Best Medical Schools in Hawaii

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Hawaiian beach

Hawai’i has many unique aspects. People who live there can take pleasure in the lush jungles, the rich history of culture to exquisite meals. However, one thing Hawai’i does offer is an array of schools for medical students.

There’s just one school of medicine in Hawaii of Hawaii, the University of Hawai’i John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Does this mean that future doctors should not be in the State? Not! Along with the ocean and scenery and the beautiful scenery, the University of Hawai’i offers an unbeatable medical degree even if other universities could compare.

The campus is located in Honolulu. The University of Hawai’i – Manoa is the leading school in the State’s system of universities. It is a great location to study, with a campus covering 320 acres and an endowment of $327 billion. In its more than 100-year time, UH has graduated high performers like senator Tammy Duckworth and Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons. It offers everything a student could like, from top-quality support staff to modern laboratories and a commitment to serving students of all backgrounds.

What should future doctors know when attending medical school at the University of Hawaii? Learn more about the advantages and the most effective strategies for joining the university.

University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine (Honolulu, HI)

Travis.Thurston, University Hawaii Manoa Campus Roundtop, University of Hawaii Manoa Campus Roundtop, CC BY-SA 3.0

While Hawai’i was not officially recognized as a state until 1959, The State’s central university was founded as a land-grant college in 1907. The university has transformed into a tier-one research university in the years since, due mainly to its medical faculty, the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM).

With an endowment of $57 million, JABSOM leads the way in research and training for doctors within the field. U.S. News & World Report places the school in 64th place in the country in studies (tied to Chicago’s Rush University) and 24th for the Primary Care (connected to the University of Vermont and Ivy League schools Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania).

The most striking aspect of JABSOM’s mission is its commitment to diversity, which the school expresses by using ALOHA, which stands for Attaining Lasting Optimal Health for Everyone. Based on this mission, JABSOM strives to create an educational community that mirrors the diverse nature of the islands on which it is situated. This mission does not just include a multidisciplinary education and seeking out “alliances unique to Hawai’i and the Asia-Pacific region” and taking action “with awareness of right relations respect, morality, and actions .”

To achieve these objectives, JABSOM employs a problem-based learning program that emphasizes the practice of community-based medicine. The school provides students with an experience that is hands-on and practical by putting them into clinical rotation and internships in their numerous affiliated hospitals, including Wahiawa General Hospital, Straub Clinic, and Hospital and the Kapi’olani Medical Centre for Women and Children, and the U.S. Army and Veteran’s Affairs Clinics. Students can also expand their research goals by collaborating with affiliated institutions like the Asia-Pacific Basin Health Education Center, the Asia-Pacific Institute of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases, and the Center for Native and Pacific Health Disparities Research.

A few days ago, 2 Ph.D. candidates received $5000 Achievement Rewards for College Scientists grants to help advance their research. These funds pay off through the success of JABSOM participants and former students. In the last month, Faculty member Jess Owens received a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to examine the therapeutic effects of gene transfer into the genome of humans.

The MCAT, as well as the GPA, are required for admission.

Although there are other schools within the region, the impressive credentials require that the University of Hawaii’s medical school meet the highest standards. As the only Medical school within the State, it is challenging to join.

In 2020, the school accepted 300 applicants from prospective students from Hawaii and 1,876 applicants out of State, equating to 2,176 students trying to join the program. Following an interview with 306 candidates, JABSOM admitted just 67 state-side students and ten non-state students, with a prestigious 3.5 percentage acceptance rate. It’s more selective than any Ivy League school except for Harvard, which admits just 3.4 percent of its applicants.

Students accepted to JABSOM can achieve an undergraduate GPA of 3.76. The average MCAT of the students accepted is 512. With this low acceptance rate, It shouldn’t surprise that the university is strict regarding academic requirements.

The statistics in question are comparable with those of most medical schools in the nation. However, being the sole one in Hawaii, more risks are higher. The applicants must have taken the MCAT within the first three years following the date of their graduation from undergraduate studies. They must have earned at least 90 credit hours at an accredited college or university.

While in their undergraduate courses, students are required to take laboratory-based classes like general biology, general physics, general organic chemistry, and chemistry. They are required to take biochemistry. However, a lab component is not mandatory. The admissions guide also suggests that students study courses like anatomy and calculus, cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, etc.

Strategies for Admission

With the low acceptance rate, students who want to pursue a degree at JABSOM should be careful in submitting their applications. Of course, it should determine whether applicants get top marks in the required methods and aim to earn the necessary GPA. Exam prep classes and preparing for mock exams can assist in getting an improved score on the MCAT to satisfy those essential prerequisites. But getting into JABSOM or any other medical institution doesn’t have to be an exercise in numbers. Admissions counselors look for well-rounded students interested in their programs, not just students who score very well on tests.

To ensure they get these kinds of pupils, JABSOM has admissions requirements in addition to MCAT scores and GPA. The students attending the school must complete an American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) application, providing essential information to schools nationwide. The application process starts June 1st. The early decision deadline for the program arrives on August 1st. The regular deadline is coming on November 1st. Students are required to pay $150. These are non-negotiable fees; therefore, include the cost in your plans for applying.

After submission of AMCAS, once you have submitted AMCAS, JABSOM also requires an additional application unique for their particular program. Although this may seem like an unnecessary, redundant step, this secondary application can work favor of most students. The secondary application can provide students with more opportunities to be noticed and present the complete student they could be to the school.

Notably, the second application will ask for recommendation letters. Many people know that a solid recommendation letter should be from a reputable professor of their discipline, but that’s only a tiny portion. The person who recommends you should not just be able and confident in describing your strengths and talents (in other words, don’t demand a letter of recommendation from someone who awarded you a grade of B in their class) but should also be someone who has a good understanding of you.

Determine which professors have a strong reputation within the field you intend to go and work with them. Learn a variety of classes with them and volunteer with them to establish an effective relationship. Be sure to get good grades in the courses they teach. To get good letters of recommendation, you should begin the process in the early stages.

Letters of recommendation speak about your character and abilities better than every other aspect of your application. Suppose you have excellent grades and a solid letter of recommendation. In that case, you’ll have the ideal chance of becoming one of the rare individuals accepted into The Burns School of Medicine.