Ellen Roop Solomon '17 was among the first cohort of IDeA students.
Established in 2014, as the Innovation and Design Application (IDeA) program at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Jefferson University, the SKMC sophomore early assurance program is designed for creative thinkers who seek flexibility in their undergraduate education. Sophomores apply directly to Jefferson and finalists are invited to interview on campus.
Benefits of Program Include:
- Admission to medical school as a sophomore
- Reduced premedical prerequisites: students participate in a summer "science boot camp" before medical school so that they're ready for the medical school curriculum.
- No MCAT required
- Acceptance into the design thinking college within a college track at SKMC
Learn more about Sidney Kimmel Medical College
Design Thinking in the News
- Designing Doctors: Can a creative mindset solve health-care problems (Princeton Alumni Weekly, 2020)
- Design Thinking for Doctors and Nurses (NY Times blog, 2017)
- Data & Design Thinking to Shape the Future of Medicine (Stanford Scope blog, 2018)
- Majoring in Medicine, Minoring in Design (Doctors Who Create, 2015)
Eligibility Requirements
- Sophomore (rising junior) at Princeton
- Completion of specific prerequisites
- GPA of 3.5 (cumulative and BCPM) by time of application to medical school
Princeton Application Procedure
All applicants must submit:
- Complete application form (email program for link)
- Two letters of reference (at least one must come from a Princeton faculty member)
- College transcript
- Resume
- SAT or ACT scores
Application is due in late January
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Sophomore year: January | Application due |
| February | On campus interviews at Sidney Kimmel Medical College for selected finalists |
| April | Students notified of acceptance |
| Junior year | Check-ins with HPA |
| Senior year, December | Complete AMCAS aplication |
| July | Accepted students matriculate at SKMC |