The word around town is that there are not too many AMCAS accounts opened this year. But I'm pretty uninformed compared to most of you on SDN, and hence I want to see what your prediction is on the level of competition this year.
It's the same rumor we heard last year. But it was damn competitive. Anyway, a lot of people apply around Sept. and Aug. so the number of accounts opened at this point is meaningless, really.
i dunno - but from what i remember from highschool to college graduating in '99 that our year was quite a bit more competitive than the past years (people that applied this year) - in terms of acceptance %'s etc... more so than a normal year to year fluctuation. since its the same kids applying - even if they are less of them, i would venture to guess that it's going to be as tough or tougher. should be an interesting ride.
the only reason i think there may be more competition this year is from the number of people who were going to apply last year, then didn't want to deal with AMCAS, and in the meantime have strengthened their apps. just a thought.
It's all about self-gratification on this site. In a battle of who faced the most adversity, of course, everyone who applied last year and was accepted is gong to vote "less" and everyone applying this year will say "more". Strictly from a 9/11 standpoint, I'd be willing to wager "more". Clearly, the economy's at a lull and the appeal of biotech, tech, consulting, investments, etc. is well, not gleaming. Since I applied last year and this year I sure hope it's less, but I voted otherwise.
My school premed office has had about 1/3 more application packets turned in already compared to the total number they received last year. Looks the their's gonna be a lot more ppl this year.
the comp is more bec the economy is not good and so people are losing their jobs. Many of my friends who graduated and had jobs are going to try to get into grad schools this year.
i think this cnn article is relevant to the topic: http://fyi.cnn.com/2002/fyi/teachers.ednews/07/24/graduate.applications.ap/index.html
i dont believe the number of applicants is gonna be representative of how competative is is going to be. Most of the people that arent applying are probaly the ones that wouldnt get in. Numbers go up every year
Here's the relevant stuff: Medical school applications have been falling since 1996, and interest remains low. Experts said those numbers may take longer to rebound in a slow economy. Most students cannot decide on the spur of the moment to go to medical school; they need a premed education as undergraduates. Medical school applications climbed from 37,402 in 1992 to 46,965 in 1996 before starting their slide to 34,859 in 2001, a drop-off attributed to the burdens of managed care and the big money to be made in business, technology and other fields. The 2002 figures are not yet available. "It may be bottoming out. That's the impression we have," said Dr. Jordan Cohen, president of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
