Are you interested in medicine?   Do you have questions about the MCAT and/or the overall process applying to medical school?  If you answered yes, you are in the right blog!  The M.A. in Biomedicine students were fortunate to have these questions answered by Dr.Julia Halterman.

When should you apply to medical school?  Dr.Halterman recommends applying after completing the 2 year M.A. in Biomedicine program.  Once you complete your degree, you will be a well-rounded applicant.  On your application, you will be able to talk about the cross cultural experience as well as the guided research experience.   Also, after the completion of the program, you would have completed all necessary coursework needed to prepare for and take the MCAT.

The MD school application opens in May and completed applications may be submitted the first week of June.  The DO school application opens in April and completed applications may be submitted the first week of June. Dr.Halterman also pointed out that applying and submitting your medical school application early is beneficial.   So, try submitting your application between June to August.  Before applying, be sure to complete the 25 core competencies!

When should you take the MCAT?  Dr.Halterman suggests that a student should take the MCAT right before they apply to medical school.  In other words, a student should start preparing for the MCAT in the spring semester before applying to schools.  The ideal testing dates would be in late May/early June.   In terms of multiple test scores, she points out that some schools look at your latest score, some look at the your best score, and some schools look at the combination of scores.

Does the M.A. in Biomedicine program offer a MCAT prep course?  Yes!  It will be offered this spring  at a price of $50-75.   What encompasses the prep class?  You will have a suggested study schedule, a reserved space in the Rutt House and annexes on Mondays and Wednesdays between 5-9 p.m., 3 proctored practice exams(it will have the feeling of taking the test in the real testing environment and will cost $25-50 per test), 5 Q&A sessions with EMU faculty from the biology, chemistry, physics, math, and psychology departments, 2-3 sessions filled with MCAT test taking skills, as well as discussions with former Biomedicine students who took the 2015 MCAT.  If interested, please contact Cheryl Doss by Decemeber 1st to reserve your spot!   Dr.Halterman also suggests Khan Academy videos, Kaplan books, and Exam Kracker books as MCAT preparatory  materials.

Besides GPA and MCAT scores, what else makes a competitive applicant?  To be competitive, one should have completed 40 hours of shadowing.  If applying to MD schools, shadow an MD whereas shadow a DO if applying to DO school; if applying to both types of medical schools, it will be beneficial to shadow both.  During the first summer semester of the Biomedicine program, students will have the opportunity to complete this requirement during practicum.   Completing 100 hours of clinical and community service volunteer hours also makes a competitive applicant.  Biomedicine students will be able to obtain these hours during the cross cultural experience in the summer.    Recommendation letters  are also important!  Ideally, you should have 3-4 letters; 1 from the EMU Pre-health committe, 1 from a MD/DO/both, and 1 from a professor in a different department/undergrad or someone from the medical field/research mentor.  Overall, it should be someone who knows you well.    The M.A. Biomedicine also organizes mock interviews, which is comprised of 3 faculty members.   Also, contact EMU Career Services for assistance in writing a personal statement.

Dr.Halterman also mentioned the agreement EMU has with VCOM.   This agreement states that 5 students, per application cycle year, from the Biomedicine program will be guaranteed an interview if they maintain an overall GPA of a 3.2, science GPA of 3.4, completed 100 hours of volunteer work, and have a competitive MCAT score.

Dr.Halterman also provided us with the official MCAT testing window calendar for 2016 as well as important information regarding the Fee Assistance Program.

Overall, it was a very informative session!  I liked Dr.Halterman’s last piece of advice when studying for the MCAT: “Mentally prepare your mind by picking a [MCAT] date and time.”  

 

***For more information on the application process and medical school preparation, click here!***

 

 

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For more information, visit the M.A. in Biomedicine homepage!