This dual admission gives highly motivated and focused students an early orientation to a medical career. The Washington University School of Medicine consistently ranks. The Scholars program is a vibrant community of high achieving students at Stony Brook. With this program, you can make connections with our world class faculty, participate in numerous activities, and obtain leadership and research opportunities.
The University Scholars Program (USP) is an interdisciplinary, intergenerational community of scholars at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The program supports creative exploration of the various interactions between different fields, paradigms, and methods of analysis.
History[edit]
The University Scholars Program was created in 1998 by the Office of the Vice Provost of Interdisciplinary Studies with a gift of $20 million from Duke University Trustee EmeritaMelinda French Gates and her husband Bill Gates, through the William H. Gates Foundation, now called the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Melinda French Gates graduated from Duke University with a double major in computer science and economics in 1986 and an MBA from Duke's Fuqua School of Business in 1987. The University Scholars Program at Duke was the first major philanthropic endeavor by the Gates' through the William H. Gates Foundation, prior to the establishment of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The University Scholars Program is the first scholarship program of its kind in the United States. The program offers scholarship support to undergraduate, graduate and professional school students with a focus on interdisciplinary approaches to knowledge. The focus on interdisciplinarity derives in part from Melinda French Gates' own interdisciplinary melding of the fields of computer science, economics, and business, as does its emphasis on inter-generational collaboration and mentoring, given her experience as an undergraduate and professional school student at Duke University.
Significant financial need is one of the primary criteria for consideration by the USP, along with academic excellence and socioeconomic diversity. The USP's combination of financial need, inter-generational scholarship support, and commitment to funding educational opportunities to students from diverse backgrounds provided the preliminary framework for some of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's subsequent philanthropic endeavors, notably the Gates Millennium Scholars, established in 1999 with a $1 billion grant.
The University Scholars Program works closely with the Duke Office of Undergraduate Students and Fellows and is one of several merit scholarships available to matriculating Duke students. It is the only merit scholarship program at Duke that includes a graduate and professional school community along with an undergraduate constituency.
Program[edit]
Undergraduate University Scholars are given a grant to cover tuition, room, board, and fees associated with Duke for four years of undergraduate study. Every year, approximately 30 Duke applicants are identified for consideration by the University Scholars Program based their family's financial need and on their ability to explore new academic horizons. There is no direct application process to the University Scholars Program. Rather, Duke's Office of Undergraduate Admissions forwards those outstanding applicants applying for financial aid to the Office of Undergraduate Scholars and Fellows, who determines suitability for consideration by the USP. A reading committee including the Director of the University Scholars Program along with Duke faculty and advisors evaluates each application in detail. The applicants come to Duke for a finalist weekend in the spring of their high school senior year, during which they stay with current University Scholars, explore Duke, attend classes, and conduct an interview with a panel of faculty, graduate students, professional school students, and undergraduate students associated with the USP. According to the USP website, scholars 'represent a range of personal and intellectual backgrounds and share an excitement for original research, collaborative thinking, and innovative scholarship.'
Undergraduate scholars are also given the opportunity to use up to 7000 dollars for a summer enrichment program. Valid enrichment programs help the scholar grow intellectually and help the scholar prepare for a career, graduate school, or a senior thesis. The funding must be used for costs associated with travel, program fees, and living expenses.
Graduate University Scholars receive tuition support for the first year of graduate school. They are selected from the top applicants to individual graduate programs at Duke University by departmental Directors of Graduate Studies who nominate and rank graduate applicants for several merit scholarship available to graduate student. These graduate merit scholarships include Duke's J.B. Duke Scholarship, the Dean's Graduate Award Fellowship, and/or the W.H. Gardner Society of Engineering Fellowship. The Graduate School reviews the nominations and provides details to the Director of the University Scholars Program. The USP Director selects graduate students based on a clear interdisciplinary agenda for graduate study along with experience or potential for mentoring undergraduate students. Graduate students participate in the University Scholars Program throughout their tenure at Duke. They are eligible to apply for additional funding to support travel and participation in interdisciplinary conferences as well as a Graduate Mentor Award for outstanding commitment and mentoring within the University Scholars Program.
Professional School University Scholars also receive tuition support for the first year of professional school study. Professional school University Scholars are chosen by each of Duke's seven professional schools: The Divinity School, the Fuqua School of Business, the Nicholas School of the Environment, the School of Law, the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, and the Sanford School of Public Policy. Many professional school University Scholars pursue joint degrees with other professional schools at Duke or within the Graduate School. They similarly demonstrate significant financial need, academic merit, and socioeconomic diversity. Like graduate students in the University Scholars Program, professional school students also participate in the USP throughout their time at Duke. They are also eligible to apply for interdisciplinary conference travel funding and the USP Graduate Mentor Award.
Activities[edit]
The University Scholars have a variety of activities to help develop a community of friendliness and intellectual discussion. Each fall, all USP scholars (sometimes called 'Unis') take a 2-day weekend retreat to discuss the principles of the program and the goals for the year. Throughout the semester, the USP hosts numerous seminars led by USP scholars or faculty members. Additionally, informal 'coffees' are arranged to facilitate discussion of non-academic issues of interest, ranging from organic farming in Europe to senior theses.
Each spring, the USP holds a daylong symposium that explores a specific topic from the perspective of a variety of disciplines. This typically involves a keynote speaker followed by panels of University Scholars who discuss a certain aspect of the topic from the perspective of their respective disciplines.
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=University_Scholars_Program&oldid=854690397'
Your early orientation to a career in medicine
Our dual admission program is a selective academic opportunity created for highly motivated and focused students. You can apply for admission to WashU both for your chosen undergraduate degree program and for medical school.
The School of Medicine consistently ranks among the top in the nation, so standards for admission are high. We are looking for passionate and driven first-year applicants, including international students. Transfer students are not eligible to apply.
We seek students with:
- commitment to community, compassion, aptitude, integrity, and motivation suitable for a career in medicine
- outstanding academic records
- demonstrated leadership skills in their high school’s academic and extracurricular activities
If you change your mind and decide not to attend medical school, you’ll still have great choices for an outstanding education. In addition, you may defer enrollment into your undergraduate studies and/or your graduate studies by up to two years each.
The University Scholars Program is a selective academic opportunity, not a scholarship program. However, students will be considered for division-based academic scholarships and are encouraged to apply for our Signature Scholar Programs. University Scholars are also eligible to apply for financial assistance on the same basis as other applicants.
Application Process
- Apply for admission to the Class of 2024.
- Log in to your WashU Pathway account to submit the separate application for the University Scholars Program in Medicine.
- Write a brief answers (150 words or less) to the following questions:
- Why are you interested in pursuing a career in medicine? Describe any life and/or medically-related experiences that have sparked this interest, as well as any personal attributes that make you especially suited for a medical career.
- Briefly summarize any research or medical experience and how it has impacted you. (Please do not submit research documents.)
- Submit an additional (third) letter of recommendation from a member of your community who can speak to your research experience or interest in the field of healthcare. If you submit an “other” letter of recommendation through the Common Application or Coalition Application, that letter may be used.
- All applications must be submitted by January 2, 2020, and complete in our office by January 6, 2020. For best consideration, we encourage you to submit your applications by December 15, 2019.
- The University Scholars Committee will interview selected finalists, who will need to come to campus for interviews and related activities during finalists’ weekend, March 26-29, 2020. Washington University will pay for finalists’ round-trip expenses within the United States and their expenses while in St. Louis. Those who are named University Scholars will be notified shortly after finalists’ weekend. Those not selected as a finalist may still be admitted to one of Washington University’s outstanding undergraduate divisions.
Program Highlights
From your first year as an undergraduate, you’ll:
- Be guided by a mentor in the School of Medicine
- Engage in research
- Receive personal pre-professional advising
- Get to “shadow” a medical student or physician
- Receive invitations to special lectures and events held by the School of Medicine.
To continue to medical school as a University Scholar, you will need to fulfill all entrance requirements. Your pre-professional advisor will work with you as an undergraduate to make sure that you fulfill the prerequisites for medical school. You will also need to maintain an overall minimum 3.8 grade point average (GPA) and achieve a minimum total score on the Medical College Admissions Test (equal to or above the 97th percentile). If your GPA or MCAT are below this minimum, your eligibility for graduate study will be up to the School of Medicine’s discretion.
Pre-Med Studies at WashU
You’ll have a wide range of choices for your undergraduate area of study. Majoring in one of the natural sciences or engineering is traditional, but majors in the humanities and social sciences are equally welcome. Our pre-med advisors in the College of Arts & Sciences and in McKelvey School of Engineering will work with you to ensure you’re prepared for medical school.
As an undergraduate, you’ll need to complete at least a year of each of the following:
- Biological science
- General or inorganic chemistry
- Organic chemistry
- Physics
- Mathematics through differential calculus
You’ll also get to participate in research with faculty at the School of Medicine. These opportunities are ideal if you’d like to get a head start on cutting-edge biomedical research. Our students also have great opportunities to study abroad.
Medical School Studies
As a medical student at WashU, you’ll receive an education among the very best in the world. You’ll be taught the scientific basis of medicine and the most up-to-date clinical care, one-on-one with faculty.
Your first-year courses will address normal human structure and function, neurosciences, physiology, cell biology, and genetics. In your second year, you’ll focus on the effects of disease on body structure and function. You’ll complete core clinical clerkships during your third year, while fourth-year studies will be fully elective. Issues of medical humanities and ethics are integrated throughout the four-year curriculum. Students that participate in the program may choose to study abroad.
Your first-year courses will address normal human structure and function, neurosciences, physiology, cell biology, and genetics. In your second year, you’ll focus on the effects of disease on body structure and function. You’ll complete core clinical clerkships during your third year, while fourth-year studies will be fully elective. Issues of medical humanities and ethics are integrated throughout the four-year curriculum. Students that participate in the program may choose to study abroad.
Our rigorous academic programs are supported by student-centered teaching approaches such as:
- Traditional lectures and laboratory
- Small-group interaction
- Self-directed learning
Patient contact will begin right from your first month, and your clinical experience will be integrated with courses in pathology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology. Our extensive computer network also provides you with access to the latest computerized learning tools.
Our graduates go on to complete their residencies at top university-affiliated hospitals, including our own Medical Center. They pursue successful careers in primary care, medical specialties, academic medicine, and clinical and basic research.
Our graduates go on to complete their residencies at top university-affiliated hospitals, including our own Medical Center. They pursue successful careers in primary care, medical specialties, academic medicine, and clinical and basic research.