The Summer Pre-Medical Research and Education Program (PREP)
Purpose
The UMDNJ-SOM Summer PREP annually invites under-represented and disadvantaged students from colleges and universities across New Jersey for a six-week residential internship designed to help prepare them for health careers training opportunities through exposure to biomedical research, clinical shadowing, MCAT instruction, medical school admissions processes, and seminars. The program is funded via the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education's Equal Opportunity Fund (EOF).
Objectives and Components
The aim of Summer PREP is to enhance the competitiveness of those selected undergraduate students as applicants to medical school, focusing on the osteopathic tradition. The components of the program are:
- Mentorship: Program participants are paired with a UMDNJ-SOM faculty member to engage in research or to observe clinical evaluations for a period of six weeks during the summer. Participants will make formal presentations of their research findings and/or clinical experiences at the close of the program.
- Preparation: Participants will receive skills development and instruction to prepare for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), and other associated medical school application, interview and admissions processes.
- Experience: Participants will be exposed to the SOM campus environment, faculty, students and staff, and to various healthcare and research areas via seminars, enrichment activities and demonstrations.
Selected students will receive room, board and local transportation during the six-week period; a $1,200 stipend; free MCAT tutoring, practice books and supplies; a UMDNJ-SOM-Summer PREP lab coat; admission and travel to local/regional points of interest; and a luncheon and certificate of completion at the end 0f the program.
Eligibility Requirements and Application Procedures
To be eligible for Summer PREP, a student must be the recipient of an NJ-EOF grant, be enrolled at a NJ college/university and have earned a GPA of at least 2.75. Interested students should submit all materials by Monday, February 22, 2010, including the complete 2-page application, a personal statement, two letters of reference (forms attached to application below) and a copy of an academic transcript from your college or university.
Applications are reviewed in March and notifications are sent out shortly thereafter. The program will run from Sunday, June 20, 2010 through Friday, July 30, 2010.
Click here to download the complete 2010 Summer PREP Application.
If you have any other questions, please contact the SOM - Center for Teaching and Learning via email at pinckncc@umdnj.edu, via phone (856) 566-6196 or by fax at (856) 566-6341. Our mailing address is UMDNJ-SOM - Center for Teaching and Learning, Academic Center - Suite 210, One Medical Center Drive, Stratford, NJ 08084.
