Pre-Professional Advising

CPP-CUSM Pathway Program

CUSM-CPP Pathway program is a joint program between California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM) and Cal Poly Pomona (CPP). The program is designed to select up to 10 CPP students interested in pursuing a Medical Doctor degree each year, starting 2019, with the ultimate goal of helping them successfully matriculate into medical schools, particularly into College of Medicine at CUSM.

Detailed description of the CUSM-CPP pathway program is listed below.

 * Please note: The Pathway program agreement between CUSM and CPP may be rescinded at any time by either party; students enrolled in the CUSM-CPP Pathway program at that time would not be affected by discontinuance.

*   What is the advantage of being in the Pathway program? 

  As a Pathway student you will be mentored and supported by your own medical student mentor or medical school faculty who will answer your questions, guide  and support you through the process of preparing for and successfully applying to medical school. You can also benefit from MCAT enrichment courses, access to shadowing, community services and other health related scholarly activities. Please see additional benefits listed below under "What the Pathway Program Offers".             

* For additional information about our partner school, please visit the  California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM) website.  

 

Goal:

To increase the number of qualified applicants from California State Polytechnic University at Pomona (CPP) who successfully matriculate into California University of Science and Medicine School of Medicine (CUSM-SOM).

Objective:

  • To develop a process to select up to 10 students from CPP with potential to become physicians each year;
  • To prepare, nurture and mentor these students to successfully enter health care careers;
  • To stimulate and support these students to practice health care in their home communities and contribute to eliminating well documented health disparities in the Inland Empire.

Pathway Program Selection Criteria and Process:

  1. The criteria for selection are:

    1. commitment to the health sciences, as reflected by your personal statement, and/or employment/healthcare/community service experience;

    2. evidence of excellent overall performance in college: Students must have an overall GPA and Science GPA of 3.3 or higher.

    3. have finished the following required coursework or their equivalency with a grade of B or better in each course including labs:

      • English Language Oral Communication (GE A-1); Written Communication (GE A-2); Critical Thinking (GE A-3);                     
      • College Algebra (MAT 1050);
      • 1-year Foundations of Biology (BIO 1210/L & BIO 1220/L);
      • 1-year General Chemistry (CHM 1210/L and CHM 1220/L);
      • at least 1-semester of Organic Chemistry (CHM 3140/L or CHM 2010/L) and

      • at least 1-semester of Physics (PHY 1210/L).

    4. participation in voluntary service whilst in college: In addition to community service experience, may include leadership roles, and extra-curricular activities.

  2. Required application Materials include:

    1. A completed and signed “CUSM-CPP Pathway program Application for Admission” form;

    2. At least 1 Letter of Recommendation - The letter of Recommendation must be from a faculty member who has a good understanding of the applicant’s academic potential and/or has supervised the applicant in lab research.

    3. Signed Liability Waiver forms attached to the application form

    4. Personal Statement (400-700 words, double-spaced, Times New Roman or Arial, font size 11)

      Please address:

      (1) why you are choosing a career in healthcare or healthcare research;

      (2) what is motivating you to learn more about healthcare, biomedical sciences and/or healthcare research;

      (3) What would you want CUSM to know about you;

      (4) In addition, you may address any unique hardships, challenges, or obstacles that may have influenced or inspired you.

    5. A copy of CV/Resume

    6. An official or unofficial copy of Transcript from CPP

    7. A copy of Driver’s License.

  3. The process for selection:

    1. All required application material listed above must be submitted by the applicant by the listed due date on the application form;

    2. A CUSM-CPP pathway program application review committee including the pre-professional advisor(s) from CPP will review the applications and select up to 10 students each year to participate in the program;

    3. The selected students may be offered a provisional interview to ensure that they possess the potential professionalism, interpersonal communication skills, system-based attitude, empathy, community engagement and health-care related experience, and academic ability commensurate with being successful in medical school;

    4. An acceptance letter to join the pathway program will be emailed to selected students by CUSM, and Cc. to the pre-professional advisor(s) at CPP;

    5. The pathway program starts in the Fall semester each year. Admission notification will be sent to students from CUSM within 1 month of the listed application deadline.

  4. To apply:  To apply, please fill out a brief Pre-application form. The application process opens up on April 1st each year and close on May 1st. Applicants who meet the minimum linkage program requirements will be invited to submit an official Pathway application by June 30th. If you have any specific questions regarding the Pathway Program or your application, please contact  Nastassia Valenzuela, Director, Partnership Engagement Programs, at  ValenzuelaN@cusm.org. Admission notification will be sent to students from CUSM within 1 month of the listed application deadline and the Pathway program will start soon after in the same year as application.

What the Pathway Program Offers:

Students accepted into the Pathway program will receive the following support and potential benefit in order to facilitate their matriculation into the medical program at CUSM.

  1. Students will be guided and supported by the CPP Pre-professional advisor to meet the undergraduate coursework requirements for admission into CUSM school of medicine.

  2. The selected college students will participate in a mentoring and enrichment program, provided by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at CUSM-SOM starting upon acceptance into the Pathway program until matriculation into medical school or graduation from CPP, whichever comes first.

    The mentoring, development and enrichment program will include:

    1. Mentorship from a current medical student or faculty mentor at CUSM;

    2. MCAT enrichment program. Specific courses/software will be offered;

    3. Quarterly workshops will be offered and may include:

      1. Review of current educational status, with one on one and group tutorial support;
      2. Supplemental Support as indicated (learning workshops, time management, notes taking, study habits);
      3. Health related topic presentation;
      4. College preparation tasks: personal statement; resume; cover letter, LOR, meaningful activities; Scholarship opportunities & applications;
      5. Clinical skills to support interest and curiosity in health care knowledge and processes: stop bleeding course, CPR, suturing, anatomy clay, vital signs etc.;
      6. Wellness & Leadership development;
      7. Themes: Intergenerational barriers, underserved community, disparities;

      8. Team building activities.

    4. Support, advice and follow-up regarding medical school applications, interviews & selection:

      1. Review student’s application before submitting it to the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS);
      2. Aid students in writing their personal statements for professional or graduate schools;
      3. Assistant with writing Secondaries;

      4. Conduct Mock interviews.

    5. Research, shadowing and internship opportunities in scholarly activities, healthcare experience, community service and engagement:

      1. Healthcare experiences; shadowing opportunities;
      2. Summer enrichment programs;
      3. Research opportunities, Research workshop, Involvement in scholarly activities;
      4. Summer Internships

      5. Community outreach/visits.

  3. Students will be guaranteed an interview at CUSM School of Medicine if they meet the minimum requirements of criteria a – d listed below;

  4. Students will receive priority consideration for Medical school scholarships offered by CUSM.

Students Not Accepted into the Pathway Program Are Automatically Invited to Join the LAUNCH Program at CUSM

Any pre-medical or pre-health students interested in connecting with a CUSM medical student mentor can join. In addition to the mentorship, CUSM will be hosting monthly workshops (virtual and in-person) to support students’ success. Programming will begin starting at the end of September each year, but students can join LAUNCH at any point during the year.

To learn more about LAUNCH program (PDF), please visit the page.

 

Minimum Requirements for Matriculation into CUSM School of Medicine for Students in the Pathway Program:

Students in the CUSM-CPP Pathway program must meet the following minimum requirements for final admission into CUSM School of Medicine:

  1. Completion of AMCAS application;

  2. Completion of all undergraduate degree required coursework in a major at CPP with a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 or higher (transfer grades from other institutions are included as well);

  3. Have a Science GPA of 3.3 or higher upon college graduation (transfer grades included as well);

  4. MCAT at or above the 50 th percentile within 3 years of AMCAS application;

  5. Positive letters of recommendation from three individuals;

  6. Sufficient healthcare experience with a minimum of approximately 200 hours of healthcare shadowing/internship experience to demonstrate knowledge of the profession;

  7. Demonstrated community service commitment throughout college with a minimum of approximately 200 hours of community service;

  8. Pass medical school admission interview with CUSM-SOM admissions committee.

  9. Completion of additional science courses including biochemistry with lab, statistics and upper-division health-science related courses are recommended, though not mandated.