Incoming classes reflect diversity, commitment

Academic excellence, diversity and social commitment characterize the 1,000 students who recently arrived at BU Medical Campus to begin the next phase of their professional training.

In September, BUSM matriculated 176 students from a pool of more than 11,000 applicants.

“Once again, we received the largest number of applications to a single medical school in the United States, and our 11 percent growth in application numbers this year is considerably larger than the national expansion,” said Robert Witzburg, MD, associate dean and director of admissions at BUSM.

“Academically, the Class of 2011 is among the strongest we have ever had,” he stated. “And with women comprising more than half the students and 23 percent from groups underrepresented in medicine, it is also the most diverse.

“Approximately one-fifth of the new BUSM students hold graduate-level degrees,” continued Witzburg, “and many have also done substantive work in service to disadvantaged communities in the United States or abroad.” In addition, a record-high 329 new students arrived at BUMC for the 21 master’s and doctoral programs offered by BUSM’s Division of Graduate Medical Sciences.

The Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) also received a record number of applications during the 2006-2007 admissions cycle: 4,343 for its four-year DMD program – more than any other dental school in the United States. Of these, 190 predoctoral students were welcomed in July – 115 in the four-year DMD program, and 75 in the two-year Advanced Standing DMD Program for internationally trained dentists. Another 89 students began postdoctoral programs at GSDM.

“Less than half the matriculated predoctoral students identified themselves as Caucasian in their application for admission,” said Catherine Sarkis, executive director for admissions and student services at GSDM. “We are excited by the growth in numbers of students in dentistry who are from traditionally under-represented minorities.”

Not all matriculating DMD students enter the dental school directly from college, added Sarkis. Previous experiences include research, higher education, employment in health-related fields and business, and community-service work.

The predoctoral incoming classes represent 22 states and 15 countries, including India, Pakistan, China and Romania.

Of the 287 matriculating students at BUSPH, 256 are beginning the Master of Public Health (MPH) program, with the remaining 31 students distributed through the school’s DSc, MSc and DrPH programs. Students hail from 20 foreign countries, as well as the United States, and minorities are represented in almost 20 percent of the new students. Of the eight concentrations offered by the school, 33 percent of the MPH students chose international health and 21 percent chose epidemiology.

“We continue to observe the trend of more young people right out of college taking it upon themselves to experience the challenges we face in public health,” said Brad Peloquin, director of admissions at BUSPH. “Be it AmeriCorps, international experiences as youth volunteers, members of the Peace Corp, or local programs such as CityCorps, these opportunities are inspiring young people to further acquire the skill set and education that allow them to seek a professional career in public health.”