>11000 Applications already in for 2013 cycle

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stoutt

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per amcas twitter, sound's like the word is out on getting in apps EARLY

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per amcas twitter, sound's like the word is out on getting in apps EARLY

Good lord.. Thats 1/4 of the total applicants for the year!
 
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remember, apps submitted around now will take about 3 weeks probably to get verified. Then secondaries would be sent, then you have to do the secondaries, then send them back then get "complete" status. There are many steps to getting in early and ahead of the curve, submitting now is necessary but not sufficient so don't feel like "oh everyone is submitting early anyway it isn't as big of an advantage"
 
Can I submit my primary without letters of recs or will I have to re-verify when i have all my LOR's ready?
 
Can I submit my primary without letters of recs or will I have to re-verify when i have all my LOR's ready?

Letters of rec play no role until you submit secondaries. So yes, submit the primary without worrying about LOR's
 
Can I submit my primary without letters of recs or will I have to re-verify when i have all my LOR's ready?

As longs you have spaces for them in the application, you can submit now.
 
Holy MCAT, Doctor! That's huge. I wonder what the #'s were like last year on June 26th...
 
Great. So much for applying early.
 
Yea, that is pretty impressive...

Right out of the gates on opening day, schools will be bogged down with thousands of apps to shift through since secondaries are going to be rolling in with tsunami-like speed.

The even more pesky part is that the type of applicant that uses SDN is the type of person to submit super early...which is the type of applicant that is most likely going to have a pretty competitive application put together.

They say that the cream rises to the top...well, with this, the cream submits early.

Thanks a lot, SDN, for making the application process that much more of a pain. :p
 
This probably also accounts for their super slow movement this year.
 
Medical school is getting more competitive by the year...
Good luck ya'll.
Time to add more safeties!
 
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3,000 of the 11,000 apps came in between the 18th and 22nd. It was already taking upwards of 2 weeks to verify. Expect it to slow drastically. Also, I read somewhere that about half of the applicant pool submits in June/July, so it might not be going that much faster this year than normal.
 
I'm guessing a greater than average proportion of these early applicants are also very strong applicants who are applying to highly ranked schools -- just going by the type of personality I envision submitting this early.
 
As a reference, I submitted on June 30 last year and it took about 4 weeks to get verified.
 
anyone have any numbers from last year to compare this to? 11,000 sounds like a lot, but for all I know, it could be normal.
 
Overall, there will be more applicants than last year.
 
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I bet 75% of them are gunning for Harvard/Hopkins/Upenn/UCSF with 3.999/39 mcat/1st author publications.
 
Medical school is getting more competitive by the year...
Good luck ya'll.
Time to add more safeties!

These things are in cyclical fluxes. 1996 was a very competitive year, and then it got easier up until 2010 when the economy went bad.

Applications to graduate schools go up during bad economic times, but decline once the economy starts to improve.
 
Bad economy and/or election year.
 
These things are in cyclical fluxes. 1996 was a very competitive year, and then it got easier up until 2010 when the economy went bad.

Applications to graduate schools go up during bad economic times, but decline once the economy starts to improve.

cause up until 2010 the economy was really good
 
What's your point?

The recession started in 2008.


Also, the economy itself actually started seeing recovery around 2010-2011. It's just that there has been very little job creation associated with this recovery.
 
The recession started in 2008.


Also, the economy itself actually started seeing recovery around 2010-2011. It's just that there has been very little job creation associated with this recovery.

Yea i think med school competitiveness has been on the rise for more than just 2 years now
 
The recession started in 2008.


Also, the economy itself actually started seeing recovery around 2010-2011. It's just that there has been very little job creation associated with this recovery.

Duh!

There's usually a lag phase between the time of an economic downturn and the reaction to it in terms of application to graduate school. The response time is surprisingly slow. The numbers will fall again. When? I do not know. 1996 was the most competitive year.

https://www.aamc.org/download/153708/data/charts1982to2012.pdf
 
I don't really buy into the idea that a recession makes things more competitive. It may inflate the numbers, but the kind of person who's primary reason for applying to med school is "well I couldn't find a job out of college like I thought I could so I guess I'll just go to med school as a way to pass the time lol" doesn't really seem like the kind of person who is going to be very competitive at any school.

Also, isn't the average number of apps per year something like 40,000? 11,000 only seems like a lot when you take it out of context.
 
I don't really buy into the idea that a recession makes things more competitive. It may inflate the numbers, but the kind of person who's primary reason for applying to med school is "well I couldn't find a job out of college like I thought I could so I guess I'll just go to med school as a way to pass the time lol" doesn't really seem like the kind of person who is going to be very competitive at any school.

Also, isn't the average number of apps per year something like 40,000? 11,000 only seems like a lot when you take it out of context.

Well the numbers are getting more competitive as well (average mcat and gpa increasing) while at least in the case of MCAT, the distribution of higher scores isn't higher. This would suggest that, for whatever reason, med school is indeed getting more competitive.
 
Getting into medical school is so competitive such that Julie Axelrod Ph.D. who won a Nobel prize in medicine and physiology, was rejected from all the medical schools to which he applied. Ironically, many physicians (for example Sol Snynder, a famous neuroscientist at Hopkins for whom Hopkins Medicine's Department of Neuroscience is named after) have trained under him; and Dr. Axelrod's discoveries are now in medical school textbooks all over the world.

The "moral lesson" is that if you are "good enough" to be rejected from medical school, then you should consider being a great scientist. As you can see, getting in is really competitive ;)
 
Hey guys- from AMCAS re: last year's numbers

Number of First-Time Medical School Applicants Reaches New High

Medicine Continues to Attract Diverse, Robust Pool of Applicants



Washington, D.C., October 24, 2011— First-time applicants to medical school reached an all-time high in 2011, increasing by 2.6 percent over last year to 32,654 students, according to new data released today by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges). Total applicants rose by 2.8 percent to 43,919, with gains across most major racial and ethnic groups for a second year in a row.
“We are very pleased that medicine continues to be an attractive career choice at a time when our health care system faces many challenges, including a growing need for doctors coupled with a serious physician shortage in the near future,” said Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., AAMC president and CEO.
“At the same time the number of applicants is on the rise, we also are encouraged that the pool of medical school applicants and enrollees continues to be more diverse. This diversity will be important as these new doctors go out into communities across the country to meet the health care needs of all Americans,” Kirch added.
The total number of applicants and enrollees from most major racial and ethnic groups increased in 2011. After a slight decrease (0.2 percent) in 2010, Black/African American applicants increased by 4.8 percent while enrollees increased 1.9 percent. Hispanic/Latino applicants increased by 5.8 percent and enrollees increased 6.1 percent.
Even with greater numbers of applicants, medical schools continue to attract well-qualified individuals. The overall academic credentials of applicants remained strong, with an average GPA of 3.5 and an MCAT® exam score of 29. In addition, the majority of applicants reported slightly increased rates of premedical experiences in community service and medical research, with 82.5 percent reporting community service experience in medical and clinical settings, 68.4 percent in nonclinical community service, and 73 percent reporting experience in research.
Total enrollment increased by 3 percent over last year, with 19,230 students in the 2011 entering class. Medical schools have steadily been increasing their class sizes since the AAMC called for a 30 percent increase in enrollment in 2006 to help alleviate anticipated physician workforce shortages. The majority of this year’s growth came from existing schools while a smaller portion came from first-year enrollees at medical education programs newly established over the last decade. In total, there has been a 16.6 percent enrollment increase over 2002, the base year used in calculating the 30 percent goal. Current projections indicate that medical schools are on target to reach the 30 percent enrollment increase by 2017.
“U.S. medical schools have been responding to the nation’s health challenges by finding ways not only to select the right individuals for medicine, but also to educate and train more doctors for the future. However, to increase the nation’s supply of physicians, the number of residency training positions at teaching hospitals must also increase to accommodate the growth in the number of students in U.S. medical schools. We are very concerned that proposals to decrease federal support of graduate medical education will exacerbate the physician shortage, which is expected to reach 90,000 by 2020,” said Kirch.
 
Even though the number of applicants is going up -- the number of new med school seats is SKYROCKETING. There have been over 50 new/planned med schools over the last 5-6 years. Even the existing med schools are all adding extra seats.

When you add up all those extra slots, med school is getting EASIER to get into, not harder. I suspect you will see the acceptance increase over the 50% threshold.
 
Even though the number of applicants is going up -- the number of new med school seats is SKYROCKETING. There have been over 50 new/planned med schools over the last 5-6 years. Even the existing med schools are all adding extra seats.

When you add up all those extra slots, med school is getting EASIER to get into, not harder. I suspect you will see the acceptance increase over the 50% threshold.

Over 50?? Uh, try 18, and that's including the six schools that don't even have preliminary accreditation. http://www.lcme.org/newschoolprocess.htm
 
Over 50?? Uh, try 18, and that's including the six schools that don't even have preliminary accreditation. http://www.lcme.org/newschoolprocess.htm

That doesnt count DO programs and it also doesnt count the numerous press releases regarding new schools that have not yet submitted the $25,000 fee for initial processing to the LCME.

Here's a more comprehensive list, 3-5 of these programs have withdrawn their attempt, but its still a better sample of whats actually happening because it includes ALL programs, not just MD:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=825147

1. MD - University of Hawaii-Kakaako - 2006

2. DO - Touro/Las Vegas - 2005

3. DO - PCOM/Atlanta - 2005

4. MD - University of Miami/FAU joint program - 2004

5. MD - Cleveland Clinic/Lerner - 2004

6. DO - LECOM/Bradenton - 2004

7. MD - Florida State University - 2002

8. DO - VCOM - 2002

9. DO - Rocky Vista University COM - 2008

10. MD - Florida International Univ - 2008

11. MD - Univ Central Florida - 2008

12. DO - Wisconsin College of Osteopathic Medicine, Wasau WI (http://wisccom.org/, http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/art...-school-Wausau)

13. DO - Touro (Harlem NY) - 2008

14. DO - Pacific Northwest (Yakima WA) - 2007

15. MD - Michigan State University (Grand Rapids MI) - 2008

16. MD - University of Arizona (Phoenix AZ) - 2007

17. DO - AT Still University (Mesa AZ) - 2007

18. DO - Lincoln Memorial/Debusk (Harrogate TN) - 2007

19. DO - William Carey Univ (Hattiesburg, MS, http://www.wmcarey.edu/asp/viewpr.asp?item=430) - 2009

20. MD - Commonwealth/Scranton (Scranton, PA, http://physiciansnews.com/spotlight/1006.html)

21. MD - MCG-UGA/Athens (http://www.uga.edu/news/artman/publi...Building.shtml)

22. MD - University of Cal Merced (Merced CA)

23. MD - University of Cal Riverside (Riverside CA)

24. MD - Texas Tech - El Paso (El Paso TX)

26. DO - MSUCOM (Detroit MI)

27. DO - Barry University (Miami FL)

28. DO - Center for Allied Health Nursing (FL), http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-ao...d-campuses.pdf

29. MD - Virginia Tech/Carilion (private, Roanoke VA)
http://www.carilion.com/ContentStore... Release.pdf

30. MD - Central Michigan University (http://www.mlive.com/news/sanews/ind...660.xml&coll=9)

31. MD - Oakland University (Michigan) http://www4.oakland.edu/view_news.aspx?sid=34&id=3803

32. MD/DO - St Thomas (St Paul MN) http://www.stthomas.edu/bulletin/new...ool5_11_07.cfm

33. MD - Temple/West Penn Allegheny, Pittsburgh PA (http://www.wpahs.org/medical-school)

34. MD - Hofstra Univ (http://www.hofstra.edu/home/News/Pre...medschool.html)

35. MD - Mercer/Savannah (http://www2.mercer.edu/News/Articles...hMedSchool.htm)

36. DO - WesternU COM/Lebanon OR (http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles...1_hospital.txt)

37. MD - Univ Washington/Spokane (http://depts.washington.edu/mediarel/spokane1.html)

38. DO - LECOM, Greenburg PA, Seton Hill Univ (http://www.osteopathic.org/index.cfm?PageID=acc_predoc)

39. DO - MSUCOM, Clinton Township MI, Macomb College (http://www.osteopathic.org/index.cfm?PageID=acc_predoc)

40. DO - Indiana Wesleyan University (http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-ao...d-campuses.pdf)

41. DO - Campbell University (NC) (http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-ao...d-campuses.pdf)

42. DO - Homer G Phillips (St Louis) (http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-ao...d-campuses.pdf)

43. DO - Marian University (Indiana) (http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-ao...d-campuses.pdf)

44. DO - Missouri Southern State Univ (Joplin MO) (http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-ao...d-campuses.pdf)

45. DO - Southwestern Penn (Beaver PA) (http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-ao...d-campuses.pdf)

46. DO - Univ Southern Nevada (http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-ao...d-campuses.pdf)

47. DO - Univ St Augustine (St Augustine FL) (http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-ao...d-campuses.pdf)

48. MD - Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla CA) (http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/new...n25school.html)

49. MD - California NorthState Univ COM (Elk Grove CA) (http://www.egcitizen.com/articles/20...4445565512.txt)

50. MD - Quinnipiac University (North Haven CT) (http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x4877.xml)

51. MD - Florida Atlantic Univ (Boca Raton FL) (http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/201...final-approval)

52. MD - Palm Beach Medical College (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...s#cite_note-48)

53. MD - Western Michigan Univ (Kalamazoo MI) (http://www.wmich.edu/wmu/news/2011/03/066.shtml)

54. MD - Cooper/Rowan (Camden NJ) (http://www.cooperhealth.org/content/...university.htm)

55. MD - Bataan/Univ New Mexico (Las Cruces NM) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki /List_of_medical _schools_in_the_United_States #cite_note-53)

56. MD - Univ of Oklahoma/Tulsa Univ (Tulsa OK) (http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/artic...1_Univer322000)

57. DO - VCOM Carolinas Campus (Spartanburg SC) (http://www.vcom.vt.edu/news/groundbreaking.html)

58. MD - Univ of Houston (Houston TX) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...s#cite_note-58)

59. DO - Marian University (http://www.marian.edu/medicalschool/Pages/FAQ.aspx)

60. DO - Southeast Alabama Medical Center (http://www2.dothaneagle.com/news/201...ool-ar-348324/)

61. MD - King School of Medicine, Abingdon VA (http://www.lcme.org/newschoolprocess.htm)

62. MD - Mayo/Arizona State, Scottsdale AZ (http://www.azcentral.com/business/ar...cottsdale.html)

63. DO - Monmouth College, NJ (http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-ao...d-campuses.pdf)

64. DO - Southern California COM, Los Angeles (http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-ao...d-campuses.pdf)

65. DO - Southern Univ of Utah COM, Cedar City UT (http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-ao...d-campuses.pdf)

66. DO - Liberty University, Roanoke VA (http://www.roanoke.com/business/wb/298456)
 
That's not unusual, probably over 70-80% of Apps are in by September.
 
Glad I'm almost done. Tomorrow I am waking up, reading over & double-checking everything in my app, hitting the submit button, and then having mimosas & waffles.

Still waiting for one transcript to clear, though.
 
For those saying that Med School is getting less competitive, look at the statistics.

GPA and MCAT have skyrocketed much more than seats. GPA inflation may account for some, but MCAT is steady. Medical schools focus much more on the MCAT than they have in the past. Note: The average MCAT for a matriculate is about 32 now.
 

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For those saying that Med School is getting less competitive, look at the statistics.

GPA and MCAT have skyrocketed much more than seats. GPA inflation may account for some, but MCAT is steady. Medical schools focus much more on the MCAT than they have in the past. Note: The average MCAT for a matriculate is about 32 now.

According to that link it's a 31.
 
Even though the number of applicants is going up -- the number of new med school seats is SKYROCKETING. There have been over 50 new/planned med schools over the last 5-6 years. Even the existing med schools are all adding extra seats.

That doesnt count DO programs and it also doesnt count the numerous press releases regarding new schools that have not yet submitted the $25,000 fee for initial processing to the LCME.

Here's a more comprehensive list, 3-5 of these programs have withdrawn their attempt, but its still a better sample of whats actually happening because it includes ALL programs, not just MD:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=825147

Your list includes some schools that are nowhere near actually starting up the school (Wisconsin College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of Houston, Center for Allied Health Nursing, Barry University)

It includes schools founded over 5-6 years ago (VCOM) and expansions of long-standing medical schools ("existing med schools adding extra seats"). (MSUx3, Temple, Univ of Washington, U of AZ).

I don't have the time to look into all of them, but I'm sure there are many more on that list that haven't really been anything beyond "under discussion" for several years.

The responses in your previous thread take care of the AMG MED SCHOOLS=LAW SCHOOLZ!!! argument.



For those saying that Med School is getting less competitive, look at the statistics.

This.
 
According to that link it's a 31.

The link only goes to 2010.

2012 statistics indicate the trend is continuing to go higher and higher every year. Unfortunately I don't have time to find/link it.

You can see this if you peek at the 2012-13 MSAR, schools across the board have increased their median MCAT scores. Top tiers have gone from medians of about 35 to between 36 and 38. Even 'low-tier' schools often known as 'safeties' are almost all in the 30s now.
 
The link only goes to 2010.

2012 statistics indicate the trend is continuing to go higher and higher every year. Unfortunately I don't have time to find/link it.

You can see this if you peek at the 2012-13 MSAR, schools across the board have increased their median MCAT scores. Top tiers have gone from medians of about 35 to between 36 and 38. Even 'low-tier' schools often known as 'safeties' are almost all in the 30s now.
Average matriculant MCAT was still 31.1 in 2011. https://www.aamc.org/download/161692/data/table18.pdf

It's increasing slowly, sure, but I doubt it'll hit anything above 32 before the 2015 MCAT comes in.
 
Great. So much for applying early.

Still way better than applying late. Think about how many spots will be filled after they get done with interviews from this first batch.
 
Your list includes some schools that are nowhere near actually starting up the school (Wisconsin College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of Houston, Center for Allied Health Nursing, Barry University)

It includes schools founded over 5-6 years ago (VCOM) and expansions of long-standing medical schools ("existing med schools adding extra seats"). (MSUx3, Temple, Univ of Washington, U of AZ).

I don't have the time to look into all of them, but I'm sure there are many more on that list that haven't really been anything beyond "under discussion" for several years.

COCA lists three schools in pre-accreditation:

Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine - Dothan, AL
Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine - Buies Creek, NC
Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine - Indianapolis, IN

And seven as proposed:

Homer G. Phillips COM
Indiana Wesleyan University
Liberty University COM
Missouri Southern State University
Monmouth COM
Southern California COM
Wisconsin COM

Additionally, there are four more "entities" of dubious nature:

Center for Allied Health Nursing Education
Southern University of Utah
Southwestern Pennsylvania
University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
 
I'm not arguing that there hasn't been a small surge in new medical schools, particularly DO schools. But I was trying to point out that that list was somewhat misleading, because many of the schools on it are in the very early stages of discussion, with very few mentions of the proposals online, or have encountered significant hurdles that may halt their ability to nice forward for quite some time. I live in Wisconsin and I know the COM has been "proposed" for a long time without ever moving forward due to a variety of serious issues.
 
I'm not arguing that there hasn't been a small surge in new medical schools, particularly DO schools. But I was trying to point out that that list was somewhat misleading, because many of the schools on it are in the very early stages of discussion, with very few mentions of the proposals online, or have encountered significant hurdles that may halt their ability to nice forward for quite some time. I live in Wisconsin and I know the COM has been "proposed" for a long time without ever moving forward due to a variety of serious issues.

I am merely attempting to compile a more accurate list. Only three osteopathic schools appear ready for launch.

In the allopathic world, three are on deck:

University of California, Riverside School of Medicine
Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
Western Michigan University School of Medicine

Three more are in the hole:

California Northstate University College of Medicine
Palm Beach Medical College
King School of Medicine and Health Science Center

An additional seven have received preliminary accreditation.
 
I don't really buy into the idea that a recession makes things more competitive. It may inflate the numbers, but the kind of person who's primary reason for applying to med school is "well I couldn't find a job out of college like I thought I could so I guess I'll just go to med school as a way to pass the time lol" doesn't really seem like the kind of person who is going to be very competitive at any school.

Also, isn't the average number of apps per year something like 40,000? 11,000 only seems like a lot when you take it out of context.

I have friends with 3.8+ GPAs from my undergrad who chose family life over med school were laid off and are now thinking of applying several years later.

My friend used to make over 100,000+ at her sales type position and has been out of work for almost a year. After she heard I didn't completely screw up on the MCAT, even after all these years she picked up a book and got a 27 on her diagnostic herself yesterday.

Watch out people applying next year. Unless she finds a comparable job, she will be your competition. I'm sure she'll rock the MCAT, considering her diagnostic score after being out of school for so long.(she used to sell to life scientists so I'm sure her bio score will be phenomenal as will her verbal considering her the sheer volume of journal articles and legal type paperwork she had to read).

Seriously though, due to the economy a lot of people my age are looking for other career options. A lot of my friends had written off medical school as impossible being this far out of school but since I have started getting ready to apply this year, a lot more have out and asked me about the process.
 
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I am merely attempting to compile a more accurate list. Only three osteopathic schools appear ready for launch.

In the allopathic world, three are on deck:

University of California, Riverside School of Medicine
Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
Western Michigan University School of Medicine

Three more are in the hole:

California Northstate University College of Medicine
Palm Beach Medical College
King School of Medicine and Health Science Center

An additional seven have received preliminary accreditation.

I'm confused on UCR Medical , is it still going to be open ? On wiki it says its projected first class willl be fall 2013 (apply now =]) however it says they were denied accreditation and decided not to appeal
 
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