Okay, okay, technically our applications deadlines have passed. But if y0u’re interested in applying for the fall semester, give us a call (585-275-4559). We’re pretty friendly about application deadlines–it’s one of the perks of being a smaller program.
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Our students have been hearing from medical schools for months now. Here is an incomplete list of schools that have admitted some of this year’s group of medical school applicants (some students asked that we not share their results):
Albany Medical College
Columbia
George Washington
Harvard
New York University
SUNY Buffalo
SUNY Stony Brook
SUNY Upstate
University of Pittsburgh
University of Rochester
Congratulations to a terrific group of applicants!
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In Spring of 2015, the American Association of Medical Colleges will roll out the new MCAT exam. This new MCAT will have four sections: Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems, Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems, Psychological, Social and Biological Foundations of Behavior, and Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills. If you’d like to learn more about these changes, please look at the MCAT 2015 guide for students.
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James M. Farrar at his office //photo: J. Adam Fenster/University of Rochester
Congratulations to Professor James Farrar, professor of chemistry and chair of the Post-baccalaureate Pre-medical Program Review Committee, on being elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and the publisher of the journal Science. Professor Farrar was selected for his “distinguished contributions to gas phase ion chemistry, especially the dynamics of ion-molecule collisions and spectroscopy of mass-selected cluster ions.” After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Professor Farrar joined the Rochester faculty in 1976. Professor Farrar and his research group focus on reaction dynamics and the photochemistry of ionic species. You can read more about Professor Farrar and his research here.
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Post-bac pre-med students took to the soccer field in the wee hours of February 3rd and 4th, in a tournament sponsored by Grassroot Soccer Rochester. The Yellow Jacket Cup, a university-wide three on three soccer tournament, was held to raise awareness and funds for the battle against HIV and AIDS in Rochester. Battling against teams such as The Hemoglobin Trotters, The Bone Crushers, and The Absquatulators, the modestly named Post-Bac team fought valiantly on the field. In the words of one current student, “we were crushed.” “They killed us,” said a former post-bac student. “But who cares? It was fun.” Kudos to the intrepid team, particularly to Margaret Soroka, a former post-bac student who helped to organize the event. Here’s to fighting the good fight!
Team Post-bac
For news coverage of the Yellow Jacket Cup, please see here and here.
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Meliora--ever better--the motto of the University of Rochester
Happy New Year! May 2012 inspire you to dream big, and to join us in our quest for meliora.
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Falling snow and a quiet campus
Snow falls on the statue of Martin Anderson, the University's first president/photo by J. Adam Fenster
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UR's first all-female surgery class--photo by Adam Fenster
It’s no surprise to most of us that medicine is becoming an increasingly diverse profession. Yet when many of us picture a surgeon in our mind’s eye, we picture someone tall, distinguished, capable, confident. And we picture someone male.
There are good reasons for this stereotype. Only 19 percent of the nation’s 160,000 surgeons are women. But this stereotype may be about to change. The numbers of female surgeons are on the rise. According to a study published this year in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, the percentage of women entering into general surgery residency programs has jumped 25% in the past four years.
During the 2010-11 academic year, the University of Rochester Medical Center’s surgery residency program welcomed its first all-female class of residents. Although residency matches are made by a computer program that matches students’ and institutions’ preferences, this class of residents signals a broader cultural shift. As thoracic surgeon Carolyn Jones states, “I think having more women in our program is an illustration of the reality that more women in the pool of new doctors are interested in surgery.”
Read an on-line article about these women by Emily Boynton.
…for final papers, exam preparation, and general all-around stress. Are you in need of a study break? Here are some events happening this week.
On Wednesday, December 7, the Friends of the University of Rochester Libraries will present Holiday Readings in the Rush Rhees Library Hawkins-Carlson Room. This year’s readers are Judi Briden, reference librarian; Kitty Jospe, local poet, author and lecturer; Jill Karn, local poet; James Longenbach, the Joseph H. Gilmore Professor of English; and David Perlman, founder of RIT’s Performing Artists Concert Series. Sandy Gianniny, Celtic harpist, will provide music. Refreshments will be served from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m.; the readings will run from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m.
(We were pleased, a couple of weeks ago, to listen on our iPad to James Longenbach read one of his poems published in the New Yorker.)
James Longenbach
The UR International Theatre Program presents The Colonel Bird by Hristo Boychev through December 10. What could be more appropriate for this time of the semester than a play about a group of mental patients in a forgotten insane asylum? Tickets are $7 for UR students. For more information, visit the International Theatre Program’s Web Page: www.rochester.edu/college/ENG/theatre.
The Colonel Bird, directed by Christopher Weare
Max at the Gallery, located at the Memorial Art Gallery, now offers a weekly Tapas Night. Visit the Gallery (open until 9 p.m.), listen to live music, and enjoy wine, beer and tapas plates for purchase. No reservation necessary!
Memorial Art Gallery
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Let’s be honest—medical, dental, and veterinary school pre-requisites are difficult. But you don’t have to make this journey alone.
You have a built-in support team here at Rochester: your professors, your peers in the post-bac program, Juliet Sullivan, the coordinator of post-bac advising, and Dean Suzanne O’Brien, the program director, are here to offer guidance as you register for classes, seek clinical experiences, and apply to the schools you select. But you also have resources beyond all of us to help guide you.
Paul Blackcloud and Julia Kleene, our Post-bac Studies Facilitators, are both former post-bac students who are in their glide years. They offer group review and study sessions and individual tutoring. This is the first year we have hired Studies Facilitators, and we’re certainly glad we did. Both excellent students, they are also supportive, motivating, and helpful mentors. Although Paul and Julia will move on with their studies next fall, we plan to hire new studies facilitators to continue to support our students.
Another resource is the Center for Excellence in Teaching in Learning. This office provides what we like to call “study skills for the smart”—one on one teaching sessions about how to maximize one’s study experiences to best advantage, including test-taking tips. They also support our students with documented disabilities.
Finally, the Gwen Greene Career and Internship Center is available for one-on-one career counseling. Catarina Tempest can help students with resume writing, and can assist students in locating clinical and research opportunities.
We are here to help.
It takes brains...and persistance, and organization, and support, and hard work, and...
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