Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine Welcomes Latest Group of Students with White Coat Ceremony
July 21, 2022
The cohort welcomed in 2022 is very academically talented, based on MCATs
The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine welcomed its newest class of 159 students with a White Coat ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.
The future physicians donned their distinctive coats during the ceremony, starting their journey toward acquisition of a Medical Degree (M.D.), which will be completed in three or four years, depending on their selected academic track.
“The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine continues to be a down payment on a better future - for patients, for our health network, and beyond,’’ said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. “This innovative approach to medical education will humanize healthcare, improve outcomes and create more equitable healthcare for all.’’
“Medicine is a sacred calling,” said Jeffrey Boscamp, M.D., interim dean of the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and a professor of pediatrics. “Even in a sometimes-tumultuous world, doctors are the constant provider of wellness and care which is so crucial to humanity. We are proud to be a source of so much good being contributed to society.”
Nearly 6,000 students applied to join this year’s class. The cohort is made up of more than half New Jersey residents (53%), while another 11% percent are New Yorkers. Seventeen other states are represented among its members.
Twenty-eight languages are spoken by the group, in addition to English. Twelve of the students already hold an advanced degree.
This year’s incoming cohort is by some measures the most academically gifted yet, as well. The group achieved the highest-ever MCAT score yet for the school. The average score for the students was 88% - meaning they are in the top 12 percent in the nation.
The School admitted its first class in 2018 with 60 students. Subsequent years brought an increased number of students, leading to this fifth year of admissions.
Students have the opportunity for a three-year path to residency, or an optional fourth year which offers combined master’s degree or graduate certificate programs, intense clinical immersion, or focused research. Defining features of the curriculum include the Human Dimension, a longitudinal course which pairs students with people out in the community to foster real-world clinical skills outside a hospital or doctor’s office.