Guide for Sophomore Pre-Meds Overview of steps on the path to readiness for medical school application MICHAELE Gives intro: HANDOUTS!! – THREE. Will try to cover everything you need to know to maximize your chance of success in the medical school application process. Will be talking for 1 hour, then have time for ½ hour of questions Many questions you might have will be persona/unique to your situation- for these, email us or make an appt. to meet with us Michaele Penkoske, MD, March 2, 2016

Your Pre-Health Advisors Visit our website for a list of advisors, hours and locations prehealth.wustl.edu/advising Specialty Advisors: Warren Davis - PreDental Advisor email: wjdavis@wustl.edu Matt Devoll - PreNursing Advisor email: mwdevoll@wustl.edu Wilmetta Toliver-Diallo - PreOptometry Advisor email: toliver-diallo@wustl.edu Kathy Kniepman - PreOT Advisor email: kniepmannk@wusm.wustl.edu Carolyn Herman - PrePharmacy Advisor email: kniepmannk@wusm.wustl.edu Joy Kiefer - PrePhysician Assistant Advisor email: jkiefer@wustl.edu Jennifer Romney - PreVet Advisor email: jlromney@wustl.edu You may see pre-health advisors other than your own; you must see your own for the PIR. MICHAELE, PAT, AND CAROL EACH INTRODUCE THEMSELVES. SHORT BACKGROUND BIOS

PRE-HEALTH SOPHOMORE….. NEXT STEPS I AM A SECOND SEMESTER, PRE-HEALTH SOPHOMORE….. NOW WHAT? PATTY’S SLIDE

THE BASICS: What courses should I take Coursework varies by professional Program. If taking the MCAt: 1 Year of Intro biology and lab 1 year of general chemistry with lab 1 year of organic chemistry with lab 1 year of physics with lab Physiology, BIOCHEM, SOCIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY requirements can vary from school to school; check each school for their specific requirements PATTY

The New MCAT Take a prep course or review on your own It’s good for 3 years Don’t apply without knowing your result Can be taken more than once, but once is ideal Schools will most likely compare percentiles (old MCAT vs. new MCAT). Acceptance statistics on new exam not published by AAMC yet. Old MCAT – 30 was “solid”, with a maximum of 39. 30-31 now is 509-510. Max score on new MCAT = 528 (4 sections worth 132 points each) PATTY

Majors It does not matter what you major in Double majors or adding a minor will not enhance your candidacy If you want to do research, it can be in the biological sciences or your area of interest/major PATTY

The Right Stuff YOU WILL NOT BE ADMITTED WITHOUT: Clinical/Patient Care Experience Get in the habit of journaling during options such as MEDPREP, PEMRAP Volunteering (with a potential patient population) Working in a clinical setting like a nursing home, ER or private practice. Demonstrated commitment to serving others Community Service Office Your Activities Section of the AMCAS application includes time spent in each activity. Include hours in your journaling! PATTY

Listserv Make sure you are on the PreHealth listserv for the year you plan to enter Health Professional School Emails come from eheidger@wustl.edu make sure they are not going into your spam filter Read the Emails! Be on alert for programming PATTY

Do I Have To Do Research? Do it if: You did it before and you liked it You have never done it and want to try it You want to apply for MD/PhD (MSTP) PI’s typically write great LOR’s You can gain admission to most medical schools without having done research Research does not have to be done in “hard science”; you can do research in any area For ideas on getting started, http://undergradresearch.wustl.edu/ MICHAELE

“PreHealth Application Institutional Review” PIR “PreHealth Application Institutional Review” Specific appointment with your assigned advisor Must completed by April 1 of application year A “readiness” assessment; rehearse and refine your narrative PIR account is a LOR repository The PIR process will culminate into a letter of support If you are doing gap time, the PIR can be done remotely by phone or Skype If you are an A&S, Olin or Sam Fox student, you will use the PreHealth application Institutional Review (PIR) system to store and send your letters of recommendation to the schools to which you apply.  ENGINEERING SCHOOL – HAVE THEIR OWN ADVISORS and PROCESS FOR COVER LETTER OF SUPPORT. The details you provide in the PIR system will play a crucial role in preparing you for your PIR interview with a pre-health adviser; additionally, asking and answering these questions now will serve as preparation both for filling out secondary applications and for interviewing. It also helps us to write a cover letter on your behalf that you will submit along with your letters of recommendation in a letter packet to health professional schools. If you opt out of our process we will not be able to offer our institutional support in the form of our cover letter.

Letters of Recommendation You will need 3-5 letters 2 letters from science professors 1 letter from humanities professor Get to know professors starting now Letters will become part of your “letter packet” Letters will be stored in your PIR account MICHAELE It is not too early to think about these Develop a relationship with professors Ways to increase the chances of success in getting substantial LORs

Break Into Medical School; Junior Jumpstart Attend next year or senior year if taking gap year Break Into Medical School Aimed at MD/DO application What beyond numbers is most important in your application Workshop on creating your narrative How to solicit compelling letters of recommendation Junior Jumpstart: Broad programming! MD/DO specific sessions are Medical school deans’ admissions panel How to choose your medical schools Prepare for med school interviews CAROL MOAKLEY

What To Do This Summer If not taking a gap year, this will be last summer before application; use it wisely: Get more clinical experience Volunteer Research Classes if absolutely necessary Address thin spots in portfolio Start your PIR Some combination of the above CAROL MOAKLEY

GAP YEAR(S) Over ½ of all applicants take 1 or more gap years Average age at matriculation: 24-25 It is neutral or positive in the admissions process Allows you to have 4 years of experience on your application Some take gap time to “fix” an issue Some take gap time to do something different before graduate school, if all aspects of their application are strong CAROL MOAKLEY

CHANGE OF PLANS Many roads lead to helping people It’s OK if you change lanes We’re here CAROL MOAKLEY

What Are my Next Steps? Plan a relevant, meaningful, productive summer Refer to prehealth website, handbook Reach out to PreHealth advisors as needed Create your PIR account Go to Career Center if “documents” –resume, cover letters need refining CAROL MOAKLEY