Health Professions Informational Meeting Fall Semester How to spend your years at Trinity preparing for a career in the Health Professions

Passion Authenticity Commitment What Does It Takes to be a Successful Applicant to a Health Professions Graduate School? Passion Commitment Authenticity

What It Takes to be a Successful Applicant to a Health Professions Graduate School* “The successful HMS/HSDM matriculant will have had a strong academic record and experiences beyond the classroom reflecting humanitarian concerns, leadership ability, and an aptitude for working with people.” Office of Recruitment and Multicultural Affairs, Harvard Medical School, Nov. 2016

Intrapersonal Competencies Interpersonal Competencies What It Takes to be a Successful Applicant to a Health Professions Graduate School* Science Competencies Intrapersonal Competencies Interpersonal Competencies Thinking and Reasoning Competencies *- 15 Core Competencies, AAMC Admissions Initiative – www.aamc.org – July 2015

Science Competencies Living Systems Human Behavior Apply knowledge and skill in the natural sciences to solve problems related to molecular and macrosystems including biomolecules, molecules, cells, and organs Apply knowledge of the self, others, and social systems to solve problems related to the psychological, socio-cultural, and biological factors that influence health and well-being.

Intrapersonal Competencies Ethical Responsibility to Self and Others Reliability and Dependability Resilience and Adaptability Capacity for Improvement

Interpersonal Competencies Service Orientation Social Skills Cultural Competence Teamwork Oral Communication

Thinking and Reasoning Competencies Critical Thinking Quantitative Reasoning Scientific Inquiry Written Communication

What It Takes to Be a Successful Health Professions School Applicant * Well-rounded College Education Classes Related to the Study of Human Beings Good Academic Performance (High GPA) Exceptional Development of Indicated Competencies Evidence of Leadership, Initiative, Lifelong Learning, etc… Strong Letters of Evaluation Relevant Healthcare Experiences Laboratory or Clinical Research Experience Commitment to Community Service Maturity and Self-reflection Preparation and Timely Completion of Entrance Exams Timely Applications to Health Professions Schools *- adapted from American Medical Association (2005) and Self-assessment Guide, Brown Univ. (2011)

Curriculum One of the over-riding values that the Deans wanted to see in their applicants was a life-long commitment to learning…essential for students to develop the information gathering skills…applicants demonstrate intellectual curiosity and passion for their chosen discipline is really a mechanism for measuring the applicant’s commitment to a life of continual learning and educational renewal. Want their incoming students to have the broadest possible education experience, not just in the sciences, but in the humanities and the arts as well… -taken from the article “Admission Deans’ Roundtable: Medicine as a Liberal Arts” published in The Advisor March 2003

Health Care Campuses all within a 10 minute walk Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Hartford Hospital Institute of Living Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center

Community Important that students develop broad cultural sensitivity and ability to appreciate customs and values which may differ from their own…through a wide variety of humanities courses and volunteer work with populations different from the student’s own background.

Academics Major Graduate School Requirements GPA Electives Special Programs Study Abroad Health Fellows Internships

“ Speaking for one medical school, students should feel free to study what they wish, be it science or non-science. Demonstrating self-insight (knowing what they like) and ownership of their education is valued by our admissions committee. We don’t care what the major is; we only ask that if the student is a science major, that they take enough non-science so that they learn to think through ethical, cultural, and social issues and complications with the same ease that they determine how mass falls from a tree, and visa-versa. And to this, of course, add the social and interpersonal skills learning so important to health patient/physician relationship that comes from career exploration, service to others, leadership.” David M. Owen, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine “…we are looking for a strong science background (and recommend that non-science majors take at least two upper division basic science courses beyond the minimum premed requirements), depth of academic exploration (in whatever area) and enriching life experiences. Liliano Montano, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Weill Cornell Medical College

Majors of Trinity Students Attending Medical School Biology Chemistry Neuroscience English Mathematics Political Science Religion Classics International Relations Psychology Environmental Science

Medical School Pre-requisite Courses Trinity College Course Equivalent 1 year of Introductory Chemistry with Lab CHEM 111L (fall); CHEM 112L (spring) 1 year of Organic Chemistry with Lab CHEM 211L (fall); CHEM 212L (spring) 1 year of Introductory Biology with Lab BIOL 182L (fall); BIOL 183L (springl) 1 year of Physics with Lab PHYS 101L (fall); PHYS 231L (spring) * 1 year of Mathematics § MATH 131 (fall); MATH 107 (spring) 1 year of English Typically a writing intensive course and a literature course It is strongly recommended that a course in genetics and/or biochemistry be taken BIOL 224; BIOL 317 * - PHYS 131L and PHYS 231L (calculus-based physics) can serve as substitute courses; please consult the chair of the HPAC. § - a fair number of schools do not have a mathematics requirement, please consult the chair of the HPAC YEAR BY YEAR ENROLLMENT Fall Semester Spring Semester First Year CHEM 111L; BIOL 182L; MATH 131 CHEM 112L; BIOL 183L; English Writing Sophomore Year CHEM 211L; BIOL 224; English Lit. CHEM 212L; MATH 107 Junior Year PHYS 101L; BIOL 317 PHYS 102L Senior Year Electives; Internships

To Take Calculus or Not? Only 13% of US medical schools require a semester or more of Calculus (UCLA, Johns Hopkins, Brown, Harvard, UT at Austin, Duke) Over 40% of US medical schools do not require any college math course (Tufts, Yale, Emory, Columbia, Wake Forest) but many others require a year of math (Icahn, Stony Brook,UMass, VCU) Data obtained from the 2015 Medical School Admission Requirements, AAMC, Washington DC The stronger your academic transcript, the better…as long as the grades are good!!

Acceptance rate for applicants, 2005-2007 (aggregated) Table 24: MCAT and GPA Grid for Applicants and Acceptees to U.S. Medical Schools, 2005-2007 (aggregated) The table below displays the acceptance rates at different MCAT and GPA levels for applicants and accepted applicants from 2005 to 2007. The frequencies are combined totals of all three years. Please e-mail us if you need further assistance or have additional inquiries. Importance of Good Grades and Getting off to a Good Start Acceptance rate for applicants, 2005-2007 (aggregated) Total MCAT Scores All 5-14 15-17 18-20 21-23 24-26 27-29 30-32 33-35 36-38 39-45 GPA Total Acceptance rate % >3.80 3.6 9.1 19.2 27.9 47.8 74.1 85.5 89.4 91.9 93.0 3.60-3.79 2.8 4.7 13.2 21.0 35.3 59.6 76.8 83.7 86.0 88.8 58.5 3.40-3.59 2.5 4.1 10.6 16.1 27.5 45.9 63.2 73.3 76.1 44.3 3.20-3.39 1.1 2.9 8.9 16.2 20.7 32.9 46.2 55.1 61.0 70.9 30.3 3.00-3.19 0.6 2.6 7.3 13.8 18.4 25.8 34.8 38.4 52.1 54.1 21.4 2.80-2.99 0.7 1.9 13.0 16.8 25.6 27.4 38.6 54.2 15.1 2.60-2.79 0.3 2.4 6.1 10.2 12.4 16.9 22 26.6 36.4 50.0 11.4 2.40-2.59 1.6 2.2 6.7 9.9 11.0 20.3 25.0 16.7 7.2 2.20-2.39 2.0 3.0 7.9 7.7 12.8 8.3 100 2.00-2.19 6.4 9.4 5.3 22.2 3.8 1.47-1.99 4.5 Acceptances 28 119 617 2,088 5,586 12,793 15,208 10,218 4,708 1,483 52,848 Applicants 2,705 3,565 6,602 12,077 19,401 26,164 23,260 13,541 5,715 1,682 114,712 1.0 3.3 9.3 17.3 28.8 48.9 65.4 75.5 82.4 88.2 46.1 -data table adapted from original data supplied by AMCAS Source: AAMC Data Warehouse:Applicant Matriculant File, As of 2/22/2008.

MCAT/GPA and Acceptance to Medical School Correlation – Percentage of Trinity College Applicants Accepted 2002-2016 MCAT GPA <22 (472-475) 22-24 (476-484) 25-27 (485-495) 28-30 (495-505) 31-33 (505-513) 34-36 (513-520) >36 (521-528) >3.8 50 100 92 3.6-3.79 20 70 67 91 97 3.4-3.59 46 83 84 86 3.2-3.39 15 51 78 3.0-3.19 33 42 34 38 75 <3.0 25 16

Resources to help get off to a good start Academic Advisor HPAP Advisor (including Prof. Church) Upper-class HPAP peers College Resources (Dean of Students) Time Management and Study Skills Resources

RESEARCH The Deans’ felt that research was an excellent way for a student to demonstrate intellectual maturity, independence of thought, creativity, love of learning…all highly desirable qualities in a medical student….the area of research was unimportant. They want the student to demonstrate a genuine passion for the research and a depth of understanding which showed that he or she was not simply a pair of hands…in the lab.

Extracurricular Activities

Gaining an Understanding of the Profession AMSA RESEARCH ASSOCIATES PROGRAM Seminars Health Fellows Program INTERNSHIPS Summer Experiences (SMDEP)

Importance of Self-assessment

Read up on Profession

Trinity’s Health Profession Advising Program (HPAP) Advising during your time at Trinity Informational Seminars Coordination of Health Professions Internships Summer Healthcare Experiences Advice and Guidance before,during and after the Application Process

Health Profession Advising Committee 9 Faculty members Course planning Overall Application Advising Letter of Evaluation The Deans agree that the premedical evaluation letter was one of the most important components of their admission process. They considered it to be the single most valuable means to explain and expand upon the applicant’s important personal qualities that cannot be gleaned from a transcript.

HPAC Letter of Evaluation Required by most medical and dental schools Written by HPAC Interviewer following Committee discussion Edited and signed by Chair of HPAC

HPAC Letter of Evaluation “It’s OK if you fall down as long as you learn something as you get up.” - John Maxwell “Mistakes offer us the continual opportunity to learn and evolve. Without them there would be no growth, no reason to change.” - on the wall in Dr. Church’s Research Lab Tell me about the road you have travelled to get where you are now. E-portfolio

Utilize “HPAP-approved” Websites BEWARE the Pre-med Grape Vine http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/05/science-medical-school.html Studentdoc.com http://www.get-into-medical-school.com/ Utilize “HPAP-approved” Websites http://www.guidetohealthcareschools.com/ https://www.aamc.org/students/ http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/index.aspx http://www.adea.org/GoDental/Pages/default.aspx

Developing the Skills Needed in Health Care Excellent interpersonal skills were absolutely essential…emotional and social maturity was just as important as intellectual maturity. Students who had shown leadership, persistence, empathy, an ability to overcome adversity, and a willingness to accept responsibility for their own lives and the lives of others…they were clearly able to demonstrate that they possessed the requisite maturity. This is where the student who has significant real life experience and achievements has a real advantage over the student who can only present academic accomplishments. At Trinity, real life is lived every day… on and off campus

Helpful Things You Can Start Doing Tonight! Sign up for the Health Professions Advising Program (HPAP) - Utilize all of the resources available to you as a result. Attend all Mandatory Meetings of the HPAP – meeting with your HPAP advisor and Prof. Church often. Develop Excellent Study and Time-management skills (the Scheduler program available on HPAP website). Read articles in the professional journals: NEJM , JAMA, ADEA, etc. Read Articles in the General Press and Professional Journals ALL THE TIME Develop good study habits and academic/social activities and behavior

Information Gathering and Self-Assessment AAMC Resources; Pre-med Navigator Health Careers Fit HPAP Advisors Establish a strong academic foundation – Science GPA MATTERS Compile a strong portfolio which documents your experiences that illustrate/reinforce your commitment/skill set to be of service to others through a career in the health professions

Thanks for coming and… Questions Anyone?