Medical School Early Assurance Programs

Considering pursuing a medical career? Check and see if the colleges you’re applying to offer medical school early assurance programs. Pursuing a career in medicine is a big a commitment. Students have to complete pre-medical requirements on top of their major, take the dreaded MCAT, and then go through the medical school application process. If only there was a more streamlined process†¦. There is! Many medical schools work with their undergraduate universities to offer students the Early Assurance Program (EAP). While the EAP offers many perks (no MCAT!) and simplifies the medical school application process, it is by not any means â€Å"easy†. The process across all universities and medical schools is highly selective. The purpose of having an early assurance program is to give high achieving students more flexibility and freedom to explore other areas of interest during their undergraduate academic careers. Students can take the time they’d have used to study for the GMAT and interview and multiple medical schools to study abroad, take more electives or challenge themselves with higher level science courses. Each medical school’s process and eligibility differ, so here’s a list of the medical school that offer EAPs and their requirements: 1. Georgetown University School of Medicine Georgetown’s Early Assurance Program offers Georgetown undergraduate students the opportunity to apply and to receive admissions to Georgetown’s School of Medicine at the end of their sophomore year. Eligibility Requirements: Completed 4 semesters at Georgetown University Students in any undergraduate college at Georgetown are eligible Completed 4 of the 5 pre-med courses by end of May of sophomore year One of the 4 completed pre-med courses must be organic chemistry No MCAT exam needed Minimum 3.6 GPA Application Process: Meet with Dean Canlas to determine if the program is a good fit for you Attend SOM information session on EAP Requests letters of recommendations Complete 2-page application: Basic contact and personal information, information on your recommendation letter writers Complete activities and experiences resume: Up to 15 experiences. Each experience needs to be categorized as paid employment – not military, community service/volunteer – medical/clinical, research/lab, teaching/tutoring, conferences attended, extracurricular/hobbies/avocations; etc. You’ll also be required to give a short description about each experience, including what you did and what you learned. Complete 2-year plan: An outline of the coursework you plan to pursue during the remaining 2 years at Georgetown. Complete proposal essay: An essay describing your 2-year plan. It should focus on your academic coursework, but can also include your extracurricular plans and commitment. Interview with Georgetown SOM Expectations of Sweeney Scholars (Accepted EAP students): Must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.6 Earning a â€Å"C† or below in any course will disqualify a student from the program Cannot withdraw from a major course Any changes to the proposal and/or coursework relating to the proposal must be pre-approved by the School of Medicine Unfortunately, transfers are not eligible for Georgetown’s EAP. The purpose of the early assurance program is to relief students from the pressure of the ordinary application process during junior and senior year, giving them greater flexibility to pursue higher level coursework and experiences. Students accepted through the Georgetown EAP can still apply to other medical schools. However, they’d be required to take the MCAT and will immediately give up your EAP offer. Students who choose to do so can re-apply to Georgetown SOM as well. Non-acceptance to the EAP will not affect future applications to Georgetown SOM. Click here for more information about Georgetown’s EAP. 2. Wake Forest University School of Medicine Wake Forest University’s early assurance program is only eligible to Wake Forest undergraduates who wish to pursue their medical studies at Wake Forest School of Medicine. Upon completion of the sophomore year, students may apply to Wake Forest SOM to attend after completing their undergraduate studies. Eligibility Requirements: Minimum overall GPA of 3.5 Minimum science GPA of 3.5 Completed half of the following prerequisite courses: Chemistry 1 II, Organic I II, Comparative Physiology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry MCAT exam is not required Must be a permanent resident of citizen of the US Application Process: Use the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) to apply Contact Wake Forest SOM with AAMC ID# for permission to apply Choose EAP application type on your AMCAS application Deadline: November 1 Expectations: Complete requisite courses during the remaining 2 years Maintain minimum overall and science GPA of 3.5 Not apply to other medical schools Wake Forest’s EAP is binding, so only students committed to attending Wake Forest SOM should apply. Note that non-acceptance to EAP will not affect any future applications to Wake Forest SOM. Click here for more information about Wake Forest’s EAP. 3. Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University offers early assurance programs to undergraduate students at DeSales University, Lehigh University, Moravian College, Muhlenberg College, Washington Jefferson College and Temple University. Eligibility Requirements: Completed 2 semester courses in Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics by the end of their third year Minimum overall GPA of 3.6 Minimum science GPA of 3.6 No grade less than â€Å"B-† 50 hours of medically-related shadowing and/or experiences 50 hours of community service activities Expectations: Take the MCAT by May of junior year: minimum total score of 30, with no individual score lower than 9. Minimum GPA of 3.0 for the last undergraduate year Accepted students from DeSales University, Lehigh University, Moravian College, and Muhlenberg College will complete the second year of medical school and their required clinical clerkships at St. Lukes University Hospital in Bethlehem. Accepted students from Washington Jefferson College and Temple University have the option to select from the available clinical and regional campus options. Unlike Georgetown and Wake Forest’s EAP, Temple’s early assurance program is a conditional offer on the MCAT they must take by the May of their junior year. There are also additional requirements on where students must do their clinical clerkship. For a better understanding of all the requirements and curriculum, contact your pre-health advisor at your undergraduate college. Click here for more information about Temple’s EAP. 4. George Washington School of Medicine Health Studies George Washington School of Medicine Health Studies offers early assurance programs to GWU students, as well as 7 other undergraduate universities: Chaminade University Claremont McKenna College Colgate University Franklin Marshall College George Mason University Hampden-Sydney College Knox College Randolph-Macon College Rhodes College Rowan University Scripps College St. Bonaventure University University of Mary Washington Honors Program University of Maryland - College Park Eligibility Requirements: Minimum overall 3.5 GPA, no Cs or below in any science coursework Apply during the second semester of their undergraduate sophomore year; transfers are not eligible Students majoring in a science must minor in a non-science.* SAT ACT scores are required No MCAT exam required Application Process: GWU students should apply directly to the Office of Admissions Undergraduate students attending universities listed above must first be approved by their pre-medical advisor Application + Interview at GW School of Medical Health Studies Submit 2-year plan and share academic goals for their remaining undergraduate years. Expectations:Must complete their undergraduate degree and requirements of the program Program requirements must be maintained Students are encouraged to take an MCAT review course and submit a practice exam score before enrolling medical school in August Here are a more detailed list of requirements: For GW Columbian College Students For GW School of Engineering Students For non-GW Students 5. Tufts University School of Medicine Like other medical school schools, Tufts University School of Medicine offer the early assurance program to undergraduate sophomore students at Tufts. Additionally, the EAP is also offered to students interested in the Maine Track Program, a joint partnership between Tufts SOM and Maine Medical Center (MMC). Undergraduate colleges that offer the EAP to the Maine Track Program are Bates College, Bowdoin College, Colby College and all University of Maine campuses. All applicants must also be undergraduate sophomores. Eligibility Requirements: Minimum overall GPA of 3.5 Minimum science GPA of 3.5 Minimum â€Å"B+† grade in all courses in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, including labs Minimum â€Å"B† grade in all other courses Completed at least two semesters of Biology and General Chemistry, and one semester of Organic Chemistry by the end of sophomore year. Three of the above courses must be completed by fall of sophomore year AP credits for these courses do not count. SAT score above 1300 ACT Composite score above 30 are required. No MCAT required. Application Process: Letters of recommendation Application Essay Activities Experience Resume Interview with Tufts SOM Application deadline: February 1st Students who are accepted through Tufts’ EAP are not required to make a binding commitment upon acceptance at the end of their sophomore year. Students will only be required to make a commitment during fall senior year. Students who choose to apply to other medical schools will lose their EAP offers but are welcomed to re-apply to Tufts SOM. Interested in studying medicine in the future? Learn more about the different medical programs that are available. Early Assurance Programs are only one way of applying to medical school. Many universities also partner with their medical schools so high school students can apply directly for BS/MD combined programs. Be informed so you can make the best college decision for yourself.