Xavier University of Louisiana

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XU Students Interested in Medicine, Dentistry, etc.

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Premedical Office
Xavier University
1 Drexel Drive
Box 120C
New Orleans, LA 70125

Full-Time Staff
Quo Vadis Maria Webster, MA, LPC
Premedical Adviser xupremed@yahoo.com (504) - 520-7437


Part-Time Staff



JW Carmichael, Jr.
Director of Premed Program
Professor of Chemistry

Premed

What Xavier students interested in medicine, dentistry, etc.* should do FALL SEMESTER JUNIOR YEAR (Two years before they hope to enter such a school)

(updated 8/7/12)

*MODVOP = Medicine (M.D.), Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, Optometry, and Podiatry. These are the fields for which Xavier's Premedical Office provides advice and assistance.

MAIN FOCUS: Prepare a GOOD draft application and collect evaluations. NOTE: You DO need to do this NOW!!!!!

Things to do on a regular basis throughout the semester to prepare you for the future:

Check your e-mail frequently.
During the first week, complete a GPA Worksheet (use the Assessment Overview for reference).
Read Newsweek or Time (or a similar weekly publication) FROM COVER TO COVER EVERY WEEK.
Read a book each month.
Attend all meetings for Juniors Premeds.
Participate in ALL of the FREE Kaplan,Princeton, or other review course trial MCAT classes provided on campus.
Keep your grades up.
Think about attending a summer program which provides exposure to the health professions or research experience.

Things you should already have done which will be needed:

Turned in a completed copy of your High School Info Form. The form is available at www.xula.edu/premed. It should be forwarded to xupremed@yahoo.com as an attachment. Keep a backup copy for your files.
Turned in an UPDATED Post-Secondary Experiences Form. The form and a Sample Post-Secondary Experiences Form is available at www.xula.edu/premed. The completed form should be sent as an attachment to xupremed@yahoo.com. It will be critiqued and returned to you. Note: Your Post-Secondary Experiences Form should NOT include any high school activities and SHOULD include what you have done every summer since graduation from high school--i.e. all jobs you have held since high school, summer programs you attended, etc.
Completed the Questions to Answer Before You Write Your Personal Statement/Career Essay to help you generate ideas for your Personal Statement.
Started ACTIVELY working on your draft Personal Statement/Career Essay.

Schedule of what you MUST do this Fall if you intend to apply to medical, dental, etc. school in 2013-2014:

TO DO BY AUGUST 31 (Turn in missing items)

Check the list in the Premedical Office to make sure all the items which should be in your file are recorded.
Sign up in the Premedical Office for a one-on-one meeting with a Premedical Adviser to assess the likelihood of your getting into medical, dental, etc. school. You will need to bring
- a) a copy of your Bannerweb transcript,
- b) your completed GPA Worksheet (which you completed using the Assessment Overview, SAMPLE GPA Worksheet A, and SAMPLE GPA Worksheet B),
- c) Jr Assessment Questions (which you completed using App01: Application Overview).

SEPTEMBER (Meet with a Premedical Adviser to assess your progress, prepare a good copy of your Personal Statement, and make revisions after Premed personnel have made comments.)

ON THE TUESDAY AFTER LABOR DAY:
- Sign-up to meet with a Premedical Adviser for the Junior Assessment Meeting and pick up the required documents from the Premedical Office...
  - Jr Assessment Questions (refer to App01: Application Overview)
  - GPA Worksheet (refer to Assessment Overview and a copy of your Bannerweb transcript)
TO DO ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AS SCHEDULED THE WEEK AFTER LABOR DAY: Meet with a Premedical Adviser to assess your progress toward gaining entry into medical, dental, etc. school. You must bring a copy of your Bannerweb transcript, your completed GPA Worksheet, and the Jr Assessment Questions to the meeting .
TO DO BY SEPTEMBER 15: Submit draft of your Personal Statement* (a.k.a. Career Essay) to xupremed@yahoo.com so it can read and critiqued. It must not exceed 5300 characters.) You should consult the following items when writing you Personal Statement/Career Essay...
- App01: Application Overview
- App07: A Guide for Writing an AMCAS/AADSAS Essay
  - Supplement #1: Questions to Answer Before You Write Your Personal Statement/Career Essay
  - Supplement #2: Two Good AMCAS Essays from the Past (pick up from Premed).
  - Supplement #3: Essay Evaluation Form
TO DO BY THE LAST FRIDAY OF SEPTEMBER: Submit the following item to xupremed@yahoo.com...
- A REVISED copy of your Post-Secondary Experiences Form
*These items will be used by faculty who write evaluations so they MUST be in good shape!!

OCTOBER

TO DO BY OCTOBER 15: Submit the following items via email to xupremed@yahoo.com...
- A REVISED copy of your Personal Statement. (NOTE: This item will be used by faculty who write evaluations so it MUST be in good shape!!)
- A REVISED copy of your Post-Secondary Experiences Form. (NOTE: This item will be used by faculty who write evaluations so it MUST be in good shape!!)
TO DO BY OCTOBER 21: Write for information on summer programs. The Premed Office will send email notices regarding summer research and enrichment opportunities as information becomes available.
TO DO THE 4TH WEEK OF OCTOBER: Sign up for a one-on-one meeting with a Premedical Adviser to choose the faculty you will ask for letters of evaluation.

NOVEMBER (Ask faculty for evaluations for medical, dental, etc. school. NOTE: You have to ask now so faculty will turn in evaluations during the Spring and they will be available when you apply next summer.)

SIGN UP FOR AN INDIVIDUAL MEETING WITH A PREMEDICAL ADVISER (watch your email).
PRESCHEDULE FOR NEXT SEMESTER : Keep your load to 14 or fewer hours so you have time to study for the MCAT. Also, remember that if you are going to medical school, we STRONGLY recommend that you take at least two of the following courses while at XU: Comparative Anatomy, Anatomy and Physiology (BIOL 3350/3350L), Biochemistry I, Embryology, and Histology. Additional information is available from this link.
TO DO BEFORE YOUR SCHEDULED MEETING WITH THE PREMEDICAL ADVISER: Show up on time for your meeting. Be sure to print OR pick-up the following items from the Premed Office BEFORE your meeting...
- A completed copy of the Evaluation Meeting Questionnaire including a list of two science (BCPM) and 1 nonscience faculty whom you wish to ask for evaluations as well as 1 alternate science and 1 alternate nonscience faculty. NOTES: 1) These MUST be people who have taught you (and whose courses you made no less than a "B" in) and at least one should be in Biology (if possible) and 2) you need 3 BCPM faculty evaluations if you are applying to LSU-Shreveport.
- A completed/signed copy of the Evaluation Waiver Form
- Directions for Collecting/Sending Evaluations
TO DO WITHIN 48 HOURS AFTER YOUR MEETING: Ask the faculty you and the Premedical Adviser agreed upon to write you evaluations. If one of the faculty does not agree, ask an alternate. Additional detail is provided at "Directions for Collecting/Sending Evaluations".
TO DO BY NOVEMBER 30: If you haven't attended a summer program which provides exposure to the health professions and some prep courses for medical school, apply to at least three on the list in the Premed Office. NOTE: If you have to work to pay for school next year, ignore this instruction and work instead.

(Ask faculty for evaluations for medical, dental, etc. school. NOTE: You have to ask now so faculty will turn in evaluations during the Spring and they will be available when you apply next summer.)

DECEMBER (Study for finals and, if you are going to take the MCAT, register for Kaplan, Princeton, or another MCAT review course).

TO DO BY DECEMBER 15: Register for the Kaplan, Princeton, or another MCAT Review so you can get your books and a list of the advance study you need to do over the Christmas break.
OVER THE CHRISTMAS BREAK: Do the advance study on the syllabus provided by the Review you have chosen. Note: Stop whining. No one ever said getting into medical school would be easy. We just said it could be done--if you really want it!!