Information for applicants May, 2015 Holy Cross Health Professions Advising Prof. Andrew Futterman, Advisor Prof. Miles Cahill, Associate Advisor

Cost of medical school Typical private medical school Tufts: about $90,000/year (tuition, feels, living, etc.) Median private med school student graduates with $200,000 in debt Typical public medical school UMass: $45,000/year (tuition, feels, living, etc.) Avg. public medical student graduates with $170,000 in debt There are scholarships/loan payment programs that may help Military National Health Service Specific program for med schools

National applications Medical school is becoming more highly competitive 50,000+ applications to MD in 2011 10% increase in 4 years Likely less than 21,000 accepted to MD schools Typical MD medical school Tufts: 11,300 applicants, for class of 200 in 2014 UMass: 1,190 applicants for class of 125 (120 in-state) Nationally, students apply to 18-22 schools, 43% get in Likely lower this year – 40-41% Holy Cross: approx double, after advising

National applications DO is also becoming more competitive 18,000 applications to DO for 2014 entering class Huge increase in recent years Typical DO school CCOM-MWU: 7,200 applications for a class of 208 (2014-15) UNE-COM: 4,200 applications for a class of 127

Selection factors Quantitative Overall GPA Science GPA MCAT MD: want close to 10-10-10 as minimum Old scale: 9 is a question, an 8 is think about re-taking, 7 is reject New scale: 126 question, 125 consider retake, 124 reject But pay more attention to percentiles DO: slightly lower There are many unknowns with new MCAT Will social science section matter much? How much faith will medical schools have in it? Advice: Pay most attention to bio/biochem, chem/physics, critical analysis, less to behavior

Quantitative characteristics – MD and DO DO (matriculants) GPA mean 3.39 science 3.60 overall MCAT mean (new scale) 8.9 VR (125.9) 9.5 BS (126.5) 8.8 PS (125.8) MD (matriculants) GPA mean 3.63 science 3.69 overall MCAT mean (new scale) 10.0 VR (127) 10.9 BS (127.9) 10.6 PS (127.6)

Selection factors Non-quantitative Interview Clinical experience (essential) Volunteer experience (nearly essential) Research experience (helpful, not essential) Evidence of character, maturity (essential) Letters, experience, etc. DO: letter from a DO (essential) Interview Traditional: several lengthy, throughout day Admissions staff, administrators, attendings, residents, students, etc. New: “speed dating” multiple mini interviews model Many fast interviews to judge ability to handle communication, ethics

Consider DO 90% of training the same Can specialize in any area Mike Leslie ‘93, DO: on Yale orthopedic surgery faculty Peter Sell ‘95, DO: on UMass pediatrics faculty But, geared to primary care, harder for more competitive specialties Pass equivalent license exam Residencies converging A little easier to get into A little less concerned with quantitative Need a letter from a DO Resources See www.AACOM.org The DOs by Normal Gervitz June 2009 issue of Academic Medicine

HC applicants – entered med school 9/15 57 applicants to MD/DO, 53 accepted (13 DO) Lowest HC GPA to get into MD: (not public information) Lowest HC GPA to get into only DO: Look at list carefully: who looks like you? Add 117 to 2015 MCAT score for VR, BS, PS

How do you tell if you are competitive? MD: Look up schools in MSAR www.aamc.org/msar ($25, on-line) e.g.: Tufts selection factors https://services.aamc.org/30/msar/schoolDetails/4336/selectionFactors Provides data on applicants, accepted students, etc. Provides mean, 90th and 10th percentiles for GPA, MCAT You don’t want to be the 10th percentile You can be 0.2 GPA points below median MCAT and be ok Remember that older applicants get in with lower numbers Look at in-state residency rate, especially for state schools DO has similar guide (without detailed data) MD & DO: use ranking list US News, Princeton Review, startclass, studentdoc, etc.

Other health professions programs Dental school Same timeline as MD GPA a little lower than MD DAT important: want > 17 on each section See data sheets for recent applicant results Typically: (data not for public) DVM school Deadline Oct. 2. Usually take GRE Experience with large and small animals essential See data sheets for recent applicants PA, NP, other allied health schools Have start dates, application dates around the calendar Check requirements carefully Work with advisor on which letters to solicit

Medical school application process Medical schools have rolling admissions AMCAS/AACOMAS/ADSAS application opens June 1 Start filling out application now Want your MCAT to report as close to June 1 as possible Secondary applications follow a few weeks later Fill out completely, ASAP Follow instructions on web carefully: http://academics.holycross.edu/healthprofessions/application_instructions Let your advisor know when you have made your decision to apply. You letter will not be written until your complete application is complete and all materials are received by HC HP office

Application process Interview and selection process starts as soon as mid-July, usually Sept. Interviews continue through May (or after) Go to interview with good questions Be prepared to answer why you want to be a doctor Use examples from your experiences Traffic rules day April 30: you must choose one school Earlier: if you are certain you will turn down an offer, do it! Do not turn down an offer unless you are accepted elsewhere Final wait list decisions sometimes not made until August, often start mid-May

General advice Apply once Apply early Be professional Much harder to get together as a “reapp” Apply early This is essential! It is better to apply a year later for the first time then as a reapp. 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 Watch your public profile Med schools will Google you, look at your Facebook page, etc. Behave Don’t let a foolish mistake jeopardize your chances