If you’re interested in applying to MD programs, read on to learn all that the Medical College of Wisconsin has to offer in 2024 and understand what you can do to improve your chances of admission and help you understand if medical school is right for you, and if MCW is to be one of your top choices! Aside from sending your required transcript, ensuring you have strong recommendation letters, prepare adequately for interviews and have the necessary pre-med experience can increase your chances of consideration.
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Founded in 1893 and located in Milwaukee, WI, with additional campuses in the Green Bay area and Central Wisconsin, the Medical College of Wisconsin, or MCW, is a suburban private medical school with several programs affiliated with teaching hospitals throughout the state, making it a great choice for both in-state and out-of-state students looking to learn and gain hospital experience throughout Wisconsin. The institution also has a Graduate School, Pharmacy School, and offers a M.S in Anesthesia program, making MCW a great choice for students all across the medical field, including future MD’s.
Mission Statement
“To be a national leader in the education and development of the next generation of physicians and scientists, to discover and translate new knowledge in the biomedical sciences, to provide cutting edge interdisciplinary and compassionate clinical care of the highest quality and to improve the health of the communities we serve.”
Available Programs
Academic Curriculum
The MD program at MCW focuses on small group case-based learning and combines traditional lectures with hands-on lab sessions, self-directed learning, and virtual activities MCW’s new and innovative curriculum strives to support students’ development and professional journey to becoming excellent physicians—across many specialized fields—by teaching them the necessary skills for a rapidly evolving medical system and world. In MCW’s own words:
“Foundational sciences, clinical medicine, and character and professional development are integrated across three phases. The organ system-based phase one is “inquiry-based” and engages learners to learn from patient-based cases. Early clinical experiences are supplemented with classroom and simulation activities. Required clinical clerkships comprise phase two, and phase three provides guided exploration of career paths and preparation for internship. Students learn with peers, staff, and faculty coaches across all phases in our learning communities and pursue their own interests in one of eight pathways”.
While some lectures are held online and can be completed asynchronously for MD students at MCW, attendance is mandatory for sessions throughout the program that are designed for collaborative learning, working with a team, and clinical skills/participation. Patients will begin interacting with patients in their first year of medical school at MCW. A pass/fail grading system is in place for phase one of the program, and prior to the beginning of classes, incoming first-years have the option to review online materials crafted to help them acclimate to their medical courses, materials and workload.
Application Timeline
Here is some important information regarding application timelines for interested/potential Medical College of Wisconsin MD applicants:
Applicants must narrow down their selection to three schools by April, and accept an offer (with the required deposit) by early May. Applicants will have to “commit to enroll” and withdraw from other acceptances and waitlists at other institutions no later than June (the exact date changes annually, always double check with your program). Orientation date is currently TBD.
Deferred entrance requests to MCW will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and waitlisted applicants will receive their offer, if selected, prior to May.
The primary application service used is AMCAS, which is the American Medical College Application Service. As with 138 other medical schools, MCW participates in the AMCAS Letters of Recommendation/Evaluation Service. This means that applicants may have their letters of recommendation submitted directly to AMCAS, rather than to each individual school and program.
MCW also requires applicants to have completed the MCAT and CASPer. MCAT’s must be taken within the past 3 years in order to be considered valid.
Here are some tips for making your medical school application stand out:
Admissions Statistics
Based on current data, here are the admissions statistics/acceptance rates for the MD program at MCW:
In-state: 17.5%
Out-of-state: 1.1%
International: 2.3%
Total:2.3%
The Medical College of Wisconsin welcomes domestic students, as well as international students, out-of-state applicants, Canadian residents and DACA eligible citizens. DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) applicants must have completed at least 90 semester hours of course work in either the United States or Canada prior to applying, and these credits must be from an accredited institution.
MCW practices a holistic approach to reviewing each application to their MD program(s), meaning an applicant’s respective race, sexual orientation, national origin, age, creed, marital status, age or disability are never discussed or considered as being a deterrent or enticement for admission. MCW, as with many medical schools, requires a certain GPA and undergraduate experience, as well as a completed MCAT and CASPer, however, they value each applicant’s whole potential and considers what they may be able to contribute to the medical learning community based on extracurriculars, interests, unique abilities, talents, and personality, rather than solely focusing on transcripts and test scores. This is done to ensure less bias exists during the application and interview process, and so that intrinsically motivated individuals from a variety of backgrounds and with a range of experiences have as much of a chance of admission as an extrinsically motivated student who comes from a family of doctors and is extrinsically motivated. MCW believes that successful, well-rounded physicians exist in all forms, from all communities and walks of life, and that unique experiences and perspectives can benefit the medical system and patient experience greatly. Application materials, such as personal statements, interviews, essays, and recommendations will be considered alongside test scores and GPA’s.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling admissions basis, and applicants are encouraged to apply early (prior to August 15) in order to increase their chances of consideration. For the Green Bay and Central Wisconsin MCW programs, applicants demonstrating their commitment to practice primary care or psychiatry will be specifically reviewed, as these campuses are actively seeking to identify such candidates.
Recommended Courses
In terms of eligibility, applicants are required to have certain medical school prerequisites completed prior to the start of their MD program, and adequate pre-medical experience. It is expected that applicants have completed foundational courses and that all pre-requisite courses were taken at accredited institutions. It is recommended that, should an applicant have poor grades in foundational/pre-requisite courses, that they retake them, as the admissions committee may view poor grades as a lack of mastery or comprehension of the subject.
Premedical experience is strongly recommended for those hoping to be accepted into an MD program at MCW, particularly physician shadowing and other experiences with patient care in medical/clinical settings.
The most commonly reported by applicants in recent years includes research lab experience (91%), medical community service/volunteering (84%), clinical observation and shadowing (87%), general community service (87%), paid employment in a medical/clinical setting (65%) and finally, military experience (2%).
The following courses are required for consideration at MCW:
It’s important to double check the requirements for each course you’ve completed—in terms of how it’s graded, how many credit hours are required, and the delivery method—to ensure that it will be accepted by MCW on your application. Certain classes taken at an AP level may not be accepted, whereas community college and online courses will be. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many courses will be considered with ‘pass/fail’ grades, rather than numerical final grades.
The median MCAT score for admitted students at SUNY Upstate is 511, and the median GPA is 3.75.
Tuition and Debt
Based on current statistics, tuition for in-state students is $45,213, with about $23,340 in additional fees related to school. For out-of-state, this number is greater, at $66,703 for tuition alone.
In total, in-state students spent $68,553 on tuition on average, and out-of-state students spend $90,043. The average graduate indebtedness for MD students at SUNY is $225,825.
Funding Opportunities
In a recent study, 90% of MCW MD students noted that they received some sort of financial aid. Most often, financial assistance, both institutional and federal, is awarded on a most needed basis. Applicants are urged to send their FAFSA to MCW to commence the application for financial aid process once they have been interviewed. In order to be enrolled, students must provide a current and clean credit report, as required by MCW.
For federal scholarships, students must be a U.S citizen or eligible non-citizen. International and DACA applicants will need to provide proof of financial support on their application.
Information about MCW Grant’s and Scholarships can be found here.
Looking for more tips on getting into med school? Check out this video:
How to Get into The Medical College of Wisconsin
The MD program at MCW is highly sought-after by both in and out-of-state applicants, and is a competitive medical program. Applicants should strive to achieve an MCAT score of (approximately) 511, as that is their median, and also aim to achieve a GPA of roughly 3.75.
Along with this, you should consider experience that may set you apart from other applicants: shadowing is a highly recommended pre-med experience for MCW, along with volunteering hours for medical school and paid workplace experience, completing additional recommended courses in good standing, and also having a strong application. MCW recommends that any pre-requisite or recommended courses with less-than-average grades/scores are retaken, as this may make it appear as though you did not comprehend the course material.
Your primary and medical school secondary essays must be submitted in a timely manner, before set deadlines—the earlier, the better—as applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Remember, MCW is a holistic school with a passion for increasing diversity and improving health care systems and patient experiences; this is why they’re searching for the best future medical doctors to attend their institution. Utilize your medical school recommendation letters, along with all additional materials, as an opportunity to highlight your experiences, traits, and suitability well. Prior to beginning your primary application, it’s imperative that you review how to write a medical school letter of intent, prepare for medical school secondary essays accordingly, and also allow yourself enough time for medical school interview preparation so that you can approach each step in your application with complete confidence.
Although MCW believes that a student’s grades are not definitive of their potential to become a great physician (and vice versa), it’s important that you complete the MCAT and CASPer tests in order to be considered for admission. It’s also crucial that you complete all undergraduate and graduate courses to the best of your ability, and accumulate several hours of pre-med training wherever possible. Because this institution is highly competitive, well-rounded applicants with a diverse range of abilities, skills and experiences, as well as great GPA’s and test scores, will be more likely to be considered. MCW is seeking passionate, motivated, and dedicated MD applicants to admit to their program(s).
Interview Formats
MCW typically always conducts interviewed in-person, however, this is still to be determined, and virtual models are being considered at this time. If you’re looking for help preparing for your medical school interview, then medical school admissions consulting is highly recommended to ensure that you’re able to interview confidently and well. MCW requires all applicants to have a clean credit report, health insurance, a full criminal background check and AED/CPR training.
Acceptance and Waitlist Information
MCW is a competitive school. Based on current data, of 11,145 total applications in 834 were interviewed, 6 were deferred, 8 were accepted to the MD/PhD and 265 matriculated.
The current, total number of medical students at MCW (all years/medical programs) is 1049.
Here is a breakdown of matriculation data for a first-year class:
In terms of demographics and diversity, MCW is a ratio of 111 men: 154 women (in 2021). 77% of medical students at MCW have a math or science undergraduate major, and 14% have graduate-level degrees.
MCW has made a commitment to implementing diversity strategies, as they remain a predominantly Caucasian dominated medical school: in 2021, based on self-reports, 158 students identified as white, 25 as black or African American, 42 as Asian, 34 as Hispanic, 4 as Indigenous American, 1 as Pacific Islander and 7 as ‘other’.
Through their holistic approach to application reviews and interviews, MCW strives to increase the number of ethnically diverse students in their medical program. Additionally, they encourage applications from students who are of a disadvantaged status or from a medically underserved community, or of a disadvantaged status. Click here to learn more about the best medical school recruitment strategies for diversity and understand why this is important for the future of medicine and can improve overall student retention.
The waitlist at MCW is unranked, and applicants placed on the waitlist will be selected holistically. Of 100-250 total waitlist applicants, based on current data, approximately 50 will be accepted.
Contact Information
MCW Medical School Admissions Office (Main Campus)
8701 Watertown Plank Road
Milwaukee, WI 53226-3548 USA
Telephone: (414) 955-8246
Fax: (414) 955-8246
Email: [email protected]
Click here to view the MCW admission’s website.
FAQ
1. What previous education do I need in order to apply to the MD program at MCW?
In order to be considered for an MD (or combined) program at MCW, you must hold a 4-year Bachelor’s degree, in good standing, from an accredited institution. If you have additional training or graduate-level education, your grades and/or scores will also be considered alongside your undergraduate transcript. You do not need a specific science degree; however, you must have all of the required prerequisite courses completed, and it’s recommended that applicants have pre-medical experience—shadowing is preferred.
2. When can I apply? What is the application process like?
The earliest initial applications will be accepted at the end of May, with application reviews beginning in June, interview invitations will begin being sent in August, and initial application deadlines falling on November 1st. For secondary applications, the deadline is in December each year.
3. How can I submit my application and required documentation to MCW?
Always double check with the institution directly, however, MCW participates in AMCAS, so letters can be uploaded accordingly on your AMCAS account. Committee letters, letter packets and individual letters will be accepted for the MD program.
4. How many recommendation letters are required?
MCW accepts between 1 and 6 recommendation letters for their MD program.
5. Do MCW applicants need to take the MCAT or CASPer?
Yes, applicants will only be considered if they have taken the MCAT and CASPer. Applicants must also have criminal background checks, a clean credit history, and be certified in AED/CPR; this documentation should be submitted by the deadlines outlined by the institution.
6. Who should consider the MD/PhD program at MCW?
Students who wish to become medical doctors, but who also have a dedicated interest in medical research and science may wish to consider the MD/PhD program. This program is 8 years in length—opposed to the 4 years required for the MD program on its own. The PhD program allows students to complete research and required courses in order to earn both degrees simultaneously. For students who are interested in research, but do not wish to pursue a PhD accreditation, there is an MD/MS option at MCW as well.
7. Are there opportunities for both virtual and in-person learning at MCW?
Yes, there are. There are several in-person courses and program components for all medical programs that focus on group work, developing particular skills, collaboration, and gaining experience in the field with patients. However, some courses will be held virtually, and/or self-directed.
8. How can I access additional support to help with my application to MCW?
If you’re interested in applying to medical school, such as MCW, but feel you’d benefit from support and guidance from professionals, BeMo Academic Consulting can help! Our admissions consultants work 1-on-1 with students to help them prepare for their medical school application process, essays and interviews.
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