Pre-Medical Initiative assists students in need

GC&SU and the Medical College of Georgia have partnered to create the Pre-Medical Honors Corp Initiative to provide assistance to some students for medical school.

This initiative offers educationally or economically disadvantaged students the ability to complete practice tests for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) at no charge.

The cost of preparation courses alone for the MCAT is $1,500.

“It’s such a competition to get into medical school and you need to take advantage of every opportunity you get,” said Chevene Simmons, a junior chemistry major and one of eight GC&SU students selected to be involved in the Pre-Medical Honor Corps Initiative this semester.

Dr. Rosalie Richards, Kaolin Endowed chair in science and associate professor of chemistry, said the cost absorption the program offers is significant.

“At the end of the program the students will have $3,500 of prep course material given to them for free,” Richards said.

This amount covers diagnostic tests, prep work, and five full MCAT tests, which are all completed online.

There are several requirements to apply for this program. The students must be pre-med majors pursuing a medical degree, have at least a 3.0 GPA, be a Georgia resident, and come from an economic or educationally disadvantaged background. This includes but is not limited to students who are first generation college students, students of minority, or a student who has overcome an economic hardship.

“Any interested pre-medical student should try and get involved in this program,” Simmons said. “It gives you a step above everybody else.”

The students will undergo testing for six hours every Saturday until May. Faculty from the biology, chemistry and physics departments will assist students while they are practicing and preparing for the MCAT.

“This type of pipeline project is geared toward enhancing student performance in a very competitive examination for access to medical school,” Richards said. “But, beside the MCAT, students will be exposed to practical experience and mentoring that will assist them in being successful in medical school.”

Along with this opportunity offered to pre-med students, the Medical College of Georgia has promised that those in the program who finish the MCAT preparatory test with a score of 20 or higher will be guaranteed an interview with their school of medicine.

“The privilege of having a direct connection with the Medical College of Georgia early in their academic career will definitely enhance the opportunity to gain admissions into medical school,” said Dr. Doris Moody, director of the Office of Academic Engagement.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 3 2006. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry