Transcript this PowerPoint - University of Minnesota Medical School

University of Minnesota Medical School
Office of Admissions
Understanding the application and
evaluation process.
Dimple Patel
Associate Dean for Admissions
Agenda
o
o
o
o
o
o
U of MN Medical School Admissions Goals
2013 National Application Overview
2014 U of MN Twin Cities Application Overview
Selection Criteria
Holistic Review
Questions to Consider
Goals for Medical School Admissions
o To select the highest qualified students for
each entering class.
o To enhance the diversity of the student body
in medical school classes.
o To establish policy on medical school
admissions requirements.
Medical School Applications
2008-2013
National
Applications
National
Enrollment
UMTC
Applications
UMTC
Enrollment
2013
48,014
20,055
3,826
170
2012
45,266
19,517
3,669
170
2011
43,919
19,230
3,550
170
2010
42,741
18,665
3,361
169
2009
42,268
18,390
3,259
169
2008
42,231
18,036
3,212
170
2013 National Applicant Pool
o 48,014 Total applicants
o 6.1% Growth from 2012
o 35,727 First-time applicants
o 690,281 Total applications
o Applicants apply to 14 schools on average.
o How many schools did you apply to?
o 20,055 Enrollees
2013 TC Application Overview
AMCAS: 3826
Secondary: 2133
Interviewed: 646
Accepted:
272
Matriculates: 170
MCAT and GPA 2014
Primary Applications
25th percentile Median
75th percentile
CUM GPA
3.41
3.63
3.82
MCAT
27
30
32
2013 National Applicant Pool: 3.54 AVG GPA and 28.4 AVG MCAT
Supplemental Applications
25th percentile Median
75th percentile
CUM GPA
3.46
3.67
3.84
MCAT
29
31
33
MCAT and GPA 2014
Interviewees
25th percentile Median
75th percentile
CUM GPA
3.65
3.8
3.91
MCAT
30
32
35
Current Accepts
25th percentile Median
75th percentile
CUM GPA
3.62
3.79
3.92
MCAT
30
32
35
2013 National Matriculate Pool: 3.69 AVG GPA and 31.3 AVG MCAT
U of MN MD Selection Criteria
o Strong academics
o Applicants with lower GPAs and MCATs who were invited to interview had
either significant medical and non-medical experiences or outstanding
graduate-level grades, or a combination of both.
o Commitment to improving the human
condition
o Professional conduct
o Outstanding interpersonal skills
o Dedication to lifelong learning
Commitment to improving the
human condition
o Essential:
o Sustained and meaningful commitment to human service
demonstrated through volunteer, work, academic, or other
experiences
o Understanding of medicine
o Commitment to rural patient care (Duluth applicants)
o Desired:
o Commitment to care of the underserved
o Commitment to community and global patient care
o Commitment to rural patient care (Twin Cities applicants)
Professional conduct
o Honesty and integrity, particularly regarding instances of
personal failings or mistakes (essential)
o Institutional actions
o Misdemeanors
o Compassion, evident through evaluations, prior employment, or
experience in other roles that require compassion (essential)
o Self-awareness, evident in a student’s knowledge of their own
strengths, weaknesses, and when to ask for help (essential)
o Ethical behavior (essential)
Outstanding interpersonal skills
o Oral and written communication skills must be excellent,
both to share knowledge and to convey empathy
(essential)
o Teamwork skills require acknowledging other team
members’ expertise, accurate self-assessment, assuming
leadership when appropriate, and subsuming individual
interests to the work of the team (essential)
o Leadership & diversity experiences (desired)
A dedication to lifelong learning
o Intellectual curiosity (essential)
o Demonstrated scientific aptitude—a fundamental appreciation of
how the scientific method is applied to the discovery of medical
knowledge and to medical practice (essential)
o Potential for academic success (essential)
o Psychological resilience as demonstrated through emotional
stability, skills to cope with stress, an ability to deal with sacrifice
and hardship, maturity, good judgment, and an ability to defer
gratification (essential)
o Creativity (desired)
o Research experiences (desired; essential in MD/PhD
applicants)
Holistic Review
Holistic review is a flexible way of assessing an applicant’s
capabilities, by which balanced consideration is given to
experiences, attributes, and academic metrics and, when
considered in combination, how the individual might
contribute value as a medical student and future physician.
Holistic Review
MCAT
GPA
leadership
values
coursework trends
persistence
individual interests
commitment
employment
knowledge of the profession
How do I get the interview?
o Competitive MCAT
o Competitive GPA
o Graduate Education
o Substantive Post-Graduate Work Experience
o Volunteer Experience
o Clinical Experience
o Research Experience
o Life Experience
MCAT and GPA
Questions to consider
o GPA: Highly competitive, Average, or Less competitive?
o Is there an upward trend in your academic profile?
o BCPM
o Did you have withdrawals?
o Grades less than a B?
o What other factors contributed to a lower GPA?
o When were the courses taken?
o What are your MCAT sub-scores?
o How many times did you take it?
o The committee sees all scores.
Personal and supplemental comments
Questions to consider
o Clear and concise?
o Are your responses exaggerated?
o Substantive reasons for wanting to pursue medicine
with demonstrated experiences?
o Non-residents: What are your ties to MN? If no ties,
what unique contributions will you bring?
o Did you have someone read your comments?
Medical and/or human service experience
Questions to consider
o Have your experiences been sustained and
substantial?
o Demonstrated growth
o What are those experiences and how did you explain
them?
o Volunteer, research, medically related
o Do your experiences come across as a checklist?
Letters of recommendation
Questions to consider
o Who wrote your letters?
o Faculty
o Physician
o Supervisor
o Did you talk about what the letter would address?
o
o
o
o
Professional conduct
Academic achievement
Interpersonal skills
Dedication to lifelong learning
The Interview
• Ability to communicate effectively; establish rapport with
interviewer
• Level of maturity
• Passion for and understanding of medicine
• Empathy for humanity
• Essential and desired qualities
• Knowledge of the U of M
• Confirmation of candidate’s written profile
More questions and observations
o
o
o
o
o
Why medical school?
Are you ready to apply?
Perfection is not a weakness! Be more self aware.
Think about your bias. Where did it originate?
For every opinion, you have to think about the opposite
opinion(s).
o Self assess and seek feedback throughout the process.
o Widen your lens on issues and beliefs.
o The numbers matter, though they are not the only things
considered.
More questions and Observations
o What experiences have I had that show my ability to go above and
beyond my natural talents? Have I had experiences that have
tested my values or broadened my thinking?
o What kinds of experiences have I had that demonstrate I have the
ability the work with people that are different than me?
o How have I demonstrated a commitment to lifelong learning?
o What kind of patient interaction have I experienced?
o What did it teach me?
More questions and Observations
o Who is reading your application? What could their values and beliefs
be? Think about the broad spectrum of values and beliefs here.
o
o
o
o
o
o
A distinguished faculty member
A current student
An alum
A clinician
A research scientist
A patient
o Think about the distance you have traveled
o Could you have gone further?
o Could you have taken a different route?
o Did you do it alone?
o Could you have incorporated others?
Thank you for taking the time to review
this presentation. We have several
resources on our website to assist you as
well. http://med.umn.edu/medical-schoolstudents/medical-school-admissions/