Shortcut to Medical School — Rhodes Sophomores Can Apply for Early Acceptance

By Alex Doniach doniach@commercialappealcom

Rhodes College and George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington have formed a partnership allowing Rhodes students to apply and be accepted to medical school in their sophomore year of college – the first early acceptance program of its kind in the Memphis region.

Students admitted to the program, which begins next year, will avoid taking the Medical College Admission Test, the 5 1/2 -hour standardized test required of most U.S. medical schools. They’ll also be able to apply to GW before finishing the four pre-medical requirements that include a year of biology, chemistry, organic chemistry and physics.

Dr. Alan Jaslow, Rhodes’ director of health professions advising, said this early acceptance program will free motivated students from the medical school admissions rat-race that often consumes college juniors and seniors.

“Students can be more creative and plan their academic projects with more freedom,” Jaslow said. “Admitted students will be able to go abroad more easily, do research more easily and community service projects more easily.”

Diane McQuail, GW’s assistant dean of admissions for the school of medicine, said GW benefits because “it gives us a chance to look at and make some offers to students we feel are clearly a good fit for us,” she said. “We can monitor and mentor them for their last two years.”

According to U.S. News & World Report, GW’s medical program ranks with Harvard and Stanford in terms of selectivity. In 2006, GW admitted 3.4 percent of applicants. Harvard admitted 4.7 percent and Stanford 3.1 percent.

GW has a similar partnership with nine other schools around the country, including Claremont McKenna and Scripps College in California and Knox College in Illinois.

A friendship between Rhodes president Bill Troutt and GW president Stephen Joel Trachtenberg brought Rhodes onto the list.

McQuail said Rhodes was an attractive addition because of its programs and academic reputation. “About 80 percent of students do service and service is part of our mission,” she said.

To be considered for the program, students have to have scored at least a 1250 on the SAT or a 28 on the ACT in high school. They will also need a minimum 3.3 GPA in their science courses at Rhodes.

To hold their spot at GW, admitted students must maintain that GPA during their final two years.

GW only admits about one or two students from each partner school per year and the average GPA of accepted students is a 3.7 GPA, McQuail said. “We are looking for students who are very mature and focused,” she said.

Although this is the first program of its kind in the region, other schools around the country offer a similar partnership, such as Boston College with Tufts University and Nicholls State University with Tulane University School of Medicine.

According to Rhodes provost Charlotte Borst, these kinds of partnerships allow students to spend less time applying to schools and more time enriching their colleges lives.

“Students won’t have to be manically focused on getting into some sort of medical school,” Borst said. “They can take that art course they might not have thought about. They can enrich their lives, which will enrich them as doctors.”

– Alex Doniach: 529-5231

(c) 2007 Commercial Appeal, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.