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Pre-Med/Pre-Health Advising Office

Applying to a Health Professional School: Are You Ready to Apply?

11/29/17

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Did you miss the meeting in November?

If you missed the November meeting,

email Faith (fnussbaum@cns.umass.edu)

for the recording of the meeting, which includes more in-depth slides.

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The Competitive Health Professional School Candidate

Fill all three buckets and keep them full• Keep doing clinical work• Keep doing service

Share your successes• Prepare a thoughtful

application• Gather strong

recommendations• Prepare for a great interview

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The Perfect Health Professions School Candidate

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What Role do Pre-Health Advisors Play?

Your Advisor = Your Coach• Supportive but honest and objective• Focused on being strategic to maximize your chances of

acceptance• Informed with years of data and access to all applications

Your Family = Your Cheerleader• Will look past any areas of weakness• Will champion your areas of strength• Will (almost) always tell you to go

for it

UMass Candidates Admitted to the Following MD Programs:Albany Medical CollegeAlbert Einstein College of MedicineBoston University School of MedicineCase Western Reserve U. School of MedicineColumbia University College of P&SCooper Medical School of Rowan UniversityCreighton University of MedicineDartmouth Medical SchoolDrexel University College of MedicineDuke University School of MedicineEastern Virginia Medical SchoolEmory University School of MedicineFlorida International University COMGeorge Washington U. Sch of Med & Hlth SciGeorgetown University School of MedicineHarvard Medical SchoolHofstra University School of MedicineJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineLoma Linda University School of MedicineLoyola U. Chicago Stritch School of MedicineMayo Medical SchoolMedical University of South CarolinaMeharry Medical CollegeMount Sinai School of MedicineNew York Medical CollegeNew York UniversityNortheastern Ohio U. College of MedicineNorthwestern U. Feinberg School of Medicine

Oregon Health and Science UniversityPennsylvania State University College of MedicineRosalind Franklin U. of Medicine and SciencesSaint Louis University School of MedicineSan Jan Bautista School of MedicineSidney Kimmel Med. College -Thomas Jefferson U.Stony Brook University - School of MedicineSUNY at Buffalo School of MedicineSUNY Upstate Medical UniversityTemple University School of MedicineTexas - SouthwesternTexas A&M U. System HSC Col. Of MedicineTexas AM UniversityThe Frank H. Netter MD Sch. of Med. at Quinnipiac U.The University of Miami School of MedicineThe University of Vermont College of MedicineTufts University School of MedicineTulane University School of MedicineUMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolUniformed Services University of the Health SciencesUniversidad Central Del CaribeUniversity of California San DiegoUniversity of California San FranciscoUniversity of Chicago - PritzkerUniversity of Cincinnati College of MedicineUniversity of Connecticut School of MedicineUniversity of Hawaii John A Burns School of MedicineUniversity of Illinois at Chicago-College of Medicine

University of Massachusetts Medical SchoolUniversity of Michigan Medical SchoolUniversity of Oakland School of MedicineUniversity of Pittsburgh School of MedicineUniversity of Rochester School of Med. & DentistryUniversity of TN Health Science Cntr Coll of MedUniversity of Washington School of MedicineUSF Health Morsani College of MedicineUT SouthwesternWake Forest University School of MedicineWarren Alpert Medical School of Brown UniversityWashington University of MedicineWayne State University School of MedicineWeill Medical College of CornellWest Virginia University School of MedicineWright State U. Boonshoft School of Medicine

2015 – 2017Application Cycles

UMass Candidates Admitted to the following DO Programs:A.T. Still University - Kirksville College of Osteopathic MedicineAlabama College fo Osteopathic MedicineArizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern UniversityCampbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic MedicineChicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern UniversityDes Moines University College of Osteopathic MedicineEdward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine - AuburnKansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic MedicineLake Erie College of Osteopathic MedicineLake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Bradenton CampusLincoln Memorial University–DeBusk College of Osteopathic MedicineNew York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM)Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic MedicinePhiladelphia College of Osteopathic MedicineRocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine – Colorado(RVUCOM-CO)Rowan University School of Osteopathic MedicineTouro College of Osteopathic Medicine–New YorkUniversity of New England College of Osteopathic MedicineUniversity of Pikeville–Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine

‘15 – ’16 & ‘16 – ’17Application Cycles

UMass Candidates Admitted to the Following Dental Programs:Boston University Henry M Goldman School of Dental Medicine (BU)Indiana University School of Dentistry (IND)Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine School of Dental Medicine (LECOM-FL)Loma Linda University School of Dentistry (LLU)Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Arizona (MWU)New York UniversityNova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine (NSU)Touro College of Dental Medicine at New York Medical College (TCDM)Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUF)University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine (BUF)University of California Los Angeles School of Dentistry (UCLA)University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine (CONN)University of Louisville School of DentistryUniversity of MarylandUniversity of Michigan School of Dentistry (MICH)University of NebraskaUniversity of Nevada LVUniversity of New England College of Dental Medicine (UNE)University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine (PITT)Virgina Commonwealth UniversityWestern University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine (WESTU)

‘15 – ’16 & ‘16 – ’17Application Cycles

UMass Students Admitted to the following PA Programs

Stats for 2017 available in February

Barry UniversityBay Path UniversityBryant UniversityCUNY School of MedicineDuke University Medical CenterEastern Virginia Medical SchoolElon UniversityEmory UniversityFranklin Pierce UniversityJohnson & Wales UniversityLong Island UniversityMCPHS University (Boston)MCPHS University (Manchester)MCPHS University (Worcester)MGH Institute of Health ProfessionsMidwestern University (Downers Grove)New York Institute of TechnologyNortheastern University

Nova Southeastern University - Fort LauderdaleNova Southeastern University - JacksonvillePace UniversityPhiladelphia and Atlantic CitySacred Heart University SUNY Upstate Medical CenterThomas Jefferson UniversityTufts UniversityUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamUniversity of BridgeportUniversity of WashingtonWeill-Cornell MSHS PA Program

2015 – 2016Application Cycle

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Be Clear about Your Goals: Timeline v. Acceptance

What is your primary goal?

Be careful not to prioritize your method over your goal.• Keep your timeline flexible• Apply when you are competitive• Set yourself up for success

What’s the harm in trying?• Wasting time (your most precious resource)• Wasting money (likely another precious resource)• Need to demonstrate marked improvement over previous

application if you reapply

What is your method?

Admission

Timeline

2016 – 2017 Application Cycle

Make sure your academic portfolio is competitive.

For context, UMass Amherst candidates had the following success rates:

73% admitted to MD programs if they had at least3.7 science GPA & 508 on MCAT

75% admitted to DO programs if they had at least3.3 science GPA & 502 on MCAT

83% admitted to dental programs if they had at least3.35 science GPA & 9 on DAT

Those pursuing med school without gap time typically had among the strongest academic records.

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Red Dots in the Competitive Region of the Graph

Most Common Reasons why students with high MCAT scores and high GPAs don’t get an acceptance:

• Too little volunteer or clinical experience (No gap time)• Interview did not go well• School selection • Too many elite schools and/or state schools w/low OOS acceptance• Not enough schools (20 was the average for those admitted)• Applying too late in the cycle (late to submit secondaries or take MCAT)• Mostly shadowing for clinical experience• MCAT was too low in one section (often Bio or CARS)

Applying before you are ready can hurt your chances in a future application.

Dental School: LessonsTips

• Most admissions are rolling; apply when applications open• Apply to 8-10 schools, mostly on target or safety• Before applying, have strong and continuous -

• Community service• Manual dexterity• Shadowing

• Apply with a strong DAT score (only three attempts!) and strong science GPA• Look closely at the pre-requisites for each dental school because they can vary

• Required courses may vary• Required letters of recommendation may vary

Physician Assistant School: GPA & GRE

Median GRE for Admitted CandidatesSection Scores %Quantitative

154 55Verbal 154 65Writing 4 60Not all schools require the GRE.Less than half of applicants took or reported their GRE score to UMass.

Science GPA for Admitted CandidatesMedian 3.59Average 3.58

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

2.0 - 2.99

3.0 - 3.19

3.2 - 3.39

3.4 - 3.59

3.6 - 3.79

3.8 - 4.0

UMass: Percent Admits by Science GPA

Physician Assistant School: LessonsTips

• Most admissions are rolling; apply when applications open

• Apply to 8-10 schools, mostly on target or safety• If you need to bolster your GPA:

• Take courses at a 4-year college• Take at least 20 credits and excel in them

• If you need to complete pre-requisite classes:• Take courses at a 4-year college

• Only report your GRE if it matches the schools stats; should be at least 60th percentile

• Do not report your GRE to CASPA unless you want to share it with all schools. Send individual score reports to the appropriate schools.

• Minimum hours of clinical experience only means that the school won’t throw out your application. Look at the average.

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Academics: Suggested Conclusions

Strong academics needed

There can be variances in who gets admitted. Common reasons:• Applicant is underrepresented in medicine/dentistry• Applicant took gap year(s) to grow stronger in other areas of the

application, i.e. more service, more clinical experience, more research• Applicant has extraordinary experiences or skills• Applicant overcame extreme hardship

Details about GPAs• Schools check both science GPA and overall GPA• A GPA that is going up or steady is preferred to one that is falling

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Assessing your Non-Academic Experience

Use these AAMC materials to help you assess your readiness…

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Use the Core Competencies…

Successful applicants to graduate programs in ALL health professions are able to demonstrate skills, knowledge, and capability in these 15 defined competencies.

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Documenting Your Competencies

Find this self-assessment tool here:

https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/preparing-med-school/anatomy-applicant/

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https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/preparing-med-school/anatomy-applicant/demonstrate-the-core-competencies/

Profiles of Applicants…

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Creating a Timeline for Application

Do you have all of the following?• Strong academics• Strong MCAT/DAT/GRE• Continuous commitment to clinical experience

• PA school – many HOURS needed• History of continued service to UMass and to the

community• Strong breadth of references• Able to communicate why you want to be in healthcare

Family: We love you. We often give feelings-based advice and may not have access to up-to-date information.

Advisors: We will give you facts. We will support you in getting you where you need to be to be competitive.

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Major Dates to Apply This Cycle

Sugg’d Deadline FormalDeadlineMid-Oct. Varies RegisterfortheMCATorDATifnotyetcomplete.--- LateNov./earlyDec. Attendmandatorymeetingsforapplicants.--- Dec.11,5p.m. Attendpersonalstatementwritingworkshop.(904CampusCenter)--- Apr.20 Completetheself-assessment formtheUMassPre-Healthwebsite.EarlyMay July1 Begintocompletetheonlineapplication.--- May20 HavealllettersofrecommendationonfilewithveCollect.June1 July1 SendtranscriptsfromeachcollegeattendedtoAMCAS/AACOMAS/AADSAS.1st weekofJune Aug.1 SubmitonlineapplicationthroughAMCAS/AACOMAS/AADSAS.Oneyearprior June30 TakeMCATifnotalreadycomplete.--- July17 TakeDATifnotalreadycomplete.June30 Sept.1 Completesecondaryapplications.--- Aug 1 Havecompleted:self-assessment,alllettersofrecommendation,

applicationsubmitted,MCATorDATscoreposted,andtranscripts

Full applicant checklist on website under Application Timeline tab.https://www.cns.umass.edu/advising/pre-med-pre-health/application-timeline

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Maintain Relationships throughout Application Process & Beyond

Pre-Med/Pre-Health Advising• Work with current students and alumni• In-person and remote (Skype/phone) advising available

Letter Writers for Recommendations – Ask early (February)• Stop by office hours• Go for coffee• Send email updates• Send casual emails, i.e., pass along a news article that

may be of interest

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Is a GAP YEAR a Good Idea For You?• It will make you a more COMPETITIVE candidate, you will get

another (usually stronger) LOR, you can explore y0ur career interests.

• There are an INFINITE number of AMAZING things to do during a gap year (or two).

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Don’t Miss These Meetings; Dates Announced in Newsletter…

Committee Letters

Self-Assessment

VE Collect

School Selection

Verification Process

Secondary Applications

Application Services Info Sources

Expenses

Committee Letter Request form/email

3) Accepted Student Panel! Wednesday May 2 (Time/Location TBA)Students accepted to Dental, Medical, and PA programs in the previous application cycle will talk about their experience with the application and interview process.

1) Personal Essay Workshop early spring semester

2) Part 2 of Mandatory Applicant Meeting mid-February

Questions?