Executive Committee for Admissions 2017-2018

The Committee on Student Admissions:

1. shall review all policies pertaining to the admission of students;
2. shall monitor the process of admissions;
3. shall call upon other members of the faculty to render such assistance as needed for carrying out the responsibilities of the Committee; and
4. shall recommend all those students who are to be admitted.
    

Executive Committee for Admissions

Committee on Admissions Operations Policy

I. Introduction

The Committee on Admissions (COA) is a standing committee of the Faculty Senate at the Renaissance School of Medicine (RSOM). The COA is responsible for reviewing and screening all the medical school applications to RSOM, and determining which candidates have the appropriate academic and personal competencies to become outstanding physicians and fulfill the mission of our school of medicine. After screening, the COA invites candidates for two one-on-one virtual interviews to further assess the personal qualities of the interviewed candidate. Committee members who interview candidates forward their evaluation to the Executive Committee for further deliberations on who are  offered admissions, who are wait-listed and who are declined admissions.

II. Committee Composition

The COA is composed of about 80 faculty and 20 student members. The number of faculty members varies slightly each year depending on the numbers of faculty stepping off or on the committee.

III. Recruitment of Faculty and Students

• Faculty Members - Members of both the basic and clinical sciences faculty are recruited to serve on the COA by way of  an annual invitation sent by the RSOM Faculty Senate. This invitation includes a description of the roles and responsibilities of a COA member. Faculty must submit a letter of interest to the COA Chair that is reviewed by the Associate Dean for Admissions and the COA Chair. If the Associate Dean and COA Chair find no obvious conflict of interest, they schedule a follow up interview with the faculty member.

All new faculty members are trained in the COA’s  processes and expectations. Faculty members are expected to serve no less than a three-year term,  and there are no restrictions on the number of terms an individual may serve on the COA.

Faculty members are asked to recuse themselves from potential conflicts of interest. A typical conflict of interest occurs when a COA member has a personal relationship with an applicant or a relationship to an applicant through a member of their department. In such instances, the COA member is recused from interviews and deliberations.

• Student Members – Each year, the second-year class senators conduct an election of approximately 20 second-year students to serve on the COA. The names of the nominated students are forwarded to the Associate Dean for Admissions, who together with the COA Chair and the Assistant Dean for Admissions, conducts one-hour small-group interviews of the nominees.
  
  Students selected to serve on the COA are trained to interview applicants and assess those interviews using the interview scoring rubric. Student members of COA interview applicants during the fall (September- December) of their second year, and again during the winter of their fourth year (January-March). Student members are asked to recuse themselves from potential conflicts of interest.
   
• Executive Committee Members – The Executive Committee of the COA consists of the Chairperson of the COA and 12 veteran COA faculty members who have committed to serving on the Executive Committee for no fewer than three and no more than four consecutive years. Executive Committee members may serve two terms, but there must be a break of at least one year between the two terms. This gives other members of the COA the opportunity to serve on the Executive Committee, and it prevents people from serving too long.

Membership on the Executive Committee has additional responsibilities and time commitment, thus faculty membership on the Executive Committee changes in part annually.

• Ex-Officio Members of the Executive Committee – the following individuals serve as ex-officio members of the Executive Committee:
• Associate Dean for Admissions
• Associate Dean for Minority Student Affairs
• Assistant Dean for Minority Recruitment
• Assistant Dean for Admissions
• Director of the Master’s Degree in Physiology and Biophysics Post- Bac Program

Ex-Officio members can participate in deliberations/discussions at Executive Committee meetings, but do not vote with one exception. The Associate Dean for Admissions will vote only in the extremely rare instance of a tied vote.

IV. Scope and Responsibilities

Using the Application Management Program (AMP), all completed medical school applications are first pre-screened by the Associate Dean and Assistant Dean for Admissions. Applications  that merit further review based on established metrics are forwarded to veteran COA faculty members for a complete holistic review of the application.

First-year COA members only interview applicants. After completing their first year on the COA, members also screen applications.

• Holistic Review –  Faculty members are trained by the Associate and Assistant Deans for Admissions to screen applications to assess personal qualities based on letters of recommendation, personal statements, and responses to questions in the RSOM supplementary application. In addition, faculty members are trained to assess non-academic activities, health and research activities, and academic credentials. Faculty members are also trained to assess an applicant’s journey to choosing a career in medicine and whether they have overcome adverse conditions and hardships. The faculty reviewer completes a scoring instrument which is then returned to the RSOM Office of Admissions where scored applications are ranked for interviews.
   
• Interviews – Faculty and student members are trained by the Associate and Assistant Deans for Admissions to review applications and conduct interviews. Each applicant invited for an interview meets with two members of the COA, at least one of whom must be a faculty member. After interviewing a prospective candidate, the COA member completes an evaluation instrument (with qualitative and quantitative measures) which is then returned to the RSOM Office of Admissions.
   
• Executive Committee Admissions Decisions – The Associate Dean and Assistant Dean for Admissions review the most recently interviewed applicants and prepare and present a report on each interviewed applicant to the Executive Committee of COA. This report includes any concerns raised by interviewers or the Associate and Assistant Deans. These concerns can include a history of academic difficulties, institutional actions, professionalism issues, poor communication skills, etc. Based on the aforementioned  report, as well as discussion of issues of concern, Executive Committee members are given the opportunity to ask questions and offer perspectives prior to voting on whether a candidate is offered admission, wait-listed, or declined admission.

V. Meetings

The Committee on Admissions meets twice at the beginning of the year. The first meeting of the year is to train new members to assess applications and to conduct interviews. At the second meeting of the year, the RSOM Dean gives the COA its charges, which includes goals and the mission of the RSOM.

• Frequency – The Executive Committee of the COA meets twice monthly between September and April to discuss interviewed candidates.
• Quorum – Including the Executive Committee Chair, there are 13 members of the Executive Committee. A quorum is at least 50% (7 members) of the committee membership.

Review of Policies and Procedures

At the end of each admissions cycle and prior to the beginning of the next admissions cycle, the Executive Committee meets to discuss the successes of the prior year as well as review what policies and procedures should be considered for modification. All recommended  changes to policy and procedures are then presented to the Faculty Senate for further consideration before enacting.

Admission to Special Programs

Scholars for Medicine is a combined BA–MD program that identifies exceptional high school students committed to a medical career. Applicants submit the standard university application, which is reviewed by a committee of faculty and administrators from the Stony Brook University Office of Admissions. Forty applications are forwarded to the RSOM Committee on Admissions (COA) for further evaluation. Selected candidates are interviewed by COA members, and conditional offers are extended based on completion of specified academic and professional requirements.

• SUPREMES is a BA–MD program for current Stony Brook University undergraduates from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Eligibility requires completion of at least three and no more than five semesters of full-time coursework at SBU. Applications are reviewed by the RSOM COA, and qualified candidates are interviewed. Conditional offers for future admission to RSOM are extended to applicants who demonstrate strong academic and professional potential.
   
• Post-Baccalaureate Master’s in Physiology and Biophysics is designed for candidates with strong personal attributes who require additional scientific preparation prior to medical school. Funded by Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY), the program targets students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Applicants are interviewed by RSOM COA members and must meet defined academic and professional criteria for admission.
   
• Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) is an NIH-sponsored combined MD–PhD program. Applicants apply through AMCAS and the applications are reviewed by MSTP leadership and faculty. Selected candidates are interviewed by MSTP faculty and students. The MSTP committee submits recommended candidates to the RSOM COA Executive Committee for final review and decision, following the same process as standard MD applicants.

VI. Conclusion 

The Committee on Admissions continues to meet its responsibility of evaluating and selecting very qualified and competent individuals whose career goals are congruent with the mission of the Renaissance School of Medicine. Our graduates are recruited to top tier residency programs and then go on to have illustrious careers as academic and community physicians, researchers, and public health professionals. Many of our alumni practice in underserved communities and safety net hospitals.

Approval Date: January 12, 2026