General Information

Medical Scholars Program

The goal of the UC Riverside Medical Scholars Program (MSP) is to increase the diversity of UC Riverside students who are successful in achieving their academic and career goals.  All students at UCR are eligible to apply.  Admission will require an application and interview.  There are no academic criteria for acceptance; applicants will be screened on the basis of their commitment to the goals of the program, community service, interest in helping the underserved populations of the Inland Empire and California, and interest in a graduate or professional career in a health-related field.

The MSP is a community of highly motivated and talented students interested in careers in the health sciences who support each other's goals of completing their undergraduate degrees and enrolling in medical school, an allied health discipline, graduate school, and other postgraduate programs in the health sciences. 

To freshmen students, the MSP offers advising seminars with faculty, peer mentors, study groups, and workshops on academic and career planning.  Students in the Medical Scholars Program remain in the program throughout their undergraduate training and may participate in internships, paid summer research experiences, seminars on health care, dinners with faculty and physicians, and intensive review programs for exams such as the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).  Scholars will participate in a variety of academic enrichment activities throughout the academic year designed to enhance their educational experiences and help prepare them for a future career in medicine or an allied health discipline. 

Program components include:

• “Survival Skills for Students in the Medical Scholars Program” – this one unit course, available in the fall quarter only to MSP scholars, will focus on learning the necessary survival skills to succeed in college

• Academic and career advising will be provided using a combination of peer advisors, staff counselors, faculty and local clinicians

• Guest speaker program - 1 or 2 speakers each quarter will talk about their careers, clinical or research activities, and life experiences

• Study Groups for introductory math, chemistry and biology will be offered and led by trained upper class MSP tutors

• The Program Coordinator will help MSP scholars find appropriate volunteer activities in the community or hospital, clinic or other health related settings 

• Local Community Colleges will partner with MSP by targeting 10-15 students from each campus to participate in UCR/MSP activities and to attend a special workshop designed to provide advising support for eventual transfer to a 4-year college/university.

• Special activities throughout the year – such as workshops in time management and test taking skills, plus dinners with the faculty, round table discussions with medical students, medical school admission interviewers, clinicians, research advisors, etc.

The MSP is intended to become a program that works with students throughout their undergraduate years at UC Riverside. For MSP students in their sophomore, junior or senior years, the program will sponsor workshops on writing the personal statement, interviewing skills, MCAT (DAT, etc.) preparation, filling out the AMCAS application, etc.  So beginning in this program as a freshman is the first step in this new program at UC Riverside.