Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC)

To be eligible for an HPAC committee letter, you must be currently enrolled in or have graduated from the UNT Health Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences (BS-BMSC) program.

Additional eligibility criteria include:

• Complete 25 credit hours at UNT Health by the end of the Spring term
• Minimum overall GPA of 3.0 AND minimum GPA of 3.7 at UNT Health
• Complete the EQ-i 2.0 Assessment and meet with the Career Readiness Center
• Complete a minimum of 100 in-person clinical hours (clinical hours include medical or dental-related volunteering, shadowing, and jobs in healthcare)
• Applying to medical or dental school during the upcoming application cycle through an eligible application service (TMDSAS, AMCAS, AACOMAS, ADEA AADSAS)

To complete the EQ-i 2.0 Assessment and meet with the Career Readiness Center:

• Email BeWell@unthealth.edu to receive your consent form and personalized EQ-i 2.0 Assessment link. This assessment will provide you with a personalized report summarizing your strength and growth areas.
• Once you complete the assessment, you will complete the 45-minute training module: Introduction to Emotional Intelligence
• After completing the training, email Career Readiness at careercenter@unthealth.edu to schedule an introductory meeting.
  • The introductory meeting will include next steps on Emotional Intelligence coaching.

The deadline to apply for the HPAC cycle is February 15^th. Required documents must be received by email by to hpac@unthealth.edu by 11:59 PM.

The following documents are required:

• Biographical Form
• GPA Calculator (both overall and science GPA tabs must be completed)
• Unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities (including UNT Health)
• Previous MCAT or DAT scores (if taken prior to HPAC deadline)
• Minimum 3 letters of recommendation

Using the GPA calculator, you must calculate both your overall GPA (tab #1) and your science GPA (tab #2). To calculate your science GPA, include only BCPM courses like those listed here: AMCAS^® Course Classification Guide.

Letters of recommendation should be sent directly from the letter writer to the HPAC via email at hpac@unthealth.edu and must be received by March 1^st.

Three letters of recommendation are required:

• One letter from a biology, chemistry, physics, or math (BCPM) faculty
• One letter from a healthcare professional in chosen field (physician or dentist)
• One additional letter should be from an evaluator who can speak highly of your qualifications for professional schools. Letters from additional faculty, healthcare professionals, job supervisors, volunteer coordinators, or research principal investigators are appropriate.

For each recommendation letter, an HPAC Letter of Recommendation Waive/Retain Form must be completed. Complete the top portion of the form and send it to your letter writer. The letter writer must complete the form and submit it with their letter.

Applicants with incomplete applications will be notified in early March. Complete applications will be holistically reviewed by at least two committee members to assess readiness to apply to professional school.

In late March, applicants will be notified whether they are invited to interview or encouraged to strengthen their preparation for a future application cycle.

Interviews are held in April and assess competencies needed for success in professional school. Following the interview, the committee will determine whether to provide an HPAC letter, with final decisions communicated in May.

Applicants who receive an HPAC letter must submit the Packet Mailing Request (PMR) Form to have their letter sent to an application service. The deadline to submit a PMR is Sept. 1.

Students can only apply for an HPAC letter a maximum of two times. If the student was previously denied an HPAC letter, the second application must include a cover letter detailing the improvements they have made since the previous application.

If the student has received an HPAC letter, they can request the previous letter be submitted to the next cycle (one year later), however, the date and content of the letter will not be changed. After one year, the student will need to reapply to receive an HPAC letter.

All questions related to the HPAC should be directed to hpac@unthealth.edu.

1. “Is HPAC required for admission to professional schools? How important is the committee letter?”
   If a professional school requires or strongly prefers a committee letter of recommendation, and your undergraduate institution offers an HPAC service, it is very important and will greatly support your application. Professional programs are aware of which institutions offers an HPAC letter. The committee letter provides a thorough and objective evaluation of your candidacy for admission to professional programs.

2. “Can I still participate in HPAC after I have graduated and/or decide to take a gap year?”
   Yes! If you meet the minimum requirements, you can participate in HPAC.

3. “Is there a fee associated with HPAC?”
   No, there is no fee required to participate in HPAC.

4. “When is the deadline to submit the Packet Mailing Request form to have my HPAC letter sent?”
   Due to the competitive nature of professional programs, the latest the HPAC will accept a PMR form is September 1.
5. “When trying to open the HPAC forms, a screen says I need to request access. Who do I contact?”
   You automatically have access to the HPAC documents, but you must be logged in with your EUID first. If you see a screen stating you don’t have access, you aren’t logged in. The easiest way to do so is to log into your student email in the web browser you are using, then open a new tab to access the HPAC forms.