Bad Economy = More applicants???

[buffywannabe]

Many people have been making this statement and I don't really think it is true for medical school. For PhD or masters programs yes, because if you are already working in research all you have to do is take the GRE and send in applications (plus interviews are free). But for medical school you have to have volunteering and shadowing, in addition to the MCAT, basically it is a lot of work and you have to put in a ton of money to even have a chance of getting in.

I guess maybe there are more people applying, but don't you think the people who just up and decide they want to be doctors because of the bad economy are not going to even be able to compete unless they had been volunteering for fun for years?

Wondering what you all think but at this point I have no fears of this "phenomenon."

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[MaryLennox]

Many people have been making this statement and I don't really think it is true for medical school. For PhD or masters programs yes, because if you are already working in research all you have to do is take the GRE and send in applications (plus interviews are free). But for medical school you have to have volunteering and shadowing, in addition to the MCAT, basically it is a lot of work and you have to put in a ton of money to even have a chance of getting in.

I guess maybe there are more people applying, but don't you think the people who just up and decide they want to be doctors because of the bad economy are not going to even be able to compete unless they had been volunteering for fun for years?

Wondering what you all think but at this point I have no fears of this "phenomenon."

It might be true, but it doesn't bother me for all the reasons you stated above . . . the vast majority of people who would make a sudden decision to apply this year will probably have subpar applications. So if anything maybe it'll make us look better (those of us who started down this path when the economy was better.)

unfortunately i think it WILL suck for people who are applying 2-3 years from now.

 

[Exalya]

I've actually been wondering if there might be a few less, given the uncertain future of US health care. In the end, I think it's quite likely that circumstances will probably have little impact on applicants, particularly the ones who would have been competitive anyway.

 

[ensuii]

I think the grim economic forecast might have some bearing on the decisions entering college graduates make in reference to future career plans but in general, given that the swings in the economy general last for 2-3 years at a time and the planning/execution of getting a MD/DO is substantially longer (undergrad+med school+residency=7+ years), I don't believe that the current economic condition has more than a minor contribution towards the number of people applying or how competitive a particularly competivie cycle.

In order for the economic environment to play a roll in the population of applicants, the amount of current professionals (people who already have a career) has to flucuate accordingly. For the most part, I don't see the health industry being impacted by the recession so the amount of health professionals (RNs, PAs, etc) wanting to change paths is probably fairly low and constant per cycle. Simply, other professionals (lawyers, engineers, etc.) would probably need to go back to school or put in additional investment just to apply so their numbers are mostly low and constant per cycle as well.

 

[johncalvin]

Applications will be up. Fortunately (I guess), this will not mean an increase in the quality of applications.

Good economy = Drop in Med. School Applications:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-63994173.html

 

[buffywannabe]

I think the grim economic forecast might have some bearing on the decisions entering college graduates make in reference to future career plans but in general, given that the swings in the economy general last for 2-3 years at a time and the planning/execution of getting a MD/DO is substantially longer (undergrad+med school+residency=7+ years), I don't believe that the current economic condition has more than a minor contribution towards the number of people applying or how competitive a particularly competivie cycle.

In order for the economic environment to play a roll in the population of applicants, the amount of current professionals (people who already have a career) has to flucuate accordingly. For the most part, I don't see the health industry being impacted by the recession so the amount of health professionals (RNs, PAs, etc) wanting to change paths is probably fairly low and constant per cycle. Simply, other professionals (lawyers, engineers, etc.) would probably need to go back to school or put in additional investment just to apply so their numbers are mostly low and constant per cycle as well.

wow you are so much better at writing than I am... your points sound intelligent mine sound like a 5 year old talking

 

[ensuii]

ROFL sorry...I just finished writing a letter to my faculty advisor :-X

My writing is more big words and flourishy grammar than anything else tho ;-)

 

[ensuii]

http://aamc.org/data/facts/charts1982to2007.pdf

<3 Data

 

[mdeast]

I tend to believe that law and business schools are much more affected by the economy than medical school. Suppose you had a stable job and lost it. Would you

(1) Take the GMAT (reasoning/math test), get a few recs, apply (couple of rounds/year) and try and survive out the crisis in business school (2 years, with summers)
(2) Take the LSAT (reasoning test), get a few recs, apply, and try and survive out the crisis in law school (3 years, with summers)
(3) Go do an expensive post bac, take the MCAT (knowledge/reasoning test), volunteer in a hospital, spend a year applying to med school, spend 4 years in medical school, spend 4 years in residency

Why I won't doubt that there are people who change careers to medicine when they're given the opportunity to re-evaluate their current job (i.e. losing it), I'd imagine medicine is usually the least likely graduate school they'd pursue just because of the enormous time committment involved. It's a simple reality that business and law school can re-invigorate a career path much quicker than med school can, with comparably less effort. Thus, I wouldn't expect a huge upsurge of med school apps this year principally because of the economy.

 

[dw2158]

I tend to believe that law and business schools are much more affected by the economy than medical school. Suppose you had a stable job and lost it. Would you

(1) Take the GMAT (reasoning/math test), get a few recs, apply (couple of rounds/year) and try and survive out the crisis in business school (2 years, with summers)
(2) Take the LSAT (reasoning test), get a few recs, apply, and try and survive out the crisis in law school (3 years, with summers)
(3) Go do an expensive post bac, take the MCAT (knowledge/reasoning test), volunteer in a hospital, spend a year applying to med school, spend 4 years in medical school, spend 4 years in residency

Why I won't doubt that there are people who change careers to medicine when they're given the opportunity to re-evaluate their current job (i.e. losing it), I'd imagine medicine is usually the least likely graduate school they'd pursue just because of the enormous time committment involved. It's a simple reality that business and law school can re-invigorate a career path much quicker than med school can, with comparably less effort. Thus, I wouldn't expect a huge upsurge of med school apps this year principally because of the economy.

this. people can't just up and decide to apply to med school like they can to masters programs or even JD or MBA programs.

also, this topic has been discussed quite a bit on this board over the last few months. search is your friend.

 

[Uisa]

Many people have been making this statement and I don't really think it is true for medical school. For PhD or masters programs yes, because if you are already working in research all you have to do is take the GRE and send in applications (plus interviews are free). But for medical school you have to have volunteering and shadowing, in addition to the MCAT, basically it is a lot of work and you have to put in a ton of money to even have a chance of getting in.

I guess maybe there are more people applying, but don't you think the people who just up and decide they want to be doctors because of the bad economy are not going to even be able to compete unless they had been volunteering for fun for years?

Wondering what you all think but at this point I have no fears of this "phenomenon."

Well first off, I want to let you know that you give entirely too much credit to volunteering, in terms of getting into med schools. It's not a requirement..

But yes, I do agree with the statement that you made about the quality of the applicants. While I do see that the quantity of applicants may inflate due to the economy, I can't see those "extra applicants" as competitive as the applicants who were planning for med school years a head.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

a BU dean told me he sees upticks 2 years after economic downturns.

 

[SteinUmStein]

a BU dean told me he sees upticks 2 years after economic downturns.

That makes sense... besides, during an economic downturn, applicants may not have the funds to apply to as many schools or go to every interview.

I know that's a foreign concept for those applying to 30+ schools, but some applicants actually pay their own way.

 

[sunset823]

That makes sense... besides, during an economic downturn, applicants may not have the funds to apply to as many schools or go to every interview.

I know that's a foreign concept for those applying to 30+ schools, but some applicants actually pay their own way.

I paid my own way applying to 20+ schools...ok, I got a little help from fam, but it was 70% my money.

Anyway, to answer the question, there will be a little uptick in med school applicants, from people who already had done their pre-med courses but actually pursued something more lucrative (finance, technology, etc.) instead. But this is a pretty small pool.

Definitely there will be a surge in law and b-school applicants, but that in the end hurts the law or business students, because even when the economy picks up there's only a limited number of jobs for all these new graduates. It makes it even more important that someone going to law or b-school graduates from a top tier (top 20 minimum) school in order to even get a job, while for medicine you can go just about anywhere in the US, no matter the economy, and find a job. Some people with mediocre stats might look at that and prepare to apply in the future.

 

[MegaProjectile]

The question is, will the health-care industry see a boom in applicants? YES. Medical schools are just one aspect of the health-care industry. Most people changing careers due to the economic downturn are non-trads so age will play a role in their decision-making. Two friends of mine quit their jobs last year to pursue a career in the healthcare industry. One went to vet school in Europe and the other went to a chiropractic school. Reason? Short duration of study compared to med school + residency. And also these schools don't require the MCAT.

In other words, I don't think we will see a flood of applicants to US medical schools this year. Rather dental schools, PA schools, Vet schools, and PT schools will all see a sizable increase in applications due to duration of study and a good stable income.PT and PA will probably have the biggest increase. My hunch.

 

[Naijaba]

Posted by ensuii:
http://aamc.org/data/facts/charts1982to2007.pdf

Wow, those are SOME fluctuations. A lot of posters are saying "I don't think it will affect MD applicants for two or so years...", but just look at the recent trend. It's gone up by 9,000 in the past 6 years. I wonder how drastic a change will occur when the economy affects medical school applications?

 

[Narmerguy]

I don't really agree with people's assertion that this won't have a noticeable effect until 2-3 years later. First of all, this economic downturn isn't recent, it started over a year ago so even if it did take 2-3 years, we'll be feeling that about now.

But anyway, there are plenty of applicants who probably planned a career in medicine but may have decided to pursue some other passion/interest first. There are also people that decided to take a year or two off to make themselves better. Well, given the economic condition, it may no longer seem practical to take years off of generating salary and sitting around so they may decide to go to school now or to at least give it a chance before assuming they won't get in. Additionally, people may be less inclined to pursue secondary passions first before beginning school.

 

[alexfoleyc]

Many people have been making this statement and I don't really think it is true for medical school. For PhD or masters programs yes, because if you are already working in research all you have to do is take the GRE and send in applications (plus interviews are free). But for medical school you have to have volunteering and shadowing, in addition to the MCAT, basically it is a lot of work and you have to put in a ton of money to even have a chance of getting in.

I guess maybe there are more people applying, but don't you think the people who just up and decide they want to be doctors because of the bad economy are not going to even be able to compete unless they had been volunteering for fun for years?

Wondering what you all think but at this point I have no fears of this "phenomenon."

Well, my university had a medical school admissions officer speak to us and he said that there was a surge in the number of applicants these previous years. One of the reasons he said was that when the economy fails all of a sudden people start to chose medicine as a career due to the job security and financial awards. I remember I met a post-bacc student and she had a degree in business administration and she said that she couldnt find a reliable job so she decided to reconsider her options and chose the medical path.