Acceptance Rates

[notgettingin]

So I was reading that the number of applicants to medical school were at an all-time low point in 1989, and then peaked in 1996, and then slowly declined to 2002.

From 2002, there has been an upward trend in applicants. As far as I can tell, last year acceptance rates were around 45%.

Anyone have any thoughts on acceptance rates for this cycle? Every place I have interviewed, the dean has said that applications are up across the board. Does this mean that for the 2007 cycle, acceptance rates are much lower than 45%? Any thoughts?

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[Dr. Dukes]

The AAMC's latest data (as of Nov 2006) were 483,148 applications from 39,108 applicants (average of 12 applications/applicant) for 17,370 spots in the Class of 2011.

This is the website: http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2006/2006school.htm

 

[old_boy]

The AAMC's latest data (as of Nov 2006) were 483,148 applications from 39,108 applicants (average of 12 applications/applicant) for 17,370 spots in the Class of 2011.

This is the website: http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2006/2006school.htm

So 44%. Wonder how/if a slowdown in the economy will affect apps.

 

[bbabul01]

So 44%. Wonder how/if a slowdown in the economy will affect apps.

Did you consider the economy when you applied to med school? I think most of us did it because medicine is what we love. Economy is a really tough thing to consider because we won't be done training for 10 years. You just have to apply and go and hope that they'll still need doctors then.

 

[modelslashactor]

Did you consider the economy when you applied to med school? I think most of us did it because medicine is what we love. Economy is a really tough thing to consider because we won't be done training for 10 years. You just have to apply and go and hope that they'll still need doctors then.

good thoughts, except that it is undeniable that the number of med apps goes up when the economy gets bad and goes down when it improves. since medicine is pretty protected / independent of the economy, people are more apt to go to med school when there are no jobs and less apt when, say, any idiot with a website can make millions in silicon valley.

 

[Kraazy]

Did you consider the economy when you applied to med school? I think most of us did it because medicine is what we love. Economy is a really tough thing to consider because we won't be done training for 10 years. You just have to apply and go and hope that they'll still need doctors then.

Sure, but generally ppl are more willing to delay higher education and enter the workforce for a while when the economy is strong, and vice versa. There is a balance between the risk of unemployment in a bad economy vs. the opportunity cost of delaying entry into the workforce in a good economy.

This tends to be more true of grad/law/business school because more of those ppl actually go into the business world, and less true of med school, but it's still a factor. I personally know a few ppl who decided to work in i-banking or consulting for 2 yrs and make a s**tload of $$ before med school.

Anyway, these %s are scary. Less than 50% of ppl get in at all? And there's no sign of this surge in applicants going away soon, esp. with more reapplicants...

 

[Dr. Dukes]

Anyway, these %s are scary. Less than 50% of ppl get in at all? And there's no sign of this surge in applicants going away soon, esp. with more reapplicants...

These numbers are actually pretty high. What they mean is if you're a competative applicant and apply broadly, you should get in. If you don't get in, figure out why you didn't (bad grades, bad MCAT, bad schools, bad letters), figure out how to fix that, and re-apply.

Also, these numbers don't include DO schools, so it isn't totally the full picture.

 

[viciouz]

Are the number of seats going to increase for the 2007/2008 application cycle...

Man I am getting scared... 45% get in out of 39k people.

But I am pretty sure that number doesn't like look at competitive applicants, because some people, who I feel bad for, apply just for the hell of it cuz their parents make them or something.

 

[prznpremed]

I thought I heard that some schools are increasing their class sizes, and that trend is likely to continue for the next few years.

 

[Karen12345]

I thought I heard that some schools are increasing their class sizes, and that trend is likely to continue for the next few years.

A faculty member at Uconn med school told me just the opposite (for CT at least). He said there is an overflow of physicians in the state so a school like Uconn has no reason to expand its class size since it gets much of its funding from the state (the state has no reason to pay). Although many cities in CT are considered "medically underserved," there are too many physicians practicing in the suburbs and overall there is an excess here.
Also, I once talked to a primary care physician whose practice went bankrupt (moderately wealthy, suburbian town). He told me there is a great deal of competition in CT. I know that one can't say much based on one specific situtation, but I think these are some interesting points to consider.
There is most certainly a shortage of nurses in CT.