As potential medical students across the country anxiously await to hear about admittance to medical school, the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM) has begun offering admission to academically outstanding, service-oriented students who are committed to improving health in Michigan communities.
For Meredith Michael, a May 2022 MSU and Lyman Briggs graduate with a bachelor’s degree in physiology, admission to the college was an answer to her prayer. Driving home recently from her work as a medical assistant in a pediatrician’s office, Michael received a call. After answering, she immediately pulled over and “I instantly started crying,” she said. “I put on my hazard signals and sat there. I’d been praying about this and working toward this goal since high school and the beginning of college.”
The hard work and perseverance paid off, she added. She’s also grateful for her experience in the Osteopathic Medical Scholars Program (OMSP), which she credits with helping her through the process of applying to MSUCOM.
Coming into college from the small town of Quincy, Mich., Michael was not familiar with OMSP. She learned about it from her roommate and then others suggested she should apply to the program that allows undergraduate students the chance to explore health care, osteopathic medicine and the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. She did and was accepted during her sophomore year.
“I’m really grateful for the program,” she said. “It allowed me to make connections with MSU’s medical school, offered me shadowing opportunities and helped me to learn about osteopathic medicine.”
Harmandeep “Harman” Singh also joined OMSP as a sophomore. He attended some pre-Student Osteopathic Medical Association (pre-SOMA) meetings where he learned more about osteopathic medicine and took a class where they learned from physicians – Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) – about their work.
Singh also wanted to continue working with people who are collaborative and have a collaborative mindset, as he had during his undergraduate years at MSU, so MSUCOM was a perfect fit.
“Some of my friends are here at medical school and they talk about that collaborative, team effort,” he said. “You are part of this community that supports you and your dreams grow.”
He will graduate with his bachelor’s degree in human biology in December from MSU and Lyman Briggs and then will be join his classmates in the MSUCOM class of 2027.
“What an honor it is to hear the stories of so many outstanding applicants to MSUCOM,” said Katherine Ruger, Ed.D, senior associate dean for admissions and student affairs with the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. “We congratulate those who have been offered a position in our class and look forward to continuing the important work of selecting future SpartanDOs.”