This is what the SLU student said:
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I don’t know entirely what percentage kept the GPA because we don’t know the exact reason people leave the program. There are a couple different reasons people may leave the program - Some people decide the Medical Scholars program isn’t the right path for them and some decide they may not want to be a physician anymore. Then, there are some students who don’t keep the GPA after the freshman year. So people could leave for any of these reasons. As for an approximate number of people that continue with the program in to sophomore year, I think it is a little over half. My year started with around 80 students and I believe we had around 45-50 in our class the next year.
What I will say about the GPA cutoff is that this is something entirely in your control. It can be intimidating to know that some people don’t keep that GPA to stay in the program. However, what is important is not how other people perform, but how you can. It is completely attainable to achieve a 3.65 GPA or higher freshman year. -
Like I said above, I believe there were 80 students in my cohort freshman year (but I know there were 100 in last year’s freshman class). We had around 45-50 come back for sophomore year. I believe we currently have around 35 members in our cohort. My cohort was the one that was applying and interviewing during quarantine/remote learning so that may have impacted who chose to stay in the program.
Freshman year, we take a Medical Scholars section of the freshman seminar. This helps you get oriented to the program and meet other students in the program. We also have a sophomore seminar that helps you with the application process. This is another opportunity to meet people and build relationships. I would say that there is definitely more of a collaborative attitude. SLU doesn’t grade on a curve so it is possible for every person to get an A in a class, if they earn it. There are enough spots for every person at the medical school if each person were to keep the GPA and interview well. So really the competition is with yourself to be the best candidate you can, not with other people in the program. As for common activities, we all share the Medical Scholars classes and the pre-med classes. One of the great parts of the Medical Scholars program is that you get to choose your own extracurricular activities and what you want your college experience to be like. There are some pre-health specific clubs that certainly have more Medical Scholars in them but you can participate in anything you want to! -
I do want to go SLU Medical School! I wouldn’t still be in this program if I didn’t want to! SLU is a great school with a brand new hospital. It is an urban campus that trains physicians to treat every person in the community. Remember you aren’t committed to anything by entering SLU in the Medical Scholars program! I know the thought of only applying and interviewing for one school can be intimidating. However, I would recommend looking at SLU SOM’s 2019 and 2020 match list. This helped me realize that I can go anywhere I want from SLU SOM which helped me be more comfortable applying to only one school.
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I think my best experiences were my interview and my acceptance to SLU SOM. I was able to see all of the things I had accomplished in my previous years and how much I had grown since freshman year. This ties in to the harder experience - the beginning of freshman year. At the beginning of freshman year, you start with a blank slate and have about a year and half to get yourself ready to be an applicant for medical school. This means that you are focused on academics, extracurriculars, and research while also getting used to a new campus and a new city. I felt intimidated by how much I wanted to do, adjusting to a new way of studying, and creating a new life at a new school. However, there are so many resources. The Medical Scholars freshman seminar helps so much. It helped me get familiar with the program and its expectations. Professors’ office hours helped me excel in classes. There are so many resources: free tutoring, free counseling, career services, and student organizations. I mention this experience because it is very common to be overwhelmed in the first weeks of school, no matter where you choose to attend. Tap in to your resources and know that many people feel like that and end up being incredibly successful!
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My final choice was between SLU (in the medical scholars program) and Villanova (traditional pre-med) in Philadelphia. There were a couple different reasons I chose SLU. I loved that the people at SLU genuinely wanted to be there. The community on this campus was unmatched on any of the other college tours I went on. Being a student for three years here, I can attest that the community is very strong! The Medical Scholars program was also a big part of the decision. Traditional medical school application is very competitive. Some people apply and don’t even receive an interview anywhere. More and more people are pursing advanced degrees (master’s and PhD) before applying to medical school. If you keep the 3.65 GPA, you are guaranteed an interview at a great medical school. I knew that this program was an excellent opportunity to achieve my final goal of being a physician and that was a the final deciding factor.