On Monday, we held an information session for the bachelor’s degree/M.D. Early Assurance Program. This special agreement with the School of Medicine allows Tufts sophomores to receive acceptance to Tufts Med and matriculate there upon completing the bachelor’s degree. The health professions advisors will provide the application over winter break, and you should return it to them by February 1. Julia Turock was admitted to Tufts University School of Medicine through the Early Assurance Program, and she shares her experience:
I am a current senior and will be attending TUSM starting next Fall! Here is my experience and advice regarding the Early Assurance program, the pre-med track, and life!
How I decided to apply:
I visited the medical school freshman year through the pre-med society’s “Shadow a med student” Day and I really enjoyed my time there. I really liked how Tufts stresses patient interactions early on in your medical school education as well as the collaborative environment that the school fosters. I knew I would be thrilled to go to Tufts so I decided to apply to the Early Assurance program. I am also a fairly high-stress person and I knew that being admitting to med school early would allow me to be more relaxed and really enjoy my time as an undergrad student more.
Classes:
To apply to the Early Assurance program you need to have completed Bio 13, Bio 14, Chem 1, Chem 2, and Orgo I by the July after your sophomore year. Here is how I completed the sequence. I took Bio 13 freshman Fall. I had AP credit so I did not take Bio 14, but I took Genetics sophomore Fall to demonstrate my competencies in biology.
I took Chem 1 freshman Spring and Chem 2 sophomore Fall. I took Orgo 1 during the summer after sophomore year. I LOVED taking Orgo during the summer because it was nice to be able to focus on the class because I had nothing else to do. Also, I am a biology and community health major so by the time my application was reviewed during the summer after sophomore year, I had completed a bunch of biology courses.
Extracurriculars:
My medical-related experience was fairly limited when I applied to the program. The summer between freshman and sophomore years, I went on a service-learning trip to Haiti with Tufts Hillel and then babysat for the rest of the summer. Additionally, I went to Guatemala with Tufts Timmy Global Health over Winter Break Sophomore year, where I got to shadow doctors, work in the pharmacy, and translate between physicians and patients.
I was also the VP of Academic Programming of the Freshmen Class Council and then the President of the Sophomore Class Council. Additionally, I worked for the Academic Resource Center as a biology tutor and led study groups for Bio 13. I am also a sister of Alpha Omicron Pi.
Application:
The application was fairly simple. Most of it was just about the courses you have taken and your name, address, etc. The personal statement was the only substantive part of the application and it is your time to explain why you want to be a doctor, why you want to go to TUSM, and why the Early Assurance program is right for you! Make sure to really understand what makes TUSM unique and make it clear in your application that you want to go to TUSM, not that you just want to go to ANY medical school.
Also, you need three letters of recommendation. I had mine written by my Genetics professor, my Chem 2 professor, and Dr. Koegel who at the time managed the Bio 13 Study Group program, which I tutor for. I STRONGLY recommend going to office hours for your larger science classes, even if you do not have specific questions, so that professors can get to know you and can write substantive recommendations for you that go beyond the grade you got in their course.
Interview:
If you are selected to interview, you will find out in March and your interview will be in Early April. The interview day was INCREDIBLE! All the applicants who were interviewing coordinated and traveled together to the med school.
Once you get to the med school there are some presentations and you have lunch with med students and get a tour of the school. You are on the campus for a few hours before you interview which allowed me to get comfortable and stop being nervous. I interviewed with a fourth-year med student and a physician who was an alum.
The interviews were really targeted at trying to understand who you are and why you want to be a part of the program. I felt like I was having a conversation about myself and my experiences. Overall, it was an awesome day.
Advice:
Make sure to participate in extracurriculars that you enjoy, not just the things that will look good on a resume. TUSM is looking for well-rounded candidates who will be good doctors one day and there are ways to show that without having specific clinical or research experiences. We spend so much time in class and studying that when you need to go to a club meeting or event, make sure it is something you are happy and excited to go to! Anything can be applied to your medical school application (I learned patience from babysitting, I learned how to work as a team from class council, etc.) so only dedicate yourself to the things you really care about.
Also, if you aren’t afraid of chemistry take CHEM 171. I learned so much and I understand everything so much better in my biology classes now.
Julia Turock, ’16
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