SMART MDs

What is SMART MDs?

Student Mentoring Assistance for the Recruitment of Tomorrow’s MDs (SMART MDs) was founded in 2018, through a generous private donation, as a pilot program to increase the acceptance rate of underrepresented minority students into medical schools. Since its inception, the number of Black students applying to medical schools from Lehman has increased by 186%, and the number of Latinx students has increased by 333%. The result is that Lehman is now among the top schools nationally for having the highest number of Latinx and Black medical school applicants.

What do we Offer?

Our services are tailored to meet the specific needs of under-represented, non-traditional minority students. In collaboration with Lehman's Office of Pre-Health Advisement, we guide students through the medical school application process, counsel them on timelines, and offer the support they will need to become competitive applicants to allopathic and osteopathic schools.

SMART MDs provides proactive, intensive academic advising, MCAT coaching and study materials, tips on procuring recommendation letters, support in writing and editing personal statements, and interview prep. We also support students in finding research positions and internships, volunteer or shadowing roles, and academic programs or activities that help to improve their candidacy.

How to Join?

Students are accepted at the beginning of their sophomore year, with another application window allowed at the start of their junior year. Both students who came to Lehman as first-years and transfer students are eligible. To be considered for the program, students must first submit an application form. The top candidates will then be asked to schedule a follow-up interview and finalists from that group will receive invitations to join the program.

Applications are closed for the current cycle, but if you would like to discuss the program further and receive a reminder when the next application cycle begins, please fill out our contact form. Applications for the next cycle will open on June 15.

Student Stories

Click on the following links to watch a short video from students who have participated in the program:

• Ciara Guzman: SUNY Upstate
• Diego Zamata-Ovalle: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
• Alexander Capellan-Moronta: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
• Jevaughn Henry: University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine
• Ezekiel Olumuyide: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai