The Gateway program: ten-year lessons about outcomes and admission measures

Area of Science:

• Education
• Medical School Preparation
• STEM Careers

Background:

• The Gateway to Higher Education program supports minority students from New York public high schools.
• The program focuses on rigorous preparation for college and careers in medicine, science, engineering, and technology.
• Established for over a decade, the program has generated valuable outcomes data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the Gateway program's structure and outcomes.
• To establish a correlation between early academic performance and later standardized test scores.
• To identify early predictors of success for underrepresented minority students in medical school.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive analysis of program outcomes including graduation rates and career plans.
• Statistical correlation analysis between Stanford mathematics test scores (ninth grade) and SAT scores.
• Leveraging established correlations between SAT and Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores.

Main Results:

• The Gateway program demonstrates positive outcomes in student graduation and career aspirations.
• A significant correlation was found between ninth-grade Stanford mathematics test scores and subsequent SAT scores.
• This correlation serves as an early indicator of potential success in higher education and medical fields.

Conclusions:

• The Gateway program effectively prepares minority students for higher education and STEM careers.
• Standardized mathematics test scores in early high school can predict future academic performance, including medical school readiness.
• These findings offer a valuable tool for identifying and supporting underrepresented minority students with high potential for medical careers.