Who is
eligible for admission to the Medical Careers Magnet (MCM)?
Applications are accepted
from any incoming 9th grader in Orange County. A limited
number of students are accepted into the program as 10th
graders.
How are
students accepted to MCM?
Students must submit an
application to the OCPS Office of School Choice by Feb.
15.
The application and
complete instructions are available at this website:
https://www.ocps.net/cs/services/options/schoolchoice/MagnetPrograms/Pages/default.aspx
The transcript will be
evaluated for evidence of good grades, good attendance,
and excellent conduct. While good grades are necessary
in order to be accepted to the MCM, there is not a
specific GPA requirement
How
many students are accepted into the MCM?
Apopka High
School’s Medical Careers Magnet is able to accommodate
up to 150 incoming 9th grade students each year.
When
will I know if I have been accepted?
Acceptance letters will be
mailed to students by OCPS in April.
How
will students accepted to the magnet go about
registering for ninth grade?
Those students zoned for
Apopka will register at their middle schools when AHS
ninth grade counselors visit the middle schools in the
spring. Students living outside of the Apopka district
will be asked to register at AHS one evening in the
spring.
Is
transportation to Apopka High School provided for
students living outside of the Apopka HS district?
No, transportation is
provided only for students who attend a magnet
program at their zoned high school.
What
career preparation do MCM students receive?
The MCM curriculum
prepares students for further study into any health
career. Students in our program plan to become
physicians, nurses, veterinarians, physical therapists,
occupational therapists, respiratory therapists,
pharmacists, dentists, psychiatrists, psychologists,
sports trainers, EMT/paramedics, and many other
professions in health and medicine. Students will
participate in clinical internships where they will
choose three health career areas they wish to learn more
about in their senior year. The students will then spend
approximately 30 - 40 hours in each of these clinical
areas, for a total of 90 - 120 hours, working with
health care professionals. Currently, clinical
internships are available in nursing, medicine,
veterinary medicine, physical and occupational therapy,
respiratory therapy, dentistry, emergency medicine,
radiology and pharmacy. We depend on our local
hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, doctors' offices, and
fire departments to provide clinical opportunities. For
this reason, clinical internship site availability is
subject to change.
How do
students get to clinical sites?
Transportation between the
school and the clinical site is the responsibility of
the student.
Does
AHS have a rigorous academic program for college bound,
especially pre-med, students?
YES! Students can begin
taking AP (Advanced Placement) classes as early as 9th
grade. AP classes are offered in biology, environmental
science, chemistry, physics, calculus, statistics,
English language, English literature, French, Spanish,
social studies, music, and art. Also dual enrollment
classes are offered to students. Our math and science
program is so comprehensive that we also have a magnet
program at AHS for students interested in engineering,
science and technology.
Are
Students able to gain admission to leading colleges and
universities after completing this program?
Graduates of our program
are now successful students at leading colleges and
universities, including Emory, Brigham Young, Georgia
Tech, Rutgers, Queens College, Canada, University of
Miami, Rollins College, Stetson, University of Rochester
Medical School, and all of the universities in the
Florida University system (including University of
Florida, Florida State University, University of Central
Florida, University of South Florida, University of
North Florida).
Are
students able to take electives and participate in
extra-curricular activities?
Yes and participation in
extra-curricular clubs and sports is encouraged. Many
students take electives such as band, chorus, and drama
all four years. MCM students are often not only
participants, but leaders in school organizations.
Apopka High School drum majors, class officers, choral
performers, and club officers are often MCM students.
Students new to Apopka
High School's magnet, who live outside the Apopka High
School zone, must apply for athletic eligibility prior
to any sports season in which they wish to participate.
Once school begins, interested students going out for
any sport or cheerleading would let their coach know
that they reside outside the Apopka High School zone and
additional paperwork would be completed.