Medical Schools in Georgia

1
Medical Schools in Georgia

• Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
  http//www.emory.edu/WHSC/MED/
• Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, GA
  http//medicine.mercer.edu/default2.htm
• Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine,
  Augusta, GA http//www.mcg.edu/som/index.html
• Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
  http//www.msm.edu/

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Medical Schools in Georgia

• Your best chance of admission is to a school in
  your state of residence.
• Choose your school based on your fit with the
  school, their style, and mission.
• Early admission deadline is in August and
  notification of status is in early October.
• Regular admission deadline is typically in
  October or November depending on school with
  notification of status by March of the following
  year.

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Medical School Admission Requirements
4
Medical School Admission

• Course advice from MCG 2nd year med student
• Biochemistry
• Genetics
• Cell biology
• Anatomy and/or Physiology
• Immunology if available
• Biostatistics if available (boards)

5
Medical School Admission

• Course advice from MCG 2nd year med
  studentGeneral skills
• Review of experiments
• Data interpretation
• Oral presentations
• Writing assignments (essay questions or review of
  scientific literature
• Wet labs
• Keep textbooks as references

6
Admission Requirements

• Completion of 90 semester hours or 3 years of
  undergraduate course work (requirement depends on
  school) for exceptional students.
• Science degree is not required.
• Most do not publish a set lower limit for GPA or
  MCAT score admission based on many factors
• Georgia schools give preference to Georgia
  residents.

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National Medical School Statistics for 2002

• 33,625 applicants
• Mean science GPA of 3.36
• Mean total GPA of 3.46
• Mean MCAT of 27.1
• 16,488 accepted students
• Mean science GPA of 3.54
• Mean total GPA of 3.61
• Mean MCAT of 29.7

8
Emory Admissions Statistics2002-2003

• 112 students admitted
• 13 under-represented minorities
• 41 different undergraduate majors
• Mean GPA 3.75
• Mean MCAT32

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MCG Admissions Statistics2003 Entering Class

• 180 students admitted from 1448 applications
  received 825 from Georgia
• Many different undergraduate majors but most are
  science or health-related majors (86)
• Average GPA of 3.64
• Average science GPA of 3.60
• Mean MCAT of 28.9

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Mercer Admissions Statistics2003

• Average or mean GPA of 3.46
• Average or mean science and math GPA of 3.36
• Average or mean MCAT of 25.9

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MCG Admissions Criteria for Evaluation

• Responsibilities before medical school
  application
• Extracurricular and community activities
• Background
• Where are you from? Is your area underserved?
• Are you interested in practicing in an
  underserved area?

12
MCG Admissions Criteria for Evaluation

• Letters of recommendation
• Why do you want to be physician?
• Personal interview
• MCAT scores
• Grades from undergraduate, graduate, and
  post-baccalaureate programs

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MCG Technical Skills

• Intellectual capacity
• Good communication skills
• Physical ability to perform procedures
• Emotional stability for stresses of medical
  school, residency, and practice.

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MCG Admissions Criteria for Evaluation

• Many criteria go into evaluation for medical
  school admission.
• Emphasize your strong points.
• Give the committee the most complete and accurate
  view of yourself as you can using the materials
  they allow you to submit.
• Be truthful if you are caught lying you will no
  longer be considered.
• Make good impressions on your potential
  references.

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Responsibilities prior to applying to med school

• Let the committee see the responsibilities that
  you balance.
• Explain discrepancies or gaps in your academic
  record (i.e., hardship in your life that lead to
  poor performance one semester).

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Extracurricular activities

• Non-medical volunteering/activities
• Choose something that you really believe in.
• Medical volunteering
• MCG now requires shadowing experience (no set
  numbers of hours).
• Shadowing gives you a good idea of what a
  physician really does.
• You can get BIOL3222 credit.
• Volunteer at local hospital to get exposure to
  clinical side of medicine.

17
Extracurricular activities

• School Clubs
• AMSA national and local member.
• Circle K (service organization)
• Be active and if interested hold offices.

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Background

• Ethnicity and socioeconomic background
• Programs at MCG and Morehouse that are designed
  to level the playing field for these groups of
  students.
• Programs at MCG
• http//www.mcg.edu/careers/specop/pipeline.htm
• Programs at Morehouse
• http//www.msm.edu/admissions.htm
• http//www.msm.edu/admissions/summer2003.htm

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Underserved areas of Georgia

• Are you from an area of Georgia that is
  underserved or are you interested in practicing
  in such an area?
• Be truthful about you career goals.
• If this is not an area of interest for you, down
  play it on your application.

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MCG Admissions Requirements

• Letters of recommendation--Academics
• Pre-medical advisor or the pre-medical
  committee
• Science faculty
• Research advisor

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MCG Admissions Requirements

• Letter of recommendationPersonal
• Two such letters are required.
• Choose someone who knows you well and can speak
  about traits that med schools are looking
  forprofessionalism, interpersonal skills,
  communication skills.
• Ask a physician that you have worked with to
  write a letter for you (i.e., the physician that
  you shadow) other letters from medical personnel
  that you have worked with is O.K.

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MCG Admissions Requirements

• Letters of recommendationHints
• Author should include information in addition to
  what the admissions committee can see on your
  transcript.
• Get to know your potential references
  (professors, research mentors, medical personnel
  etc.) and make a good impression.
• Ask the reference if they can write a good
  letter for you.
• Give the reference ample time to write the letter
  (minimum of 3-4 weeks).
• Mark I waive my rights to see this letter on
  the reference form.

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Why do you want to be a physician?

• Be truthful.
• Be original and make yourself stand out against
  the sea of other students with good records.
• Your statement should be well written and
  concise, yet long enough to tell your story.
• Give you statement to several people to read for
  content, grammar, etc.
• Write the statement well in advance so that you
  have ample time to modify it and make it perfect.

24
Personal Interview

• Format will vary from school to school.
• Could be a one on one interview.
• Could be with several individuals.
• By invitation
• Opportunity to sell yourself and make yourself
  stand out.
• Relax and be yourself.
• Be prepared to talk about the things that you
  submitted with your application.
• Dress professionally.
• Make a good impression.
• Books to prepare for med school may have
  typical sample questions for some schools.

25
Personal Interview-MCG format

• Spend the day at MCG
• 2 interviews
• One on one interviews
• Relaxed format closed file
• Interview is a conversation interviewer is
  trying to get to know you.
• Begin with biographical questions
• Ask about school experiences
• Ask about extracurricular activitiesbe prepared
  to discuss your volunteer work, why did you
  choose that charity or program, what did you gain
  from the experience?

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Personal Interview-MCG format

• How did you come to the conclusion that you want
  to be a physician?
• Students ask questions of the interviewerprepare
  a mental list

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MCAT performance

• Test is required for admission, but no minimum
  score is posted.
• The better you perform on the exam that better
  your application looks, but the score is not the
  deciding factor.
• Test is given in April and August.
• For the year that you are applying, it is
  recommended that you take the MCAT in April, but
  August is acceptable.

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MCAT performance

• You must take the MCAT no earlier than 3 years
  prior to your application submission.
• No later than April for early admission for the
  year that you apply.
• Registration deadline mid-March and test
  mid-April
• No later than August for regular admission for
  the year that you apply.
• Registration deadline early July and test
  mid-August.
• Link to MCAT info.

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Grade Point Average

• No minimum posted.
• Check the mean or average GPA posted for each
  school to get an idea of what is competitive.
• Important but not the only factor that is
  considered.

30
MCG Admissions Personnel

• Linda DeVaughn, Director of Admissions and
  Student Affairs
• Dr. Mason P. Thompson, Associate Dean for
  Admissions and Student Affairs

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Submitting Your Application

• Applications must be submitted to AMCAS
• AMCA website
• Transcript are the most common cause for delays
  in processing applications.
• Materials submitted to AMCAS must be received by
  AMCAS on the date specified by the school. LATE
  MATERIALS ARE NOT ACCEPTED.

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Submitting Your Application

• It is your responsibility to check with AMCAS and
  the school to which you apply to ensure that all
  of your materials have been received.
• AMCAS communicates with you by e-mail.
• When all materials are received by AMCAS, they
  will verify your application against official
  transcripts.
• Application may be returned if there are errors
  or omissions, so check carefully.

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Submitting Your Application

• Transcripts must be received directly from EVERY
  college or university you attendedeven if it is
  a single class.
• Once your application is verified, AMCAS
  calculates your GPA, sends the application to the
  medical schools you choose, and notifies you that
  the application has been processed.
• Processing time is normally 4-6 weeks at non-peak
  processing times with no problems or delays.
  Begin this process well before the submission
  deadline.

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Submitting Your Application

• Common problems for delay of processing
• Missing or incomplete transcripts
• Nonpayment of application fees
• Errors or omissions on application.
• Warnings or Errors
• Missed e-mailsdetected as spam
• Contact the admissions staff at MCG often to
  check on the status of your applicationthey
  encourage this.

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Submitting Your Application

• Deadlines
• Deadlines apply to submission and
  web-certification (like a signature stating the
  application is complete and accurate) of
  materials and payment of application fees.
• If you make changes or additions to application
  after the initial submission, you must re-certify
  and re-submit the application.
• No exceptions for late submission, so do this
  early.

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Submitting Your Application

• Deadlines
• Early Decision at MCG
• 1159 pm EST August 1
• If you miss the early submission deadline, I
  believe you will be rolled over to the regular
  admission category.
• Regular Admission at MCG
• 1159 pm EST November 1
• Transcripts can be received by AMCAS beginning
  May 5.

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Financial Aid

• Apply before you know your acceptance status it
  takes a minimum of 90 days to process submitted
  materials (no later than May 1)
• Total cost at MCG (2003-2004)
• First year 13,794
• Second year 18,342
• Third year 17,959
• Fourth year 11,918
• First year costs for Emory are 31,025 for 2002-3
  AY.
• First year costs at Morehouse are approximately
  25,000.

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Financial Aid

• Financial aid in the form of
• Grants, scholarships, fellowships, and
  assistantshipsgenerally do not have to be
  repaid.
• Work-study
• Service commitmentan organization pays your
  medical school costs and you work for the
  organization for a certain length of time upon
  graduation
• Student loansmust be repaid most common way to
  finance medical school costs.

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Financial Aid

• Your loans can also include money to live
  onmaximum that can be borrowed for subsidy.
• Subsidy is for one person.
• Average debt MCG medical school graduates is
  74,685 for class of 2003.
• This must be repaid beginning during residency.
• Average monthly payment is 800-900.
• National average debt for graduates from public
  medical schools is 91,389 and 123,780 from
  private medical schools for class of 2002.

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Financial Aid

• Research ways to finance your medical school
  education well in advance.
• MCG financial aid assistant director
• Antoinette Esposito
• Aesposit_at_mail.mcg.edu
• 706-721-4901

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Time line for Medical School Application

• Plan well in advance
• Fulfill the academic, volunteering, and shadowing
  requirements.
• Application process is long and time consuming so
  start as early as possible begin in January,
  February, March of the year you intend to apply
  to medical school.
• Have an alternate plan.

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Time Line for pre-med students

• What should you do immediately and continue
  throughout your college career?
• Begin your science curriculum as soon as
  possible.
• Consult with a science advisor (biology at CCSU)
  your freshman year (or as soon as you know you
  are pre-med) to ensure that you are on track.

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Time Line for pre-med students

• What should you do immediately and continue
  throughout your college career?
• Participate in extracurricular activitiesno
  later than junior year.
• Join student organizations and go to the
  meetings.
• Actively participate in the clubs activities.
• Hold an office in a student organization.
• Volunteer with an organization whose cause
  interests you.
• Experience the medical fieldknow what you are in
  for with a medical career.

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Time Line for pre-med students

• Sophomore year
• Apply to summer enrichment programs or research
  programs.
• Continue with shadowing and/or volunteer
  activities.
• You should be well on your way to completing the
  basic, required course work for all medical
  schools.

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Time Line for pre-med students

• Junior year
• Plan out upper level courses and set a target
  graduation date.
• Set a target year for medical school application.
• Plan to take the MCAT in spring or summer of this
  academic year.
• Prepare for the MCAT
• Self preparation.
• Preparation course (Kaplan, Princeton Review,
  summer program).
• Make sure you have taken the relevant course
  work.

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Time Line for pre-med students

• Junior year
• Select schools that are of interest to you.
  Consider
• Location
• Size of school
• Student population
• Faculty/student ratio
• Type of curriculm (approach to teaching)
• Mission of school
• Obtain information from those schools (internet,
  sent away for information, talk to representative
  that visit CCSU, visit school)

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Time Line for pre-med students

• Junior year
• Obtain application materials from schools of
  interest (available June 1 for most schools)
• Begin working on your application materials as
  soon as possible (Spring semester but no later
  than beginning of May).
• Write statement and ask people to review it.
• Ask references to write letters of
  recommendation.
• Volunteer, shadow, do research, etc. during the
  summer.

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Time Line for pre-med students

• Senior year
• Complete and submit applications and
  supplementary materials if not already completed.
• Frequently check application status with AMCAS
  and medical schools.
• Complete course workdo your best as your
  acceptance is contingent upon your satisfactory
  completion of your program.
• Continue volunteer and shadowing efforts.
• Prepare for interview.

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Time Line for pre-med students

• Senior year
• Summer after graduation
• relax before you begin the all consuming medical
  school experience.
• Attend pre-matriculation at the the medical
  school to which you were accepted.
• Continue with shadowing or volunteering if
  feasible.

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Time Line for pre-med students

• ASMC five step plan for becoming a competitive
  applicant
• Complete required courses and do well in them.
• Prepare for the MCAT.
• Volunteer and shadow.
• Get to know and make good impression on those who
  will write letter of recommendation.
• Act in a professional manner.

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Events AMSA could sponsor

• MCAT preparation and practice tests.
• Test taking strategies.
• Advertisement of summer programs.
• Workshops on writing your personal essay.
• Mock interviews.

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Important Websites

• http//www.aamc.org/
• http//www.aamc.org/students/mcat/start.htm
• http//www.aamc.org/audienceamcas.htm
• http//www.naahp.org
• http//www.namme-hpe.org
• http//www.snma.org
• http//www.amsa.org