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CWRU What's it like?
- Thread starter Moneyless
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That last I heard you had to keep a 3.5 GPA to stay in the program, which in reality will be the level you'll need to be competitive at most medical schools. So, with the exception of the anxiety of applying, you don't get away from anything. Almost all of the scholars I've met eventually take the MCAT.
The course difficulty for U/G can't be commented on, because the options are so varied. You can do a search for opinions about CWRU med school.
I was not a preprofessional scholar. I did undergraduate and med school at CWRU.
mike
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I have several friends in the preprof program. According to one of them, who's a junior this year, it's sometimes a crapshoot - i.e. in his words, some of the people that get in he didn't think would make good doctors and eventually did drop the program, and some other friends he has now he thought totally should have been in the program.
Either way, this year has been different as far as taking the MCATs and applying out goes. Traditionally a lot of the preprofs would apply out anyway, because they could hold their scores at AMCAS and only apply out if they did well. You need a 32 to stay in the program. If you don't get a 32 on the MCAT you lose your guaranteed spot and have to apply the regular way. However, with the score hold option, people could choose to release their scores only if they did better than a 32.
This year AMCAS has done away with the hold option and so many people decided not to take the MCAT for fear of not getting a 32. From the junior preprof class, I believe there are only maybe 2 applying out (as opposed to more in earlier years). The way it works I think is that you fill out the AMCAS as normal and have an "interview" and "tour" at the Case med school, but you're already accepted. Now there's no hiding your score, Case med will see your score if you take the MCAT.
The great thing about the program is that without having to take the MCAT, you really don't have that stress. You also have the freedom to take it a little easier, go abroad without worrying about the application process, etc.
I'm sure you already know, but in case you don't, you have two interviews, one with an undergrad person and one with an interviewer from the medical school. Because it's basically interviewing for undergrad and med school both, just treat the interview day as you would if you actually were interviewing for med school, and make sure you can explain why you want to go into medicine.
Good luck!
Either way, this year has been different as far as taking the MCATs and applying out goes. Traditionally a lot of the preprofs would apply out anyway, because they could hold their scores at AMCAS and only apply out if they did well. You need a 32 to stay in the program. If you don't get a 32 on the MCAT you lose your guaranteed spot and have to apply the regular way. However, with the score hold option, people could choose to release their scores only if they did better than a 32.
This year AMCAS has done away with the hold option and so many people decided not to take the MCAT for fear of not getting a 32. From the junior preprof class, I believe there are only maybe 2 applying out (as opposed to more in earlier years). The way it works I think is that you fill out the AMCAS as normal and have an "interview" and "tour" at the Case med school, but you're already accepted. Now there's no hiding your score, Case med will see your score if you take the MCAT.
The great thing about the program is that without having to take the MCAT, you really don't have that stress. You also have the freedom to take it a little easier, go abroad without worrying about the application process, etc.
I'm sure you already know, but in case you don't, you have two interviews, one with an undergrad person and one with an interviewer from the medical school. Because it's basically interviewing for undergrad and med school both, just treat the interview day as you would if you actually were interviewing for med school, and make sure you can explain why you want to go into medicine.
Good luck!
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Hey there, thought I'd better answer before you explode. 😀
Actually, I've just been kinda busy. So anyway about research, I don't know much about med school research since I've only spent undergrad here, but I can tell you what I know about undergrad research.
There are plenty of opportunities here, both at CWRU within departments or at the Biomedical Research Building, or at University Hospitals which is right on campus. I have friends doing research in labs with professors and also friends working in the labs over at the med school/BRB/hospital in dermatology, pathology, ophthamology, oncology, etc. There are also lots of opportunities to research outside of labs. For example, my senior project is to learn more about complementary alternative medicine, and as part of that I'm putting on a fair in the main area of University Hospitals. Even if you don't want to research during the school year, as I didn't, there are still opportunities in the summer. CWRU has their own summer research program, SPUR, which I've heard is great and if you really like your project you can continue on into the school year. There's also a wonderful program at Metrohealth Hospital which I did one summer, and tried out some clinical research that got my abstract presented at the annual meeting of a national pediatric society as well as giving me the opportunity to shadow more physicians than ever before (I would be happy to elaborate on what I saw in just 10 weeks).
Basically I'm saying, if you're looking for research, you can find it here. It's also not too hard to get started either. There are plenty of resources here and oftentimes it's simply a matter of emailing someone and asking if you could work with them.
Hope this helps!
Actually, I've just been kinda busy. So anyway about research, I don't know much about med school research since I've only spent undergrad here, but I can tell you what I know about undergrad research.
There are plenty of opportunities here, both at CWRU within departments or at the Biomedical Research Building, or at University Hospitals which is right on campus. I have friends doing research in labs with professors and also friends working in the labs over at the med school/BRB/hospital in dermatology, pathology, ophthamology, oncology, etc. There are also lots of opportunities to research outside of labs. For example, my senior project is to learn more about complementary alternative medicine, and as part of that I'm putting on a fair in the main area of University Hospitals. Even if you don't want to research during the school year, as I didn't, there are still opportunities in the summer. CWRU has their own summer research program, SPUR, which I've heard is great and if you really like your project you can continue on into the school year. There's also a wonderful program at Metrohealth Hospital which I did one summer, and tried out some clinical research that got my abstract presented at the annual meeting of a national pediatric society as well as giving me the opportunity to shadow more physicians than ever before (I would be happy to elaborate on what I saw in just 10 weeks).
Basically I'm saying, if you're looking for research, you can find it here. It's also not too hard to get started either. There are plenty of resources here and oftentimes it's simply a matter of emailing someone and asking if you could work with them.
Hope this helps!
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