Cary retires as pre-med adviser after eight years at post

An average of 140 students apply to medical school from the University each year. About 90 percent of them get in, almost twice the national average, according to the University's Health Professions Advising (HPA) office.

But next year's premeds will have to do without the current director of HPA, Jane Cary, who has spent the past eight years guiding University students through the intensive application process.

Cary originally came to Princeton from Amherst College when her husband Michael was appointed headmaster of the nearby Lawrenceville School. Michael Cary left his position at Lawrenceville last June and has been the Executive Director of the Yellowstone Park Foundation in Montana for the past year.

Cary said she is leaving the University to join her husband in Montana, and will probably join the staff of Montana State University, which is considering her for a similar job.

"Freshmen, sophomores and even students coming into Princeton need to get off on the right track when they want to be premedical," Cary said. "When they're juniors and seniors if they're still premed and still want to apply, we'll help them with that process, which is very complicated."

Freshman Leslie Hsu appreciates the advice she received from Cary.

"I think the first step [to being premed] is that you've got to see [Cary] and talk to her. She's a good resource. She gives you straight-up advice on what you need to do now and what you need to do for med schools down the line — from what classes to take to what I should do with my summers," Hsu said.

Jamie Chang '05, premed society president, said Cary's departure is a big loss for the University. "Ms. Cary has been such a valuable asset to all of us premeds — she knows the whole process inside out," he said. "She's seen students go through all four years."

Daniel Notterman worked with Cary for five and a half years at HPA before he left for Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, where he is now chair of pediatrics. He expressed his regret at Cary's departure. "She is a very knowledgeable and caring advisor . . . it is a shame that she decided to move on," he said.

However, he said he is optimistic that Dean of the College Nancy Weiss Malkiel will find a suitable replacement to continue working with Dr. Robert Trelstad, Cary's partner at HPA.

Though Trelstad will remain as an advisor to premeds, he works at the University only part-time. Chang said Trelstad offers the longterm perspective of a physician whereas Cary was more experienced in the practicalities of the application procedure.

Chang added that Cary's style of advising is distinct. "She's very frank. Her style is almost blunt, which takes some getting used to. But we need that frankness. We don't need things buttered up when making decisions [on medical schools]," he said.

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Courtney Summers '04, who plans to attend medical school at Boston University next year, agreed. "She's been a great advisor to me. [You should] feel confident when she says nice stuff about you because she doesn't sugarcoat things," she said.

Cary said the applications for her replacement were due last Friday.

In an email, Malkiel wrote, "I'm just beginning to review applications. I am confident that we will have a new health professions adviser appointed in plenty of time for the next academic year."