Isaac Quintanilla (Columbia Class of ‘11)Katie Canul (U of Nebraska Med Center ‘10)

Cris Carrillo (USC Bench to Bedside Class of ‘11)

What is SMDEP?

• A six week paid internship/immersion program in Medicine or Dentistry– Free tuition, housing, and meals!

• Available at 13 top tier medical schools around the country– Some host sites include: University of Nebraska Medical

Center, Columbia University Medical Center, Yale, Duke, UCLA, etc, etc

• Academic Enrichment in pre-req courses• Clinical Exposure

Who qualifies?

• Freshman or Sophomores with decent grades (3.0+)– Preferred “Underrepresented Minority Status” • This is a pretty loose definition.

How do I benefit?

• MONEY!• Prep for pre-req courses• Networking with deans and admissions

committees • Connections, connections, connections– Friends for life– Meet new people– Explore new places

How do I get in?

• Apply at SMDEP.org• Apply early (App opens November 1st; apply

ASAP) • Finish the fall semester strong• Get 2 letters of req (pre-health advisor + 1

additional instructor)

Application Process

• Fill out application– Two personal essays– Two letters of req– Transcripts (Order them rush and order them

EARLY)• Pick three schools– Hedge your bets… applying to Columbia, Duke,

and Yale as a freshman is not a good idea– Base on start and end dates/travel funding/etc

Tips for the Personal Statement

• Goal of the program is to get more people into primary care

• Write about what you care about or an issue that bothers you

• Why do you want to be a doctor, and how can this program help you achieve that goal?

• Write about some health disparities around you

What will I do when I’m there?

• Different schools have different structures– Examples: 2 shadowing experiences throughout

the summer, academics 8-5 Monday-Thursday, clinical experience on Fridays, and more.

– Example: Seminars and Classes throughout the summer, clinical experiences/dental lab on Fridays, and more.

Katie’s Experience at Nebraska

UNMC experience• White Coat Ceremony• Prep for Chem/Physics

(COOL DEMOS)/Statistics/Writing (PS Workshops)

• 2 clinical shadowing experiences

• CPR Certification• Trips!• Financing your education

workshop

• Clinical Skills Lab• Interview with Vice

Chancellor for Academic Affairs

• Student Advisory Board Leadership Opportunity

• $1000 Enough Said

Isaac in Columbia

CUMC Experience

• Clinical Experiences• White Coat Ceremony• Networking• Financial Aid Workshop• Prep Courses– Orgo (Ochem)– Physics– Biology– BioStatistics

• Seminars– Pediatrics– Internal Medicine– Neurology– Urology– Dentistry– Applying to Medical

School• 6-Weeks in NYC

Cris @ USC

Concluding Thoughts• Apply EARLY and Broadly (Application opens November 1st)

– Earlier you finish your application, earlier you find out about admission

– Order your transcripts early and get a rush, they take about a month. • http://www.studentclearinghouse.org/secure_area/Transcript/

to_bridge.asp

• Get to know your professors/pre-med advisors NOW, during the Spring Reg process– Letter of rec + eval

• Get ready for a great summer

Next week…

• Summer Research internships