UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
What are medical schools looking for?
Besides high levels of scholastic achievement and intellectual potential, medical schools are also seeking students who are highly motivated to enter the medical field, who show strong humanistic concern for others, and who relate well to other people. Criteria used to evaluate candidates include college grades, letters of recommendation, Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) scores, an applicant's personal statement, and occasionally psychological tests. Students who undertake special projects or independent research may demonstrate qualities that cannot be measured by grades. Some experience in a medical setting is valuable for demonstrating knowledge of what a career in medicine entails.
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Grade point average (GPA)
Medical schools are looking for students with a strong Total GPA (grade point average in all courses), and a strong BCPM GPA (grade point average in biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics courses). They do see the averages for each year separately as well as the cumulative values. Thus, it will be evident if academic achievement improves, or if there is one weak semester among many strong ones.
The mean GPA's for students accepted nationally and for those accepted from CWRU to enter medical school in the fall of 1998 were as follows:
Nationally From CWRU Total GPA: 3.57 3.65 BCPM GPA: 3.52 3.59 Very few CWRU students with GPA's below 3.4 were accepted, and these often had extenuating circumstances, such as very high MCAT scores, additional coursework beyond the bachelors degree, extraordinary medical or service activity, etc.
Use of grading options to improve your GPA:
Judicious use of withdrawal (w) from a course in which you are doing poorly, repeat of a course (RPT) in which you received a poor grade, or taking a course for a pass/no pass grade (P/NP) can all help preserve your GPA at CWRU. However, if you repeat a course, the original grade and the new grade must both be reported to AMCAS and will affect your AMCAS GPA's.
Furthermore, though transfer credit is not used in computing the GPA on your CWRU transcript, you will be required to submit transcripts from all your undergraduate schools when you apply to medical school, and all grades will contribute to your AMCAS GPA's.
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MCAT scores
The average scores on the MCAT tests for students accepted nationally and for those accepted from CWRU to enter medical school in the fall of 1998 were as follows:
Nationally From CWRU Verbal reasoning: 9.6 9.9 Physical sciences: 9.9 10.3 Biological sciences: 10.2 10.3 Writing sample: P P In looking over the recent records of CWRU students, most successful applicants had at least 9 on each section of the MCAT, and a total of 29 or higher. High grades can sometimes offset borderline MCAT scores and vice versa. Students with these "numbers" (low in either grades or MCATs, but high in the other) were all accepted by some medical school in 1998:
MCAT MCAT MCAT BCPM GPA Total GPA Verbal Phys Sci Biol Sci 3.86 3.83 8 10 7 3.73 3.73 10 8 9 3.36 3.33 12 10 10 3.23 3.32 10 11 11 Other factors besides grades and MCAT scores can be very important. Even if grades and MCAT scores are both high, there is no guarantee of acceptance. I have seen a student with a GPA of 3.82 and MCAT scores of 10, 11, 11 who was not accepted the first time he applied (though he was accepted the second time). On the other hand, the scores and GPA's of accepted under-represented minorities (Black/African American, Mexican American/Chicano, Native American/Eskimo, Mainland Puerto Rican) may vary somewhat from the figures given - so please consult with me if you are in one of these groups.
(For osteopathic medical schools, the average total GPA of students entering in 1997 was 3.39, the BCPM GPA was 3.34, and the average MCAT total was 25+. There were 10,764 applicants, and 2,455 matriculants.)
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Medical experiences / volunteer work
It is fairly important to gain some sort of experience volunteering in a hospital, nursing home, or other medical institution and/or observing a doctor at work in an office and/or operating room. Medical school and residency are very big commitments, so you want to be sure this is what you want; plus, the medical schools want to be convinced that you are sure! I am listing a few local possibilities, with the Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland as an especially good choice for those who want some training and hands on medical responsibility. You could also volunteer in the summer at your local hospital at home.
- The Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland, 12201 Euclid Ave, 721-4010
- Health Hill Hospital for Children, 2801 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., 721-5400
- University Hospitals (Emergency room, Rainbow, etc.), Lee Edwards, 844-1504, (Also for music therapy, Dr. Deforia Lane can be reached through Lee Edwards)
- The Cleveland Clinic (wide variety of possibilities), 445-6986
- Ronald McDonald House, 10415 Euclid, for parents of sick children, Mary Agnus Murphy, 229-5758
- Hospice of the Western Reserve, care for the terminally ill, Jane Brodnik, 383-2222
- Hope Lodge, for cancer patients, 11432 Mayfield, Donna Brunello, 449-4913
- Judson Park, 2181 Ambleside, and Judson Manor, 1890 E. 107th, nursing home, assisted living, independent living 721-1234
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What about research?
Research is a nice plus, if you are interested in research, but it is not a requirement for entering medical school. Becoming involved in research allows you to better understand the research process and evaluate research papers you will read as a doctor. Many of you will want to do research while you are in medical school or after you become an M.D., so this is a good time to get started. There are many opportunities for exploring research while you are an undergraduate. These fall into two main categories:
(1) You can do research for academic credit, generally during the regular academic year. You need to fill out some forms in the department in which you are getting the academic credit, and then register for research as a course (for example Biology 388 or 390; Biochemistry 391). The forms require a brief description of the project, a signature from your research sponsor, and a signature from someone in the department where you will get the credit. To find such a position, feel free to call or e-mail professors and ask them about their research and whether they have room for an undergraduate at this time. You might start with the list of researchers included in the SPUR section once it is posted on the Biology Department web page. Also talk to upperclassmen, your professors etc. to get ideas.
(2) You can participate in a summer research program for a stipend. The Biology Department SPUR program offers positions in a wide variety of departments on campus and at the medical school. The Medical Scholars Program in the Department of Anthropology has sent students to such exotic locales as Uganda and Western Samoa. Whittaker Scholars do research in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. If you can find a position in an appropriate laboratory, you can apply for summer research support from the Heart Association, the Cancer Society, or the Diabetes Association. Off campus, the Chester Summer Scholars Program offers premedical students the chance to do research and observe doctors at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland. There are countless other programs all over the country. The Biology Department collects applications for many of these, plus we advertise them in our Newsletter (on the web). You can also access a list of NSF summer programs via the web:
http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/reu/reubio.htm
You can also search for research positions funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute:
http://hhmint3.hhmi.org/cgi-bin/webic.exe?template=hhmi/dir1sub2.wi
If you would like to be home for the summer, just write your local universities and ask about their summer research opportunities. A note: Many programs do not take freshmen; some prefer not to take premedical students, while some are designed specifically for premedical students; some are open only to minority students - so read the descriptions and qualifications carefully. Almost all of these programs are very competitive.