The University of Michigan School of Medicine
About University of Michigan Medical School
In this article, we will give you a tour of the Medical Study at The University of Michigan Medical School, their MD program and campus life in general. Also, an easy to follow Admissions guide is also included.
The University of Michigan Medical School started in 1850, and since then, it has been a pioneer in American academic medicine. It was the first medical school in the USA to build a university hospital for physician instruction.
The Medical School was the University of Michigan’s first professional school. The school provides students with the access to unparalleled research opportunities. Moreover, the U.S. News & World Report regards the Medical School among the best research Institutions of the U.S.A.
Programs Offered by The University of Michigan School of Medicine
The School of Medicine at the University of Michigan offers various degree programs. The programs are:
- M.D. program
- M.D. / Ph.D. Program
- Ph.D. Programs
- Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Residency & Fellowship
- Premed & Research Postbac Programs
PH.D. Programs
The Ph.D. degree in the School of Medicine is offered in these areas:
- Bioinformatics
- Biological Chemistry
- Biophysics
- Cancer Biology
- Cell & Developmental Biology
- Cellular & Molecular Biology
- Human Genetics
- Immunology
- Microbiology & Immunology
- Molecular & Integrative Physiology
- Neuroscience
- Pathology
Graduate Programs
There are 14 graduate Program degrees. Namely, they are:
- Bioinformatics
- Biological Chemistry
- Biophysics
- Cancer Biology
- Cell & Developmental Biology
- Molecular & Integrative Physiology
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Cellular & molecular biology
- Human genetics
- Immunology
- Microbiology & Immunology
- Molecular, Cellular & Developmental biology
- Molecular & Cellular Pathology
University of Michigan School of Medicine Admissions Requirements
Any candidate who is interested to apply in the University of Michigan School of Medicine should:
- Be a U.S. citizen or (permanent) resident of USA. However, DACA applicants are also encouraged to apply.
- Have completed a minimum of 90 hours worth of coursework and from them, at least 60 should be from a recognized U.S. or Canadian Institute.
- Have taken the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
- Have taken the Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristic (CASPer) Test.
Evaluation Criteria
There is a wide range of factors that are considered while evaluating an applicant of The University of Michigan School of medicine. The School’s Admissions Committee regards these factors as the most crucial ones for the successful development of a medical student into an empathetic and able physician who can serve patients with the utmost skill and care. These attributes are:
- Academic Excellence: The medical curriculum at the School is rigorous. The study at the School of Medicine demands that a candidate demonstrate prior capability to achieve academic excellence. The GPA of a candidate’s undergraduate academic career and the MCAT scores are used to evaluate the applicant’s ability. Moreover, the quality of the undergraduate institution, the nature of the courses taken, and the improvement in grades will also be considered.
- Altruism: Altruism and empathy are extremely important for a successful physician. Therefore, an applicant’s activities such as community involvement or any volunteer activities, and attitude of the applicant for the life of providing patient care (to be judged in the interview) will be taken into account.
- Communication Skills: A potential physicians should exhibit strong communication skills to the Admissions Committee. The personal statement, letters of recommendation and the interview will allow the committee to assess the effective verbal and written communication skills.
- Motivation to Learn: During the admissions process, the committee tries its best to evaluate the applicant’s desire for learning and devotion to the practice of medicine.
- Integrity: Honesty and ethics are crucial in the study of medical sciences as well as the practice of medicine. Therefore, the applicants must exhibit ethical behavior, honesty, and professionalism in their character.
- Leadership: Applicants will also be evaluated on their capability to question the status quo, and exhibit the good qualities of an effective leader in action.
- Reliability: The applicants should possess the ability of fulfilling obligations in a timely and suitable approach. The applicants will also be assessed for responsibility for their actions and performance.
- Resilience and Adaptability: The potential physicians will be evaluated for their demonstration of forbearance for challenging or stressful situations, and their adaptability, persistency and the ability to recover from mishaps.
- Social Skills: The best physicians are those who possess the ability to work with a team, resolve conflict, are ready incorporates others member’s perspectives into the work, and make decisions that are in the best interest of all people involved.
- Competency: The School of Medicine tries its best to enroll students who are able to gather the scientific knowledge, the diagnostic insight, and can learn the technical skills for thorough care of the patients. The intellectual, technical, and communication competency of a candidate will be evaluated by the School. All applicants must sign the medical school technical standards form.
Application
The University of Michigan School of medicine takes part in the AMCAS. All interested candidates should read the guidelines prior to filling out the application form. The guidelines are available on the AMCAS website.
Letters of Recommendation
The primary application requires at least three letters of recommendation and a maximum of 6 letters. The recommenders can be a faculty member or an employer who can objectively evaluate a candidate’s attributes (integrity, reliability, social and teamwork skills; resilience and adaptability, etc.). No letter should be sent directly to The University of Michigan Medical School but only via the AMCAS Letter Service.
Timeline
All the applicants should regularly check the admissions timeline to stay updated with all the important dates.
Secondary Applications
All those candidates who score in the 25th percentile or above in the Medical College Admission Test will automatically be sent a Secondary Application. However, the secondary application will only be sent when the Office of Admissions has received the verified primary AMCAS application.
CASPer Test
The CASPer (Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics) is a situational judgment test that The University of Michigan Medical School uses in its application reviews. The test results are only valid for one admissions cycle. The CASPer test consists of 12 sections. Each section has a video or written scenario. The test is designed such that it provides a thorough and reliable view of the personal and professional attributes present in an applicant. The fee to take the CASper test is $10. Moreover, an additional $10 per school is charged where to send the scores to a school.
A candidate can visit here to sign up for the American Professional Health Sciences test (code= CSP10101) and reserve a seat in the test using their AMCAS ID. The University of Michigan Medical School receives the CASper test scores almost three weeks after a candidate takes the test.
Transfer Students
The University of Michigan Medical School does not accept any transfer students.
Competencies
The University of Michigan Medical School seeks to find individuals who exhibit its core competencies. The competencies comprise of displayed academic strength in the following areas:
- Biomedical and Social Sciences
- Statistical Analysis and Epidemiology
- Hypothesis Development and Investigation
- Analytical Thought and Problem-Solving Skills
Biomedical & Social Sciences
The Biomedical & Social Sciences core concepts include:
Biology
- Nucleic acid/nucleosome structure and function including epigenetics (histone modification and DNA methylation)
- Cell structure, cell cycle, meiosis, and mitosis
- Genetic mutations, repair, and recombination
- Regulation of gene expression in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells (transcription factors & mechanisms)
- RNA processing
- Protein translation
- DNA and RNA viruses – properties and generation, and use of viral vectors
- Foundations of signal transduction
Chemistry
- Acid/base chemistry
- Thermodynamics and chemical equilibrium
- Protein structure and function
- Enzymes: mechanisms, kinetics, inhibition, binding constants
- Bioenergetics and oxidative metabolism
- Carbohydrate metabolism
- Lipid metabolism
- Membranes and transport
Physics
- Newtonian mechanics
- Fluid dynamics
- Basic thermodynamics
- Basic concepts of electrical circuits and electrostatics
- Diffusion and transport of mass and energy
The University of Michigan School of Medicine will not require dedicated coursework in physics.
Other examples of how competency can be fulfilled:
- Research experience at a recognized institute and co-authored a paper with the findings
- Postbaccalaureate program
- Laboratory work in oncology
- Self-taught biochemistry curriculum
- Thesis work
- Experience in forming stem cell laboratories
- Establish a start-up that works with a grassroots development organization
- Poster sessions and journal clubs
- Independent study plus CLEP exams
Statistical Analysis & Epidemiology
Statistics competency:
- Descriptive statistics and inference
- Probability, populations, and samples
- Statistical Distributions
- Hypothesis testing
- Regressions and correlations
- Analysis of variance
- Types of observational and experimental studies
Other ways to acquire competency:
- Work on a CDC-funded national project with regular literature reviews
- Developed methods to track practice-based improvement in immunization rates
- Research assistant
- Supplemental education during a gap year
- Studied global healthcare systems
- An Internship with a physician-led medical research organization
- Anthropological /social research projects
- Performed basic chi-squared tests on large volumes of health data at a leading university
Hypothesis Development & Investigation
The school of medicine requires the general understanding of hypothesis development and the ability to apply problem-solving techniques.
- Ways to fulfill competency:
- Internship at an institute’s biology lab
- Submitted an abstract to a national organization
- Work experience with Ph.D. and postdoctoral students
- Developed parameters for simulations as part of summer research project
- Research technician in an Alzheimer’s disease lab
- Literary research project
Analytical Thought & Problem-Solving Skills
Analytical thought and problem-solving skills are important. The students can fulfill the competency in many ways. Some of them include:
- Internship with a public health non-profit organization
- App development
- Wrote computer code to analyze research data
- Research fellowship
- Global health experience
- Volunteered with Child Life
- Language instructor
- Program administrator
Financial Aid
The Financial Aid Office at The University of Michigan School of medicine strives to ensure that all the deserving students get all the financial funds that they need to cover the expense of their medical education. The School offers the financial assistance in the form of federal and institutional loans, and grants and scholarships.
Moreover, the Financial Aid Office assists students in the financial domain by its one-on-one counseling sessions of students with financial aid experts, communication by emails and newsletters, and providing information about various funding resources (including grants, scholarships, and loans).
All the students enrolled are eligible for financial aid. The newly enrolled students should apply for the financial aid while sending out an application. Also, the current students should submit both the FAFSA and UMMS applications to be eligible for financial aid.
Departments in the School of Medicine
Basic Science Departments
- Biological Chemistry
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cell and Developmental Biology
- Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics
- Human Genetics
- Learning Health Sciences
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Pharmacology
- Molecular and Integrative Physiology
Clinical Departments
- Anesthesiology
- Cardiac Surgery
- Dermatology
- Emergency Medicine
- Family Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- Allergy and Clinical Immunology
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- General Medicine
- Genetic Medicine
- Geriatric and Palliative Medicine
- Hematology and Oncology
- Hospital Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
- Metabolism, Endocrinology & Diabetes
- Nephrology
- Pulmonary and Critical Care
- Rheumatology
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
- Pathology
- Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases
- Adolescent Medicine
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
- Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- General Pediatrics
- Genetics, Metabolism & Genomic Medicine
- Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Pediatric Neurology
- Pediatric Hospital Medicine
- Pediatric Psychology
- Pediatric Pulmonology
- Pediatric Rheumatology
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Psychiatry
- Radiation Oncology
- Radiology
- Surgery
- General Surgery
- Oral & Maxillofacial
- Pediatric Surgery
- Plastic Surgery
- Thoracic Surgery
- Vascular Surgery
- Urology
Learning Options in The University of Michigan Medical School
Research
The University of Michigan Medical School provides many opportunities for students to gain valuable learning experience in their area of interest. As the school is a top-tier and top-funded institution, it is a perfect training ground for research. The medical students at The University of Michigan Medical School participate in a wide range of research and benefit tremendously from it.
- Basic Science Research: Students actively take part in the basic science research as the school has a large number of laboratories in the basic sciences. The laboratories work to aim at specific diseases and are managed by the school of medicine’s physicians.
- Clinical Research: In the Clinical research projects, the students work directly with patients or their data. Generally, the students do not have any exposure to the clinical research prior to entering medical school; therefore these opportunities are the most popular.
- Translational Research: The aim in this kind of research projects is to apply basic science discoveries to patient care or outcomes. The application is done in a clinical setting.
- Outcomes Research: The Outcomes Research Projects use rigorous, methodical tools of scientific investigation to discover more about the effectiveness, accessibility, significance, affordability, quality and safety of different aspects of healthcare.
Michigan Journal of Medicine
The University of Michigan Medical School lead a peer-reviewed forum called the Journal of Medicine. The Journal aims to bring the Michigan Med students ‘quality scientific and clinical research to the scientific community at national and International level. Likewise, the Journal functions as a bias-blind and objective platform for young scholars to publish their research. However, the research that gets published is based on the integrity of the methods and is good quality. The whole administration team of the MJM is composed of Michigan University’s med students. However, the school’s faculty supervises the editorial work.
University of Michigan Medical School Group
The University of Michigan Medical Group is working hard to provide the world-renowned patient care. The medical group is composed of more than 2,000 physicians in almost 20 clinical specialties. The group works together in more than three hospitals, 140 outpatient clinics at 40 health centers, and at all other University of Michigan’s affiliated health systems throughout the Michigan.
Cancer, cardiovascular care, depression, diabetes, geriatrics, organ transplantation, vision, and children’s and women’s health are the most notable specialties provided by the U-M Medical Group Physicians in the patient care. All of this has lead to the U-M Medical School having an exceptional learning environment and so it has retained a position in top 10 schools for many years.
Dr. Najeeb Lectures
Dr. Najeeb’s lectures are a secondary resource to help students while they are studying medical sciences at Michigan University Medical School. The video lectures consist of all the topics of medical and clinical sciences. Almost all the topics that are a part of the curriculum of the medical schools in the U.S.A are present in Dr. Najeeb lectures. Therefore, Dr, Najeeb Lectures are amongst the best-rated secondary aids in the medical schools of the USA. Other than USA, students from medical schools from 190 countries subscribe to the lectures. The lectures are a big help for the students because a student can watch them without the bound of time. Plus, they can watch them as many times as they wish as the subscription is lifetime. Moreover, all the new videos that will be added in Dr. Najeeb lectures’ video library will be accessible for a subscriber. The video library, right now contains more than 800 videos on Gross Anatomy, Neuroanatomy, Embryology, Histology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology topics.
Coming to the content; Dr. Najeeb, who is a highly qualified doctor and he teaches all the lectures himself. He makes the lectures easy to follow as he explains all the concepts (even the toughest ones) in simple terms. He uses the technique of drawing illustrations while explaining. The subscription fee of Dr. Najeeb Lectures is very pocket friendly for students. However, they do have the option to try some free lectures before they become a lifetime subscriber.
Life in Ann Arbor
The City of Ann Arbor is home to The University of Michigan School of Medicine of which is premier medical schools in the country and a pioneer in the area. Ann Arbor is a very peaceful and amazing place to live in. It offers the city life along with a unique small-town charm. The city is ethnically diverse and has a rich culture and is filled with tourist attractions.
There are great outdoor activity options in the city, like golf courses, canoeing on the Huron River, cross-country skiing, and exploring the famous Ann Arbor Antiques market. The city has great educational Institutions, and enriching activities that make the living experience in Ann Arbor truly amazing. The culinary scene is certainly one of the best – the city has more than 300 restaurants that serve cuisine from around the world. All year round, different local festivals and events, performing arts and collegiate sports take place that add to the richness and quality of life of the residents. So, if you are planning to come here for medical education at the U-M Medical School you will have a memorable time at Ann Arbor.