Predicting the admission into medical school of African American college students who have participated in summer academic enrichment programs.

PURPOSE: To identify cognitive and noncognitive variables as predictors of the admission into medical school of African American college students who have participated in summer academic enrichment programs (SAEPs). METHOD: The study sample comprised 309 African American college students who participated in SAEPs at the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine from 1980 to 1989 and whose educational and occupational statuses were determined by follow-up tracking. A three-step logistic regression was used to analyze the data (with alpha = .05); the criterion variable was admission to medical school. The 17 predictor variables studied were one of two types, cognitive and noncognitive. The cognitive variables were (1) Scholastic Aptitude Test mathematics (SAT-M) score, (2) SAT verbal score, (3) college grade-point average (GPA), (4) college science GPA, (5) SAEP GPA, and (6) SAEP basic science GPA (BSGPA). The noncognitive variables were (1) gender, (2) highest college level at the time of the last SAEP application, (3) type of college attended (historically African American or predominately white), (4) number of SAEPs attended, (5) career aspiration (physician or another health science option) (6) parents who were professionals, (7) parents who were health care role models, (8) evidence of leadership, (9) evidence of community service, (10) evidence of special motivation, and (11) strength of letter of recommendation in the SAEP application. For each student the rating scores for the last four noncognitive variables were determined by averaging the ratings of two judges who reviewed relevant information in each student's file. RESULTS: In step 1, which explained 20% of the admission decision variance, SAT-M score, SAEP BSGPA, and college GPA were the three significant cognitive predictors identified. In step 2, which explained 31% of the variance, the three cognitive predictors identified in step 1 were joined by three noncognitive predictors: career aspiration, type of college, and number of SAEPs attended. In step 3, which explained 29% of the variance, two cognitive variables (SAT-M score and SAEP BSGPA) and two noncognitive variables (career aspiration and strength of recommendation letter) were identified. CONCLUSION: The results support the concept of using both cognitive and noncognitive variables when selecting African American students for pre-medical school SAEPs.

Evaluation of a supplementary retention program for African-American baccalaureate nursing students.

This study evaluated the Minority Academic Advising Program (MAAP), a supplementary retention program established for African-American students enrolled in a southern state health sciences university's baccalaureate nursing program. The evaluation method merged a quasi-experimental with a time-series design. A group of 114 black students were included in the study. A comparison group consisting of 608 nursing student cohorts who were predominantly white was incorporated for control purposes. Although the students who were MAAP participants had significantly lower SAT scores, reduced Pre-Admission GPAs, and included a contingent of 11 students at high risk of failing, the following enhancements were identified: their retention-to-graduation rate increased 5.3 percentage points to 97.1%, their nursing program GPA increased nearly one-quarter letter grade, their time-persisted-in-program increased 0.7 months, and their nursing board examination pass rate increased 15 percentage points.

Assessed diversity within a regional organization of student representatives group.

This pilot study assessed diversity within an Organization of Student Representatives (OSR) group attending the 1990 Annual Meeting of the Southern Region Group on Student Affairs. In contrast to the Southern Region medical student population, the OSR group had a higher rate of students who were older, female, non-science majors in college, and in preclinical years of medical school. While the findings suggest that barriers are being overcome, underrepresented minority students also were underrepresented in the OSR group. A larger study should be conducted to determine OSR minority representation nationwide.

Evaluation of a supplementary retention program for black allied health sciences students.

The Medical College of Georgia's (MCG's) Minority Academic Advising Program (MAAP), which began in 1984, is a supplementary retention program for Black students. This paper describes an evaluation study of the effectiveness of MAAP within the MCG School of Allied Health Sciences (SAHS). The study sample consisted of 89 Black students who enrolled in the SAHS from fall 1978 to fall 1982 (preMAAP period) plus 129 Black students who entered the SAHS from fall 1984 through fall 1988 (MAAP period). The comparison group consisted of all other students who entered the SAHS (n = 1,884) within those same time periods. Using an evaluation design produced by merging a quasi-experimental and a time-series design, the authors found that the MAAP succeeded in increasing both the Black student retention-to-graduation rate and the time-persisted-in-program, to the extent that Black students achieved parity with other SAHS students.

Prematriculation program grades as predictors of black and other nontraditional students' first-year academic performances.

This study explored the relative strengths of select background variables, including grades in a summer prematriculation program (SPP), as predictors of students' first-year academic performances. During the years 1980-1989, 115 black and other nontraditional prematriculants at the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine attended a four-week SPP featuring courses in biochemistry, anatomy, and immunology. Canonical correlation analysis revealed that the combination of undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) and SPP grades in biochemistry and anatomy was the best predictor of the students' academic performances based upon their first-year grades in biochemistry, anatomy, and microbiology, and upon their GPAs for all first-year basic science courses. The authors conclude that SPP grades can be used to identify the specific academic weaknesses of nontraditional students at highest risk of falling into academic jeopardy.

Evaluation of a summer prematriculation program for black and other nontraditional students.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine's Summer Prematriculation Program in facilitating participants' first-year achievement and retention from 1980 to 1989. The four-week curriculum included biochemistry, anatomy, immunology, learning skills, medical or anatomy terminology, and clinical forums. Of 101 black and 96 other nontraditional, at-risk students who had been invited to attend the program, the 115 attendees were compared with the 82 nonattendees on a variety of demographic and academic measures. For all measures examined, no statistically significant difference was found between the two groups. Several factors may have obscured the results. However, there were indications that the program had a favorable effect, including the evaluation by over 90% of the attendees that the program had contributed positively to their adjustment to medical school.