university and resources. Our health professions-themed sections give our students an introduction to different health professional pathways at the same time. 
  • Free tutoring in select health professions courses. Our office hires tutors so you don’t have to! We offer free tutoring support for some of the more difficult prerequisite courses in biology, chemistry, math, and physics. We post the tutoring schedule on our website, in our office, and on our social media accounts.

  • Locating shadowing opportunities. Whether it is virtual shadowing or in-person shadowing, our office maintains a database of health professionals to help in your search for these required experiences.
  • Placement in intensive summer programs across the country. Health-related experiences are extremely important to your application. We help secure research, clinical, and volunteer experiences off campus and across the country. We even offer experiences abroad for students that want to combine study abroad with clinical and/or shadowing opportunities.
  • HPAO trips to professional schools. At least once a semester, the HPAO office will organize a free bus trip to visit a professional school, such as UM Medical Center in Jackson, UT-Health Sciences Center in Memphis, or UA-Birmingham. Students tour the facility, meet students and faculty, and discuss admissions.

  • Advisors for many student health-related organizations. Our staff support organizations on campus for students in the health professions, providing leadership and community service opportunities for our students. They network and explore their chosen health profession. 
  • Connecting with our HPAO alumni. We will connect you with our alumni who are employed at or attended the professional school of your choice. We provide an immediate professional support network as well as research or shadowing opportunities for a competitive advantage.
  • Guest speakers from professional schools. Representatives from special programs such as the Rural Physicians program and admissions representatives from various professional schools regularly come to campus. They hold one-on-one meetings with students for a specific pre-application session and provide group info sessions about the profession and their school.

  • HPAO scholarships. Each year HPAO awards approximately $80,000-$90,000 in scholarships to our students. We invite students – both incoming freshmen and current students – to apply for our competitive scholarships.
  • Annual health professions fair. Our office hosts an annual health professions fair every spring semester where students have the opportunity to meet admissions representatives from various health professions programs.
a health professions representative shaking hands with a student in a large room with many students and health professions representatives

Annual Health Professions Fair

HPAO hosts an annual health professions fair every spring semester where students have the opportunity to meet admissions representatives from various health professions programs.

Application

Applications to professional school are extremely detailed and are your first impression. We offer review services for every application section.

Focused assistance on your personal statement. We offer personal statement workshops, as well as individualized reviews and edits of your personal statement.

Interview

Mock interview practice. Interviews are of extreme, and increasing importance to most professional schools. This can be the tipping point for many applications. Our office prepares you by conducting mock interviews of various formats, including virtual and in-person interviews.

Exam Prep

Free entrance exam prep materials. It is difficult to navigate the many test prep opportunities. We assist students with identifying the best prep materials for their health professions. We even offer limited free prep books and exams.

 

Admission test special coaching sessions. The MCAT can be a daunting, 7-hour exam. We hope to ease your stress by giving you the full-length exam in a similar testing environment. You will then get a complete review of your strengths and weaknesses in order to guide your preparation for the real exam.