 |
|
|
New first-year medical students (from left) Rodney Bruno, Amberly Diep and Sahil Shah gathered with classmates at the School of Medicine Class of 2022 welcome barbeque on Aug. 6. |
Selected from more than 4,000 applicants, the 162-member School of Medicine Class of 2022 arrived at UMass Medical School on Monday, Aug. 6. Spirits ran high as students took in a welcoming address from Chancellor Michael F. Collins and began a weeklong orientation during which they learn their way around campus, prepare for the start of classes and get to know one another.
“I love the energy!” said Rodney Bruno of Roxbury, a UMass Boston graduate, at an afternoon barbecue. “Even though medical school can be stressful I know I’ll have the support I need, so today I feel hopeful and happy to be here.”
Bruno enjoyed burgers and salads prepared by the UMMS Department of Public Safety with his UMass Boston classmate Amberly Diep of Canton and Winchester resident and Tufts University graduate Sahil Shah.
“The sense of community here is really strong and people are really friendly,” Shah agreed. “People seem happy and everyone helps each other out, which stood out to me when I was interviewing at different schools.”
Bruno and Diep both participated in the University of Massachusetts Baccalaureate MD Pathway Program, launched five years ago to increase the early identification and recruitment of qualified pre-medical students from the university’s undergraduate campuses who represent the cultural and economic diversity of the state’s population.
“The Bacc/MD program is probably why Rodney and I are here today. It was a pre-med boot camp,” Diep said. “The main thing we gained was the connection we have to the faculty here. We both knew right away that UMMS was our top school.”
Bruno, Diep and Sahil are among the class’s 106 Massachusetts residents and 56 out-of-state students, who boast an average undergraduate grade point average of 3.73, and placement averaging in the 90th percentile of Medical College Admission Test scores. Fourteen students attended University of Massachusetts undergraduate campuses; 44 are from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine or economically and educationally disadvantaged; and 27 have selected the innovative Population-based Urban and Rural Community Health track, launched last year.
Related stories on UMassMedNow:
Summer Enrichment Program leads diverse students on path to medical school
Putting pre-med students on a pathway to success
