Summer Scholars
2025 Program Dates: May 16-June 13
The application is now closed. Program decisions will be emailed on February 10, 2025
Application decisions will be emailed on February 10, 2025. Candidates will have until February 14, 2025, to confirm participation.
The Summer Scholars program is designed for aspiring physicians from communities experiencing healthcare disparities or medical provider shortages. For more than 40 years, participants hailing from those communities have been selected to participate in the rigorous four-week program, which offers an immersive experience designed to give participants a realistic introduction to the first-year curriculum at Heritage College and to foster academic, career, and personal success.
Delivered in the flipped classroom style of our Pathways to Health and Wellness curriculum, the program mimics the experience of a first-year OU-HCOM medical student. Academic content delivered by OU-HCOM faculty includes medical morphology, histology, physiology, immunology, and biochemistry. OU-HCOM staff and current medical students will host workshops on admission, learning strategies, time management, and other areas relevant to the medical school experience.
Annually, the program accepts 24 applicants who have encountered barriers that have impeded their path to medical school but are passionate about practicing medicine with populations and in communities with limited medical resources and access to health care.
Program Description
During your time in the program, you will:
- Be introduced to osteopathic principles and practices and learn the basics of biomedical sciences
- Experience the curriculum, including volume, pace, and rigor, as a first-year student in our Pathways to Health and Wellness Curriculum.
- Demonstrate your readiness to enter medical school both academically and personally.
- Build inclusive relationships by working as part of a team with other premedical students from various backgrounds.
Application Guidelines
While the program benefits rising college seniors and graduates, college juniors may also apply.
Requirements
- Come from a community considered a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) or Medically Underserved Area (MUA) (https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/shortage-area)
- Qualify as economically or educationally disadvantaged. More details can be found on the Summer Scholars FAQ page.
- Two letters of recommendation from natural science faculty who taught you in class OR one letter of recommendation from a premedical/health professions advising committee.
- Official transcripts from all postsecondary institutions you have attended
- U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status
- A minimum of one year each of college-level general chemistry, organic chemistry biology, and physics
Things we consider:
- Science GPA
- Eligibility criteria
- Grade trends/academic performance
- Essay question responses
- Interest in osteopathic medicine
- MCAT scores (only needed if you want to participate in the guaranteed interview; not required for selection into the program)
- Faculty evaluations
- Preference is given to rising seniors, recent college graduates, and nontraditional premedical students
Selection decisions will be made in February.
Applicants selected for the program will be notified via email.
Questions?
For more information on the Summer Scholars program, contact ou-hcom@ohio.edu or visit our frequently asked questions page.