An MSU medical school early acceptance program is expanding, allowing premedical students at two Upper Peninsula universities to breathe sighs of relief.
The Early Assurance Program gives students from underachieving high schools and underserved areas of medicine an opportunity to receive early acceptance to MSU’s College of Human Medicine, said Christine Shafer, MSU’s College of Human Medicine assistant dean for admissions. Traditionally, underserved areas include inner cities and rural areas.
Students who apply to MSU’s College of Human Medicine through the program will know in their junior year whether they are accepted — almost an entire year before other students.
MSU’s College of Human Medicine will reserve three spots for Michigan Technological University and Northern Michigan University premedical students as part of the program. Grand Valley State University is allotted five student spots, Shafer said.
The first class of premedical students accepted from Grand Valley State will start classes next fall at either the College of Human Medicine’s East Lansing or Grand Rapids campus.
“We know people from those (underserved) areas are more likely to go back (after medical school),” Shafer said. “They may be more comfortable making that choice as a physician. Hopefully they’ll be here in Michigan, but we need them everywhere.”
The program began in fall 2008 at Grand Valley State as a way to pave a career path for students who might not have considered becoming a physician, Shafer said.
Cynthia Prosen, Northern Michigan’s associate provost for academic affairs, said she hopes the program will bring more physicians to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
“If there is a shortage, it’s certainly concentrated in the UP,” Prosen said. “These students start their education at Michigan State, but hopefully will come back up to the UP at some point … and they’ll stay here. We really do need that.”
MSU’s College of Human Medicine receives about 5,000 applications each year and class sizes continue to grow. Shafer said this year’s class includes about 156 students and expects that number to expand to 200 for next year’s entering class.
Although each of the three participating schools receives a specific number of spots, Shafer said MSU’s College of Human Medicine will consider accepting additional students if they meet the college’s requirements.
“If we see extra wonderful students, we’re not going to pass them over,” Shafer said.
Bruce Seely, Michigan Technological’s College of Sciences and Arts dean, said although the program will be a key recruiting tool for his university, students will benefit from the early acceptance notification.
“There’s nothing more stressful than trying to get into medical school,” Seely said. “They have to pass the MCAT in their junior year in a way in which they are competitive with students taking the MCAT in their senior year. These really are going to be top-flight students.”
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