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Medical and Dental School: Preparing to Apply
Careers in medicine or dentistry can be highly rewarding for the dedicated health professional, but successful application to the appropriate professional school is demanding and expensive. Careful thought is required as you consider what distinguishes you from other strong applicants. While MSU course grades are important, as are high scores on the national admissions exams, prospective applicants must also educate themselves about local, regional and national health care as well as ethical issues relating to care distribution. Opportunities taken to travel or to experience other cultures, particularly to learn about health care elsewhere, can make an applicant more interesting. Volunteerism, participation in campus and community service organizations, and frequent contact with working health care professionals are important as well. Professional schools desire students who are well rounded problem-solvers, active citizens of their community, team players and life-long learners.
CHOICE OF MAJOR / AREA OF STUDY
Students may major in any area that interests them, as long as they satisfy all of the course entrance requirements for medical/dental School. Students should keep in contact with the Health Professions Advisor in 309 Leon Johnson regarding their progress from freshman year on.
GRADES
The detailed academic record is a prime indicator of talent, performance and judgment. In general, allopathic and osteopathic medical schools expect a grade point average in the range of 3.4 to 4.0. Dental schools, increasingly competitive, will expect a grade point average of 3.3 to 4.0. It should be emphasized that there may be some variation in the GPA due to differences in the degree of difficulty in various courses and curricula. One should be cautious about attempting to raise the GPA by taking courses that are known to be “an easy ‘A’.” In many cases a ‘B’ in a difficult course is more beneficial to a student than an ‘A’ in an easy course. Repeating required science courses to raise the GPA is not advised unless you did not understand the material and received a grade of ‘C’ or lower. When professional schools calculate your GPA they usually count all grades you receive, even if a course is repeated. Frequent withdrawals from courses beyond the stated drop date will result in a transcript with multiple ‘W’s. Professional schools interpret these as a lack of judgment and an inability to finish what has been started. Plan your coursework and outside activities carefully so that you can always fulfill your academic obligations.
If you encounter a problem with your grades at some time during your college years, consult with your academic advisor or the Health Professions Advisor. The professional schools are concerned that you deal with academic challenges maturely and responsibly.
At the end of your sophomore year you should evaluate your performance to date to determine if you should continue to pursue your original goal or if you should begin to consider other options. A conference with your advisor or the Health Professions Advisor is extremely important during this transitional period of your education.
Should your GPA be somewhat low by the middle of your junior year, you will have a chance to redeem yourself on the Admissions Test. If you score well on the exam and improve your grades during your last two years you will still have a reasonably good chance of gaining admission to a professional school. Conversely, if you padded your GPA during college and attempted as many shortcuts as possible, these tests usually serve to illustrate your poor planning and judgment. We advise that you keep your science textbooks and notes for your admission test studying.
Information about specific schools as well as other useful information about the application process can be found in the following publications:
- Medical School Admission Requirements: http://www.aamc.org-Publications
- Admission Requirements of U.S. and Canadian Dental Schools: http://www.adea.org
In recent years many graduates who did not fulfill the pre-requisites for medical/dental school as undergraduates have returned to college with the intention of gaining admission to a professional school. Depending upon one’s previous background it will normally take an additional one to three years to complete necessary coursework and the application process. Individuals in this category should carefully plan their program with the Health Professions Advisor in order to make the best possible impression on the health professions schools.
Extracurricular Activities/Health Care Experience
It takes more than competitive grades and test scores to gain admission into professional schools. It is highly recommended that students participate in various campus and community activities that serve to broaden their educational experience and develop their leadership. Travel and multicultural experiences are encouraged. Increasingly, medical/dental schools want to know that you have interacted with people from different socio-economic, racial, and ethnic groups, as you will need to in your training and eventual practice.
Students should consider participating in either paid or volunteer work at local or hometown institutions such as hospitals, extended care facilities, programs/camps for patients with special needs, research or clinical laboratories, etc. The MSU Office of Community Involvement maintains a volunteer database and could help you identify possible organizations that need volunteers. Shadow physicians or dentists whenever possible to learn more about their work!
It is also important to educate oneself about the social, political and economic issues important in health care. When preparing for professional school interviews, some students find it helpful to create a file of relevant articles, participate in seminars on ethics and medical issues and shadow health care workers. Good resources for information about “hot topics” in medicine are American Medical News at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/, and Washington Highlights at http://www.aamc.org/advocacy/washhigh/start.htm.
In addition to general campus activities, there is an organization on campus that relates directly to your career goals. The Health Professions Club, which includes Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED) (http://www.nationalaed.org/) is a pre-professional honor society that schedules speakers, serves as a peer support group and provides information relevant to the health professions. AED activities are open to all students, but official membership is based on academic criteria (3.2 science and overall GPA) and interest in the health professions. Students must complete three consecutive semesters of college at MSU before they are eligible for full membership. It is students’ responsibility to sign up for the AED list serve for information on talks, workshops, deadlines for tests, interview information, application information and other general information. There is also an Amercian Medical Student Association(AMSA) and a Pre-Dental Club. These are brand new groups beginning the spring of 2009. E-mail the Health Professions Advising Office, if you are interested in any of the health professions: hpa@montana.edu. Also check the web site often for updates at http://www.montana.edu/dhs/hpa.
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