Is it possible that Med School Admissions may get easier in the future?

[internist88]

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Hi,

I'm actually a rising junior in high school, and I think now I've decided that I want to be a doctor. The problem is, that I keep trying to convince myself to look at another field (ie Dentistry, pharmacy, etc) because Med School is so damn competitive, and since I'm only an above average student, its going to be hard for me to get in. I know that I have no chance of getting into an Ivy league school such as UPenn even, which has a 25% acceptance rate, and even the "easiest" med schools accept only 15% of applicants, which basically means I'm screwed 🙁

Sorry about my sob story lol, but back to the main point, someone at my school when I told them this said that I should be able to make medical school because they are anticipating a huge shortage of doctors, which will make med school admission a lot easier. Is there any truth to this statement, or what do you think?

 

[poly800rock]

Hi,

I'm actually a rising junior in high school, and I think now I've decided that I want to be a doctor. The problem is, that I keep trying to convince myself to look at another field (ie Dentistry, pharmacy, etc) because Med School is so damn competitive, and since I'm only an above average student, its going to be hard for me to get in. I know that I have no chance of getting into an Ivy league school such as UPenn even, which has a 25% acceptance rate, and even the "easiest" med schools accept only 15% of applicants, which basically means I'm screwed 🙁

Sorry about my sob story lol, but back to the main point, someone at my school when I told them this said that I should be able to make medical school because they are anticipating a huge shortage of doctors, which will make med school admission a lot easier. Is there any truth to this statement, or what do you think?

if you're a junior in high school there is only one thing you should worry about...where in the woods is the keg party at tonight

 

[abcxyz0123]

if you're a junior in high school there is only one thing you should worry about...where in the woods is the keg party at tonight

aahahahaha i totally forgot about those. thats funny as hell. and true at the same time.

 

[IckeyShuffle]

dude, you need to worry about other things. A lot will happen from now until you are in college. I would be more worried about getting into a good college before even considering medical school.

 

[DrBowtie]

6 years from now, the whole system could be completely different, doctors getting paid peanuts, and anyone could walk into a spot.

or it could stay the same...no one knows, but it is currently on the upswing of competitiveness.

 

[UMP]

Hi,

I'm actually a rising junior in high school, and I think now I've decided that I want to be a doctor. The problem is, that I keep trying to convince myself to look at another field (ie Dentistry, pharmacy, etc) because Med School is so damn competitive, and since I'm only an above average student, its going to be hard for me to get in. I know that I have no chance of getting into an Ivy league school such as UPenn even, which has a 25% acceptance rate, and even the "easiest" med schools accept only 15% of applicants, which basically means I'm screwed 🙁

Sorry about my sob story lol, but back to the main point, someone at my school when I told them this said that I should be able to make medical school because they are anticipating a huge shortage of doctors, which will make med school admission a lot easier. Is there any truth to this statement, or what do you think?

just to put your mind at ease... yes most schools have about a 10-20% admission rate. But that's why most people apply to 10-20 schools. When you spread your odds around like that you end up getting an acceptance even if you were just a fairly hard working above average student 👍

Now go find a keg party and get laid

 

[kdburton]

Hi,

I'm actually a rising junior in high school, and I think now I've decided that I want to be a doctor. The problem is, that I keep trying to convince myself to look at another field (ie Dentistry, pharmacy, etc) because Med School is so damn competitive, and since I'm only an above average student, its going to be hard for me to get in. I know that I have no chance of getting into an Ivy league school such as UPenn even, which has a 25% acceptance rate, and even the "easiest" med schools accept only 15% of applicants, which basically means I'm screwed 🙁

Sorry about my sob story lol, but back to the main point, someone at my school when I told them this said that I should be able to make medical school because they are anticipating a huge shortage of doctors, which will make med school admission a lot easier. Is there any truth to this statement, or what do you think?

Well you have plenty of time to build a solid app if you're still in high school. Theres not much you can do until you start college though since they wont look at anything you did in high school (unless of course its something that you've been doing your whole life like playing an instrument, etc, etc). By the way you wont get into an Ivy league school with that attitude, so I would start being optimistic 🙂 I read somewhere that med schools were going to start admitting more students because of the anticipated shortage of docs, although I don't know what kind of impact that will have - maybe many more people will become interested in medicine and it will offset the demand. On another note... when you're looking at the percentage of accepances you have to take into account that many people apply to 30+ schools. If everyone only applied to 1-2 schools those numbers would look much more promising.

 

[Arsenic]

moving to pre-allo

 

[baylormed]

I agree with my colleagues here (hehe, I said colleagues).

You should be worrying about taking the SAT, what outfit to wear on Monday, where the party is this weekend, and what you will want for Christmas this year.

Worry about med school once you are in college, okay? It will aid in keeping your sanity intact for a while longer.

 

[Wizard of Oz]

Short answer--no, prep courses are messing with MCAT averages.

On the other hand, new schools are opening.

 

[Projectx]

I see your an eager one. It is good to be eager at your age though, do well on the SATs and keep up a good gpa to get into a good college. I believe that in the future Med. schools will be harder to get into, alot of premeds are learning from mistakes made by other applicants and are avoiding them. Competition is good though, makes it all worth while knowing your job actually takes skill and not all can pursue it. Good Luck.

 

[TexasFool]

Hi,

I'm actually a rising junior in high school, and I think now I've decided that I want to be a doctor. The problem is, that I keep trying to convince myself to look at another field (ie Dentistry, pharmacy, etc) because Med School is so damn competitive, and since I'm only an above average student, its going to be hard for me to get in. I know that I have no chance of getting into an Ivy league school such as UPenn even, which has a 25% acceptance rate, and even the "easiest" med schools accept only 15% of applicants, which basically means I'm screwed 🙁

Sorry about my sob story lol, but back to the main point, someone at my school when I told them this said that I should be able to make medical school because they are anticipating a huge shortage of doctors, which will make med school admission a lot easier. Is there any truth to this statement, or what do you think?

You are in a good spot, it's a trend now that schools over the next 5 years are increasing seats by a large amount. A&M will double in class size in the next 5 or so years. There will be new schools opened up by the time you start including another school in texas.

 

[Gut Shot]

someone at my school when I told them this said that I should be able to make medical school because they are anticipating a huge shortage of doctors, which will make med school admission a lot easier. Is there any truth to this statement, or what do you think?

Shortages have been predicted off and on for many years, and while some areas are chronically underserved, a significant shortfall has never really materialized. That's not to say it couldn't happen, but there has been a lot of crying wolf over the past decades.

One piece of advice for someone in your shoes would be to take advanced chemistry/physics/biology in high school. If AP is available then take those, but don't take the AP exams for college credit. Just retake the courses again when you get to college and you'll probably ace them. Not a bad way to nail down three of the four prerequisites with solid A's, which will buffer your GPA.

Then you can major in whatever the Hell you want.

 

[TexasFool]

Shortages have been predicted off and on for many years, and while some areas are chronically underserved, a significant shortfall has never really materialized. That's not to say it couldn't happen, but there has been a lot of crying wolf over the past decades.

One piece of advice for someone in your shoes would be to take advanced chemistry/physics/biology in high school. If AP is available then take those, but don't take the AP exams for college credit. Just retake the courses again when you get to college and you'll probably ace them. Not a bad way to nail down three of the four prerequisites with solid A's, which will buffer your GPA.

Then you can major in whatever the Hell you want.

exactly. If I had to do it again, I would have taken the most difficult classes in High School and I would have worried less about my grades in High School and more about learning the material and getting ready for making a 3.8+ in college.

 

[MossPoh]

I remember you posting the same kind of question before a few months ago. Just babystep it man.....focus on doing the best you can at each level. Everyone in their mother starts out pre-med going to college..........it changes almost as fast as an engineering student to business.

 

[Law2Doc]

Sorry about my sob story lol, but back to the main point, someone at my school when I told them this said that I should be able to make medical school because they are anticipating a huge shortage of doctors, which will make med school admission a lot easier. Is there any truth to this statement, or what do you think?

There will be a pretty definite shortage of doctors due to the aging baby boomers, likely followed by a glut. There has actually been a shortage for quite a while if you consider the necessity of importing offshore educated doctors a shortage. According to the current baby boomer related plan the number of physicians will be slightly increased, but certainly not increased wholesale to the point that credentials for admission drop. Also there are a finite number of residency positions funded, and so without significant federal money thrown in that direction, no med school is going to increase their class size beyond the 10% or so over 10 years suggested by the profession. This would also involve significant investment in infrastructure by med schools which they aren't likely to spend quickly, so most of the increase in med students seems to be coming from the genesis of new schools.
My prediction is that actually, now that MCATs are offered more times annually, you will see more people retaking those tests and the average MCAT scores of applicants and matriculants inching up a bit higher. So expect credentials to be as demanding or more demanding for years to come. But as others have suggested, no point even thinking about this kind of stuff in high school, because chances are you won't even be premed by the time you are finishing college.

 

[OldBlue]

Order a copy of the MSAR (medical school admisions requirements) from aamc...

http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/msar.htm

The book contains a list of schools that have 6-8 year programs where you get both your undergrad degree and your MD. I think these programs are excellent for people who genuinely know they want to be doctors at your age. There are lots of schools with these programs in all areas of the US. I haven't' looked too closely at the info in the MSAR but i think the schools have SAT requirements, so make sure to study hard for that. good luck!