Rush University GEM Summer 2011!

bnursing01 · Dec 5, 2012

What are some of the requirements to get in for the GEM program at Rush University? I have a biology degree and my GPA for undergrad was okay and my GRE was okay either. But I also i have a masters in healthcare administration and couple certification and years of experience of work at the hospital. Can you guys tell me what are some of the qualifications? I am not sure if I am competitive enough to get in. Please share your advice. thanks.

3141592 · Jan 4, 2013

Hey, b. I'm only on here sporadically, so I didn't notice your post until now. I'm currently applying to the Summer 2013 cohort for Rush and have made it past the first round of cuts.

GPA:

Rush wants a minimum of a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; they'll waive your GRE score if you're over 3.25. Coming out of undergrad, my GPA was 3.22/4; this improved to 3.35ish total once I took a few prerequisite courses at the local community college that my undergrad school didn't have available.

GRE:

At most grad schools, the GRE is more of a formality than a serious admissions consideration (unless your score is truly abysmal or truly exceptional). Rush is a bit more selective than most, so it might be a bigger weight than usual. However, your recommendations/GPA/personal statement still trump the test score.

My personal scores were 610 verbal/690 quant/5.5 writing. (Under the new system, this would be ~160 verb/154 quant). 314 is a "good" score, maybe about a B or B+ as far as letter grades go; solidly above average, but not anything to write home over.

Prereqs:

Rush appears to have made their required prerequisite course list a bit more permissive for Fall and beyond, but it is unlikely that this means that admissions have gotten any easier. A list:

-Microbiology (REQUIRED; generally means that you need to take general biology first)

-Anatomy and Physiology (REQUIRED WITHIN PREVIOUS 5 YEARS; this needs to be a two-term sequence of either human anat. and human physio., or a two-term sequence of combined human A&P)

-Chemistry (At least 1 term. It should be noted that when I applied, Rush required both a full sequence of general chem and at least one semester of organic.)

-At least 1 class in the behavioral sciences (Needed both Psych 101 and an additional course in developmental psychology when I applied)

-At least 1 class in the social sciences

-Statistics is no longer explicitly required, but I would still recommend taking it, especially if you're planning on any additional graduate-level work post-GEM.

-Nutrition is similar to stats; no longer required. Take it if you can; as far as prereq classes go, it's definitely one of the easier ones and can help act as a GPA buff.

-I'm not sure if it was Rush or one of the PA schools that I applied to that wanted medical terminology. Regardless, good class to have under your belt.

Experience:

If you decide to apply, I would think previous experience in a healthcare setting, even if it's not direct patient care, would be a leg up, and you could weave your experience into your personal statement somehow. However, if possible, get some experience where you have to directly interface with patients. I've only had paid positions in retail since undergrad graduation (ugh), but I'm a volunteer for local physical therapists and a CPR instructor. The more you show that you really, really want to work directly with people, the better your application would become, IMO.

Best of luck!