The 161 members of the Class of 2016 entered their first year of medical school on August 8, 2012. The class includes 96 men and 65 women. They were selected from a pool of 6,910 applicants.
Members of the class have a collective total of 78 undergraduate majors ranging from biomedical engineering, mathematics, and chemistry to economics, political science, and philosophy.
In addition to English, incoming students speak 26 different languages. The most commonly spoken languages are Chinese, Hindi, and Spanish. Over half of the entering class has traveled outside of the U.S. These experiences include working with Support for America Reads Program, College Partnership for Kids, and the ChemPal Program.
The undergraduate grade point average (GPA) for the Class of 2016 averages 3.77 overall and 3.72 in the sciences. Average scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) for the class are 12.0 in the biological sciences, 11.7 in the physical sciences, and 10.6 in verbal skills. The total average MCAT score for admitted students was 34.4.
Twenty-nine students self-identified as part of underrepresented minority groups. Among the 161 matriculates, represented racial and ethnic groups include 14 (8.7 percent) African and African American; 44 (27.3 percent) Asian; 16 (10 percent) Hispanic; and 79 (49 percent) white. Eleven new students chose not to self-describe.
There are 20 (12.4 percent) nontraditional students, individuals who have taken off two or more years between their undergraduate studies and medical school, in the class. Together with the traditional students, the M1 class ranges in age from 21 to 31 years old, claim 66 institutions as their undergraduate alma maters, and hail from 33 states and nine foreign countries.
Of the 161 students in the class, 13 are in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP); 20 entered through the Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME), and six through the Northwestern Undergraduate Premedical Scholars Program (NUPSP).
Six members of the 2016 class have earned advanced degrees, including one Doctor of Philosophy, one Master of Arts, three Masters of Science, and one Master of Health.
The class members enter with extensive research experience, with more than 90 percent of students engaged in research on the undergraduate or graduate level. Thirty percent are authors on a research publication or presentation.
Thirty-seven students obtained research awards during their academic career. Twenty-seven students have been awarded and participated in fellowship programs.
As undergraduates, 135 students received academic honors. Forty-five members of the class achieved Phi Beta Kappa honors; 83 students graduated with Latin or honor society recognition; and 86 students received a scholarship during undergraduate school, two were National Merit Scholars and one was a Presidential Scholar.