When Dr. Amanda Tzenov applied to medical school at Memorial University, she knew her Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score was her weakness.
“I was in a bachelor of science degree at Memorial University and doing a federal student work experience program with Fisheries and Oceans,” said the assistant dean of admissions at Memorial’s Faculty of Medicine and a Memorial alumna (MD’12). “After I’d finish a day out on the water, I’d come in and haul out my hand-me-down MCAT book and try to get some studying in.
“Because I was working, I didn’t have a lot of time to study or the money to do MCAT prep courses,” she added. “I think my score was why I had to apply three times to get into medical school, but I couldn’t afford to rewrite the test either. I had to hope that everything else I was doing would shine through eventually.”
So it is with extra appreciation she is helping to usher in a program that will help eliminate the barrier to applying to medical school.
“Historically we’ve seen that people who apply generally come from higher income families.”
Memorial University’s Vision Program in the Faculty of Medicine will provide a pathway for low socio-economical status applicants to receive funding to cover fees for the MCAT and Casper exam and up to $300 for MCAT preparatory materials, as well as a waiver of Memorial’s $255 application fee and a bursary to cover the $1,000 seat deposit.
“Before someone even gets into medical school there are all these costs,” said Dr. Tzenov. “Some people apply year after year and that can get expensive. Historically we’ve seen that people who apply generally come from higher income families.”
She says with increasing calls for social accountability and to increase the diversity of medical school classes, the program will go a long way toward everyone having an equal opportunity to apply.
“This program will ensure potential applicants will get help right at the onset.”
Increasing accessibility
By making medicine a more accessible career to students in Newfoundland and Labrador, the hope is that, as they train and build their medical education network here, it will increase the likelihood they will choose to stay in the province.
“A good way to get someone to stay in Newfoundland and Labrador is if they have their roots here — if they want to go back to their rural communities and their families, to give back to the place that helped them get where they are,” said Dr. Tzenov. “We want to make that something that’s more possible for people.”
Apply early
Because of timelines, interested applicants are encouraged to apply to the Vision Program early, as the entire process can take nearly two years.
Applicants who are successfully admitted to the program in one year would be able to apply to medical school in the next year’s admissions cycle.
Dr. Tzenov says it will be more than just a financial benefit to students. The admissions committee will become aware of applicants when they apply and become accepted into the Vision Program.
“They will see this person had to work part time all through their undergrad and perhaps that may be why their marks were not as good as they might otherwise be,” she said. “All of that is considered when decisions are made about admissions. Under the holistic review process, applicants to the Vision Program will be known to the committee to provide as much context as possible of the applicant’s life experience.”
Funding for the program will come from forfeited seat deposits from applicants who apply to Memorial’s medical school but eventually choose to go elsewhere.
The number of applicants that can be assisted each year will therefore be based on available funding and there will be a limit on the number of times students can be awarded support — a maximum of two times for the MCAT and three for the Casper exam.
“It’s really exciting to know this program now exists, because it’s certainly something I would have loved to take advantage of when I was applying,” said Dr. Tzenov. “If I didn’t have to worry about the financial side of things, it would have been one less thing on my plate when I was studying for such a huge exam that could possibly make or break the rest of my career.”
For more information about the Vision Program, or to apply, visit here.
