 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
UPDATE: Criminal Background Check (CBC) Please note this correction to the MSAR: CHM will be utilizing the AMCAS-facilitated national background check service, beginning with the 2010 application cycle. Applicants and special program students who are scheduled to matriculate to CHM for the class entering 2010 and subsequent years will receive a conditional offer of admission until results of a criminal background check are received. |
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine blends the strengths of community-based medical education with the power of scientific discovery, creating excellence in education and care. We enhance our communities by providing outstanding primary and specialty care, promoting the dignity and inclusion of all people, and responding to the needs of the medically underserved.
Established in 1964 in response to Michigan's need for primary care physicians, the College of Human Medicine is renowned for innovation and excellence in medical student education. CHM was the nation's first community integrated medical school, with a curriculum that emphasized a patient-centered philosophy and a biopsychosocial approach to caring for patients. Founding faculty held the philosophies of William Osler and Francis Peabody, 19th century physicians who asserted, "The secret to the care for the patient is caring for the patient,” an attitude that continues to guide the school’s curriculum and policies to this day.
As a community-based medical school, the College of Human Medicine is uniquely positioned to provide students with comprehensive training in clinical settings that most closely parallel the environment in which many physicians practice. CHM students spend their first two years at one of two preclinical campuses: the MSU Big Ten park-like campus in East Lansing, or the new campus at the Secchia Center on the rapidly expanding “Medical Mile” area of downtown Grand Rapids (read more about the Secchia Center construction progress here). The first- and second-year curriculums are the same at both preclinical campuses.
The remainder of their CHM education is spent at one of seven community campuses located throughout the state: Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette (in the Upper Peninsula), Saginaw, or Traverse City. Each community program is led by a Community Assistant Dean and CHM faculty, and aligned with area hospitals and outpatient facilities that join Michigan State University in creating a rich educational environment for students. All seven community programs offer electives in specialty and subspecialty areas. Research opportunities are also available. The curriculum and evaluation are the same in all communities.
When you pay the Secondary Application Fee, you will receive both web and email receipts. THE LINK TO ACCESS THE CHM APPLICATION PROCESS WEB PAGE APPEARS ON BOTH RECEIPTS. The CHM Application Process web page contains instructions for setting up your CHM Application Information System (CHM AIS) account and completing the Secondary Application, as well as detailed information about our application process.
We encourage you to submit your completed Secondary Application within two weeks of paying the Secondary Application Fee. The deadline for submission of your Secondary Application is November 30, 2009.
The deadline for submission of the Secondary Application for EDP (Early Decision Program) applicants is August 31, 2009.
If we receive your verified application from AMCAS after our November 15 application deadline, you will be given two weeks from the date your Secondary Application Fee Notice is sent to complete your Secondary Application.
Instructions for completing your Secondary Application appear on the first page of the application.
We consider your AMCAS application complete when verified. Do not submit additional information to supplement your application to CHM unless you are asked to do so. Unsolicited additional materials will be discarded.
The CHM Applicant Information System (CHM AIS) is available to track your real-time application status throughout the application process. We ask that you please do not call our office to inquire about the status of your application, as the office staff has no information beyond that posted on your Application Status page. Whenever there is a change in your status, it will appear on your CHM AIS Application Status page. |
American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS)
Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)
Procedures for Reapplying to CHM
Communication: Email/Address/Telephone Changes
All applicants to the College of Human Medicine (CHM) at Michigan State University must begin the application process by submitting a primary application to the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS), part of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) is a nonprofit, centralized application processing service for applicants to the first-year entering classes at participating US medical schools. For the 2010 entering class, most US medical schools use AMCAS as the primary application method. You cannot apply directly to the College of Human Medicine.
While your AMCAS application can be submitted for verification in early June, the College of Human Medicine encourages you to submit your best application. This may mean that you will want to wait until you receive summer grades, or complete summer clinical experiences or research projects. Be aware, however, that other medical schools may process applications on a first-come, first-served basis.
CHM has a semi-rolling admissions process. Acceptances are made in stages, but applicants are given the same consideration no matter when they apply (as long as application deadline requirements are met). Some applicants will receive notification early in the application process and others won't find out their final status until the end of the cycle.
The deadline to apply to CHM for the 2010 Application Cycle is November 15, 2009.
If you have any questions about the AMCAS application specifically, please contact AMCAS directly by email or at (202) 828-0600.
CHM requires that all applicants take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Submit your existing MCAT scores with your AMCAS application. If you have never taken the MCAT or your only scores are from an exam taken prior to April 2006, you must take the MCAT no later than September 12, 2009 for the 2010 application cycle. If you are retaking the MCAT to improve your scores, we will accept scores from exams taken on or before September 12, 2009 only.
If you are applying through the Early Decision Program (EDP), you must have taken the MCAT no later than June 18, 2009.
The MCAT is a standardized, multiple-choice examination designed to assess the examinee's problem solving, critical thinking, writing skills, and knowledge of science concepts and principles prerequisite to the study of medicine. Scores are reported in Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, Writing Sample, and Biological Sciences. The Committee on Admissions is consistent in recognizing the national average (or higher) scores of matriculants in the four MCAT categories: Verbal Reasoning - 9.9, Physical Sciences - 10.3, Biological Sciences - 10.7, Writing Sample - P.
| CHM does not accept any MCAT scores older than four calendar years. For the 2010 application cycle, we will not accept scores older than April, 2006. If you are applying through the Early Decision Program, the last date you could have taken the MCAT exam was June 18, 2009. If you are applying as a regular applicant, the last date you can take the MCAT exam is September 12, 2009. The only applicants for whom scores from MCATS taken after September 12 may be considered are those who are on the Alternate list for the entering class, and at the discretion of the Committee on Admissions. |
Summer/early fall MCAT:
If there is any change in your MCAT intent (changing your "Next MCAT intent" to a future date or removing it), you must recertify and resubmit your AMCAS application in order for this change to become an official update. Simply saving the change and exiting the application is not enough.
If you are taking the MCAT after you submit your AMCAS application, but no later than September 12, 2009, your application will be held for an interview decision until your MCAT scores are received. To avoid any delay in reviewing your application once your scores are received, we suggest that you go ahead and pay your Secondary Application Fee and submit your Secondary Application.
If you indicated on your AMCAS application that you were going to take an MCAT exam on or before September 12, 2009 but did not take it, notify our office by email so that we can go ahead and review your application.
If you indicated that you were not going to retake the MCAT exam on your AMCAS application but changed your mind and took the exam again, on or before September 12, 2009, you must notify our office by email so that we will hold your application for review for an interview decision until we receive those scores.
Premedical requirements are minimums that must be fulfilled prior to matriculation at CHM.
CHM premedical requirements include:
Completion of a baccalaureate degree at an accredited United States or Canadian undergraduate institution.
Completion of one year of course work (typically two semesters) in each of the following areas, with no final grade below a 2.0:
Humanities/Social Science courses that focus on psychological and social theory, individual and/or group behaviors, or comparative cultures. Recommended courses include anthropology, cultural studies, economics, ethics, psychology, sociology, women's studies, and philosophy.
General Biology sequence, including at least one laboratory;
General/Inorganic Chemistry sequence, including at least one laboratory;
Organic Chemistry sequence, including at least one laboratory;
English, Writing, or Composition. May include "Writing in the Major" or writing-intensive classes.
You may use a biochemistry course toward the fulfillment of a biology, general chemistry, OR organic chemistry required course. However, any course used to fulfill a premed required course may only be used ONCE. For example, if you use your Biochemistry 201 course to fulfill part of the General Biology course requirements, you cannot use it to fulfill part of the General/Inorganic Chemistry or Organic Chemistry requirements as well.
Mathematics through college algebra or statistics and probability. The mathematics requirement may be waived with Advanced Placement (AP) credit for Statistics and Probability, Calculus 1, or freshman mathematics placement above college algebra.
Completion of two upper-level (junior- or senior-level) biological science courses. Such courses are typically within the following areas: biochemistry, cell biology, embryology, genetics, microbiology, molecular biology, neuroscience, or physiology.
AP/CLEP Credit:
We accept AP and CLEP credit to meet premedical course requirements only if documented on an official transcript. Please note that lab credit will still be required. Applicants may meet lab credit with the lab sections of advanced science courses or practical experience, such as documented relevant experience in a research lab.
Courses completed in Canada:
We accept Grade 13 English combined with writing-intensive courses toward the fulfillment of our English/Writing/Composition requirement, with proper documentation.
Please note that the premedical course requirements are minimums. CHM strongly encourages applicants to take additional upper-level courses in biochemistry, cell biology, embryology, genetics, microbiology, molecular biology, neuroscience, and physiology.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email the Office of Admissions.
Priority in the application review process is given to applications from residents of Michigan and applications with strong academic profiles.
Invitations to interview are extended first to applicants who are residents of Michigan and to out-of-state applicants who closely fit the mission of the college.
Your application may be placed on HOLD FOR INTERVIEW DECISION. It is very common for applications to be held for an interview decision, for comparison to the larger applicant pool that evolves over the year. We receive newly verified applications from AMCAS through January; therefore, most applications that are held for an interview decision will be reviewed again in February 2010.
CHM conducts interviews through March, and our admissions process is structured so that seats remain available for applicants who are reviewed and interviewed later in the application cycle. Applicants are not negatively affected by the timing of the application review or interview.
CHM has a semi-rolling admissions process. Acceptances are made in stages throughout the cycle, but applicants are given the same consideration no matter when they are reviewed or interviewed. Some applicants will receive notification early in the cycle, and others will not receive a final application status until the end of the cycle.
The office staff is unable to project when you will receive the next status update. Please use your CHM AIS account to track your application status. Your patience is appreciated as we give individual consideration to all applications during this time.
When we have received your verified primary application* from AMCAS, we will send you an email message with instructions on paying the nonrefundable $60 Secondary Application Fee. Payment of the fee is expected within two weeks of the date of the email message; failure to pay the fee may result in your application being withdrawn.
If you have an AMCAS Fee Waiver, we will waive our Secondary Application Fee as well. Once we have received your verified primary application from AMCAS, we will send you an email message with instructions on setting up your CHM AIS account and completing your Secondary Application.
*AMCAS verification processing can take up to 4-6 weeks from the time that your application, all required official transcripts, and letters of evaluation are received, and can take significantly longer during peak processing times.
You will receive both web and email receipts upon paying the Secondary Application Fee. The link to the CHM Application Process web page appears on both receipts. Use this link to access the CHM Application Process page and receive instructions for setting up your CHM Application Information System (CHM AIS) account and complete the Secondary Application.
We encourage submission of your Secondary Application within two weeks of paying the Secondary Application Fee. The deadline for submission of the Secondary Application is November 30, 2009.
The deadline for submission of the Secondary Application for EDP (Early Decision Program) applicants is AUGUST 31, 2009.
If we receive your verified application after our November 15 application deadline, you will have two weeks from the date your Secondary Application Fee Notice is emailed to complete your Secondary Application.
Optional Essays — Special Programs
When you complete the CHM Secondary Application, you also have the option to complete essays for one of two special programs that CHM offers: the Leadership in Medicine for the Underserved/Vulnerable program or the Rural Physician Program. You may submit optional essays for only one of these programs with your Secondary Application.
Leadership in Medicine for the Underserved/Vulnerable (LMUV) Program
Offered through CHM's Saginaw campus, the LMUV program has a dedicated focus on the clinical and leadership skills and knowledge necessary to serve medically underserved and vulnerable populations in urban, rural, and international settings. This focus is built into the core curriculum experience for the required clerkships, especially in family medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, and pediatric clerkships, and can include international health experiences. All elements of this curriculum, including the international experience, are built around the efforts of the Synergy Medical Education Alliance.
The medical students selected for this program will receive program support and didactic education specific to rural, urban, and international health. Housing and food will be covered for LMUV students when out of country, but students are responsible for the cost of their travel, an estimated $1,000 for the third year and $1,000 for the fourth year. Travel costs can be included in their financial aid package.
Visit the Leadership in Medicine for the Underserved/Vulnerable web page for more information. Click HERE to take a look at what some of our LMUV students were up to while in Costa Rica last year!
Please note that all students accepted into the LMUV program are required to speak Spanish at an intermediate conversational level (minimum) by the time they reach Block III (third year) of medical school.
The Rural Physician Program (RPP) was established in 1974. CHM and the Upper Peninsula Health Education Corporation (UPHEC) have partnered at the CHM Upper Peninsula campus (Marquette, MI) to train high-quality committed physicians to serve in rural primary care. The goal of the RPP is to provide students with enriched clinical experiences, community service opportunities, and rural lifestyle advantages. RPP students receive an excellent clinical education from MSU faculty and CHM-selected, board-certified volunteer physicians from rural communities. RPP students choose a variety of specialties, and most choose to practice in a rural area. CHM Rural Physician Program alumni are encouraged to establish practices in Michigan's rural communities. Application to the RPP requires the completion of two additional essays.
Applying to either of these programs does not give an applicant any advantage in the application process. Only after being admitted through the regular admission process will admission to the LMUV program or the RPP be considered. If you are not interested in these programs, do not apply to them in anticipation of preferential treatment of your application.
Submitting Additional Material
We trust that the AMCAS application you initially submitted is representative of your academic abilities and activities. Unsolicited additional material will be discarded.
Additional information is accepted only if it is requested by the Office of Admissions or when an applicant is placed in the alternate pool after interview.
Application Status after Preliminary Review
When we have received all of your application materials, the CHM Admissions Review Committee will carefully evaluate your entire application. When this detailed evaluation is complete, one of three things will happen:
You will be invited to interview.
If you are invited to interview you will receive an invitation by email.
Your application will be deemed unsuccessful, and will receive no further consideration.
Your application will be placed on Hold for Interview Decision:
It is very common to hold applications for an interview decision, for comparison to the larger applicant pool that evolves over the year.
We receive newly verified applications from AMCAS through January; therefore, most applications that are held for an interview decision will be reviewed again in February 2010. This may significantly delay a decision on your application. You will not see a change in your application status until your application is reviewed again and a decision is made.
Please do not submit any additional information unless requested. Your application is considered complete and unsolicited material will be discarded.
Please be aware that CHM conducts interviews through March, and our admissions process is structured so that seats remain available for applicants who are reviewed and interviewed later in the application cycle. Applicants are not negatively affected by the timing of the application review.
CHM will be using the AMCAS Letters service for the 2010 application cycle. Click HERE for detailed information about our requirements for letters of evaluation and information on the AMCAS Letters service. Unsolicited letters sent directly to CHM outside of the AMCAS Letters service will not be reviewed, placed in your file, or retained in any form; they will be discarded.
If you are invited to interview, you will receive an Interview Day invitation by email and your application status will be updated to Invited to Interview. CHM conducts interviews primarily on Thursdays, although we occasionally interview on a Tuesday or Friday. We interview applicants from mid-September through March.
Interview Day provides you with an opportunity to meet CHM faculty and students, find out more about CHM, and learn about important aspects of our mission:
providing outstanding primary and specialty care
promoting the dignity and inclusion of all people
responding to the needs of the medically underserved
Interview Day provides you with a detailed overview of CHM, including information about the mission of the College, the curriculum, financial aid, the Leadership in Medicine for the Underserved/Vulnerable program (international travel opportunities), the Rural Physician Program, and our seven community campuses. Applicants are also given a tour of the South Campus facilities. Lunch with current CHM students will provide an opportunity to have your questions answered from a student perspective in a more informal environment. You will have two 30-minute interviews — one with a faculty or professional staff member and the other with a current CHM student.
After you have completed the interview process, the Committee on Admissions will review your entire application, including:
AMCAS Application
Secondary Application
Grades and GPA trend
MCAT scores
Interview evaluation scores and written comments
Letters of evaluation
Once the Committee has completed its review of your application, they will make one of the following decisions:
*Accept you conditionally into the next entering class
Place you on the Alternate list
Refer you to the Advanced Baccalaureate Learning Experience (ABLE)
Determine that your application is not competitive for the next entering class
Decisions made by the Committee on Admissions are final and are not subject to appeal or revision.
*Accepted applicants slated to matriculate with the CHM class entering 2010 and beyond will receive a conditional offer of admission, pending confirmation of the ability to meet CHM's Technical Standards with reasonable accommodation and the results of a Criminal Background Check (CBC).
All conditionally accepted applicants will receive notice either confirming or rescinding the offer of admission.
If you are placed on the Alternate list, your file will remain under consideration for acceptance until we notify you of a change in your status. Alternates may add additional information (i.e., additional grades, new clinical, volunteer, and/or research experiences, additional letters of evaluation, letter of continued interest) to their file at any time. This is the only instance in which additional information will be accepted.
Alternate files are not ranked and are reviewed whenever the number of accepted applicants falls below the entering class size. The number of applicants accepted from the Alternate list varies each year. Alternates have been admitted into CHM as late as a few days before the start of Prematriculation and Orientation Week.
If you are recommended as a potential candidate to the Advanced Baccalaureate Learning Experience (ABLE), a final decision on your application will be made by the ABLE Review Committee in June, 2010. If you are accepted into ABLE and successfully complete all phases of this postbaccalaureate program, you are guaranteed regular admission to the Fall 2011 entering medical school class. If you are not accepted into ABLE, the application process is complete and no further consideration will be given to your application.
If you are an unsuccessful applicant to the College of Human Medicine,the application process is complete and no further consideration will be given to your application. Decisions made by the Committee on Admissions are final, and not subject to appeal or revision. However, there are steps you can take to become a more competitive applicant if you intend to reapply to CHM in the future. See Procedures for Reapplying to CHM if you intend to reapply in the future and wish to improve your application.
The Committee on Admissions strives to make a final decision (accept, alternate, referred to ABLE, application unsuccessful) on each candidate's application in a timely manner. However, the Committee has a substantial number of applications to review at each meeting and it simply isn't possible to review every applicant's file in the time available. Many factors contribute to the timing of review of a given applicant. Additionally, files aren't reviewed in any particular order – i.e., someone who interviewed in November may get a decision before someone who interviewed in October. Please be assured that the CHM application process is specifically set up so that the time an applicant is reviewed for a final decision is not a factor in the decision. Seats in the entering class remain available through the end of the application cycle.
We ask that you check your status using the CHM AIS system. When a final decision is made on your application, that decision will be posted your Application Status page on the CHM AIS system by 1:00 pm on the notification date. If you check your status and there is no change, it means only that the Committee has not yet made a final decision on your application. We regret that Office of Admissions staff members are unable to provide you with specific information about when a final decision will be made.
Notification Dates
October 1, 2009 - EDP Applicants ONLY
October 15, 2009
October 22, 2009
November 4, 2009
November 11, 2009
December 9, 2009
December 16, 2009
January 6, 2009
January 13, 2009
January 20, 2009
February 3, 2009
February 17, 2009
February 24, 2009
March 10, 2009
March 17, 2009
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this long and complex process.
It is inherent that a candidate for the MD Degree possesses certain abilities and skills. The Technical Standards establish the essential qualities considered necessary for medical students at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine to achieve the knowledge, skills, and levels of competency necessary both for medical education and for graduation. All accepted applicants must submit a signed Technical Standards form certifying their ability to meet the Technical Standards.
Reasonable technical accommodation can be made in certain areas. However, the student must still be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner with such accommodation. The use of a trained intermediary is not acceptable in many clinical situations; a student's judgment is then mediated by someone else's power of selection and observation. If you believe that you may need accommodations, please consult the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at http://www.rcpd.msu.edu.
Criminal Background Check (CBC)
Please note that applicants are required to disclose any adverse institutional action(s), felony conviction(s), other criminal conviction(s), or any pending criminal charges on both the AMCAS application and the MSU Professional Application. Failure to disclose any adverse institutional action(s), any felony conviction(s), other criminal conviction(s), or any pending criminal charges is considered falsification of the application and can result in dismissal from medical school.
The results of each accdepted applicant’s CBC will be compared to information provided on the AMCAS and MSU applications. Conditionally accepted applicants who have findings within their CBC will have their file reviewed by a committee that will either uphold or rescind the offer of admission.
The CHM application review process is very thorough and takes time. Each application is reviewed individually. In addition, applications are often held for an interview decision for comparison to the larger applicant pool that evolves over the year. This may significantly delay a decision to extend an invitation to interview or reject the application. If your application is on hold for an interview decision, Our admissions process is structured so that seats remain available for those applicants who interview later in the year.
Once you have established your CHM AIS account, you will use it throughout the application process to track the status of your application. You will also be notified by email regarding select status changes.
Please do not call the Office of Admissions to inquire about the status of your application, as the staff does not have access to any information beyond that which is posted on your Application Status page.
As a community-based medical school, CHM is uniquely positioned to provide students with comprehensive training in clinical settings that most closely parallel the environment in which many physicians typically practice. The College of Human Medicine differs from many medical schools in that there are two locations for preclinical education and seven locations for clinical education, with educational programs in 36 affiliated hospitals instead of one university hospital.
Preclinical Campuses
Students entering CHM in 2010 will spend their first two years at the MSU Big Ten park-like campus in East Lansing, or the new campus in the rapidly expanding “Medical Mile” area of downtown Grand Rapids. The first- and second-year curriculums, calendar, and examinations are the same at both preclinical campuses.
Students do not select their preclinical campus but accepted students will have the opportunity to indicate a preferred preclinical campus. Details about the assignment process for the class entering in 2010 will be posted when finalized.
Community Campuses
Students experience their clinical education (years three and four) at one of seven community campuses located throughout the state: Flint, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette (RPP students), Saginaw (LMUV students), or Traverse City.
Led by a Community Assistant Dean and CHM faculty, each community program is aligned with area hospitals and outpatient facilities that join Michigan State University in creating a rich educational environment for students. The curriculum and evaluation is the same in all communities. All community programs offer electives in both specialty and subspecialty areas. Research opportunities are also available.
A detailed description of the clinical campus assignment process for the class entering 2010 will be posted when it is finalized
For more information about all of our community campuses, please visit the CHM Community Campuses web page. You can also find articles about each campus in the 2009 Spring/Summer edition of MD Magazine.
If you are an unsuccessful applicant to the College of Human Medicine,the application process is complete and no further consideration will be given to your application. Decisions made by the Committee on Admissions are final, and there will be no further discussion with Dr. Shafer, Committee members, or Admissions staff members regarding the current application. However, there are steps you can take to become a more competitive applicant if you intend to reapply to CHM in the future.
If you anticipate being a reapplicant, we encourage you to carefully review and evaluate your application. We recommend that you follow the procedure outlined in the Self-Assessment Guide section of the Premedical Handbook and Self-Assessment Guide. Initiate your plans for improvement as soon as possible.
Unsuccessful applicants may complete and submit the Self-Assessment Guide for review and have it returned with comments. Advising or conference call appointments are available for unsuccessful applicants who:
have completed and submitted their Self-Assessment Guide;
have been rejected from all other schools; and
have not yet submitted the AMCAS application for the next application cycle.
Final actions of the Committee on Admissions are not subject to appeal or revision. Therefore, representatives of the Office of Admissions (including the Assistant Dean for Admissions, Committee on Admissions members, and the Office of Admissions staff) will not discuss your application with you or your designate once a final decision has been made. If you believe AMCAS made a clerical error, or that there was an error of fact in your application, you are welcome to contact the Office of Admissions by regular mail or email to have your concerns reviewed.
Communication and Email/Mail/Phone ChangesIf your email address, mailing address, and/or phone number changes, you need to edit your AMCAS application immediately. This is particularly important since the majority of our correspondence to applicants, including invitations to interview, are sent by email through the AMCAS system. You must make changes yourself; AMCAS will no longer make the changes and submit them to schools for you, and schools cannot edit applicants' contact information within the AMCAS system. You also need to notify CHM of any changes in your contact information. Please email any changes. To ensure that you receive email messages from CHM and important information isn't missed because it is deemed "spam" by your email provider, we recommend that you add chmapp@chm.msu.edu AND chmapp@msu.edu to your email address book or list of contacts. |