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“You would learn about how the body
works in the classroom, and then you would
go to the lab and learn the structure on an
actual human cadaver.”
Johnson concurred. “Much of my
anatomy lab in medical school is a review
from the structure and function class at
Cedarville,” he said. “That has saved me
hours and hours of study time compared to
my classmates.”
“There are other institutions that have
access to human donors, but they are
typically larger state schools like Ohio State,
University of Cincinnati, University of
Michigan,” Wingert offered. “Even at those
schools, the cadaver labs are dedicated to
medical and graduate students.”
Wingert teaches structure and function
courses as well as a senior-level human
dissection elective, open to only
eight students each semester. “For
a college our size, this is extremely
unique,” she said. Cedarville has four
human cadavers each year, provided
through agreement with the Wright
State University Boonshoft School
of Medicine. To facilitate these
opportunities, a new leading-edge
cadaver lab, Phase I of the science and
engineering facilities upgrade, opened
fall 2014.
“All schools may not have the resources
to provide that kind of hands-on experience
with a cadaver prior to medical school,”
noted Young. “I think that’s pretty rare.That’s
a really wonderful resource.”
Extra Preparation
Three years ago, Cedarville began
offering a one-credit topics course taken
by most junior premed students. “Based on
information I provide and feedback from
seniors who’ve been through the process,
students develop anMCAT (Medical College
Admissions Test) study plan, research
and rank medical schools, and write a
personal statement, which is a big part of
the application process,” noted Dr. Melissa
(Hartman) Burns ’96, Assistant Professor
of Biology and a board-certified emergency
medicine physician. “After finals inMay, they
can focus on taking theMCAT and all things
are in place for them to apply.”
Burns also coaches students about
creating a résumé of awards and cocurricular
activities that tells admissions committees
why these honors and experiences are
significant. Jeff Reep ’79, Director of
Cedarville’s Career Services, conducts mock
med school admissions interviews with
premed students based on a pool of questions
gleaned from former Cedarville students
who’ve been through the experience.
“Dr. Burns showeduswhat the application
looked like so we were able to see exactly
what we needed to complete,” Johnson said.
“We had deadlines to have written portions
of the application completed so we could
help each other improve. Because of the
prep class, I was able to have all the written
portions completed prior to the application
opening and simply copy-and-pasted
everything on the day it became available.”
Many of Johnson’s University ofMichigan
classmates lacked the hands-on guidance of
professors. “They were left to navigate the
application on their own,” he said, “which
delays when you can finally hit ‘Submit.’”
Because of the topics course, Cedarville
students are ready to apply to med schools
when enrollment opens in early June.
“Applications are rolling admissions, so
if you apply earlier there are more seats
available,” Burns said. “A common deadline
is November 1, but the first time you can
hit ‘Submit’ is early June. Our goal is within
two weeks of when the application opens, all
our students have applied. Because they’re
applying earlier, they have a better chance
of getting in.”
Outside the Classroom
As good as the in-class training may be,
Cedarville students also have an advantage
because of their extracurricular activities.
Students have the option of participating in
Chi Theta Pi, a health sciences club where
they learn about health care careers and
participate in health care-related service
projects. Many volunteer on the Cedarville
University all-student volunteer Emergency
Medical Service (EMS).
A number go on medical missions
trips. Every other summer, Cedarville
premed students travel to South America
for six weeks to work with Dr. JeffMcKissick
serving the village of Yataity, Paraguay.
During spring break, 10 students travel to
the Dominican Republic.
Johnson’s Paraguay trip became the
centerpiece of his admissions process. “Med
schools love international experiences,” he
said. “Being able to talk about what
I was doing in Paraguay and what I
took away from the tripmade for easy
interviews.”
But it’s more than medical-related
activities that impress admissions
interviewers. “A lot of med school
applicants took the right classes, took
the MCAT, spent four years jumping
through hoops, but they don’t get
in because they’re missing out on
that personal development,” Barfell
noted. “You have to show them you’re
passionate about other topics, something
that differentiates you fromothers out there.”
For Barfell, it was his involvement in
Student Government Association and
working as a Resident Assistant (RA) in
BrockHall. “I felt that was really instrumental
to me getting into med school,” he said.
“Being an RA was awesome. It showed med
school admissions committees I could be in
charge of a group of people and run things
smoothly. Doing Student Government
Association and finding creative ways to
get students involved made my application
stick out.”
Young agreed that diversity of extra-
curricular activities is important to
admissions committees. “Being a competent,
caring physician is more than just about
79 PERCENT OF CEDARVILLE’S PREMED
TRACK GRADUATES HAVE BEEN
ACCEPTED INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL,
PUTTING ITS ACCEPTANCE RATE IN
THE RARE AIR OF SOME OF THE MOST
DISTINGUISHED PREMED PROGRAMS
IN THE COUNTRY.
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Cedarville Magazine