Alpha Omega Alpha

The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has an active Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) chapter. AOA is a national organization dedicated to supporting academic excellence and perpetuating excellence in the medical profession.

In keeping with the expectation that there is a standard for academic excellence but balancing the need for greater inclusion, eligibility for nomination extends to any medical student in the top 50% of their graduating class based on the calculation of honors points. To make the nomination process equitable and holistic, other important metrics including leadership positions and skills, research activities, service, volunteer, and extracurricular activities are also considered. This information is gleaned from a biographical sketch that each eligible student is asked to complete at the end of third year. The percentage of academic standing (honors points) and other metrics contained on the biographical sketch is 60% academic, and 40% other metrics when creating a final list of candidates to be considered for induction. No more than one-fifth of the class may be nominated into AOA from any given graduating class.

All students are inducted at the beginning of fourth year to allow for the maximal number of experiences and clinical skills to be taken into account. We ensure that notification of induction into AOA occurs before applications are submitted to residency programs so that this achievement can be noted. An induction ceremony is held yearly.

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