UMBC Health Professions Evaluation Committee
Minimum Requirements for the Fall 2016 Cohort:
*The deadline for first-time applicants to join the Fall 2016 Cohort is Tuesday, February 10, 2015 at 4:00pm.*
(February 10 is NOT the deadline for recommendation letters! Please review the FAQ's announcement under the NEWS section for more information about the Fall 2016 cohort deadline.)
The HPEC process begins with the Kickoff Workshops which are open to current UMBC Juniors, Seniors, or Alumni who plan on applying to medical, dental, or podiatry school with expected matriculation in August 2016 (starting classes at professional school in August 2016). Only current UMBC students--those students taking UMBC undergraduate and graduate classess--are required to attend a Kickoff Workshop.
1. Letters of Recommendation
Every applicant must submit a minimum of three recommendation letters. Specifics are listed below for different applicant populations.
For current UMBC students (current UMBC undergraduates and UMBC post-baccalaureate students):
Every applicant must submit a minimum of three recommendation letters. Of the three minimum recommendation letters, two of the letters must be from two UMBC Biology, Chemistry, or Physics instructors/faculty who have served as the instructor for the applicant in a UMBC Biology, Chemistry, or Physics course.
Note: Applicants can obtain any combination for their two UMBC science instructor letters. For example: one Chemistry and one Biology letter; two Biology letters; one Physics and one Chemistry letter; two Chemistry letters, etc.
After obtaining two UMBC science letters, other potential recommenders include research mentors, employment/work supervisors, healthcare professionals the student has shadowed, supervisors from clinical-related experiences, supervisors from community service experiences, coaches, and/or advisors. Applicants are encouraged to secure the most relevant and strongest references and this will vary per student.
For UMBC alumni who graduated within the last two years (within the past 24 months, between August 2012–August 2014):
Every applicant must submit a minimum of three recommendation letters. Of the three minimum recommendation letters, applicants within two years of their graduation from UMBC are required to obtain only one letter of recommendation from a UMBC Biology, Chemistry, or Physics instructor who taught them during their tenure at UMBC.
If an alumnus desires to obtain more than one letter of recommendation from a UMBC science professor, they can certainly do so. Alumni in this category should understand that many professional schools will require two science letters from recent graduates such as those from 2012-2014. Applicants must assume personal responsibility to know what the professional schools to which they are applying require. Applicants are encouraged to secure the most relevant and strongest references and this will vary per student. After obtaining one UMBC science letter, other potential recommenders include graduate school professors, research mentors, employment/work supervisors, healthcare professionals the student has shadowed, supervisors from clinical-related experiences, supervisors from community service experiences, coaches, and/or advisors.
For UMBC alumni who graduated more than two years ago (graduation date was in May 2012 or earlier):
Every applicant must submit a minimum of three recommendation letters. Of the three minimum recommendation letters, applicants who graduated from UMBC more than two years ago are not required to secure any letters of recommendation from UMBC science professors.
If an alumnus desires to obtain letters of recommendation from a UMBC science professor, they can certainly do so. Alumni in this category should understand that many professional schools will require two science letters from more recent graduates. Applicants must assume personal responsibility to know what the professional schools to which they are applying require. Applicants are encouraged to secure the most relevant and strongest references and this will vary per student. Other potential recommenders include graduate school professors, research mentors, employment/work supervisors, healthcare professionals the student has shadowed, supervisors from clinical-related experiences, supervisors from community service experiences, coaches, and/or advisors.
A maximum of FOUR letters will be accepted for each dental applicant.
A maximum of FIVE letters will be accepted for each MD-only, DO-only, or podiatry applicant.
A maximum of SIX letters will be accepted for each MD-PhD applicant.
2. MCAT timing
Allopathic and osteopathic medical school applicants are required to take the MCAT (once) before the end of June 2015 in order to be eligible to access the services of UMBC’s HPEC and in order to be part of the official Fall 2016 Cohort. When students register for the MCAT, they should select the option to release their scores to Ms. Roelke, UMBC’s PreMedical Advisor and Health Professions Advising Coordinator.
3. UMBC Course Requirements
All applicants must complete (with C or better grades posted) at least FIVE non-laboratory UMBC Biology, Chemistry, or Physics courses by the end of the Spring 2015 semester. These five lecture courses, native to UMBC, must be considered as prerequisites required by the professional schools to which the student is applying (medical, dental, podiatry) or upper-level (300 level or above) Biology or Chemistry courses. Transfer courses do not fulfill any of the five science lecture courses. Independent studies, tutorial projects, laboratory or field research, co-op, service learning, or similar courses do not fulfill the aforementioned criteria for the five, lecture course minimum.
4. UMBC Letter Credentialing Service
All UMBC faculty, staff, and other personnel are required to submit their letters of recommendation to HPEC and use the credentialing services offered by our university. If a student chooses to have any UMBC employee, faculty, staff member or any person affiliated with UMBC, submit a letter to any professional school independently and outside the auspices of HPEC, the student-applicant will thus be choosing to not be a member of the official Cohort and therefore that student-applicant will be eliminated from the Cohort. In essence, that student is deciding to apply to professional schools on their own and without the support of UMBC's HPEC. Being eliminated from the Cohort includes giving up access to UMBC's letter credentialing service and the HPEC composite letter. Applicants who violate this policy will be immediately removed from the HPEC process.
5. Institutional and Judicial Actions
A list of applicants will be submitted to the appropriate UMBC offices to check for any judicial or institutional actions and acknowledgement of any institutional actions will be communicated to the professional schools.