A&M-Texarkana accepting applications from students for medical school program
The Joint Admission Medical Program at Texas A&M University-Texarkana will accept applications through Sept. 29 from students who are seeking to attend a Texas medical school.
Dr. Nurul Alam, JAMP faculty director and professor of biology, recently announced that the university has once again been awarded funding for the program from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Created by the Texas Legislature, JAMP is a unique partnership between all nine Texas medical schools and 67 public and private four-year undergraduate institutions in the state. A&M-Texarkana has been a part of the program since 2014.
A total of 100 students are admitted into the program each year through a rigorous application and selection process.
“A&M-Texarkana has been fortunate to have two students selected for the program,” Alam said, noting that this number rivals the acceptance rates at many larger institutions in the state.
“We are a small institution, but we’re getting noticed,” he said.
Kaylee Loeza of Diana, Texas, graduated from A&MTexarkana with honors in 2017 and recently entered medical school at Ross University through the regular competitive process. She started classes this week.
Brenda Awuah of Texarkana, Texas, a senior at A&MTexarkana, is currently enrolled in the program. She has just taken the MCAT.
The program provides financial support through undergraduate scholarships, summer stipends, tutoring, mentoring and computer support. JAMP also supplies funds to maintain the program, travel and prehealth adviser meetings, and acquire MCAT prep materials and software.
Current legislation reserves 10 percent of the seats available in each entering medical school class for JAMP students.
As of fall 2016, 307 medical school students in Texas were JAMP participants. Ninetyseven percent of JAMP graduates were matched with residency programs, primarily in internal medicine and family practice.
“The JAMP initiative also benefits our pre-health program at the university,” Alam said, noting that the resources are available to all students at A&M-Texarkana.
The biology program at A&M-Texarkana has a lot of momentum, Alam said, noting that he has record numbers of students in his microbiology, molecular biology and biology for non-majors courses this semester.
For more information, contact Alam at 903-334-6671 or nurul. alam@tamut.edu.