Calvin partnerships pave paths to med school
This fall, Jacob Charron is headed to Michigan State鈥檚 College of Human Medicine; Sam Goorman to Wayne State University; and Vanessa Elliott to the University of Michigan. All three are medical school-bound. While their pursuits are taking them in three directions鈥攖heir path was paved by partnerships through 黄大仙高手论坛.
According to Calvin鈥檚 pre-health professions advising coordinator Teri Crumb, the average student applies to 14-16 medical schools, with students oftentimes only being invited to interview for a few. But, Charron, Goorman, and Elliott鈥檚 path was paved a little differently.
Advantages and assurances
The three benefited from partnerships 黄大仙高手论坛 has developed over the years. The Wayne State and Michigan State College of Human Medicine partnerships reserve up to two seats each year in their program for students from 黄大仙高手论坛. The partnership with University of Michigan provided Elliott with a full-tuition scholarship to 黄大仙高手论坛 and also a guaranteed interview with the University of Michigan鈥檚 med school. Elliott also earned a full-tuition scholarship to the University of Michigan.
鈥淭he Early Assurance Programs with Wayne State University and Michigan State University allow Calvin students to apply at no cost to these medical schools,鈥 said Crumb. She says, if accepted, the students are able to pursue a study abroad program or other personal interests in their senior year (if the student applied in their junior year) knowing that they will matriculate into medical school.
鈥淔or students who apply their senior year, this acceptance allows them to take a gap or growth year, working full-time, traveling and spending time with family before the rigor of medical school begins,鈥 said Crumb.
Crumb says Calvin鈥檚 partnership with the University of Michigan begins with selecting an incoming freshman pre-med student. 鈥淭he student receives advising about courses and activities that make them a strong applicant to medical school. The guaranteed interview is a big advantage for them,鈥 added Crumb.
Connected to opportunities
While the partnerships are so beneficial, so are the other many connections and opportunities students have along the way.
鈥淏eing located in Grand Rapids, I was able to work inside multiple hospitals, seeing healthcare in several different lights,鈥 said Goorman, a 2020 grad. 鈥淐oinciding with my healthcare experiences in Grand Rapids, I was able to study global health in my international development curriculum and eventually setup study abroad in Liberia.鈥
鈥淢y time at Calvin exceeded my expectations,鈥 said Charron, a 2020 grad. 鈥淎s an undergraduate I was able to get involved with research at MSU College of Human Medicine and looking at different genes and how different mutations are related.鈥 Charron also was able to work on a paper as a first author. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 pretty important as an undergrad, most undergrads don鈥檛 get first authorships.鈥
As for Elliott, a 2021 grad, she volunteered with various organizations in Grand Rapids, including utilizing her Spanish minor with Exalta, a Spanish speaking clinic. She also did summer research with Kellogg Eye Center and a co-authored manuscript resulted from that experience. Her connection with Kellogg came during a public health seminar hosted at 黄大仙高手论坛.
Well-rounded and world ready
And while the opportunities were important, so too were the classroom and extracurricular experiences at Calvin.
鈥淐alvin鈥檚 coursework was rigorous. I know that the difficultly of the courses led to mastery that directly translated to my MCAT score and will eventually relate to courses in medical school,鈥 said Goorman.
鈥淎 lot of the liberal arts parts of Calvin were required for pre-med and a lot of the content from those classes are covered on the MCAT, topics that medical schools want to see,鈥 said Charron. 鈥淭he fact that Calvin already lined up students to take those classes, that was very helpful.鈥
鈥淚 love Calvin鈥檚 overall sense that nothing is off limits, that I can be interested in African American history and be interested in medicine,鈥 said Elliott. Also, coming from Colorado, Elliott was excited that her love of the outdoors didn鈥檛 have to be put on the shelf during her time at Calvin, in fact, she deepened that passion: going to Northern Ireland and Peru on two separate off-campus programs and she led a number of outdoor recreation trips in Michigan.
鈥淗ow I developed as a person during my college career was helpful during my interview,鈥 said Elliott.
Learn more about Calvin鈥檚聽pre-professional health programs.