HOLY CROSSHEALTH PROFESSIONS ADVISING

PROF. MILES CAHILL , ADVISORPROF. JUMI HAYAKI , ASSOCIATE ADVISOR

Information for health professional school applicants

September 28, 2015

What we will do today

Talk about committee review processTalk about credentialsTalk about graduate school application

processTalk about new MCAT and review classTalk about changes to post-bacc and allied

health review process

Application timeline

September 2015• September 28, Stein 120, 5pm: meeting to talk about application • Talk about HC committee review process, med, dental and vet school application process• Introduce the personal statement and other materials • Talk about resourcesOctober 2015• October 8: Advisor request and waiver forms due in office (Stein 129A)• After fall break: advisors assigned• Meet with your advisor ASAP• October 31: Personal statement workshop, 9am-11amNovember-December 2015• Start working on personal statement, materials, meet with advisor• Request recommendation letters• MCAT information meeting • Meet with Prof. Cahill to talk about financial aid, if neededJanuary 2016• Finish up personal statement • Completed first draft should be done by start of spring semester• MCAT preparation course startsFebruary 2016• February 11: Committee application materials due • Meeting to discuss MCAT goals, etc.• Completed first draft should be done by start of spring semester

February – May 2016• Committee reviews files on a rolling basis• Applicants receive committee ratings, feedbackMay 2016• May 1: application services open to start entering application• May 1: deadline to submit materials for reapplication for 2014-15 applicants• Final meeting to discuss application process• Final ratings determined after spring gradesJune 2016• May 1: application services accept applications• Submit applications as soon as possibleJuly 2016• July 31: last day to have AMCAS application processed for committee letter • Special permission from Prof. Cahill needed to submit application after this date• Complete secondary applicationsAugust 2016 – March 2017• Committee letters sent out early in August• Interviews start late in August, continue through spring• Medical school decisions start late August, continue for yearApril 2017 – August 2017• April 30: “traffic rules day” – may not hold on to multiple submissions after this day• May 1: Deadline to request reapplication review by committee (2016-17 applicants)• Heavy wait list activity starts in May• Offers may continue until matriculationAugust - September 2017: start school!

Steps to take

Open a file with a waiver form – deadline Oct. 8 Request committee advisor

Meet your advisorAttend personal statement workshop – October 31Start committee personal statementStart researching school requirements (MSAR)Start asking for reference letters before winter break

3 to review file, 5+ to write a good letter Major professor, a non-major science lab professor, a third

professor/supervisor

Talk to your advisor before winter breakGet complete draft of statement done before you returnDue date: February 11

Committee process: MD/DO, DMD/DDS, DVM

Materials due Feb. 11 Follow instructions carefully

Cover sheet, list of courses, notation, annotated activities list, personal statement, transcripts

Committee meets to discuss files and rate applicants on rolling basis You will get a letter with a preliminary rating shortly after Meet with your advisor to get more detailed feedback

Committee reviews all files again after spring gradesStudy for and take the MCAT/DAT/GRE

Goal: have application complete as close to June 1 as possibleIdeally apply June 1 with exam scores in hand

Final AMCAS application deadline announced later – likely mid/end of July

Who is eligible for a review?

Considering applying to med/dental/vet school in this cycle (June 2016) You do not have to decide until close to application

time!Will finish requirements by end of spring

semester Or will finish post-baccalaureate plan in spring

In a post-baccalaureate program now Alumni, juniors, seniorsApplicants may be reviewed multiple times

When is a review not necessary?

You are applying to allied health: PA/NP/PT/etc.You are definitely not planning on applying this

year Planning on a gap year (or more), post-bacc program,

research, more classes, etc. We are happy to give you feedback and advice in person You may request a committee advisor to get feedback,

start a relationship, start collecting letters You will be a different person in a year (or more)!

You will not complete your requirements (or post-bacc) by the end of spring semester We can’t rate you without grades

Credentials

GPA: overall and in science courses We look at trajectory, individual course grades, additional courses, etc.

Personal statement Approx. 7 page reflective essay

Introduce yourself to the committee: who are you? How did you get here? Reflect on experiences that lead you to pursue a career of caring for

others

Reference letters Academic ability and work ethic, engagement Character, working with others, compassion, maturity Clinical, research, volunteer, professional experiences

Volunteer experience Longer/deeper engagement valued – show leadership Show compassion for others May substitute for (some) clinical experience

Credentials

Clinical experience Work/volunteer/internship in hospital/nursing home/office/etc.

setting Shadowing

Research experience Not essential, but helpful

Professional experience Not essential, but helpful

Other experiences Athletics, clubs, etc.

We don’t use MCAT/DAT/GRE for rating, but will for advisory purposes You don’t need test score in hand for committee review! Test scores very important for med/dental/vet schools

What are we (and medical schools) looking for?

Can the applicant handle the rigorous academics of medical school and medical license exams?

Has the applicant demonstrated maturity? Working well with others? Leadership? Engagement?

Has the applicant demonstrated a commitment to helping others in need?

Does the applicant have experience working with people from different socio/economic backgrounds, in stressful situations?

Is the applicant familiar with the job health care providers do? The training involved?

Committee ratings

Very highly recommend Outstanding in every category. No flaws.

Highly recommend Strong in every category, but not top in all categories May have a flaw that is offset by other excellent credentials

Recommend We think you are capable of medical/dental/etc. school, but in

reality you will be unlikely to gain entryWait to apply

You are not yet a competitive applicant We will give you advice on how you can become more competitive

We are trying to show you how medical schools will view your application, not act as gatekeepers!

Cost of medical school

Cost of applying to medical school: $3,000-4,000 Application fees, exams, travel to interviews, etc.

Typical private medical school Tufts: $89,000/year (tuition, feels, living, etc.) Avg. med school student graduates with $195,290 in

debtTypical public medical school

UMass: $55,000/year (tuition, feels, living, etc.) Avg. student graduates with $108,811 in debt

National applications

Medical school is becoming more highly competitive 50,500 applications to MD for fall 2015 start

21,000 started medical school in fall 2015; 40% of applicants Typical MD medical school

Tufts: 11,000 applicants, 900 interviews for class of 204 UMass: 1,031 in-state, 157 out, 596 interviews for class of 125

Nationally, students apply to 18-22 schools, 40% get in to MD Holy Cross: admission rate approx double, after advising

20,447 applications to DO (2015) <7,000 first year students

Typical DO school CCOM-MWU: 5,712 applications for a class of 208 UNE-COM: 3,635 applications for a class of 127

Consider DO

90% of training the samePass equivalent license examTrain in same residencies – same accreditation!

MUCH better chance at residency than overseasA little easier to get into quantitatively

Less concerned with quantitative scores Old MCAT: avg: 27 for DO vs. 31 for MD GPA (overall/science) slightly lower (3.5/3.4 for DO vs 3.7/3.6 for

MD)Need a letter from a DOResources

See www.AACOM.org The DOs by Norman Gervitz June 2009 issue of Academic Medicine

Other professional programs

Dental school Same committee process, timeline as MD GPA a little lower than MD

Competitive above 3.0 GPA (overall & science) DAT important: want > 17 on each section

DVM school Same committee process Deadline Oct. 2. – but check! Usually take GRE Experience with large and small animals essential Requirements vary between schools

Changes to PA, NP, PT, OD, etc. and post-baccs

Important differencesHave June, Aug., and Jan. start datesDeadlines vary – year round, including before

committee meets!Requirements vary widely between schoolsSchools do not accept committee letters,

committee ratings

We will help you gather your credentials, choose reference letters, choose schools, write personal statement, etc. Come see us!

General advice

Work with your advisor early Waiting until last minute is asking for trouble

Be professional Be formal in all correspondence – e-mails, phone calls, etc. Use correct grammar, spelling in all communication Always use titles, never first names Be polite and friendly to everyone Use a professional-sounding e-mail address

Be engaged in what you do Classes, activities, etc.

Watch your public profile and behave well Med schools may Google you, look at your Facebook page, etc. Don’t let a foolish mistake jeopardize your chances