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Health Professions Office Appointment Information and Policies

Learn about the Health Professions Office Appointment Policies at the University of Texas at Austin.

In This Section

Appointment Policies

The policies below are for currently enrolled students. If you are a recent graduate or alum, please see our Alumni & Post-Bacc Policies page.

Scheduling 

HPO appointments are scheduled via Handshake for Peer Mentors, Health Professions Coaches and JAMP Ambassadors.

**Click here to schedule an appointment in Handshake!**

 

Pre-Health Professions Coaching Appointments

  • (2) Health Professions coaching appointments per academic year – one appointment per semester
  • These reset in August for the next academic year.
     

Additional  Pre-Health Coaching Appointments During Application or Reapplication Cycle: 

  • (1)  Personal Statement Brainstorming appointment per application cycle
  • (1)  Interview Prep appointment per application cycle
     

HP Peer Mentor Appointments

  • You can schedule up to (1) student Peer Mentor appointment per week
     

Walk-In Sessions 

  • (1) 15-minute meeting with an HP Coach per walk-in day is allowed
  • First-come, first-served basis with no coach requests
     

JAMP Ambassador Appointments

  • You can schedule up to (1) appointment per week
 

Appointment Cancellation Policy: We require at least 24 hours notice prior to your scheduled appointment. You can cancel your appointment via Handshake or you can send an email to hpo@austin.utexas.edu letting us know. If no cancellation notice is provided then you will forfeit this appointment.

 

Who do I meet with? An HPO Coach or HP Peer Mentor?

Schedule an appointment with an HP Peer Mentor for the following topics:

  • Learn how to use HPO services ("How many appointments do I get", "what types of appointments are there?")
  • Going over prerequisites for chosen professions ("What do I have to take to get into X school?")
  • Shadowing opportunities (“how to find, the importance of, what is”)
  • Leadership opportunities (“how to find, the importance of, what are”)
  • Patient care experience (“how to find, the importance of, what is”)
  • Clubs/organizations
  • How to ask for letters of recommendation/evaluation
  • Course load ("Is this reasonable to take in one semester?")
  • Study habits/tutoring resources
  • Test-taking strategies
 

Please note: HP Student Peer Mentors are student undergrads and cannot speak to anyone about: grades, transcripts, MCAT scores, registration questions, Add-Drop or Q-Drop/P/F questions, course planning, GPA, gap year plans, travel abroad or personal statements. Schedule with an HP Coach for these questions.

 

Schedule an appointment with an HP Coach for the following topics:

  • Progress checks ("How am I doing? What else do I need to do?")
  • Application Strategies & Resources
  • Choosing letter writers ("Who should I ask?")
  • Academic turnaround ("I am worried about my GPA")
  • Potential gap year planning/Post Bacc discussions
  • Academic dishonesty/legal issues
  • Choosing a health profession and/or changing to a different health profession pathway
  • Interview Prep
  • Personal Statement Brainstorming
  • Q-drop / Pass/Fail  & Add/Drop questions
  • Reapplication strategies
  • Course registration & planning questions (e.g. "Do you know if they are opening another section of XYZ, and will it be in person, online or remote, how do I register for that?")
  • Study abroad timeline
  • Alumni or Post Bacc Student questions

Schedule an appointment with a JAMP Ambassador for the following topics:

  • Want to learn more about JAMP at UT Austin
  • Applying to JAMP and have questions about the application process
  • Questions from current JAMP members or alternates