UNC SEP Program (Summer Enrichment) - Recent Scholar

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

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Hi everyone,

I am a recent UNC SEP Scholar, so if anyone wants to learn more about the program feel free to ask. I know when I was applying and looking into these programs, I was wishing there was more information about what's like and so on. So, again, ask whatever and, to be honest, these type of programs are excellent, so I suggest looking into them if you haven't already.

 

[ChapelHillT]

Is this program for minorities and/or disadvantaged students only? I would love to participate, but I don't think I'd qualify under those parameters.

 

[MrWilson]

I can't necessarily speak for the UNC SEP program, but I attended its big sister program, MED at UNC back in '09. FUT, are going to apply to MED? There are also a few others on SDN that attended MED as well. I believe it played a major role in gaining admission to dental school. However, it is a double-edged sword. If you do not do well, it can hurt you.

ChapelHillT, like MED, the SEP program is for those that come from under represented or disadvantaged/rural backgrounds. However, I am a white male (that came from a rural area which lacked educational resources), and I gained entrance.

I might should also add that the MED program is available to rising seniors, graduates, and/or graduate students, whereas SEP is for rising sophomores/juniors. FUT, correct me if I am wrong.

MED definitely gets my stamp of approval. They are very professional and a great group of people that sincerely care about your future. Not to hijack the thread, but I would be glad to help those interested in MED. Just pm me.

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

Whats up Chapel Hill,

No it's not. I am a male caucasian and I participated and was not the only one who did. However, most of the people do come from a minority group or have disadvantaged backgrounds, which neither applied to me. It's also a very selective program, but since there is no harm in applying why not do it?

In case you are wondering what the definition for disadvantaged status is: it's any student who is considered economically, educationally or socially disadvantaged within the USA. Examples of each are as follows: (this was taken off one of there websites)


Education: Attending schools that are considered disadvantaged in ranking or that are in underserved areas of the state (such as Eastern & Western NC)

Economic: Low family income and individual income

Socially: A member of certain disadvantaged groups that are considered underrepresented in the medical/dental professions, such as African-American, American Indian, Hispanic or Pacific Islander. Non-traditional students, such as older applicants may also be considered.

However, you do not need to be either a minority or disadvantaged to apply. I am an example of that.

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

Mr. Wilson, good job explaining and congratulations. However, I was a rising senior when I applied to SEP and still gained acceptance. These are just preferences that they have- it's not limited to people who are minority, disadvantaged, or underclassmen. Also, MED is an excellent program. In fact it might be to your advantage to apply to both to increase your chances (that's what I did). I have many many friends who have completed it and who have been successful with their apps to dental school. This goes the same for SEP.

 

[MrWilson]

I'll add one more thing. That I know of, out of the twenty in the pre-dental group I was in, six are/will be at UNC, two at Michigan, one each at UT-Memphis, Meharry, Arizona. There were a few more, but I can't think of where they ended up. Overall, there were about 14-15 to get in. MED is pretty reputable across the nation.

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

Good info Mr. Wilson. Were all the pre-dents who got accepted into dental school ranked high in the program? Also, for the ones who got into UNC, were they all in-state residents? Thanks man.

 

[MrWilson]

Out of 80 in the entire program, I believe only one finished in the top 20 (and he/she decided to attend UNC). Last year, of the four that got into UNC, 3 were in-state. Me and another guy decided to wait and apply this year, and we got in. We were both in-state. There are one or two that are waiting to apply for the up-coming year, so that 14-15 number could very well increase. The majority of the pre-dents finished in the middle 50 percentile.

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

Thanks for the info Wilson. I am having a little trouble getting in-state residency at UNCG, so I am kind of worried. I really want to stay in NC after school and have been living in an off campus apartment for 4 years, have the license, voter reg., vehicle reg., filed taxes, claimed independent and so on. I don't know why they are giving me a hard time, but I think it's b/c I am under 24. Anyways, good to know there was an out of stater who got accepted. Do you happen to know his stats? GPA, DAT and MED rank? Thanks man.

 

[BrownJesus]

So this is my first time ever posting on SDN; however, I have been an "SDN stalker" for some time now. I am a non-traditional applicant in the sense that I have a sub-3.0 GPA from undergrad; however, I have done two post-bacc's and a Masters program. I earned a 4.0 and a 3.5 in the two post-bacc programs and a 3.8 in my Masters. I have a 21 TS and a 20 AA. I received 3 pre-December 1st interviews and haven't received an acceptance yet. I feel like my undergrad gpa is still keeping me from being accepted. This leads me to my question: Would I be able to apply the grades I earn during the MED program to my AADSAS GPA for the next cycle? Those additional classes could really boost my science/bcp gpa's for the following cycle.

 

[sarah_bellum]

So this is my first time ever posting on SDN; however, I have been an "SDN stalker" for some time now. I am a non-traditional applicant in the sense that I have a sub-3.0 GPA from undergrad; however, I have done two post-bacc's and a Masters program. I earned a 4.0 and a 3.5 in the two post-bacc programs and a 3.8 in my Masters. I have a 21 TS and a 20 AA. I received 3 pre-December 1st interviews and haven't received an acceptance yet. I feel like my undergrad gpa is still keeping me from being accepted. This leads me to my question: Would I be able to apply the grades I earn during the MED program to my AADSAS GPA for the next cycle? Those additional classes could really boost my science/bcp gpa's for the following cycle.

Your MED grades will not factor into your AADSAS GPA at all. Instead, they functionally put you through the first half of the first semester of med school. They give the same exams they give to the med students, and keep track of the percentage you answer correctly. By doing well, you can absolutely prove you're ready for professional school. A school can no longer argue "we don't know if she can do the work," since you just proved that you can. In my dental class at UNC, roughly 7-10 students (of all races and ages) are MED grads.

I credit my performance at MED with my admittance to UNC. Post any questions you have to this thread, and I'll do my best to answer them.

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

Your MED grades will not factor into your AADSAS GPA at all. Instead, they functionally put you through the first half of the first semester of med school. They give the same exams they give to the med students, and keep track of the percentage you answer correctly. By doing well, you can absolutely prove you're ready for professional school. A school can no longer argue "we don't know if she can do the work," since you just proved that you can. In my dental class at UNC, roughly 7-10 students (of all races and ages) are MED grads.

I credit my performance at MED with my admittance to UNC. Post any questions you have to this thread, and I'll do my best to answer them.

Hi Sarah,

I have a few questions.. Were any of the students who were accepted to UNC and completed the MED program from out of state? Also, is it true that the MED can be a double sided sword? I did well in the SEP program, but the MED program seems like a bigger step forward and the only class I have under my belt is one semester of Biochemistry.. So, I don't feel as prepared b/c I remember most of my MED friends had taken the classes before hand (Biochemistry, Anatomy, Micro, and Histo). Any comments? Thanks!

 

[sarah_bellum]

Hi Sarah,

I have a few questions.. Were any of the students who were accepted to UNC and completed the MED program from out of state? Also, is it true that the MED can be a double sided sword? I did well in the SEP program, but the MED program seems like a bigger step forward and the only class I have under my belt is one semester of Biochemistry.. So, I don't feel as prepared b/c I remember most of my MED friends had taken the classes before hand (Biochemistry, Anatomy, Micro, and Histo). Any comments? Thanks!

Definitely got some out-of-staters in this year (as we did when I got into school). I think it can be a double-edged sword; it can also prove you're NOT ready for d-school. In that regard, it's a great way to help assess your own readiness. When I took MED, I hadn't taken any of the courses in undergrad. If you're willing to put the time in, you'll be fine. If you adjusted to SEP well, chances are you'll adjust to MED (and, in time, d-school) as well. Give the folks in the MED office a call and ask them - they're very receptive to the SEP'ers.

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

Definitely got some out-of-staters in this year (as we did when I got into school). I think it can be a double-edged sword; it can also prove you're NOT ready for d-school. In that regard, it's a great way to help assess your own readiness. When I took MED, I hadn't taken any of the courses in undergrad. If you're willing to put the time in, you'll be fine. If you adjusted to SEP well, chances are you'll adjust to MED (and, in time, d-school) as well. Give the folks in the MED office a call and ask them - they're very receptive to the SEP'ers.

Thanks for that info! The other thing I am worried about is my DAT. It's basically going to be impossible to study for the DAT and do MED at the same time. I understand that MED has a DAT prep course, but I haven't heard anything positive about it. It would probably be more beneficial to study on my own for the DAT, then do MED as far as prep goes. However, MED looks awesome on an application! So many MED grads get into dental school from what I hear. Ahhhhh very tough decisions.

 

[sarah_bellum]

Thanks for that info! The other thing I am worried about is my DAT. It's basically going to be impossible to study for the DAT and do MED at the same time. I understand that MED has a DAT prep course, but I haven't heard anything positive about it. It would probably be more beneficial to study on my own for the DAT, then do MED as far as prep goes. However, MED looks awesome on an application! So many MED grads get into dental school from what I hear. Ahhhhh very tough decisions.

Don't hesitate to call the MED office and discuss it with them. They can provide information to help in your decision making process.

 

[ChapelHillT]

Thanks for all the info ya'll. I think I'll check out both of these programs and probably end up applying.

 

[NRG]

deadline for MED is today.

with 2 LORs

kinda a crappy deadline seeing how we're all waiting for schools around the same time.

 

[ChapelHillT]

deadline for MED is today.

with 2 LORs

kinda a crappy deadline seeing how we're all waiting for schools around the same time.

Just realized this too, guess I won't be applying to the MED, lol. SEP deadline is early March, for those of you interested.

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

lol yeah the MED deadline is today. However, SEP's deadline is February 15th so I suggest getting those LOR's ASAP. SEP was an amazing experience.. I learned a lot about myself and made great friends that will be going into the same profession in the future. Also, we had the opportunity to shadow every specialty UNC has to offer and talk to the dean of admissions. We would make an appointment with him and one by one he would look through our transcripts and extracurriculars and give us advise. If you do end up getting accepted, I suggest you to go and make as many connections as possible and study very hard!

 

[DomzWRX]

So this is my first time ever posting on SDN; however, I have been an "SDN stalker" for some time now. I am a non-traditional applicant in the sense that I have a sub-3.0 GPA from undergrad; however, I have done two post-bacc's and a Masters program. I earned a 4.0 and a 3.5 in the two post-bacc programs and a 3.8 in my Masters. I have a 21 TS and a 20 AA. I received 3 pre-December 1st interviews and haven't received an acceptance yet. I feel like my undergrad gpa is still keeping me from being accepted. This leads me to my question: Would I be able to apply the grades I earn during the MED program to my AADSAS GPA for the next cycle? Those additional classes could really boost my science/bcp gpa's for the following cycle.

I did MED as well, and have 5 acceptances so far (including UNC). Would I have gotten them without MED? Maybe...maybe not as many..who knows..who cares-it was fun, and it can't hurt...definitely apply..It will not apply to your gpa but they do provide a seriously comprehensive evaluation of your personality perceived, your performance, and your potential. They will list your grades, and the overall average of all of the participants for comparison to how well you had done, and will rank you. Also, provided, will be a letter provided by the TAs including comments from the professors in the program. I did it in 2010, and there were 84 of us, 19 being on the dental side. If you want to go to UNC, you should definitely try for this program. Also, it gave great insight into dental school and how it works. They also pay you a stipend, and you have free room and board, books, and they feed you quite often (so good, the food at our picnics/BBQs).

Edit: Oh, and the staff is amazing. They TRULY care about your future, and will do everything they can to get you accepted. You will feel loved, trust me.

Edit: The TA's were great, too. They were current med and dental students, and were very helpful in preparing for the MED exams, and a wealth of information about the application process, and their personal experiences in medical and dental school.

 

[sarah_bellum]

Edit: Oh, and the staff is amazing. They TRULY care about your future, and will do everything they can to get you accepted. You will feel loved, trust me.

I'll second that, except that I never loved you, Dom. I knew you were a heartbreaker. Now throw away that pile of acceptances and send your deposit into UNC.

 

[BrownJesus]

I did MED as well, and have 5 acceptances so far (including UNC). Would I have gotten them without MED? Maybe...maybe not as many..who knows..who cares-it was fun, and it can't hurt...definitely apply..It will not apply to your gpa but they do provide a seriously comprehensive evaluation of your personality perceived, your performance, and your potential. They will list your grades, and the overall average of all of the participants for comparison to how well you had done, and will rank you. Also, provided, will be a letter provided by the TAs including comments from the professors in the program. I did it in 2010, and there were 84 of us, 19 being on the dental side. If you want to go to UNC, you should definitely try for this program. Also, it gave great insight into dental school and how it works. They also pay you a stipend, and you have free room and board, books, and they feed you quite often (so good, the food at our picnics/BBQs).

Edit: Oh, and the staff is amazing. They TRULY care about your future, and will do everything they can to get you accepted. You will feel loved, trust me.

Thanks a lot for all of the useful information Dom. I really got the same feeling about the MED Program after having met Lisa and Claudis. They both seem very enthusiastic about the program and it's mission. They also informed me that 50% of the applications they receive are from re-applicants...which makes me feel a bit uneasy about my chances of getting in. If I don't get an acceptance from a dental school this cycle, I really feel like I need this program to help give my application an extra edge. Also, after having spoken to both Lisa and Claudis, I feel like I would still do the program even if I received an acceptance just because that program seems to be extremely comprehensive with regards to preparing you for d-school.

 

[DomzWRX]

I'll second that, except that I never loved you, Dom. I knew you were a heartbreaker. Now throw away that pile of acceptances and send your deposit into UNC.

Lol-I know exactly who this is.

 

[DomzWRX]

Thanks a lot for all of the useful information Dom. I really got the same feeling about the MED Program after having met Lisa and Claudis. They both seem very enthusiastic about the program and it's mission. They also informed me that 50% of the applications they receive are from re-applicants...which makes me feel a bit uneasy about my chances of getting in. If I don't get an acceptance from a dental school this cycle, I really feel like I need this program to help give my application an extra edge. Also, after having spoken to both Lisa and Claudis, I feel like I would still do the program even if I received an acceptance just because that program seems to be extremely comprehensive with regards to preparing you for d-school.

Good luck with applying. Yeah, I do not know the odds of getting in or anything. A friend of mine got in too, but my other friends were rejected. I think the deadline has passed, so I hope you have already applied for it.

 

[BSpeezy]

Does anybody know when applicants usually find out if they are accepted into the MED program? I think i read that they would send notices out in april but im not sure.😕

 

[MrWilson]

It seems like they started notifying people in the middle to late March. I was wait-listed, but was later accepted in mid-April.