About 50 pre-med advisors from colleges and universities in the WWAMI region, as well as Oregon, California and Utah, visited Seattle last week to learn more about how to help prepare students for medical school at the UW.

The program included discussions by faculty members on the qualities the UW seeks in students, how the Human Genome Project is influencing the future for medical students, and the growing need for entering students to grasp concepts in molecular biology and biochemistry. Also, a student panel representing the second- through fourth-year classes discussed the pros and cons of their college preparation, while a panel of three faculty administrators held a mock student interview to give a sense of what it is like for an applicant.

"These meetings are excellent opportunities for us to foster relationships with pre-med advisors and for them to get to know us better," said Werner Samson, assistant dean of admissions and clinical professor of medicine.

The UW has invited pre-med advisors to meetings on campus every other year for the past 20 years.