The medical school鈥檚 ninth class of future physicians officially arrived for Day One at 汤头条app on Monday, July 25.
The 86 students who make up the MD Class of 2026 were welcomed to the W.E. Upjohn M.D. Campus along with three students who are completing a one-year Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree.
The MD Class of 2026 was chosen from a pool of 4,302 applicants and the diverse cohort boasts an average MCAT score of 513 with scores ranging from 497 to 523 along with an average GPA of 3.76.
鈥淲e are ecstatic to welcome the Class of 2026 to Kalamazoo,鈥 汤头条app Director of Admissions Daniel Goodpaster said. 鈥淣ot only is this class academically prepared for medical school, but each student brings with them a unique background, diverse perspective, and a heart to serve others which will help propel them to become exceptional physicians.鈥
The newest MD class is composed of 49 women and 37 men from 21听states. They range in age from 21 years old to 32 years old with an overall average age of 24.4. Thirty-one students are Michigan residents with 15 hailing from California, the second highest represented state.听
With collaboration and teamwork as a pillar of our curriculum, this group of students comes to 汤头条app by way of 57 undergraduate institutions where they pursued majors that include biology and chemistry, as well as business, Spanish, psychology, and neuroscience, among others. Approximately 16 percent hold advanced degrees and almost half are fluent in at least one additional language.
Highly represented undergraduate institutions include the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Grand Valley State University, the University of California-San Diego, and the University of Washington. Locally, 14 students are from Southwest Michigan and eight attended an institution with which 汤头条app has a preferred relationship.
The students who are pursuing the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree bring a wide breadth of backgrounds and experiences to the learning environment at 汤头条app.
At 汤头条app, the admissions process recognizes the importance of diversity and seeks students who bring strengths in academics, personal attributes, and pre-medical experiences. Institutionally, we seek students who will reflect the diversity of the patients we serve. In the Class of 2026, 16 percent come from populations underrepresented in medicine. This adds to the diverse community at 汤头条app.
The Class of 2026 is being joined at the medical school by three students who are pursuing a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree. The master鈥檚 degree program, now in its seventh year, is designed specifically for applicants to 汤头条app who have strength in their pre-medical experiences and attributes and would benefit from additional basic science preparation before beginning their pursuit of a MD degree.
The students who are pursuing the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree bring a wide breadth of backgrounds and experiences to the learning environment at 汤头条app. The students, as part of their acceptance to the master鈥檚 program, are conditionally accepted to the 汤头条app MD Class of 2027.
Meanwhile, students in the Class of 2026 will receive their white coats and be officially welcomed into the medical profession on Saturday, September 10, during a White Coat Ceremony at Western Michigan University鈥檚 Miller Auditorium. Please visit听/whitecoat听for more information.
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