Academic Performance & On-Campus Research
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Start off considering a broad course selection, try to identify courses and majors where you can develop strong foundations in critical thinking, writing, reading and communication. Plan on developing relationships with professors and other university staff. These may serve as mentors and help to guide you in the university environment.
Moreover, do not be disheartened or discouraged from pursuing a health profession if your first science grades do not meet your expectations. Health Professional school admissions committees look with favor upon an upward trend in your record of academic performance. If you have difficulty in your first semester, seek help immediately and sign up for a free peer tutor through the Office of Student Academic Resources. If you have concerns you would like to discuss, visit your Health Professions Advisor (HPA) and your academic advisor to review your course load, your extracurricular activities, and study strategies as you continue to pursue your academic interests and your health professions trajectory. Please note that having to drop a course with the result of having a ‘W’ on your transcript will not keep you out of the health profession you are considering if it is the only W you have on your record. There will be opportunities for you to explain your circumstances surrounding your semester that includes a ‘W’ in your centralized application to the schools. Most schools keep an open mind regarding the extenuating circumstances that may have affected your academics.
At most medical schools, Advanced Placement or departmental exemption will not excuse you from the requirements. Hence, if you have placed out of the first introductory science course of a two-part series and that department here at Wesleyan has allowed the student to enroll in the part 2 course, the medical school will still expect the student to take at least one higher level course in that particular discipline. AP Calculus is an exception. If you took AP Calculus in high school and scored a 4 or 5 on the AP exam, and then take “Vectors and Matrices,” or an even higher level math class, earning a grade of C or better, you may request that the AP credit appear on your Wesleyan transcript. If your AP calculus credits are on your Wesleyan transcript, they will be accepted by the medical schools requiring calculus that do accept AP credits towards pre-requisite course work. When starting at Wesleyan having completed AP credits, visit the academic department that matches the AP courses you are hoping to include on your transcript and please read the relevant pages on the Registrar’s website.
For more information about the pre-requisite science courses and samples of course schedules that will help you to prepare for a future application to a health profession program go to the Medical School Requirements on the Health Professions website.
RESEARCH
Basic science research is not a requirement for medical school admission, and in fact, a number of Wesleyan students continue on to health professional schools without working in a lab. Successful medical school applicants have usually demonstrated the ability to pursue an area of study in depth. This could be basic science research, clinical research, or a thesis in English literature. The experience of formulating an original research question and critically analyzing data or information does not necessarily have to occur in a basic science research lab.
For students majoring in the sciences, the experience of working in a research lab can significantly enhance your college experience. Moreover, students who are seriously considering a combined MD- PhD or an academic medical career should take advantage of these opportunities to develop research skills and contribute to scientific publications as a co-author. Research requires extended periods of time in the lab to become familiar with the instrumentation, laboratory techniques, scientific protocol, research literature of the lab/project, collection and analysis of data and to engage in scientific writing in order to publish results. Students should understand that if they are hoping to do research they will need to set aside regular and long blocks of time to devote to this endeavor. Undergraduate students who work in research labs often spend two or more years working in a lab. A 10-15 hour per week commitment is a reasonable expectation on the part of a mentor who considers allowing a student to work in their lab. It is possible that some projects may require smaller time commitments, but rarely less than 8 hours per week. A research project involves doing something new and because it has not been done before it may not be possible for a professor to tell a student how long it will take to accomplish the planned work. However, the idea that the student may be doing ground-breaking work should be motivating enough to secure a commitment.
MD-PhD programs provide training in both medicine and research. They are specifically designed for men and women who want to become research physicians, also known as physician-investigators or physician-scientists. Graduates of MD-PhD programs often go on to become faculty members at medical schools, universities and research institutes such as the National Institutes of Health. Regardless of where they eventually end up, MD-PhD trainees are being prepared for careers in which they will spend approximately 70% of their time doing research but also offer clinics to take care of patients. It is a busy, challenging and hugely rewarding career that offers opportunities to do good for many people by advancing medical knowledge and developing new treatments for diseases.
