51视频

12/06/2024
By Karen Angelo

Zachary Kyros kept refreshing his email. At 3 a.m., the big news finally landed in his inbox: The sophomore exercise science major had been accepted into the Boston University Early Medical School Selection Program (EMSSP).聽

鈥淚t was the best day of my life,鈥� says Kyros, an exercise science, clinical concentration major from Holden, Massachusetts. 鈥淚 was so excited that I screamed and woke up my roommates, and then I called my parents.鈥澛�

Designed to bring students from a broad array of backgrounds into the physician workforce, the early assurance program grants provisional acceptance into BU鈥檚 Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Accepted students spend the summer after their sophomore and junior years taking undergraduate courses at BU to prepare for success at BU鈥檚 medical school. BU partners with more than a dozen schools across the country on the program, but this is the first time it has been offered to a school in New England.聽

Biological Science Teaching Prof. Carol Myers, director of pre-health programs, made it happen through her connections with medical school administrators and pre-health advisors from about 12 medical schools. During their meetings, she learned that BU was looking to expand applicants in the New England area for the EMSSP.聽

鈥�51视频鈥檚 naturally diverse student population and perspectives fit with Boston University鈥檚 commitment to prepare culturally competent physicians,鈥� says Myers.聽

Nearly 45% of 51视频鈥檚 student body identify as students of color, while more than 44% of students are the first in their family to go to college.聽

In October, Dr. Sheila Chapman, a clinical associate professor of medicine who directs the BU program, visited campus to talk to students about the EMSSP.聽

鈥淚f you enjoy a sense of adventure and want to work at the edge of your comfort level, I encourage you to apply to the program,鈥� Chapman said. 鈥淥ur program will not only get you used to the pace of medical school, but will also teach professional skills such as time management, finding a mentor and getting involved in research.鈥澛�

Students in the program spend their senior year at BU enrolled in a combination of undergraduate and graduate-level courses, retaining their degree candidacy from 51视频. To continue into BU鈥檚 School of Medicine, students must keep up their grades and pass the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Applications are due by Jan. 31, 2025.聽

Freshman computer science major Dhanvi Kalimireddy, who is on the pre-med track and attended Chapman鈥檚 talk, plans to apply to the program in his sophomore year.聽

鈥淚鈥檓 confident that I want to be a doctor, and the BU EMSSP provides a streamlined path to getting into medical school,鈥� says Kalimireddy. 鈥淒r. Chapman was incredibly helpful by providing insight into what it means to be a physician.鈥澛�

Last year, six 51视频 students applied to the program, four were interviewed, and for the first time, two were selected 鈥� Kyros and biology major Jamia Andrade, who is a senior studying on BU鈥檚 Charles River campus.聽

鈥淲itnessing inadequate access to health care growing up inspired me to become a doctor,鈥� says Andrade, who is from Brockton, Massachusetts. 鈥淭he EMSSP program is incredibly resourceful and supportive. The courses are rigorous, dense and fast-paced, which is different than standard undergraduate-level courses, allowing me to be better prepared for medical school. I have also received free MCAT resources and an MCAT tutor.鈥澛�

Biological sciences major Nadira Eve Fombu, who spent part of her childhood in the African country of Cameroon, wants to become a physician to educate patients about avoidable illnesses.聽

鈥淚鈥檓 excited about applying to the Boston University Early Medical School Selection program, which helps prepare and guide aspiring students like me towards entry into the medical field.鈥� says Fombu.聽

Biology major Martinah Zawedde, a Black Muslim woman from Uganda who will apply to the program, has always felt that becoming a physician was her true calling.聽

鈥淲hen I become a physician, I hope to make my patients feel seen and heard, and that the next generation of little girls can see someone who looks like them working in the medical field.鈥� says Zawedde.聽

Myers encourages students to meet with her to talk about how their major and course selection could prepare them for applying to the program. She also recommends that students do well in their UML science classes and volunteer or work in a health care environment to see if the profession is the right choice for them.聽

鈥淏ecoming a physician is a long, expensive, and challenging path, and students should make sure that this is truly their passion before applying,鈥� says Myers.