Number of 2001-2002 Applicants

[Nik]

Has anyone heard whether applications for 2001-2002 has increased relative to last year? Because of the economy, I would imagine there would be an increase.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[oldman]

2001-2002 or 2002-2003? if you're asking about the upcoming app cycle, it hasn't happened yet!

last years was a drop cause of the AMCAS web app debacle. i don't have hard numbers, but i was told this by the admissions director at the u of iowa.

 

[lola]

I haven't heard, but I bet the increase won't show up just yet. Applying to medical school is such a long process. If people started thinking about it when the econonmy went downhill, they probably wouldn't have applied for this year.

 

[Dr. Will]

My advisor told me that there were approximately 10,000 fewer applicants this cycle as opposed to the previous one.

 

[Nik]

Sorry, I did mean 2001-2002. Seems like a double edged sword. On the one hand, the economy is down. On the other hand, we have malpractice and managed care. 10,000 applicants down? Thats seems a bit excessive. What does that leave us with....26-27,000 applicants?

 

[mpp]

If the 10,000 fewer were true (which I don't think it is) it would leave us with 24,859 this year as last year there were 34,859. Those people sent in 403,609 applications.

AAMC should release the official tally for this year at the end of October or early November.

 

[oldman]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Dr. Will:
•My advisor told me that there were approximately 10,000 fewer applicants this cycle as opposed to the previous one.•••••that's what the admissions lady at u of iowa said.

 

[appomattox]

Health economists are obsessed with this very question. It turns out that medical school applications are generally immune from that sort of economy is down argument, since the training is, at a minimum, 7 years long. This is not the case with law and business schools, and I know a number of them saw applications soar over the past year (I heard 40% at the law school at my university, 25% for the business school).

With luck, there will be 10,000 fewer med school applicants this year!

 

[driven]

Please please please let there be 10000 fewer applicants this year. Not to deter anyone... but that means our chances are better Plus the economy effect will probably show up next year if not the year after, since by then most would have finished their premed classes.

 

[Epi]

upcoming year i dont think that there will be a dramatic decrease in numbers.

i believe the number that applied last year was around 32000 applicants

the average score for people applying didn't go down, so that means that even though less people are applying, the pool is still very competitive.

 

[dukeblue01]

There was a lengthy post on this earlier that stated that the number of applicants this cycle was ~30000 which means a little under 50% were accepted this year. But a down economy does increase application numbers, but you would not have seen it this cycle because the cycle started when the economy was just starting to turn down. Not enough time to see the true reaction to sluggish economy. Next cycle and the cycle after is when you will see the increase (as seen in the early to mid '90's). People will start reacting to a hard economy by pursuing a career that has great stability and almost guaranteed employment. On the other hand, many have pointed out that the decrease in applications this year has caused an increase in the quality of applications (lesser, lazier applicants did not want to deal with new AMCAS). This was referenced by several SDNers talking to med school admissions staff. I cannot say it is absolutely true, but it makes sense to me. All in all I bet it's a wash. Good luck.

 

[Papa Smurf]

Sorry peeps, but there's no way in hell that the number of med school applicants fell by 10000 in one year! Even with the AMCAS debacle. That's a freaking 30% drop. INSANE!!! I won't believe it till I see it. Numbers are probably much much closer to 32,000 applicants, around a 10% drop which is still kinda disturbing IMO.

 

[LittleMD]

There was only a 6%

Here is an Article from AAMC
Number of U.S. Medical School Applicants Continues to Decline

Washington, D.C., November 2, 2001-Nearly 35,000 individuals applied to U.S. medical schools for the 2001-2002 school year, according to data released today by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). This year's applicant pool of 34,859 represents a 6.0 percent decline in the number of applicants from 2000-2001.

"While we can't pinpoint exactly why the numbers continue to decline, we are investigating new ways of communicating to potential doctors why medicine is still among the most noble and gratifying professions," said AAMC President Jordan J. Cohen, M.D. "With an applicant pool more than double the number of available slots, no one need worry about the talents and motivations of our country's future physicians," he said.

"Among the many attractions of medicine as a career are the breathtaking science that will underpin the future practice of medicine, the power of new information technologies to improve the quality of health care, and, most fundamental of all, the doctor-patient relationship," Dr. Cohen said. In his address at the AAMC's 112th Annual Meeting on November 4 at 1:00 p.m. at the Hilton Washington and Towers, Dr. Cohen will elaborate on these ideas and recommend new ways medical schools and faculty can encourage even more students to apply.

While the number of underrepresented minority applicants-which the AAMC classifies as black, Native American, Mexican American/Chicano, and Mainland Puerto Rican-also declined from last year by 4.5 percent (4,284 to 4,091), the number of underrepresented minority matriculants increased 2.6 percent, from 1,741 in 2000 to 1,786 in 2001.

Fewer males applied to medical school this year than last: 18,142 compared with 19,816, an 8.4 percent decline. The decline in female applicants was less steep, down 3.2 percent from 2000 (16,717 vs. 17,273).

 

[mdhopeful]

The quote by Cohen is hilarious. What a total jack$#%! I can pinpoint exactly why the numbers are down - AMCAS!!!!! There were so many damn problems this year, that a lot of people who were applying late in the cycle decided to hold off until the next cycle. I guess the only way we can tell if that is true is to wait for the '02-03 numbers to come in.

 

[mpp]

Those numbers are for last year. The numbers for this year (2001-2002) will not be released until late October/early November 2002.

 

[Cambrian]

I doubt that the number of applicants fell by the thousands because of the AMCAS debacle. The number is more like hundreds; it's even high with that number. Most medical school applicants are highly motivated and determined individuals. A few glitches in the application are not going to deter them a bit.