HOLY CROSS HEALTH PROFESSIONS ADVISING PROF. MILES CAHILL, ADVISOR PROF. JUMI HAYAKI, ASSOCIATE ADVISOR Information for health professional school applicants September 28, 2015

What we will do today Talk about committee review process Talk about credentials Talk about graduate school application process Talk about new MCAT and review class Talk 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 resources October 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-11am November-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 needed January 2016 Finish up personal statement Completed first draft should be done by start of spring semester MCAT preparation course starts February 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, feedback May 2016 May 1: application services open to start entering application May 1: deadline to submit materials for reapplication for applicants Final meeting to discuss application process Final ratings determined after spring grades June 2016 May 1: application services accept applications Submit applications as soon as possible July 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 applications August 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 year April 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 ( applicants) Heavy wait list activity starts in May Offers may continue until matriculation August - September 2017: start school!

Steps to take Open a file with a waiver form – deadline Oct. 8  Request committee advisor Meet your advisor Attend personal statement workshop – October 31 Start committee personal statement Start 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 break Get complete draft of statement done before you return Due 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 grades Study for and take the MCAT/DAT/GRE  Goal: have application complete as close to June 1 as possible Ideally 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, seniors Applicants 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 entry Wait 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 debt Typical 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 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 same Pass equivalent license exam Train in same residencies – same accreditation!  MUCH better chance at residency than overseas A 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 DO Resources  See  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 differences Have June, Aug., and Jan. start dates Deadlines vary – year round, including before committee meets! Requirements vary widely between schools Schools 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 – s, 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 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