Identifying qualified underrepresented-minority students who otherwise appear to be at academic risk

To determine whether an academically intense program simulating six weeks of medical school could identify underrepresented-minority students at apparent academic risk who might actually have the time-management and other skills needed to succeed in medical school.

In the summer of 1995, 16 premedical students from minorities underrepresented in medicine participated in a six-course, six-week program at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. Academic credentials prior to participation in the program and performances in the program were compared for students subsequently offered or denied admission to the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. Statistical methods included use of Student's t-test and Pearson correlation coefficients.

Of the 16 participants, eight passed at least five courses and were accepted for early admission to the medical school; seven failed two or more courses and were denied admission; and one did not complete the program. The accepted and denied groups could be distinguished statistically by their overall performances in the program, and their performances in four of the six courses, but not by their performances prior to the program: the accepted students had a mean grade-point average of 2.68, SEM, 0.07, versus 2.66, SEM, 0.07, for the denied students, and a mean total Medical College Admission Test score of 16.2, SEM, 0.5, versus 17.0, SEM, 0.7.

Programs such as the one at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine might be relatively inexpensive ways for medical schools and underrepresented-minority students at apparent academic risk to learn whether the students are, nevertheless, prepared to succeed academically in medical school.