1. School of Health & Natural Science
Mercy College Graduate CSD Program Application Process
CAPCSD Conference, Newport Beach 2015

2. Background 4 campuses 15 miles North of Manhattan
Accredited, private, nonsectarian Hispanic serving Institution
5 Schools: Business; Education; Health/Natural Sciences; Liberal Arts; Social/Behavioral Sciences
40 degree programs
Full-time UGs: 5,289; 27% male, 73 % female
Bachelor's/master's degrees in more than 90 programs
Background

3. Application Process To apply students must complete:
required prerequisite courses
both overall GPA and prerequisite GPA are calculated
GPA less than 3.2 generally do not get a full committee review
may be individual cases
student has earned MA/MS in another field
shown a rising/exceptional GPA in last two years of undergraduate work

4. Admissions Committee/Rubric
5 full-time core faculty; 1 adjunct
Debriefing
Mercy does not require GRE scores
Graduate Admissions Rubric
yields formula to analyze applicants using same criteria
allows tracking/analysis of data over time
offers qualitative/quantitative information score
acceptances based on those scores
wait list comprised from these scores

5. Quantitative GPAs GPA <=3.2- 3.21- 3.41- 3.61- 3.81-
GPA
<=
Overall GPA Rating
Pre-Req. GPA Rating (counts 2X)

6. 2014 applications
530 CSD applications (277 reviewed due to missing coursework, low GPA, weak LORs)
Offered admission to 90 (17%) of applicants for 47 seats (38 full-time cohort/8 part-time= 42 FTEs)
Submission due February 15 (fall only)

7. Number of applicants accepted limited by clinical externships and training facilities available
qualified applicants may not necessarily be admitted
Full-time status: 5 semesters to complete 57 credits
Part-time: Can change to FT; 3 years to complete program

8. Qualitative Information
Adequate written and oral communication skills
Personal statement required in response to an essay question and may include:
Life experiences affecting career choice, future goals
Committee looks for cohesiveness, creativity, spelling, grammar or word choice errors
Applicants encouraged to explain unusual challenges in their academic record
Highlight achievements in clinic, research, global missions, related work experience or membership in NSSLHA or other student organizations

9. PERSONAL ESSAY Below Avg. Avg. Gd. V.Gd. Out. Grammar 1 2 3 4 5
Organization
Content
Creativity
Avg.Rating:_________ Comments:  

10. Reapplying 2nd Time
Advised to address how they have improved application status
Retaking CSD coursework with below B grades?
If reapply with no changes may automatically be rejected

11. Resume Résumé one page only Include:
community service, NSSLHA involvement
Life Experience

12. 2 LORs
#1 from CSD faculty attesting to applicant's capacity to successfully complete graduate study
#2 from CSD faculty and/or academic clinical supervisor
Applications are not processed if any requirements are missing

13. 2 LORs Recommendation Below Avg Avg. Gd. V.Gd. Out.
Name:___________________
No Rubric Completed– Estimated Rubric:
Affiliation: _____________________________________________________
Faculty / Clinical Supervisor
Comments: _____________________________________________________ Avg.Rating:_________

14. Group Interview By invitation only 125 applicants in groups of 8-10
Not challenging interview but just allows committee to judge: oral communication/interpersonal skills
Allows prospective students to meet faculty, current students and to ask their burning questions
Clinic tour

15. Interview questions Group questions Individual questions
Writing sample
Student questions

16. Changes in 15 years Faculty research interests
Increased interest in personal/on-site clinic videos
Global interests
More medical training/adult population
NICU
NYC Board of Education Scholarships
GA/RA opportunities

17. Interview Rubric BelAvg. Avg. Gd. V.Gd. Out.
Communication (ability to express self appropriately)
Speech Model (voice, articulation, dialect)
Pragmatics (relatedness, eye contact, affect, engaging)
Relevance (prepared, answers questions, remains on topic)
Professionalism (appearance, knowledge of field)
Avg.Rating: ____ (*counts 2X)
Comments:
Professional Judgement: _____

18. Is interview worth it?
Time consuming Poor time of year BUT… Unequivocally yes

19. Scoring
Transfer numeric values here: (* Pre-Requisite GPA will be counted twice)
 Overall GPA = _____
*Pre-Requisite GPA = _____ x 2=
Essay = _____
Recs = _____
Sub-Total = _________
(*if applicable, add .5 to “sub-total” for other graduate degree)
Composite Score =

20. Acceptance Rate