{"id":9436,"date":"2021-05-26T13:45:12","date_gmt":"2021-05-26T17:45:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/earlham.edu\/?p=9436"},"modified":"2021-05-26T13:45:14","modified_gmt":"2021-05-26T17:45:14","slug":"early-admissions-partnership-between-earlham-college-and-national-medical-school-yielding-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earlham.edu\/news-events\/early-admissions-partnership-between-earlham-college-and-national-medical-school-yielding-results\/","title":{"rendered":"Early admissions partnership between Earlham College and national medical school yielding results"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Two Earlham College graduates from the Class of 2021 have become the first to enroll at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) as part of a new partnership and early acceptance program between the two institutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matt Bushik from North Huntingdon, Pa., and Claire Cornwell from Paoli, Ind., were accepted into LECOM\u2019s osteopathic medicine program as sophomores. Bushik will study at the Seton Hill campus in his hometown this fall. Cornwell has chosen to study at the institution\u2019s Bradenton, Fla., campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am really blessed to have gained early acceptance to LECOM,\u201d Cornwell said. \u201cThey offer specific learning pathways that are different from other medical schools that are more lecture-based. I think will help make me a better doctor. It\u2019s just a perfect fit for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m also excited to have palm trees in my backyard and live in a warmer climate,\u201d she said. \u201cIndiana has always been my home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Matt Bushik<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Claire Cornwell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Earlham\u2019s Center for Global Health has forged partnerships with LECOM\u2019s osteopathic medicine, dentistry and pharmacy programs, helping to further the College\u2019s standing as a national leader for the percentage of its graduates that earn advance degrees, including the Ph.D. Earlham alumni have an 86 percent acceptance rate into medical school, nearly twice the national average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike traditional grad school programs, LECOM\u2019s early admission program does not require students to take the Medical College Admissions Test, or MCAT, for admission. They instead look at college-entrance exam test scores, like the SAT or ACT, and have grade requirements for required undergraduate courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LECOM also gives students enrolling to their campuses a preview of its foundational 10-week anatomy course that all students complete before choosing a pathway to embark on for the rest of their studies. Coursework is organized into problem-based, lecture-based or self-directed study formats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis early acceptance program provides another access point for Earlham students to matriculate and excel in medical school,\u201d said Peter Blair, the director of the Center for Global Health. \u201c<\/strong>The Center for Global Health is thrilled that Matt and Claire will represent Earlham as the first student cohort at LECOM. They were both impressive academics and fervent learners who maximized their liberal arts experiences in and out of the classroom and laboratory. I am confident they will become successful physicians and productively serve their future clients and communities.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This early acceptance program provides another access point for Earlham students to matriculate and excel in medical school.”\u00a0<\/p>Peter Blair, director of the Earlham Center for Global Health<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Both graduates are aspiring dermatologists, and Bushik has also expressed an interest in emergency medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKnowing that I\u2019m still several years out from residency, fellowship, or a specialty, I\u2019m not sure where in medicine my heart will take me,\u201d he said.  \u201cI\u2019ll have to weigh my own interests as well as my family situation.  As long as I\u2019m doing something to help others, I\u2019ll be content with my ultimate decision.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cornwell stated that she\u2019s also open to finding new interests as she completes clinical rotations, the hands-on training that comes in the final years of a medical student\u2019s education.  \u201cI\u2019m definitely keeping my options open,\u201d Cornwell said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Earlham, Bushik and Cornwell earned degrees in biochemistry and were student-athletes. Bushik played on the College\u2019s golf program and Cornwell was a defensive specialist on the volleyball team. Cornwell also traveled to Sweden and South Africa on funded excursions supported by Earlham\u2019s Epic initiative to participate in independent research, service-learning projects and international athletic competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have nothing but great things to say about every professor I had,\u201d Bushik said. \u201cI have developed lifelong relationships with at least five or six of them. Even outside of the classroom, we were best friends. In terms of preparation, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a better faculty in the sciences anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Media contact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Brian Zimmerman<\/strong>
Director of media relations
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Email: zimmebr@earlham.edu
Phone: 765.983.1256<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n