For freshmen and sophomore undergraduate students only! _____ UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY EARLY ASSURANCE PROGRAM FOR COLLEGE SOPHOMORES Aim of the Program To offer an early assurance program (EAP) (conditional acceptance) to the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry to a select number of highly qualified applicants from your college. The EAP is not an accelerated program. Rather, it is a competitive program offered to sophomore students from a select group of colleges who are clearly interested in and committed to careers in medicine, mature, and who wish to make the most of their undergraduate experience without the pressures associated with taking the MCAT exam or applying to multiple schools during their final year in college. Scope of the Program By its very nature, the EAP is designed to free up time in the remainder of your undergraduate experience in the hope that accepted applicants will use this time to broaden their educational horizons, feel free to participate in semester abroad programs offered by your institution, and focus on your education unencumbered by the normal application process to medical school, including MCAT preparation, the AMCAS application process, and the time and expense associated with multiple medical school interviews during your senior academic year. Rochester seeks students who will benefit from our unique academic environment and enrich our class through the diversity of their educational and experiential backgrounds Moreover, any applicant who is conditionally accepted into the EAP may, by notifying us before May 15th of the year they would normally matriculate at Rochester, request a deferment for one or more years if there is a compelling reason. For example, you may wish to complete or continue an ongoing research project, pursue an advanced degree, or you may wish to participate in an AmeriCorps, Teach for America or Peace Corps program. Finally, accepted students also will be afforded the option of coming to the University of Rochester Medical Center campus to do research for a six-week period during the summer between their junior and senior undergraduate years. As part of this optional program, you also may participate in an overview course of human anatomy and physiology taught by our medical school faculty. Application Process and Requirements 1. Academically qualified (3.5 GPA or better at the end of their sophomore year) sophomore undergraduates of the participating colleges may apply in May and June following their sophomore year. 2. Completion of Rochester's EAP electronic application. 3. Health Professions Committee letter of recommendation. 4. An official college transcript verifying the completion of 4 semesters of college coursework. 5. An application fee of $100. Please Note: Rochester does not require your SAT or ACT scores, or your high school transcript, and the MCAT is not required. Selection Process 1. Following review of the application by the Medical School Admissions Committee, the most qualified applicants will be invited during August and September to Rochester for interviews. No one will be accepted into the program without an interview. Any applicant to the EAP who is rejected in the initial screening or after interview, may apply to Rochester as a regular applicant via AMCAS without prejudice and, in fact, will be encouraged to do so. 2. The final selection of those offered acceptance into the EAP is made by the Medical School Admissions Committee based on all of the information available to them. Academic and career potential, maturity, diverse experiences and perspectives, and strong letters of support will be key factors in the selection process. 3. Accepted applicants will be notified by September 30th of their junior year. A non-refundable fee of $500 will be required within four weeks of acceptance to hold a place in the medical school class. This fee will be credited to your first semester tuition bill. 4. Accepted EAP students are considered "committed" to Rochester and it is expected that they will not apply elsewhere. Should an accepted student decide to apply to medical school more widely or have a change in career plans, they will forfeit their acceptance to Rochester. 5. Accepted EAP students will be eligible for all scholarship monies and loans that are normally available to all applicants to our medical school. Financial aid information will be made available to all accepted EAP students in the Spring of their senior year in college. Requirements for Maintaining Eligibility of Your Acceptance into the Program 1. Acceptance to Rochester is contingent upon continued performance at a comparable level during your junior and senior year at the college participating in the program. A continued commitment to volunteering in outreach and medical settings is expected. 2. Satisfactory completion, prior to graduation, of all of Rochester's premedical requirements. These requirements include: * One year of biology with laboratory (biochemistry or botany will not satisfy this requirement * One year of physics with laboratory * Two years of chemistry, including either one year of organic chemistry or one semester of organic and one semester of biochemistry. Within the two-year chemistry sequence, one year of laboratory is required * Expository writing-one year: may be met with English or non-science courses that involve extensive expository writing * In addition to expository writing, four courses in the humanities and/or social sciences 3. Satisfactory progress in the EAP will be monitored periodically by the Associate Dean for Admissions at Rochester in conjunction with your college's Health Professions Advisor. 4. Students accepted into the EAP are expected to carry normal course loads during their remaining two years of college, and have no disciplinary charges brought against them by the college or the civil authorities. Any accepted student who graduates early will not be admitted prior to the year for which they have been accepted. 5. Should a student's conditional acceptance into the EAP be revoked for academic reasons, the $500 deposit fee will be refunded. Additional Information About Rochester and its Programs Hardcopies of the School of Medicine and Dentistry's Admissions brochure, entitled "Transforming the Learner" is on file in your college Health Professions Advising office, as are brochures outlining the EAP (available February, 2007). Additional information is available by accessing the following Rochester web sites: Admissions www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/admiss Email [log in to unmask] Medical School www.urmc.rochester.edu/SMD