Bobby Alonzo, the president of the Pre-dental Society of Hunter College will be hosting a personal statement workshop for the SMDEP (Summer Medical and Dental Education Program) on:
Friday, November 7, 2014 from 7:30-9:00pm in TH (Thomas 112).  This is the third workshop of the semester. An additional workshop covering a different topic will be held in November.

As an SMDEP ambassador, Bobby will assist with the entire application process and offers workshops to help make your application competitive.   

SMDEP is FREE summer program from Pre-med and Pre-dental students that increases your changes to get into medical and dental school.  You will gain clinical experience and get a first-hand glimpse of how medical or dental school will look.  You will also be provided with:

• Academic enrichment in the basic sciences and quantitative topics
• Learning-Skills Development-including study skills and methods of individual and group learning
• Clinical exposure through small-group clinical rotations and full-group clinician seminars. This is limited to 5% of program time for all the sites
• Career development, including the exploration of the medical and dental careers, other health professions and an individualized education plan to identify other appropriate enrichment activities
• Financial planning workshop and health policy seminars

Admission criteria:

• be currently enrolled as a freshman or sophomore in college;
• have a minimum overall GPA of 2.5;
• be a U.S. citizen or hold a permanent resident visa; and
• not have previously participated in SMDEP.

Other factors considered in the admissions process include whether an applicant:

• identifies with a group that is racially/ethnically underrepresented in medicine and/or dentistry (as defined independently by each program site);
• comes from an economically or educationally disadvantaged background;
• has demonstrated interest in issues affecting underserved populations; and
• submits a compelling personal statement and strong letters of recommendation.

**All the housing costs and most meals are covered by the program. Scholars are provided with a $600 stipend which is typically distributed at the midway and at the end of the program. Some program sites offer travel assistance awards. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation also provides a needs-based scholarship for travel to and from the program site.