Explore Health Careers

College Students

The NW PA AHEC supports and advises pre-medical and pre-dental students throughout the course of their education in order to help prepare college students for medical or dental school.

PA AHEC Scholars Program—

For Pre-Medical and Pre-Dental Students
Northwest and Southcentral Pennsylvania Area Health Education Centers present the PA AHEC Scholars Program:
The PA AHEC Scholars Program is designed to provide pre-medical and pre-dental students professional development opportunities to prepare them for medical school or dental school application and acceptance. Students will be given the opportunity to build their resume and prepare a personal statement and application that will be compelling to admissions committees of Pennsylvania medical and dental schools. Please find additional information below including a preliminary outline of the schedule.
 

Application Eligibility
Eligibility to Submit an Application (must meet all criteria):
     1. Must be a Second Semester Freshman.
     2. Must be a Pre-Medical or Pre-Dental Student in a Pennsylvania College/University (“Pre-medical” is defined as participating in a curriculum that can fulfill the course requirements for entrance into medical or dental school).
     3. Must be a resident of or attend school in one of the following 15 counties in Northwest Pennsylvania:
          • Butler, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango, or Warren.
          • Students in one of the Southcentral PA counties– please visit the Southcentral PA AHEC website to get more information and your application!  (Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, Somerset, or York)

Selection Criteria to the Program*
     1. Preference for students receiving need-based aid, or coming from a Medically Underserved Area (MUA), or coming from a disadvantaged population
     2. Academic Promise as a Pre-Med and Pre-Dental Student
     3. Demonstrated Commitment to Serving People
     4. Extra-Curricular Activities
*Consideration is given to pre-medical students who are Pennsylvania residents attending an out-of-state college/university if openings are available.

DOWNLOAD YOUR APPLICATION NOW!
Application deadline is Friday, May 21, 2010

Questions?
Call NW PA AHEC at 814-453-6551

Student Information  
PA AHEC Scholars Program Mission Statement
The PA AHEC Scholar’s Program exists to assist academically promising, socio-economically disadvantaged students in their quest to obtain admission to medical or dental school.

PA AHEC Scholars Program Vision Statement
The PA AHEC Scholars Program will encourage and assist college students from traditionally underserved areas or disadvantaged populations of Pennsylvania who show academic promise and a commitment to serving people to attend medical school. Students who come from underserved areas or populations are the most likely to return to those areas or populations to practice, and therefore, should be encouraged. Disadvantaged populations, by definition, lack the experiences and wherewithal of the general population. Such assistance may take the form of advising, volunteer and shadowing opportunities, developing professionalism, exposure to physicians and professional environments, preparation for the MCAT or DAT, developing specific personal goals, and financial assistance when and where possible. Scholars are expected to be active participants in this process through academic scholarship, personal development, and the completion of a health related service project. Admissions committees of the Pennsylvania medical schools and dental schools are aware of this program and take this exclusive preparation into consideration during the admissions process.

The goal of the PA AHEC Scholars Program is to prepare students for the medical or dental school application and acceptance. By participating in the program, you will be given the opportunity to build your resume and prepare a personal statement and application that will be compelling to admissions committees of Pennsylvania medical schools.

Pre-Sophomore Year Opportunities; Scholars will:
     • Gain a better understanding of medical school curriculum requirements and timelines for testing and application processes.
     • Begin shadowing with a physician or dentist in your area. The NW PA AHEC can help locate preceptors willing to take students.
     • Choose a Scholar Project to conduct.

Sophomore Year Opportunities; Scholars will:
     • Actively shadow a physician or dental preceptor.
     • Attend Primary Care Day at Penn State University College of Medicine (pre-med students only).
     • Continue working on Scholar Project

Summer Between Sophomore & Junior Year Opportunities; Scholars will:
     • Continue shadowing experiences.
     • Learn how to write an attractive resume.
     • Take part in cultural competency training.
     • Improve your interviewing skills.
     • Complete your Scholar Project by December of junior year by writing a paper and creating a poster about the project.

Junior Year Opportunities; Scholars will:
     • Attend the one-week Primary Care Scholars Program at the Penn State College of Medicine in May – if eligible (pre-med students only). Dental students will have a pre-arranged visit at University of Pittsburgh Dental School.
     • Complete shadowing experiences.
     • Prepare for Kaplan Course, MCATS, AMCAS, AACOMAS or DAT

Senior Year Opportunities; Scholars will:
     • Practice for interviews.
     • Participate in career counseling.

The PA AHEC Scholars Committee strongly believes it is important that you experience medicine or dentistry firsthand to discover if you really want to pursue this career field. Therefore, you are should try to participate in shadowing experiences particularly in a rural setting as well as an urban setting. The NW PA AHEC will work with you to schedule your shadowing experiences. The activities in this outline will be modified as the program grows. If arrangements can be made you will participate in a mentoring experience also.

What are Medical Schools Looking For?

There is no one right way to get into medical school. In fact, there are many different ways to achieve this goal encompassing a wide variety of majors, minors, activities and experiences. There are, however, some important considerations that will directly affect your ability to achieve your goal.

Academic Considerations
1. Pre-medical Core Curriculum, required by all medical schools:
2 semesters (or equivalent) of Biology with lab
2 semesters (or equivalent) of Introductory and/or Inorganic Chemistry with lab
2 semesters (or equivalent) of Physics with lab
2 semesters (or equivalent) of Organic Chemistry with lab
2 semesters (or equivalent) of English (literature and composition)
Recommended and required by a few schools: Calculus and Biochemistry

2. Major: Any major is acceptable to medical schools; pre-medical students do not have to major in a science. All students, though, regardless of major, must take the pre-medical core curriculum.

3. GPA: Medical schools look at your BCPM (biology, chemistry, physics and math) GPA as carefully as they look at your overall GPA. In 2004, the mean GPA of students accepted to MD programs was 3.62 and the mean BCPM was 3.62.

4. MCAT: The MCAT is the standardized test required for all allopathic and osteopathic medical school applicants. Beginning in 2007, the administration of the MCAT will be by computer at commercial test sites across the country. All core coursework needs to be completed before taking the test.

5. Research: Research is a highly valued, but not a required experience. In the sciences, this may take the form of a summer internship or an independent study in the lab. Public health and other social science type internships are equally valuable.
Non-Academic Experiences

6. Extracurricular and Job Experiences: Ranging from performing arts to community service; from religious activities to varsity sports; from cultural awareness clubs to sororities and fraternities, these activities help you to develop interpersonal skills, teamwork, leadership potential, and time management skills. Many also allow you to demonstrate your interest in serving your community. It is easy, however, to get overextended with activities and you are encouraged to start slowly, adding activities only as you are sure you have time for them. Medical schools will be far more impressed by a student with serious commitment to one or two activities than by a long list with little depth. Many students must work for financial reasons and the medical school will recognize that someone who works extensive hours is likely to have fewer activities.

7. Health Care Related Experience: It is important that you experience medicine firsthand, to discover if you really want to spend your life working with sick and injured people. It is also important that you experience the various settings in which health care is practiced – hospitals, clinics, and offices. The PA AHEC Scholars Program will help you gain this experience. Experience working with people, though not specifically in a medical setting, is also very valuable. This might include volunteering as a Big Brother/Sister, tutoring children, volunteering for Special Olympics, etc. Working with people whose ethnic, religious, socio-economic, etc. background is different from your own is also very valuable experience.

Personal Considerations
8. Letters of Recommendation: Before applying to medical school, you will need to collect letters of recommendation from at least 3 faculty members. One should be from the science division, one outside of the science division, and the third is up to you. You may also want to obtain letters from health care professionals you have worked with. Keep this in mind during your internship experiences.

9. Interview: All medical schools require an interview, often two or three, with members of their faculty and, sometimes, medical students on the admissions committee. In general, the more you have dealt with people, the more comfortable you will be in an interview. So, if you are on the shy sides, push yourself a bit socially and try to become more comfortable talking with other people, especially strangers. Of course, having had a variety of interesting experiences will help make you a more interesting (and appealing) interviewee.

10. Academic and Disciplinary Violations: Medical school applications ask if you have ever received an “institutional action,” and, if you have, you will need to explain your actions. Institutional actions typically include cheating and plagiarism, as well as violation of the rules governing your behavior. If you abide by the rules and take responsibility for your personal conduct, you should have nothing to worry about.

11. Professional Behavior: Professionalism encompasses a number of areas. One is your ability to treat other people appropriately; to understand and honor different beliefs and traditions, to treat others with respect and courtesy, and to be able to work as part of a group. A second area is personal accountability. This includes knowing and adhering to deadlines, arriving on time to appointments, canceling meetings if there is an unavoidable conflict, in short, acting responsibly. Finally, professionalism involves being informed about ethical issues and acting honestly and with integrity. A medical professional is expected to be altruistic; that is, to place the interests of individuals and society above their own.

12. Ability to Care for Yourself: Medical and Dental schools want students who can take care of themselves. This means knowing how to relax in a healthy, responsible way. This means knowing your limits and knowing when to seek help. This means maintaining a healthy life style – eating healthy meals, sleeping a reasonable number of hours, getting regular exercise, and having a social support system – family and friends who will listen and help when times are rough.

NW PA Area Health Education Center | 1913 West 8th Street | Erie, PA  16505 | P: 814-453-6551 | F: 814-455-4320