College of Medicine Class of 2009 to Receive White Coats

(COLLEGE STATION) – At a special White Coat Ceremony held by the College of Medicine at The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, 81 entering medical students will take part in the time-honored tradition of receiving a white coat to signify the beginning of their medical training. The 2005 White Coat Ceremony will be held Monday, July 25 at 3 p.m. in Rudder Theater on the Texas A&M University main campus. The new students, their families and friends and College of Medicine faculty members and staff will attend the ceremony. The white coat has been the visual hallmark of physicians since the 19th century.
The 81 students in the Class of 2009 were selected through a rigorous application and interview process. The College of Medicine received more than 2,700 applicants for the upcoming academic year, and awarded approximately 700 in-person interviews. The incoming class represents the top 81 students that matched to the College of Medicine on Match Day in April. The college’s newest medical students come from 35 undergraduate institutions, with 28 percent and 17 percent receiving degrees from Texas A&M University and the University of Texas, respectively. The group has an average college GPA of 3.73 and a Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score of 28. Underrepresented minority students comprise 16 percent of the class, while females outnumber males (53 percent to 47 percent).
Introductory remarks will be given by Christopher C. Colenda, M.D., M.P.H., dean of the College of Medicine, followed by Nancy W. Dickey, M.D., president of the A&M Health Science Center. W. Roy Smythe, M.D., professor and chairman of the department of surgery at the College of Medicine’s Temple campus and a 1989 College of Medicine graduate, will deliver the keynote address. Associate Dean for Student Affairs Kathleen Fallon, M.D., and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Gary McCord, M.D., will present each student with his or her white coat. Immediately following the ceremony, a reception will be held in Rudder Exhibit Hall.