Class Profile

Profile, Entering Class of 2012
One of the unusual features of BUSM is the large number of pathways to the MD degree that we support, either exclusively on the medical campus, or in partnership with other colleges of Boston University. The 181 students in the entering class of 2012 are drawn from the following subgroups: 

143
-4-yr MD
8
-MD-PhD
5
-Early Medical School Selection Program (EMSSP)
21
-7-yr BA-MD Program
4
-Modular Medical Integrated Curriculum (MMEDIC)
0
-Engineering/Medical Integrated Curriculum (ENGMEDIC)

In addition, a number of these students will, ultimately, graduate with a MD-MPH or MD-MBA.

The class is about 46% women and about 20% are under-represented minorities. All entering students hold at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited US or Canadian institution and 37 hold a graduate degree. The group is extraordinarily diverse from a cultural and linguistic perspective; they represent 29 U.S. states and territories, and 24 countries of origin. They range in age from 21 to 34. Virtually all of the entering students have had some experience in clinical settings and many have been engaged in biomedical research. Some come from families with a long tradition of service in the medical profession, while others are the first member of their extended family to attend college.

Many have had substantial careers prior to attending medical school, including pharmacy, elementary and secondary education, health policy, information systems consulting, business management, performance arts, and nursing. Many have worked or volunteered as Emergency Medical Technicians or Paramedics, others have served as personal care attendants for handicapped individuals or as hospital interpreters. Students have worked in Americorps, Teach for America, The Peace Corps, Habitat for Humanity, Big Brother/Big Sister programs, and a host of other service activities.

The 143 4-yr MD students were selected from a pool of over 11,000 individuals who submitted initial applications to BUSM and on the academic side, this is one of the best qualified classes we have ever had. The mean undergraduate GPA in this group was 3.66 and the mean MCAT quantitative sub-test total was 34 compared with a national average of 28 for all test-takers and 30 for matriculants. Many of the students have received their undergraduate degrees with Latin Honors, and many have been elected to Phi Beta Kappa, Tau Beta Pi, as well as other local and national academic honor societies.

For the 181 entering students, the most commonly represented undergraduate institutions include the following:

Boston College
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University
Dartmouth College
Duke University
Hampton University
Harvard University
Johns Hopkins University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
McGill University
Northwestern University
Pennsylvania State University
Spelman College
Swarthmore College
Tufts University
University of California system
University of Chicago
University of Florida
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of Pennsylvania
University of Rochester
University of Toronto
University of Wisconsin
Wellesley College
Yale University

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Primary teaching affiliate
of BU School of Medicine