From High School to Med. School

Journal of College Admission, Spring 2002 by Elam, Carol L

From High School to Med. School

by Jason Yano/ski and Asbris Corporation, 2000

Xlibris Corporation, 292 pages, paperback

$18.69, 292 pages, paperback

From High School to Med. School is a guide for students seeking admission to accelerated medical programs. Accelerated medical programs combine an undergraduate education with a medical degree program. Students who apply to accelerated medical programs do so out of high school. The accelerated programs truncate the amount of time it takes to earn both a baccalaureate degree in college and a M.D. degree in medical school. Accelerated programs are usually six or seven-year dual-degree programs; the regular route of completing both the baccalaureate and medical degree is normally eight years. Advocates of the accelerated degree program point to the savings in time and money.

The authors of From High School to Med. School are Jason Yanofski and Ashish Raju, two accelerated program students enrolled in the Lehigh University/MCP Hahnemann program. Their perspective is helpful because they have "been there and done that," and they are able to give pointers on gaining admission to accelerated programs based upon their own experiences. Because the authors are still in the undergraduate portion of their program and cannot comment on their medical curricular experiences as yet, they have enlisted the help of physicians to do so.

The 20-chapter book is divided into five units-describing what accelerated programs are; the necessary background one should have in high school; the application process, including application essays, letters of recommendation, and interviews; the undergraduate experience including curriculum, study habits, extracurricular activities, and financial aid; and medical school, other combined degree programs, and medical careers. Appendices include program profiles and rankings, abstracts of selected research articles on combined degree and accelerated programs, descriptions of several science/medicine summer programs, and a listing of relevant Web sites.

The authors offer advice on a broad range of topics that should be useful to prospective medical students, whether they choose to apply to either accelerated or traditional medical programs. For example, with regard to academic preparation, they note that the foundations for college work are laid in high school-from taking rigorous academic coursework to developing solid study skills. Regarding standardized tests, they point out that performance on tests such as the SAT or Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is carefully examined by admission committees because of difficulties in comparing courses, curricula, and grading scales across schools. The authors also write about extracurricular experiences. For example, they note that medical school admission committees will expect applicants to have tested their suitability for a medical career by seeking firsthand medical exposure in hospitals, clinics, or doctor 's offices. They also note that participation in service activities is usually highly valued by medical school admission committees, because they hope to select students who are inclined to exhibit compassion and care toward others and concern for the human condition. The importance of developing outside interests in music, art or sports is also discussed. With regard to participation in sports activities, the authors argue that "Sports define your ability to work with others, deal with victory and defeat, and build character and sportsmanship" (p. 75).

Most admission directors would probably agree with the authors' suggestions about diversifying one's application package to include extracurricular activities.

Other recommendations may be problematic to medical school admission directors and their admission committees. For example, the authors suggest that applicants solicit recommendations for the accelerated programs from several high school teachers. The authors propose that the recommendations be sent back to the applicant, so that the applicant can select and forward the most flattering letters. Medical school admission officers find the letters of recommendation to be a highly valued aspect of the application materials. As a result, most medical schools prefer that applicants sign waiver statements-giving up their right to access the contents of the letters, thus insuring truthfulness and candor from the author of the letter.

A second recommendation that admission deans would take issue with is to "take the initiative to start a new club in your school. It doesn't matter how many people join or show up to meetings" (p. 70). The suggestion that future applicants organize an activity, or even invent an organization, for the purposes of illustrating that they are "ambitious and motivated" and to provide fodder for a resume is antithetical to the spirit of service and leadership sought in future medical students as well as future physicians.

Appendix A of the book presents "Program Profiles and Rankings." Although this type of rating/ranking information is often sought by students and their parents, it would have been helpful if the authors had provided additional information as to how the ratings were assigned. For example, what specific sources of information were used, how were data collected, what were the standards set for points on the rating scale, and who did the ratings? Any time ratings and ranking are assigned, it is essential that the reader be assured of the objectivity of the ratings.