Summer Scholars
Program Dates: 2024 Dates to Come
The Summer Scholars application is closed and will reopen in the fall of 2023.
For more than 25 years, Summer Scholars participants have been preparing for the challenges and rewards of medical school. Twenty-four applicants are selected each year to participate in this rigorous five-week program designed to give you an intensive and realistic introduction to the first-year curriculum at Heritage College.
Summer Scholars is taught by medical school faculty, graduate students, and second-year medical students. The program format is modeled after our Pathways to Health and Wellness Curriculum. Each week, students are provided with learning objectives, outcomes, and preparatory materials to direct study, activate prior experience and knowledge, and identify areas for growth. Educational topics to be emphasized are identified and presented via patient cases, which guide the integrated learning activities throughout the week. You’ll also become familiar with the basics of osteopathic manipulative medicine, hear from past program participants and explore topics such as social determinants of health, cultural competency, and health care access.
Although you won’t receive academic credit for this program, you will be evaluated by medical school faculty based on your class participation, test performance, general attitude, and an assessment of your potential for success in the medical curriculum.
** Important note to those who may have already applied to our medical school through AACOMAS: You will need to use the same email address for your Summer Scholars application as you did on your AACOMAS application.
Once you are in the application portal, you can complete the application at your own pace, and you may save and come back to the form as needed. The portal will also be the place to check on the status of your application.
Program Description
Summer Scholars 2023 will be held in person on the Athens campus. Move in date is Saturday, May 20.
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 on both an academic and personal level
- Build cultural competency by working as part of a team with other premedical students from diverse backgrounds
Program Eligibility and Selection
While the program benefits rising college seniors and graduates, college juniors may also apply.
Requirements
- Qualify as economically or educationally disadvantaged or as an underrepresented minority
- Students will be considered educationally disadvantaged if neither parent has completed a bachelor's degree or higher. Guidelines for determining if you qualify as economically disadvantaged can be found on the Summer Scholars FAQ page.
- Underrepresented minority is defined as racial or ethnic populations who are underrepresented in the designated health profession discipline relative to the number of individuals who are members of the population involved. This definition includes Black or African American, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Hispanic or Latino.
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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
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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 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.
Program Benefits
- Summer Scholars will provide a realistic experience of the curriculum demands and life balance as a first-year medical student at Heritage College.
- Eligible students will have a guaranteed interview for a spot in the next fall's entering class.
- Students will be provided a modest stipend. Housing and travel reimbursements are provided
- Summer Scholars participants will be taught by current medical school faculty and second-year medical students.
Questions?
For more information on the Summer Scholars program, contact ou-hcom@ohio.edu, visit our frequently asked questions page, or check out this story on our 2022 Summer Scholars.