Health Professions Advising [HPA] Events

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Information Sessions

Getting Started on the Pre-Health Pathway: Need to Know Basics (Formerly HPA 101)

  • For: All Virginia Tech students potentially interested in health professions.
  • What: Learn about HPA services and the path to gain entrance to health professional school.
  • When to attend: As soon as you have an interest in health professions! First-years are welcomed and encouraged.
  • Attendance is highly recommended so that your one-on-one appointments can be concentrated on your specific questions, rather than generalities.
  • Click on specific session below to see details and register.

Fall 2026 Sessions

September 15 from 4:00 – 5:30 pm (in-person)

October 8 from 12:00 – 1:30 pm (virtual)

November 4 from 2:00 – 3:30 pm (in-person)

All About Health Professions Evaluation Committee (Formerly HPA 202)

  • For: Virginia Tech students who plan to apply to a health professional program in the next two years.
  • What: Gain more knowledge on the Health Professions Evaluation Committee (HPEC) letter process.
  • When to attend: As soon as you know you want to apply to programs!
  • Attendance is highly recommended so that your one-on-one appointments can be concentrated on your specific questions, rather than generalities.
  • Click on specific session below to see details and register.

Fall 2026 Sessions

September 24 from 12:00 – 1:00 pm (virtual)

October 7 from 5:00 – 6:00 pm (virtual)

Learn about Health Careers and Network with Professionals

Advance registration required due to attendance limits and structure of these sessions.

Healthcare Admissions Advantage

Sunday, October 4, 2026, 3:00-5:00 pm ET
In person, Blacksburg campus
Location will be provided to those who are registered. Must arrive on time and stay for full duration of event.

Request to participate occurs in September; dates and process explained below.

  • What: Networking event for Virginia Tech students of all academic levels, and alumni, to meet with practitioners and admissions personnel from health professions (listed below). Participants will meet and learn from healthcare education professionals and local clinical practitioners in three roundtable conversations (each lasting 10 to 15 minutes), followed by 45 to 60 minutes of open networking with programs/professionals of your choosing.
  • Potential professions represented (more may be added):
    • Art Therapy
    • Athletic Training
    • Clinical Research
    • Dentistry
    • Dietetics
    • Genetic Counseling
    • Health Administration
    • Lab Animal Science
    • Mental Health Counseling
    • Nursing
    • Occupational Therapy
    • Optometry
    • Pathology Assisting
    • Pharmacy
    • Physical Therapy
    • Physician Assistant
    • Public Health
    • Speech Language Pathology
    • Surgical Assisting
    • Veterinary Medicine
  • For: Both students and alumni may request to participate (any major or academic level).
  • Request process:
    • Participation by request. Space is limited because this involves small group conversations. Only request to attend if you absolutely can and will attend. If you request to attend, mark it as a firm commitment on your calendar until/unless you hear otherwise.
  • Request period is not currently open.

Medical School Admissions Advantage

We will not be hosting Medical School Admissions Advantage (MSAA) for the Fall 2026 semester. Please refer back to this page for information on future MSAA events.

    Becoming a Strong Applicant

    Advance registration required due to attendance limits.

    Personal Statement Workshop

    What:

    • For: Virginia Tech students who plan to apply to a health professional program in the next two years.
    • What: Learn tips on how to write a strong and impactful personal statement to make you stand out!
    • Participants are asked to prepare and have available a rough draft of your personal statement to use during the workshop.

    When:

    • November 10, 2026 from 5:00 – 6:00 pm (in-person)
    • Click the link above to see details and register.

    Make Your Application Shine Workshops

    What:

    • For Virginia Tech students and alumni who plan to participate in the Health Professions Evaluation Committee (HPEC) process in spring semester.
    • HPA advisors will review the components for a complete HPEC interview application, discuss common mistakes, and highlight ways to make your content shine!
    • Participants are asked to prepare and have available a rough draft of your application to use during the workshop.

    2026-2027 Academic Year Sessions:

    • Click on specific session below to see details and register.
    • December 14, 2026 from 12:00 – 1:00 pm (virtual)
    • January 20, 2027 from 4:00 – 5:00 pm (virtual)

    Interview Practice

    Advance registration required due to attendance limits and structure of these sessions.

    Mock (practice) Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI)

    Four session dates to be offered in Fall 2026:

    Tuesday, September 29 from 9:00 – 10:30 am (in-person)
    Monday, October 12 from 9:00 – 10:30 am (virtual)
    Monday, October 12 from 10:30 am – 12:00 pm (virtual)
    Thursday, November 12 from 10:00 – 11:30 am (in-person)

    (Each selected participant attends one session.)

    Participation request form opens on August 25 at 9:00 am.

    • What: Mock (practice) multiple mini interviews (MMI) give participants the opportunity to experience the MMI process firsthand. During a session, each participant has several brief one-on-one interviews, each with a different interviewer; in each interview you respond to a different MMI-style prompt, and you receive feedback following each response.
    • Who can participate: Preference will be given to alumni, seniors, and juniors who are interested in a healthcare field that utilizes MMIs in their admissions process, and who have not participated in a Mock MMI before. This is open to other students and alumni if slots are available.
    • Session length: 90 minutes.
    • Participation request process / form / dates:
      • Each participant attends one session so that we can serve as many individuals as possible.
      • Space is limited. Only request a session(s) that you mark on your calendar as firm, and that you can and will attend. Mark your calendar to include time for travel or getting on Zoom for the session(s) you request so that you will be on time for the session start.
      • Request form may be submitted during the request period as posted above.
    • After the request period, if you are selected to register, we will notify you with a link to register to commit to attend a specific session date/time. Upon receipt of the link, date selection will occur on a first-come, first-served basis.
      • A wait list will be constructed in the case that not all of the originally selected applicants are able to register. If your name is pulled from the waitlist, we will contact you individually with a link.
      • Attendance commitment: If you choose to sign up to attend this event it is expected that you will keep your commitment to this event, and it will be your priority for that day. It is also expected that you will dress in a business professional manner if possible and that you will present yourself in a professional manner. If you are not certain whether you are able to meet these expectations, please do not sign up to attend this event.