George Washington University Athletics
GW Softball's Mangini Sets Career in Motion Early
6/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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June 18, 2015
WASHINGTON - George Washington softball rising junior Marissa Mangini has been accepted to to GW's School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) as part of the Early Selection Program.
The Early Selection Program is for students who know by their sophomore year that they wish to pursue a career in medicine. Through this program, Mangini will take the first step in becoming a physician by foregoing the MCAT and application process and seamlessly entering medical school at George Washington following the completion of four years of undergraduate study. Applications for the Early Selection Program are open only to second-semester sophomores.
"I've always wanted to be a physician," the outfielder said. "When I heard about this program last year, I knew I wanted to apply."
With an application deadline in March, Mangini submitted test scores and class completions and wrote and perfected two essays in the midst of softball season. She then advanced to the second stage of the application: an interview.
"I was nervous," said Mangini. "My interview was on a Monday, the day after getting back from our road trip to Dayton, but when I left the interview I felt much better. My interviewer, Dr. Linda Werling, was so welcoming and easy to talk to - she even recommended a book for me to read. I'll be meeting with her to discuss that book."
As a medical school student, the Wellington, Florida, native will have the opportunity to do clinical rotations abroad and hopes to complete a bioethics internship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Mangini is currently spending her summer shadowing cardiologist Dr. Roberto Von Sohsten, whom Mangini met while in high school, and has already observed an open-heart surgery and acquired a broad knowledge of how to treat patients.
"I am so excited to be part of the GW Early Selection Program," said Mangini after learning of her acceptance earlier this month. "GW SMHS offers so many unique opportunities that I cannot wait to experience - I wouldn't want to attend medical school anywhere else."
