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Wayne State students get started on path to med school

The first class of Wayne Med-Direct scholars start classes, have schooling paid for through med school

David Jesse
Detroit Free Press

When Beki Schultz tore the ACL in her knee in high school, she started to get interested in medicine. When she tore the other ACL a year or so later, she knew what she wanted to do with her life — become an orthopedic or trauma surgeon.

(L to R) Christofer Smith looks at pictures of animals that had gene modifications done to them with Kishwar Basith as Cedric Mutebi finishes reading stories about medical ethics in the Research Methods class taught by Dr. Farron McIntee on Friday, September 9, 2016 at WSU in Detroit. The three were selected for the Med-Direct program that gives free undergraduate tuition, room and board in addition to admittance and tuition into WSU medical school.

"I wasn't grossed out by it," said Schultz, 17, of Marine City. "I was really interested in how the body works and adapts to the injury. My doctor was great and really helped me."

That journey is getting jump-started this fall as Schlutz begins her freshman year at Wayne State University. She is one of 10 students in the initial Wayne Med-Direct class.

►Related:Wayne State University has first enrollment jump in 7 years

The program, designed to increase the number of students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds who are studying medicine, will pay for the students' entire undergraduate education, including room and board; guarantee them admission to Wayne State's medical school, and pay for their tuition there. The students also get mentoring and various special seminars and other opportunities.

Students applying for the program have to meet criteria.

  • Have a minimum 3.5 GPA and 1340 SAT or 30 ACT score
  • Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
  • Be an incoming freshman

Christofer Smith, 18, of Detroit, was among those who were selected. He heard about the program during Wayne State Scholar Days.

"I was pretty sure it would be awesome," he said. He filled out the application and waited for an e-mail from the school.

"When I saw the e-mail, I was ecstatic," he said. Smith plans to work with people who cannot afford medical care. "My future has been laid out."

►Related:Wayne State approves private partnership for housing

mith and Schultz aren't worried about having the next eight years or more of their life planned out. They say that knowing they are already into medical school lifts a huge burden off them. It will allow them to be more active in campus organizations, they said, because the competitive pressure to get into medical school is lifted.

Dr. Andrew Feig, a chemistry professor and the associate dean of the graduate school at WSU talks with students in the Research Methods class taught by Dr. Farron McIntee on Friday, September 9, 2016 about gene modification and the ethics involved in that. The students in the class were selected for the Med-Direct program that gives free undergraduate tuition, room and board in addition to admittance and tuition into WSU medical school.

The group of students spent much of the summer on campus learning and bonding.

"The group of 10 is really close," Schultz said. "The whole cohort became friends really quickly."

WSU will hold a series of open houses this fall for those interested in next year's class. All sessions will be 5-6 p.m. in the Welcome Center Auditorium.

The sessions will be today, Oct. 5, Oct. 19 and Oct. 24.

Contact David Jesse: 313-222-8851 or djesse@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @reporterdavidj.