| Approximately one of every five applicants to United States medical schools for the 2009–10 academic year applied to the Feinberg School of Medicine. The 164 members of the Class of 2013 include 90 men and 74 women. Students list 64 undergraduate majors — from biology to biomedical engineering, psychology, chemistry, and economics. Collectively, our new students speak 27 different languages, including Spanish, Japanese, and Gujarati. The undergraduate grade point average (GPA) for the Class of 2013 is 3.74 overall and 3.69 in the sciences. Average scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) for the class are 12.16 in the biological sciences, 11.89 in the physical sciences, and 10.52 in verbal skills. The medical school had 7,412 applicants for the 130 positions available through the regular admissions process. Among our new students, represented self-described racial and ethnic groups include 13 (8 percent) African and African American; 57 (35 percent) Asian; 11 (7 percent) Hispanic; 2 (1 percent) Native American or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander; and 74 (45 percent) White. Seven new students chose not to self-describe. There are 33 (20 percent) nontraditional students — those who have taken off two or more years between their undergraduate studies and medical school — in the class. Together with the traditional students, the M1 class ranges in age from 20 to 44 years old, claim 60 institutions as their undergraduate alma maters, and hail from 29 states and nine foreign countries. Eleven students entered the Feinberg School of Medicine's Medical Scientist Training Program and will receive both MD and PhD degrees when they complete their studies. Thirty students entered through the Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME) and five through the Northwestern Undergraduate Premedical Scholars Program (NUPSP). Six members of the 2013 class have earned advanced degrees, including one Doctor of Philosophy, one Juris Doctor, one Master of Science, one Master of Humanities, and two Masters of Public Health. Entering class members have extensive research experience: 94 percent engaged in research on the undergraduate or graduate level. Thirty-eight percent are authors on a research publication or presentation. Students have been awarded prestigious research awards from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Merit Scholarship Corporation, National Institutes of Health, along with others. Among the Class of 2013, 93 percent have been awarded academic honors. Their volunteer experience includes service with the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life, and Special Olympics. In addition, our students have participated in medical missions all over the world, in countries like Guatemala, Honduras, France, and India. The 2013 class includes marathon runners, an Eagle Scout, a professional soccer player, a cake decorator, and a ballerina, as well as ballroom and belly dancers. Several new students are musicians and painters, and many were active in collegiate sports like hockey, rugby, tennis, and lacrosse. | |
