Lafayette College Health Professions Advising Program

Professor Nancy WatersFaculty Health Professions Advisor

Dr. Julia GoldbergAssociate Dean Health Professions Advisor

11 September 2013

HPAC? What?

Health Professions Advisory CommitteeWhere?

105 Scott HallWho?

Prof Waters, Dr Goldberg, + 5 facultyWhy?

HPAC reviews candidates prior to students applying for admission. HPAC writes a Composite Letter of Evaluation (CLoE) for you. Schools value it, and will wonder why you DON’T apply through HPAC!

Our Purpose:To remind you what is ahead for you to achieve your career goal in the medical & allied health professions of:

Medicinae Doctor (Allopathic MD)Osteopathic Medicine (DO)Dental Medicine & Surgery (DMD &DDS)Podiatric Medicine (DPM)Veterinary Medicines (DVM & VMD)Optometry (OD)Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)

In addition…

We interface with Career Services (201 Hogg Hall) to assist you in exploring ALLIED HEALTH science careers including:

Nursing (RN, BSN, MSN)Nurse Practitioner (NP)Physician Assistant (PA)Physical/Occupational Therapy (PT, OT)Public Health practitioners (MPH)

….among others.

…shout out for upcoming eventsCareer Fair!! Pathway to Success

Thursday September 19th 2013!Sophomore Panel meeting, Hugel 103,

Tuesday October 1st, 2013Sign up for NIH trip, Washington DC,

on October 15th 2013!January Externship program! Info to

be out over Fall Break; apply by Halloween! 100s of opportunities!…stay in the loop with CS events and in touch with your Gateway Advisor!

…as well as…Work/Life Balance in Medicine

Alumni Dinner PanelThursday October 3rd, 2013 6-8:30 pm• Network and dine with our LC alumni from

the last 4 decades in an array of specialties! Including pediatrics, veterinarian, palliative care, dentistry, internal medicine, geriatrics and opthalmology!

• Moderated panel opens the evening, then dinner, dessert and one-on-one discussion!

• Advanced sign-up required –see the HP website for details!

Sorry!! Closed!!

…and while we are at it…What can I do with a Biology Degree?

Alumni Dinner PanelEarly November 2013 6-8:30 pm

• Another opportunity to network and dine with LC alumni and see the myriad things you can do with a degree in biology, neuroscience and/or biochemistry!

• Same style of moderated panel, dinner and one-on-one discussion!

• Stay tuned for specifics! Advanced sign-up will be required!

…and some peer option possibilities?…

The Health Professions Club, a student organization, is looking for revival! Why not get involved to reinvigorate it????

We are looking for Senior Peer Mentors to be available for advice; consider nominating a helpful senior…or plan to serve as one later on in your career!  

Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) 105 Scott Hall

Focus: to guide students as they sort out career plans, explore internship and externship opportunities, and prepare for careers and graduate school in allied health fields

Career Services, 201 Hogg Hall

Focus: to serve and guide students interested in applying to medical, dental, optometry and veterinary schools because these specialties ENCOURAGE colleges to submit a Composite Letter of Evaluation (CLoE) for their students

So what is the landscape now????

Undergraduate Preparation for Admission to Graduate Schools in Health Professions

Each HP school sets their own criteria and standards…but all weight several key areas:

Academic/Science grades (45-55%)* Admissions tests (20-25%)*Health-related experiences Research experiences Community service and volunteer work Recommendation Letters (especially

CLoE)HP school interview

* Percentages as reported by NAAHP.

How important are good grades I? Applicant

Matriculation Year

Acceptance ratio for GPA 3.60 +

Acceptance ratio for GPA3.59-3.20

Acceptance ratio for GPA < 3.20

Overall acceptance ratioALL GPAs

Lafayette 2008-2013aggregate data (MD + DO)

91% (53/58)

60% (49/81)

32% (11/34)

66%

(107/162)

National 2008-13 aggregate data MD only *

64% 34% 18% 45%

During the same period, 71% of LC student applicants to dental school were accepted, and 100% of our applicants to veterinary school gained admission!

* Source: aamc.org, aacomas.org

How important are good grades II?For students entering in Fall 2012

Overall Admission Rate

Applicant meanGPA

Admitted meanGPA

Applicant meanMCAT

Accepted mean MCAT

MD43.1%

3.54 3.68 28.3 31.2

DO35.6%

3.42 3.49 25.7 26.9

** Source: aamc.org and aacomas.org

How important are good grades III?

So what’s new about MCAT2015?• Revision 1991: 4 sections: verbal reasoning, writing

sample, physical and biological sciences• 2015 REVISIONS:• Writing sample deleted and replaced with Critical

Analysis and Reasoning sections• Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of

Behavior subsection added• Different question/time distribution: 60-65 question

items allowing 95 minutes for each of 4 sections• Implications? You need to include introductory level

sociology, psychology and statistical experience among your preparation courses! Check out:

• http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/mcat2015

Preparation – Academic coursework Graduate with a major/minor that suits you! Follow a plan

you love! HP schools expect strong natural science foundation but the rest is up to you! As Sophomores:

Completed or completing most from among: 2 Introductory Biology with laboratory

2 General Chemistry with laboratory2 Organic Chemistry with laboratory

2 Physics with laboratory2+ Mathematics to include calculus and statistics

at least 2 thus far of Writing-Intensive Coursework (e.g. English 110, FYS, VAST, plus two additional “W” courses).

On the horizon are the rest of above plus:Biochemistry (e.g. 351…students taking MCAT2015 will need

a semester of Biochemistry!)

Other relevant courses include: Biol 251 Human Physiology (HPAC recommended)Chem 351 Biochem Survey (required by some schools)Phys 220 Medical and Biological PhysicsPsych 240 Health PsychologyRel 223 Religion and MedicineA&S 222 Medical AnthropologyBiol 213 Comparative Vertebrate AnatomyBiol 340 Molecular Medicine

…plan early since most of these have prerequisites and those are crucial to performance on MCAT2015

!

Do not delay in making good selections! Your Degrees of Freedom are waning from among your course choices!

Some HP schools have added specific requirements (e.g. nutrition or microbiology or immunology). Check out YOUR preferred schools! If a course is not offered at Lafayette, plan ahead to enroll at another institution during summer or at an LVAIC school during the academic year.

But what about……?Advanced Placement. Use sparingly; aim higher with rigorous replacement coursesSummer School. Avoid for core; demonstrate laboratory skills while balancing a normal load Pass/Fail. Avoid; demonstrate evidence of your success in the breadth of your course experiencesStudy Abroad. mostly viewed favorably, so consider doing it…but plan ahead! (and pay attention to HC issues!)

Research. Independent Research, Honors Thesis and Excel-type experiences are fast becoming essential among your portfolioElectives. Choose wisely based on YOUR interest and passion; do not select courses by ‘what looks good’….that is a poor criterion for judgment!

Be true to who you are to be broadly well-educated

Preparation – Co-curricular ExperiencesInternships/Externships Shadow an MD! Volunteer at a shelter! Show your commitment! One more time—see Career Services early to help arrange internships/externships.

Extracurricular Activities Demonstrate your ability to manage time commitments, work in a hierarchy, master communication, leadership, and collaborative skills…but show a long term sincere dedication! These should ENHANCE your academic record (gpa/mcat) not IMPEDE it!

Read widely on the subject of healthcare. Keep up-to-date with current health news. Check out recommendations on the HPAC web site.

…be PASSIONATE! It is your LIFE!

Academic Integrity and Conduct

HAVE INTEGRITY!!!

Practice Principles of Intellectual Honesty

Make judicious choices in your behavior!

Exhibit high personal standards of ethics—cheating, plagiarism, alcohol/drug violations, vandalism, etc. all compromise your character AND your HP application.

Applications REQUIRE the Dean of the College to report disciplinary warning, action and/or conduct violations to HP schools! So think & ACT carefully!

Application Timeline for ‘16To matriculate Fall 2016

-core coursework completed successfully-multiple competitive experiences in HP settings-recruit 3-5 recommenders in fall 2014 to write for you-submit completed Personal Information Form 1 March 2015-arrange for all waivers/letters/disclosures by 1 March 2015-interview on-campus with HPAC in April/May 2015-sit for MCAT by 1 May 2015 to have scores by 1 June 2015-open application services begin ~1 June 2015-2ndary requests extended beginning July 2015 (2-7 days)-interviews extended beginning August 2015-offers extended within 3 weeks or as long as 6 months later

…so maybe you can see why the mean age of matriculating medical students has increased to 23-24!

…enter the GAP year (NOT a ‘year off’ by any measure)

What to do??? post-bac programs, innovative and compelling ways to broaden your experiences and increase your competitiveness among applicants!

>delay your entry to HP school by 1+ years

>may enhance probability of admission to HP school

With a gap year, you enter on-campus HPAC application cycles during your senior year,

not your junior year, and complete secondaries and interviews in the year following Lafayette

College graduation!

But you STILL MUST meet on campus deadlines for submitting your materials so HPAC can work with you!

All of us at Lafayette look forward to your success! We want to help further your career plans! Stay abreast of what is happening by visiting our web site:

http://healthprofessions.lafayette.edu

Register for and Attend HPAC events; remember—we write that letter for you ! Do not be a stranger! BE PROACTIVE & TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR CAREER!!!