College of Medicine Welcomes Academic Strength With Incoming Class

CINCINNATI—The University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine welcomed one of its most academically outstanding incoming classes at the 12^th annual White Coat Ceremony.

The ceremony, on Friday, Aug. 10, featured the “coating” of each member of the incoming class—when 160 students will officially began their careers in medicine. And the new class, says College of Medicine dean David Stern, MD, boasts one of the strongest academic records to date for any incoming group of UC medical students.

Stern says it’s normal to have an incoming class with higher averages in one or two academic areas. But he says, the class of 2011 ranks higher across the board.

The incoming students scored particularly well on the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), which assesses applicants’ writing skills and measures abilities in three areas—verbal reasoning, physical sciences and biological sciences. UC’s class of 2011 scored higher on average in all three areas compared with previous classes. The average total MCAT score for UC’s incoming students is 32, compared with 31 for the 2006 entering class and 30 for students admitted in 2005.

The entering class also has an average GPA of 3.7, one-tenth of a point higher than the 2005 entering class.

“It’s clear that our reputation as a leading academic health center is growing and that our faculty, physicians and investments in facilities are leading that growth,” says Stern.

Laura Wexler, MD, associate dean for student affairs and admissions, says academic qualifications are only one piece of the puzzle when assessing medical school candidates.

“We aren’t just looking for students who are academically oriented,” says Wexler. “We seek students who will become outstanding physicians and community leaders.

“The most well-rounded and competitive students have lots of options, so it’s always reassuring to see so many of them choosing our school—not just for our reputation, but for the quality education they know they’ll receive.”

Friday’s ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. at Cincinnati’s Music Hall. Charles Schubert, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and recipient of the 2007 Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, sponsored by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, will give the keynote address.

A reception will follow. For more information, call (513) 558-5577 or e-mail ivadean.lair@uc.edu.