How Accurate is MSAR for Coursework Requirements?

[0rpheus]

I'm wondering if the data in MSAR regarding coursework requirements is submitted directly from universities, or if it's the AAMC's best estimate based on info from the public websites of each school. Can I take the MSAR as gospel when it comes to AP / community college credits being accepted?

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[wysdoc]

I'm wondering if the data in MSAR regarding coursework requirements is submitted directly from universities, or if it's the AAMC's best estimate based on info from the public websites of each school. Can I take the MSAR as gospel when it comes to AP / community college credits being accepted?

MSAR Coursework prereqs information is provided by the individual schools.
You can double check on the school's admission website if in doubt.
Last of all, the MSAR updates each April before the new application year starts and you can take one more look at it then.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

We send/revise the information to the MSAR team. No guessing.

 

[surelycalm]

I'm wondering if the data in MSAR regarding coursework requirements is submitted directly from universities, or if it's the AAMC's best estimate based on info from the public websites of each school. Can I take the MSAR as gospel when it comes to AP / community college credits being accepted?

I didn't check many of them, but it was wrong for one of the schools I checked. If you are interested in the details for a specific school, I would highly recommend checking the school's website and not relying on MSAR.

 

[0rpheus]

I didn't check many of them, but it was wrong for one of the schools I checked. If you are interested in the details for a specific school, I would highly recommend checking the school's website and not relying on MSAR.

Yep, this is what I'm worried about. I'm considering applying to Cooper, and their site clearly states they require a semester of English... no mention of that on MSAR. Wonder if I can get my $25 back

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Yep, this is what I'm worried about. I'm considering applying to Cooper, and their site clearly states they require a semester of English... no mention of that on MSAR. Wonder if I can get my $25 back

That's why you connect with the school before applying. Sometimes they make mistakes.

 

[Med Ed]

As you may imagine, getting over 150 medical schools to submit 100% accurate data every 12 months is difficult. Errors exist in the process, and schools may tweak their requirements without much notice. The MSAR should therefore be considered quite reliable, but if there is a discrepancy with the school's website I would believe the website.

 

[0rpheus]

As you may imagine, getting over 150 medical schools to submit 100% accurate data every 12 months is difficult. Errors exist in the process, and schools may tweak their requirements without much notice. The MSAR should therefore be considered quite reliable, but if there is a discrepancy with the school's website I would believe the website.

Although we can both agree that MSAR contains inaccuracies, we may disagree about whether this is acceptable. For you and me, it would be difficult to annually update of dozens of data points from 150 different sources. For a company that spent $271 million last year, it should be very doable. Especially if they are charging money for this information, enough money to hire a team of employees specifically to maintain MSAR.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Although we can both agree that MSAR contains inaccuracies, we may disagree about whether this is acceptable. For you and me, it would be difficult to annually update of dozens of data points from 150 different sources. For a company that spent $271 million last year, it should be very doable. Especially if they are charging money for this information, enough money to hire a team of employees specifically to maintain MSAR.

Understand the AAMC is a collective, not a single business entity. The schools volunteer this information into the MSAR (I say this because I had questions why Canadian schools didn't provide as much information into the ADEA Dental School Explorer, and I think the Canadian schools for AAMC may be similarly less transparent). You can't get mad at "volunteers" like you get mad at direct reports.

 

[Med Ed]

Although we can both agree that MSAR contains inaccuracies, we may disagree about whether this is acceptable. For you and me, it would be difficult to annually update of dozens of data points from 150 different sources. For a company that spent $271 million last year, it should be very doable. Especially if they are charging money for this information, enough money to hire a team of employees specifically to maintain MSAR.

Getting every medical school in the country to do anything is like getting 150 cats to urinate simultaneously.