H O L Y C R O S S H E A L T H P R O F E S S I O N S A D V I S I N G

P R O F . M I L E S C A H I L L , A D V I S O R

P R O F . J U M I H A Y A K I , A S S O C I A T E A D V I S O R

Information for health professional school applicants

September 28, 2017

What we will do today

Talk about committee review process Talk about credentials Talk about graduate school application process Talk about MCAT and review class Talk about changes to post-bacc and allied health

review process

Who is eligible for a review?

Considering applying to med/dental/vet school in this cycle (June 2018) 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 You do not have to take the MCAT before the review

In a post-baccalaureate program now Alumni, juniors, seniors Applicants may be reviewed multiple times

Application timeline

September 2017 September 27, O’Neill 112, 5:15pm: 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 2017 October 6: Advisor request (online) and waiver (hard copy to

Stein 129A) forms due by noon. After fall break: advisors assigned Meet with your advisor ASAP October 21: Saturday personal statement workshop, 9am-11am,

SML 154 November-December 2017 Start working on personal statement, materials, meet with

advisor Request recommendation letters MCAT information meeting January 2018 Finish up personal statement

Attend session at Writer’s Workshop completed first draft should be done by start of spring semester

MCAT preparation course starts February 2018 February 15: Committee application materials due Meeting to discuss MCAT goals, etc.

February – May 2018 Committee reviews files on a rolling basis

Applicants receive committee ratings, feedback; meet with committee advisor to discuss your review

May 2018 May 1: deadline to submit materials for reapplication for 2017-18

applicants who did not gain entry May (first week): Application services open/ start entering application Final meeting to discuss application process Final ratings determined after spring grades; ratings letters sent June 2018 June (first week): Application services (medical/dental) start

accepting applications Submit applications as soon as possible in cycle DO applications open up in May, but wait until June

Submit your letter request materials to Health Professions Advising Office (see instructions sent in May)

July 2018 July 31: last day to have your application processed by application

service to guarantee committee letter Special permission from Prof. Cahill needed to submit application after

Complete secondary applications August 2018 – March 2019 Committee letters sent out early in August Interviews typically start late in August/early Sept., continue -spring Medical school decisions start early fall, continue through year April – August 2019 April 30: “traffic rules day” – may not hold on to multiple submissions

Heavy wait list activity starts after this day

May 1: deadline to submit for reapplication for 2017-18 re-applicants Offers may continue until matriculation! August - September 2019: start school!

First steps to take

Open or reactivate your file – deadline Oct. 6 If you are opening a file, submit signed PDF copy waiver form to office (heathprofessions@holycross.edu)

if have file open with letters, no need to do this again You must fill out the online form to request a committee advisor to open or reactivate your file – see “key

documents” on the health professions advising web page

Meet your advisor Start committee personal statement

Attend personal statement workshop – October 21, 9-11am Work with the Writer’s Workshop

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, + Avoid letters from those close to your family. Clinical letters very helpful, even essential

Talk to your advisor before winter break Think about how you will prepare for the entrance exam

Kaplan info meeting 10/17, 5:15pm, SML 154

Get complete draft of statement done before you return Due date for file materials: February 15

Choosing an advisor

Prof. King (Mathematics & Computer Science)

Prof. Stock (M&CS)/Prof. Avila-Bront (Chemistry)

Prof. Paxson (Biology) Miles Cahill (Economics &

Accounting)

Prof. Roche (Religious Studies)

Prof. Cull (Spanish) Prof. Francis (Sociology &

Anthropology) Prof. Hayaki (Psychology)

• You will get the chance to make your advisor preferences known on your form.

• We will try to assign you to one of your top choices but we need to make sure advisees are evenly distributed.

Committee process: MD/DO, DMD/DDS, DVM

Materials due Feb. 15 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 early June with exam scores in hand You must have your application processed by July 31 to get a

committee letter

New letter collection process

Send a PDF of your signed waiver to the office when you request an advisor to open your file You do not need to submit another waiver if you already have one on file

Fill out Google form to open/reopen file, request advisor You will get an e-mail with a spreadsheet template to list recommenders

Ms. Kirkorian will create a Google Sheet and share it with you. She will record when letters are received by the office on the shared Google Sheet so you can check it at any time.

You can add additional recommenders to Sheet at any time Send an e-mail to your recommenders using the template we give you

asking for a letter Letters are submitted to hpletters@holycross.edu as an attachment

On letterhead Signed (electronic is ok) PDF

Medical/dental/vet schools will not accept letters that aren’t on signed letterhead

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 Medical schools do not allow an application with courses in progress

Dental school may allow a recommended class in progress (e.g. biochem)

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

This is a key part of our rating! Reference letters

Academic ability and work ethic, engagement Character, working with others, compassion, maturity Clinical, research, volunteer, professional experiences If you are applying to DO school, you need a letter from a DO. If you are applying to dental

school you need a letter from a dentist Letter may come after your committee review

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 less desirable as it is “passive”

Volunteer or work caring for others in a non-medical setting This may substitute for (most) clinical experience Key is experience caring for others in a stressful situation, learning to

communicate with people with different backgrounds 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 Test scores very important for med/dental/vet schools

What are we (and medical/dental/vet schools) looking for?

Can the applicant handle the rigorous academics of curriculum and 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 You are a solid applicant in every category but have some weaknesses that can be addressed to

make you a stronger applicant. We think you are capable of succeeding in medical/dental/etc. school, but you should be careful which schools you apply to.

Wait to apply You are not yet a competitive applicant We will give you advice on how you can become more competitive

Historically, students at all levels of recommendation (R through VH) have gotten in at similar rates (80%+). The recommendation level really corresponds to what sorts of schools an applicant should apply to.

We are trying to show you how medical/dental/vet schools will view your application, not act as gatekeepers!

It is expensive to apply to schools and much hander to get into medical school as a re-applicant

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: $90,000+/year (tuition, meals, living, etc.) Avg. med school student graduates with $200,000 in debt

Typical public medical school UMass: $55,000/year (tuition, feels, living, etc.) Avg. student graduates with $108,811 in debt

Dental school even more expensive! $120,000/yr Vet school also very expensive

National applications

Medical school is becoming more highly competitive 49,703 applications to MD for fall 2017 start

20,682 started medical school in fall 2016; 42% of applicants Typical MD medical school

Tufts: 11,014 applicants, 928 interviews for class of 211 UMass: 1,175 in-state+2,338 out, 469+170 interviews for class of 134+16 Nationally, students apply to 18-22 schools, ~40% get in to MD, similar

matriculation rate for DO Holy Cross: admission rate approx double, after advising, incl. DO

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: 4,300 applications for 600 interviews and a class of 178

Dental school is also becoming increasingly competitive Tufts: 3,700 apps for 195 seats

Consider DO

90% of training the same Pass equivalent license exam Train in similar/same residencies – same accreditation! MUCH better chance at residency than overseas

A little easier to get into quantitatively Less concerned with quantitative scores MCAT: avg: 27/502 for DO vs. 31/510 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: your responsibility Resources See www.AACOM.org The DOs by Norman Gervitz June 2009 issue of Academic Medicine

Come to fall events

Dental school admissions information session 10/5, 7-8pm, Stein 134 (UConn dental school will send a rep)

Georgetown School of Medicine Virtual Information Session 10/18, 3:00-4:00pm – follow e-mail directions to register

Medical school admissions information 11/7, 7-8:30pm, Stein 134 (Loyola-Stritch Admissions Dean)

Dr. James O’Connell, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program November 16, 7pm, Seelos theater

Consider NP/PA, allied health

Think about your goals What do you want to do every day Not what initials do you want on your name tag

Do you want to work with patients? Diagnose, treat, prescribe?

Think about NP/PA, other allied health

Other careers may allow more independence Podiatry (very similar to med school) Optometry Physical therapy, etc.

Other professional programs

Dental school Same committee process, timeline as MD GPA a little lower than MD

Usually competitive above 3.0 GPA (overall & science) Need a letter from a dentist

DAT important: want > 17 on each section

Veterinary school Same committee process Deadline Sept. 15 – but check! Usually take GRE Experience with large and small animals essential Requirements vary between schools Usually need individual letters

PA, NP, PT, OD, etc. and post-baccs

Important differences Have June, Aug., Jan., etc. 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!

Special factors

See me if you are in one of these categories Not a permanent US resident Are currently in ROTC Serious disciplinary action like suspension or

probation

General advice

Work with your advisor early Waiting until last minute is asking for trouble

Be professional Be formal in all correspondence – e-mails, 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 e-mail address

Be engaged in what you do Classes, activities, etc.

Read Dr. J. O’Connell, Dr. A. Gawande, Dr. P. Kalanithi, Dr. R. Campo

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 Serious disciplinary action may be the end of your application