Junior Pathways to Success Program

The Junior Pathways to Success Program (J-PAWS) is a partnership between the University of Missouri School of Medicine and the MedOpp Advising Office on main campus. The program’s objective is to assist first generation college, socioeconomically and/or educationally disadvantaged undergraduate Mizzou students on their path to a career in medicine.

The program provides students with support through various means designed to assist in building a well-rounded candidacy. Successful program participants will begin creating a competitive medical school application and have the opportunity to apply for the PAWS Pre-Admission Program.

J-PAWS participants will receive:

• Tutoring and academic support
• Informational workshops and one-on-one advisement
• Schedule planning
• Research opportunities
• Access to healthcare and volunteer experiences
• Support to encourage overall Well-Being

Eligibility Requirements

To apply for the J-PAWS program, you must:

• Be a US Citizen or permanent US resident
• Be a graduating high school senior with plans to matriculate full time into Mizzou OR a first year Mizzou student interested in pursuing a career in medicine.
• Demonstrate potential for strong academic performance (3.3 minimum cumulative GPA).
• Be enrolled full time at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
• Meet at least one of the following criteria*:
  • First generation college student (First-Generation-College-Student Indicator)
  • Economically disadvantaged background
  • Educationally disadvantaged background

* Data from student FAFSA and high school of record is used to determine eligibility.

Participation Requirements

If you are accepted into the Junior Pathways to Success Program, you will be required to:

• Attend monthly J-PAWS/PAWS meetings.
• Attend J-PAWS/PAWS study sessions.
• Incoming Freshmen: Enroll in the J-PAWS Pre-Med Freshman Interest Group (FIG) and live in the designated residence hall.
• Participate in MedPrep I offered through the MU School of Medicine.
• Participate in faculty mentoring/shadowing as outlined by the program.
• Participate in health care related experiences.
• Participate in community/volunteer service.
• Meet with academic and support advisors as outlined by the program.

The Junior Pathways to Success Program supports the academic success of its participants and requires students to take courses that will benefit both their current and future academic needs. Students pursuing a career in medicine require critical thinking skills to not only meet the demands of standardized testing and medical education but to make sound, judicious decisions as practicing physicians. A foundation in philosophy assists in providing the intellectual training needed to meet these goals.

Participants in the program are required to take at least one course from the following list prior to graduation (it is preferred that the course is taken prior to taking the MCAT):

• PHIL 1200/1200H: How To Think: Logic and Reasoning for Everyday Life
• PHIL 2600/2600H: Rational Decisions: An Introduction to Game Theory and Strategic Thinking
• PHIL 2700: Elementary Logic

Participants are encouraged to consider pursuing a Certificate in Ethical Theory and Practice to further support their undergraduate pre-medical education.

Application

The entire application must be completed and submitted by 11:59 pm on April 20, 2025. Supplemental materials are due by 11:59 pm on May 23, 2025.

Only completed applications with ALL required supplemental materials will be considered. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure all required materials are received.Any application materials submitted after May 23 will not be considered.

Required supplemental materials:

Letter of Recommendation: You must have one letter of recommendation in support of your application. The letter may be from a teacher, professor, administrator, employer, physician, or other professional acquaintance. We highly recommend an individual from a science department or with a background in the sciences.

High School transcripts: Applicants must request a high school transcript from their high school and have it sent to the Junior Pathways to Success Program.

The deadline for submission of supplemental materials is 11:59 pm on May 23, 2025.

To apply for the J-PAWS program, follow the link below. To facilitate the completion of your application you will need the following information available. You can complete some of the required information in a Word document and copy and paste into the application.

• Contact information, school and personal email addresses
• Parental information (address, educational background, occupation, household income)
• High school cumulative GPA (unweighted) and class rank
• A list of high school honors courses, if applicable
• A list of all high school honors and awards
• College credits earned in high school (college/university, department and course number, title of course, grades and credit hours received); this Information is needed for each course you received college credit.
• Activity participation: List up to 15 activities (name of activity, dates of participation, total hours, organization name, location, brief activity description. (300 character limit). Activity types include: Work, Extracurricular Activities, International Experiences, Sports, Volunteer, Research and Medical-Related Activities.
• You will choose 3 of your listed activities that were particularly meaningful and describe that in the space provided. (500 character limit)
• The name, title, department and email address of one recommender who will write a Letter of Recommendation for your application.
• Three Essays:
  • Please write a personal statement explaining why you are interested in pursuing a career in medicine. (2500 character limit)
  • The Junior Pathways to Success Program encourages an environment of peer support, mentorship and inclusion among its participants. What are some concrete ways/examples in which you have provided peer support, mentorship and/or inclusion among those around you? (1250 character limit)
  • The Junior Pathways to Success Program offers a variety of experiences. What do you specifically hope to gain by participating in the Program? (1250 character limit)

Applications are due by 11:59 pm April 20, 2025.

The Junior Pathways to Success Program application will be available on February 1.

Apply Here