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The Advanced Baccalaureate Learning Experience (ABLE) Program is a thirteen-month, enriched academic experience offered each year to a select group of eight disadvantaged students who have applied for admissions to the College of Human Medicine (CHM).

Students who successfully complete the minimum requirements of the ABLE Program are offered regular admission to the entering College of Human Medicine class. The goal of the ABLE program is to build upon participants' science base through enrollment in upper-level science and medical school course offerings. To help assure success in these courses, ABLE students receive individualized assistance in developing academic learning strategies. Successful ABLE Program students enter medical school with improved self-confidence and the knowledge required to become successful medical students and excellent physicians.

The College of Human Medicine has a longtime commitment to educating physicians whose presence in the entering class reflects the diversity of the nation's patient population. Nearly half of the CHM class are women, almost 20% of the entering class are underrepresented minority students, and the mean age of the entering class is more than 25 years. The ABLE Program, established in 1986, is one of several special CHM programs that promotes the recruitment and retention of disadvantaged students.

Application Process: Disadvantaged students who apply for regular admission to the College of Human Medicine and are interviewed for regular CHM admission, can become candidates for the ABLE Program. There are no separate ABLE application procedures. Students who show promise for medicine yet may lack the science background required to perform optimally in medical school are placed on hold by the CHM Committee on Admissions and referred to the ABLE Selection Committee. The ABLE Selection Committee then makes the final student selection for the ABLE Program.

Students are encouraged to target their application for regular admission to the College of Human Medicine. Become a competitive CHM applicant by following the recommendations outlined in the College of Human Medicine Handbook for Premedical Students. Develop a long-range plan that includes doing your best in your academic courses, preparing for and taking the April MCAT, applying to medical school early (June I), and volunteering or working in a medical setting. Admissions preference is given to students who are Michigan residents and whose career goals are consistent with the CHM Mission to educate compassionate primary care physicians who will practice in Michigan (especially in Michigan's undeserved urban and rural areas). The Admissions Committee strives to admit students who have a commitment to lifelong learning and who have respect for cultural differences.

ABLE Curriculum: The ABLE Curriculum is a thirteen-month, intensive learning experience presented in three distinct phases: The ABLE Summer Institute, The ABLE Academic Year Post-Baccalaureate Experience, and The ABLE Prematriculation Program. Participation in all three curricular phases is required. The ABLE Summer Institute

The ABLE Summer Institute: is a six-week program that begins in the summer following admission to the ABLE Program. The Institute provides each student with a comprehensive assessment of his/her existing learning strategies and skills, and an individualized and strategic plan to improve them. These plans are put into practice through structured learning experiences that are designed to enhance skills in reading, test taking, time management, note taking, and approaches study and learning. Students are also introduced to selected basic science and medical school courses in preparation for the ABLE Academic Year Post-Baccalaureate academic courses offered during the Fall and Spring semester.

The ABLE Academic Year Post -Baccalaureate Experience
The ABLE Academic Year Post-Baccalaureate Experience (Fall semester and Spring semester) builds on each student's background in the basic sciences and then strengthens that background through enrollment in selected upper-division (300-400 level) undergraduate science courses and medical school courses. ABLE students enroll for at least 12 credits each semester. Academic support and ABLE student activities combine to help promote academic success and refine successful learning strategies.

The Able Summer Prematriculation Program
The ABLE Summer Prematriculation Program is offered only to those ABLE students who, following successful completion of the ABLE Program requirements, have been admitted to the College of Human Medicine by the Committee on Admissions. This Summer program increases the readiness of ABLE students and eases their transition to the medical school preclinical curriculum (Years 1 and 2).

This is achieved by introducing ABLE students to the required skills and basic science concepts they will need as first-year medical students. Successful learning strategies and skills developed throughout the program are reinforced, as are independent learning skills (use of library, computers, and reference materials) and help- seeking skills (use of academic and personal support services). Prior to matriculation in the regular medical school class, ABLE students' academic performance and participation in the overall program are reviewed and, when required, a revised learning plan is developed.