In addition to doing well on coursework and entrance exam, health professions graduate schools seek students who demonstrate personal integrity, interpersonal skills and maturity, a sense of dedication and service to others, and an authentic interest in treating patients. A wide variety of experiences can help build strong qualifications over time.
- MCAT
- Clinical Experience
- Research Experience
- Volunteer and Leadership Experience
- Holy Cross Clubs and Organizations
- What Should an Applicant Do in Gap Years?
MCAT
Medical school admissions committees take a close look at the overall MCAT score as well as the breakdown of the individual sections.
The MCAT is broken into four sections, each scored on a 118-132 scale (a mean of 125) and the overall score ranges from 472 to 528 (a median of 500). The four sections are:
- Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
- Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
- Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior
- Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills
For the 2017-18 and 2018-19 admissions cycles, the mean MCAT scores for matriculating students into M.D. schools, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, are:
- Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems: 128.0
- Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: 127.7
- Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior: 128.3
- Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills: 127.1
- Total MCAT: 511.2
For the 2018 entering class, the mean MCAT score for matriculating students into osteopathic schools, according to American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, are:
- Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems: 126.16
- Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems: 125.79
- Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior: 126.52
- Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills: 125.36
- Total MCAT: 503.83
Holy Cross offers a professional test preparation course on campus every spring.
Aside from medical school, some other graduate health professions programs require entrance exams, including optometry (OAT), physical therapy (PCAT), podiatry (MCAT). Some require the GRE (PA, NP, DVM).
Clinical Experience
Medical schools expect that applicants have had some exposure to environments where they worked directly with people in need. This can include shadowing, internship, and hospital volunteer experiences but working with people with diverse backgrounds in other stressful settings (e.g., shelters, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, etc.) can be equally valuable. It is essential that applicants have hands-on experience working directly with patients and not just observing.
Medical schools value deep, long-term engagement over short term involvement. At Holy Cross, students may get clinical experience though summer internships through the Center for Career Development, the Academic Internship Program, and through volunteer programs are described below. The Center for Career Development also offers alumni shadowing and other helpful services to connect students with alumni working in many health professions.
Research Experience
Research experience is valuable, and most accepted students have participated in a serious study. However, it generally not considered a requirement for medical school (as clinical experience is).
At Holy Cross, students pursue serious research in many different ways, through the Academic Internship Program, Summer Internship Program, various opportunities through the Office of the Science Coordinator, the Weiss Summer Research Program, the College Honors Program and department honors programs. Many departments and individual faculty offer research positions for students
Volunteer and Leadership Experience
Medical schools like to see applicants have engaged with and served their community. Deep engagement is more valued than short-term involvement.
At Holy Cross, the Chaplains’ Office coordinates many volunteer programs like Student Programs for Urban Development (SPUD) and immersion programs. Several other Holy Cross groups volunteer in the local and wider community as well. Attend the annual fall volunteer fair and ask other students about good opportunities.
Holy Cross Clubs and Organizations
The following are Holy Cross clubs and extracurricular opportunities related to health professions advising.
American Medical Student Association (AMSA) provides Holy Cross students with opportunities to get involved in, and better understand, the field of medicine.
Pre-Dental Society gives students exposure to the vast field of dentistry and helps promote and support their exploration of this career path.
Pre-Nurse Practitioners Club offers students interested in a nurse practitioner track an opportunity in which to find and provide support, information, service and learning opportunities, camaraderie and friendship. Leslie Holland, MS, FNP-BC, nurse practitioner in Health Services, is the contact. The club meets on the third Thursday of every month from 6-7 p.m. in Health Services. Meetings normally consist of a discussion with a professional nurse practitioner and skills clinics. All are welcome. Please contact Leslie Holland for details.
Physician Assistants Club aims to educate students interested in a physician assistant career as well as assist students with preparing for the application process. The club helps students with networking opportunities for shadowing or volunteering in order to better understand the profession and what it entails. It guides students on undergraduate class requirements and useful study techniques for the GRE. The goal is to help any interested student build their resumes in preparation for a career as a physician assistant.
Power of Presence is a student-initiated hospice program that provides accompaniment to those who are receiving end-of-life care at UMass Memorial and UMass Medical. Students are sometimes called on short notice at the families’ request if they wish to have someone present with their loved one and when they are at home or unavailable. Please contact Marty Kelly for details.
What Should an Applicant Do in Gap Years?
The overwhelming majority of students from Holy Cross and nationally take a year or more off between college and medical school. There are many good reasons for doing this.
First, remember that to attend medical school directly after college, the student must apply in the summer after the junior year. Because such applicants still have 25% of their college career ahead of them and often do not have as many other experiences, it is usually harder for them to get into medical school. They usually must have higher GPAs and MCAT scores than those who have completed the full four years of college (or more).
Second, a student may need to strengthen her or his credentials by taking additional courses or engaging in clinical, research or other meaningful experiences. Such a person would need to take at least two years off between college and medical school as the application process itself takes at least a full year.
Finally, given the time and financial expense of medical school, and the lifetime commitment to serving others it requires, many people are simply not ready to make the decision begin medical school directly after college.
As a result, most people are best served by doing something else after graduation. The question is, what? The answer is complex — it depends on what the person needs.
Here are some common choices of activities to pursue in gap years: