Advising

"To find health should be the object of the doctor. Anyone can find disease."  —Andrew T. Still, MD, DO


"As a family physician, my job is listening to people's stories."
—Jon S. Hallberg, MD

Contact Us

We're here to help you begin your path to a career in healthcare.

Our Office

Pre-Health Career Advising is available for all Cal Poly students interested in health professions, regardless of their major.

Find us in: Building 53 (Science North), Room 211
Email us at: prehealth@calpoly.edu
Follow us on social media:

"Should I Meet With a Peer Advisor or a Staff Advisor?"

Reasons to Drop-In With a Pre-Health Peer Advisor

  • You are exploring or currently unsure of which health career is right for you
  • You are a prospective, first-year, or newly enrolled student interested in a career in healthcare
  • Registration/course scheduling assistance (primarily for prerequisite coursework)
  • Find out how to get health-related, leadership, community service, and/or research experience
  • Entrance exam preparation and information
  • Admissions requirements for particular programs and schools
  • Grades/GPA concerns for health professional schools
  • Post-baccalaureate programs and gap year options

Reasons to Schedule an Appointment With a Staff Advisor

  • Personal statement assistance and review
  • Application assistance and review

Pre-Health Peer Advising (Drop-in Only)

Peer advisors are upper-division, pre-health students who can assist you with planning health profession prerequisites, finding and choosing experiences on campus and in SLO, and connect you with resources for test preparation. Having been in your shoes before, they are a great resource for all first-year, second-year, or newly interested pre-health students. They are available on a drop-in basis during the hours listed below.

Peer Advising is available only during weeks 1-10 of fall, winter and spring quarters. 

 

Virtual Drop-in Advising Instructions

  1. Download the free Zoom app to your computer, tablet, or smartphone with your Cal Poly login information. Using just the web browser will not allow you to meet privately with an advisor. 

  2. Sign in to the pre-health peer advising virtual waiting room during the hours listed below, and wait for one of our advisors to begin a meeting with you. We will do our best to meet with you as soon as possible but also ask for your patience if we are already meeting with another student. 

 

Fall 2022 Drop-In Hours (In-Person and Virtual Options)

Each peer advisor is well-equipped to advise students from any major on any of the health professions. You do NOT have to meet with an advisor that has the same major or career interest as you.

  • Drop-in hours are fluid, and may change from week to week. Check the below grid at the beginning of each week to confirm when the peer advisors are available.
  • During the 12:00 -1:00 pm lunch hour peer advisors offer virtual drop-ins only.
  • The Zoom meeting room is always active during in-person drop-ins; feel free to visit us in-person or via Zoom as needed.
  • The hours below marked with *two asterisks around them* are virtual only.

Winter 2023: Finals Week (3/20 - 3/24)

Peer Advisor  MONDAY   TUESDAY   WEDNESDAY THURSDAY  FRIDAY 

Sydney Anselmo

Public Health,

Pre-Med

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

 

N/A

 

Alyssa Pama

Biochemistry,

Pre-Med

N/A

N/A N/A

N/A

 *1-4 PM*

Yasmina Yerima

Biomedical Engineering,

Pre-Med

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Zoom Link: https://calpoly.zoom.us/j/81837700803

Staff Advising (Planned Appointments Only)

These appointments are best suited for students who are already in the process of applying to health professional school(s). Appointments last 30 minutes and are scheduled Monday-Friday. Appointments are more limited during academic breaks.

  • You may schedule up to two weeks out. Calendly allows you to view dates beyond 2 weeks, but the calendar will not display our availability. Please check back regularly (i.e., tomorrow) if there are currently no appointments available.

  • Because appointments often fill up, it is best to plan two weeks in advance. Keep in mind important deadlines!

Application Appointments

If you are in the process of applying to health professional school(s), you can schedule an appointment with one of our staff advisors to discuss test preparation, interviews, financing applications, choosing schools, and more. 

Choose Your Advisor

Personal Statement Appointments

If you would like to have a staff advisor look over and review your personal statement, or even just brainstorm ideas for a statement, please schedule here. Please email anything you have written and would like reviewed by your advisor at least 24 hours in advance of your appointment.

 

 

Appointment Cancellation

As a courtesy to our office and your peers, if you need to cancel or reschedule your advising appointment, use the link in your confirmation email or give us a call.

We prefer at least 24 hours advance notice, but we know that last minute things may come up and that's okay.

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Hours are subject to change each week, so please check the "Contact Us" page regularly!

Pre-Health Peer Advising

Pre-Health Calendar

View and sign up for upcoming application workshops, personal statement workshops, presentations, and other events hosted by our office!

Pre-Health Events

Pre-Health Blog

Visit our Pre-Health Blog to stay up to date on pre-health events, opportunities, articles, workshops, and more!

Cal Poly Pre-Health Blog

Pre-Health Reading List

Reading is a great way to learn new perspectives and develop yourself as an applicant.

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