just curious? are applications to medical school up or down?

[redstorm]

just curious? are applications to medical school up or down? this year If they are up I cant imagine why.

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[dr.z]

It was up for 2005 entering class. I assume it will be up for 2006 class as well.

 

[Newsradiofan]

Supposedly Apps are up at least 11% from last year and last year was higher than in previous years as well. Info according to dean of an AdCom

 

[nockamura]

I doubt they're up 11% total (maybe at that particular med school), but I would guess that they have climbed by a couple thousand applicants over last year.

 

[MedicineBird]

if you look at the AAMC stats it shows that the apps increased by only about 950 from 2003 to 2004. I'm guessing the newest numbers will be out at the end of the year.

 

[dianamd]

if you look at the AAMC stats it shows that the apps increased by only about 950 from 2003 to 2004. I'm guessing the newest numbers will be out at the end of the year.

But how about the number of APPLICANTS?

if the same # of people are applying to more schools, then in the end, the chance of getting in will be the same as last year. But if a lot more people (eg 11%) chose to become premed, then that's a problem for many people...

 

[Ross434]

More applications, Same number and or decreasing number of applicants.

 

[MedicineBird]

But how about the number of APPLICANTS?

if the same # of people are applying to more schools, then in the end, the chance of getting in will be the same as last year. But if a lot more people (eg 11%) chose to become premed, then that's a problem for many people...

apps = APPLICANTS

 

[tigress]

I thought the party line was that applications had been steadily decreasing since the (early?) 90s, but in the past few years they started going up again. Still not up to where they used to be. Did I make this up?

 

[Ross434]

I thought the party line was that applications had been steadily decreasing since the (early?) 90s, but in the past few years they started going up again. Still not up to where they used to be. Did I make this up?

im not sure, but i like your avatar

 

[DrThom]

All the interviews I went to all the admissions people talked about how they got blasted with more apps that they expected this past year.

My guess is that the rate is climbing again.

 

[rjgennarelli]

according to AAMC stats, i believe its safe to say that the # of applicants is steadily increasing, but so are the # of slots.

Edit:

I thought I might get flamed for this reply. My statement is based on the total matriculants each year starting in 1997: http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2004/2004summary.htm

 

[tank you]

if applicants are really increasing, they should seriously consider creating more med schools.

 

[DrBowtie]

if applicants are really increasing, they should seriously consider creating more med schools.

Although this sounds like a good idea before you get into med school, once your in, you want fewer people for a better job market. This is of course negating the looming shortage.

 

[YzIa]

if applicants are really increasing, they should seriously consider creating more med schools.

Though applicants are increasing, they are well below the peak in the mid/late 90's. So there is not need for more spots for that reason.
I heard that total applicants were up approx 2000 this year ~39,000. Many schools have reported individual increases from 10-15%.

 

[trinitrotoluene]

AAMC is on record supporting the creation of new positions at medical schools.

 

[janis]

I can see how a school could report increased applications but I don't know how they would know yet about actual increase in applicants. In other words, a school knows how many applications it has recieved and if it has recieved more than the year before, but how would it know if the total number of applicants applying to medical school is more? Wouldn't this information have to come out of a data base that all the schools fed their names into? It would seem that this information would not be available yet.

 

[DoctorFunk]

Wouldn't this information have to come out of a data base that all the schools fed their names into?

Which, in a sense, is exactly what the AMCAS application amounts to. I can definitely imagine that the med schools have access to information like this.