AOA question

[AsherAysh]

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Quick question. I'm starting med school in the fall and don't know much about AOA. How important is AOA exactly, who gets in, and what is the process?

 

[jlee9531]

i think it varies by school...but not all schools have AOA, but if your school does...basically you get like top 10% in your class and you get offered this distinction and you can show this off in your residency apps.

i think thats basically it.

 

[beanbean]

There was a thread recently (possibly in the allopathic forum) about AOA and which schools do not have it and how it works.

We do not have AOA at UCONN.

 

[TRUE]

As was said, AOA is offered at certain schools (though I was under the impression it was the majority of schools). The qualifications vary by school, but generally 10% of any given class is given AOA distinction. It is not simply handed out to the top 10% grades-wise. At some schools, you have to be in the top 25% grades-wise and then they start looking at your rotations, your EC's, etc... before deciding on the 10% that will be given AOA. In other words, you could be #1 in the class grades-wise, but theoretically, you might not get AOA (though that's unlikely).

I thought getting AOA was pretty important for getting into top residencies, but maybe not since some schools don't have it. Then again, it could just mean you were near the top of your class anyway which generally is necessary to get into a top residency.