The Health Sciences Scholars Program develops and supports a community of high-ability undergraduate students pursuing healthcare-related majors and careers through opportunities to explore interest areas, learn about career options, and serve together at Ohio State and beyond.
The Health Sciences Scholars (HSS) Program works to aid students in exploring opportunities during their undergraduate experience and beyond. We strive to effectively build a supportive community, foster academic enrichment, participate in career exploration, facilitate engagement in the local community, and strengthen HSS member’s pre- professional portfolios by utilizing available resources. Students in the program have gone on to medical, dental, pharmacy, physician assistant, veterinary school, and beyond. Additionally, students pursue PhDs, Master of Public Health programs, and more.
Academics
Health Sciences Scholars have the opportunity to engage with faculty, staff, and community leaders inside and outside of the classroom. The programs offered compliment what students are learning in the classroom and offer personal connection that other students do not find.
Seminar Course
The HSS seminar course is designed for first year Health Sciences Scholars students to explore current events in our society related to healthcare, exploration of healthcare career interests, and healthcare disparities. This course should be taken concurrently with a college-based survey course.
During this course, students will learn to:
- Understand the expectations and benefits of being a Health Sciences Scholar
- Identify academic and career interests through self-assessment
- Explore current issues relating to healthcare in the U.S. and beyond
- Engage with their peers about healthcare disparities, differences in treatments throughout the U.S. and abroad, and discuss what life as a future healthcare professional could look like
Clustered Courses
Utilizing priority scheduling all Scholars students are provided, many HSS students choose to "self-cluster" their courses after the first semester; these often include science courses such as General Chemistry 1220 in spring semester of the first year and Organic Chemistry 2510 & 2520 during the sophomore year.
First Year Requirements
- Events: Each semester, first and second year HSS students are expected to attend a minimum of four (4) HSS sponsored events (must attend at least one event from each category: academic, social, and service). All HSS events can be found in the HSS Weekly Digest, posted to social media, or through emails sent by the program manager.
- Peer mentor/mentee: 1 peer mentor/mentee interaction(s) each month (this can be 1:1 or as a group) – meetings can be done in person or via Zoom or FaceTime. Mentors are paired with first year students during Seminar.
- Seminar: During the Autumn Semester, students are required to attend the First Year Seminar each week
- Biweekly Meetings: Spring Semester only, students will need to attend 4 biweekly meetings. At the beginning of each month, topics and meeting times will be shared.
- Service Hours: 10 service hours/semester for a total of 20 service hours over the course of the academic year.
- GPA: Students are expected to achieve at least a cumulative 3.0 GPA by the end of first year at OSU and every year after to maintain Scholars Status.
Second Year Requirements
- Events: Each semester, first and second year HSS students are expected to attend a minimum of four (4) HSS sponsored events (must attend at least one event from each category: academic, social, and service). All HSS events can be found in the HSS Weekly Digest, posted to social media, or through emails sent by the program manager.
- Biweekly Meetings: Spring Semester only, students will need to attend 4 biweekly meetings. At the beginning of each month, topics and meeting times will be shared.
- Service Hours: 10 service hours/semester for a total of 20 service hours over the course of the academic year.
- GPA: Students are expected to achieve at least a cumulative 3.0 GPA by the end of first year at OSU and every year after to maintain Scholars Status.
Events and Activities
HSS students have the opportunity to participate in multiple experiences both on and off campus that relate to exploration of the healthcare field. There are 3 committees who lead involvement efforts each year for HSS students: academic, social, and service. Some of the events and opportunities that take place on an annual basis are listed below. Students also create new programs each year.
Signature Events
Academic Events – Undergraduate and Graduate/Professional Student Panels – HSS students benefit from learning about "what's next" from those living it, be they upperclassmen or graduate/professional students. Exam reviews, study tables, how to get involved in research, admissions panels, HSS-specific involvement fair, and 1:1 chats with professional students.
Social Events – Annual HSS Welcome Day, Friendsgiving Feast, Bob Ross Paint Night, Positive Affirmations Bulletin Board, Bowl and Mug Painting, Bouquet Making, and many more!
Service Events – Steps for Sarcoma, bookmark-making for the James Cancer Center, Mid-Ohio Food Collective, Star House, Columbus Parks & Recreation Department, and the Big 10 Blood Battle.
Community
This shared living environment provides HSS students with a close-knit community of students who are pursuing similar goals and share interests in helping people in the healthcare setting. Living amongst their peers allows students to bond, study together, and challenge one another to do their best both in and out of the classroom. The relationships formed during freshman year can carry students throughout their time at OSU and beyond.
Mentorship Program
Mentor/Mentee Pairings – During the summer, first year students are paired with an upperclassman who will serve as their TA throughout Seminar as well as their mentor during the school year. This relationship allows first years to learn more about their intended majors (students and mentors are paired up based on major and shared professional interests), organizations to get involved with on campus, and about the Columbus area.
Community Meetings
During the spring semester, led by the Director of Education and the Director of Seminar, students will attend 4 biweekly meetings with topics ranging from Diabetes care, healthcare in rural areas, substance use and harm reduction, and more.
Leadership Council
The HSS Leadership Council is comprised of 20 current students. Students apply at the end of fall semester which allows first year students the opportunity to begin serving the HSS community in their second semester at Ohio State. Students may serve on the executive board or on the academic, social, or service committees creating relevant programming for the HSS community while gaining the skills to become an effective leader in the healthcare field.
Residential Requirement
First-year Health Sciences Scholars students live together in Park-Stradley Hall.
The residential community is an important element of the Scholars experience, and is required for all students with the exception of commuter students. Space in the prescribed residence hall is subject to availability, and while Scholars are given housing priority, space is not guaranteed and students may be placed in other accommodations due to program demand if necessary.
All Scholars
While each of the 16 Scholars Programs builds experiences for students around its unique theme, students benefit from shared Scholars experiences. All Scholars Programs:
- Are open to students of any major.
- Feature a first-year residential community.
- Have a first-year seminar course.
- Are led by an experienced full-time professional Program Manager.
- Are academically-driven communities with a minimum GPA requirement of 3.0 to participate.
- Have a student leadership council, offering leadership opportunities, community programming, and service projects.