Statistics on failing to get into med school

[ABaverage]

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This is just a random topic, and I mean no harm by it.. but I really do wonder!

What are the stats for failures to get into med school. Do you personally know anyone (or yourself) that has failed to get into med school a few years in a row? Would you just take a Caribbean school and make it work?

 

[Mizoodles]

no

 

[bucks2010]

Plenty of people don't get in:

https://www.aamc.org/download/157450/data/table24-mcatgpagridall2008-10.pdf.pdf

 

[ABaverage]

I mean... repeatedly. Year after year...

 

[Astarael]

It's really hard to say what your chances of getting accepted are if you're a reapplicant, because there are so many variables. If you apply a second time without doing anything new, chances are good that you'll get rejected again. If you do a lot of awesome stuff between applications (like volunteer, take classes [and do well in them], get a master's, travel, work in a health related field) then your chances might be better than the first time around.

 

[getdown]

50% don't get into med school the first time and chances of getting in diminish with every additional year you apply. If you're smart, after 2-3 cycles you should just cut your losses and do something more productive with your life or go to the Caribbean but that's a whole new bunch of **** we don't need to go into.

 

[alwaysaangel]

Plenty of people don't get into medical school.

1) Some reapply multiple times (most I've heard of before giving it up is 4)
2) Some go to Caribbean (the only one I knew personally failed out after first year)
3) Some give it up and accept that not everyone needs an MD.

I personally was only doing it once. I was only going to take the MCAT once and I was only going to apply once. If I had failed the MCAT or been rejected from all 21 schools I applied to I was going to accept that it wasn't meant to be and was going to look into RN and PA.

 

[OrangeandMaroon]

https://www.aamc.org/download/159590/data/table7-facts2010summary-web.pdf.pdf

I couldn't find any stats on acceptance rates for re-applicants but this does show how many re-applicants apply each year.

As an aside, it's interesting that every year since 1999 there are on average 1000 acceptees that decide not to matriculate.

 

[Robinson Crusoe]

https://www.aamc.org/download/159590/data/table7-facts2010summary-web.pdf.pdf

I couldn't find any stats on acceptance rates for re-applicants but this does show how many re-applicants apply each year.

As an aside, it's interesting that every year since 1999 there are on average 1000 acceptees that decide not to matriculate.

The 1000 might include those who defer for a year.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

Speaking of rejections...How are those usually worded? Do they elaborate on as to what the reasons for the rejection were? Basically is it like in undergraduate admission where they go somewhere along the lines of "I am sorry, but your GPA was the issue" or something. Or do they leave you in the unknown.

Basically, do they tell you why or do they assume you know why?

 

[DoctwoB]

Speaking of rejections...How are those usually worded? Do they elaborate on as to what the reasons for the rejection were? Basically is it like in undergraduate admission where they go somewhere along the lines of "I am sorry, but your GPA was the issue" or something. Or do they leave you in the unknown.

Basically, do they tell you why or do they assume you know why?

nope. You get a generic form letter about how the application pool was unusually strong this year and there were many qualified applicants and unfortunately they couldn't admit everyone . . . etc.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

nope. You get a generic form letter about how the application pool was unusually strong this year and there were many qualified applicants and unfortunately they couldn't admit everyone . . . etc.

Ugh, I rather have them tell me I suck.

 

[Jstone123]

no

you need to ask yourself if your goals are to be a doctor some day (which you can make happen from a MD, DO or Caribbean school) or whether you are just interested in having people stare in awe at the MD diploma in your office. I'd say give it a round or two if you're set on MD, but in the end some one who pays their dues at any school will have an opportunity to be a good doctor in a variety of fields

 

[circulus vitios]

If I don't get in I plan on looking into non-Caribbean backdoors (SMP I think.)

 

[aspiringOSTEO]

1

 

[ucladoc2b]

Plenty of people don't get into medical school.

1) Some reapply multiple times (most I've heard of before giving it up is 4)
2) Some go to Caribbean (the only one I knew personally failed out after first year)
3) Some give it up and accept that not everyone needs an MD.

I personally was only doing it once. I was only going to take the MCAT once and I was only going to apply once. If I had failed the MCAT or been rejected from all 21 schools I applied to I was going to accept that it wasn't meant to be and was going to look into RN and PA.

I am a fourth time applicant, and luckily for me this year, I received an acceptance to UCSD back in October (my second year interviewing there). My journey to medical school has been a very humbling process.

It became quite a frustrating puzzle determining why I was not receiving interviews (and subsequent acceptances). My grades were high (3.7 BCPM, Cumulative) and MCAT pretty strong (mid-30s). I had substantial clinical, research, and work experience (I've worked in healthcare jobs for about 12 years). I am a CA resident, which was a huge part of the problem.

A few conclusions:

1) My issue was school choice. I realized most med school applicants end up with an acceptance to a state school, and that most schools interview a disproportionate number of applicants from that state (whether that school is public or private school). This “regional advantage” is huge. Even “safety” schools interview a large portion of applicants who live close to the school. Unfortunately, as a CA resident, I lack this advantage.

To make a long story short, instead of applying to tons of schools, I focused my apps on schools that interview a high proportion of their OOS applicants. I applied to Texas schools, as well (I emailed TMDSAS for some data, which looked very favorable. I applied and received two interviews).

2) I work in a very emerging area of healthcare (I am an EMR project manager/consultant). A few years ago, EMRs had not yet made significant inroads into hospitals. Most doctors on the adcoms were likely not very familiar with what I actually do. As more and more hospitals embraced the technology, my background became more relevant. This year, I obtained a list of the hospitals with the highest adoption of this technology. Any hospital with an affiliated medical school on the list got an application. I figured these schools would be more likely to view me favorably. “Fit to mission” is really key in the process (especially at schools that interview less than 10% of applicants. To put this in perspective, the ACCEPTANCE rate at Harvard Law School is around this percentage).

Ironically, although my job hurt me in the beginning, my background ended up becoming an asset in the process (a school that didn’t even send me a secondary my first two years applying gave me an interview my third year and an acceptance my fourth year. They also happen to be one of the highest adopters of EMR technology.) It also afforded me the luxury of reapplying and not sacrificing personal comfort in the process.

3) The focus of my personal statement. I used it to reconcile my background with my career goals, and how medical school fits in with them. I also used MedEdits to review my essay and recommend changes (expensive, but well worth the money. She was also a huge time saver in the process and a very focused editor). Although the mantra on SDN is to have tons of people review your statement, I would really limit the number of editors you use (one or two good ones will do the trick).

My advise to everyone is to look at your application and figure out what is wrong. Keep in mind, there may be more global issues to your application than meets the eye. Make sure you are looking at those, as well.

 

[startswithb]

I just wanted to echo what ucladoc2b said about "fit to mission." I have a below average GPA but a decent MCAT and received two interviews at my states schools because I believe I really stressed the FIT I would be at those schools. I am being more aggressive than passive in this process to make sure that I am not passed over where I truly believe I would be an asset to the class because of my background. We'll see how it works out (no acceptances, yet), but because I am a below-average applicant I am prepared to wait until April/May.

Basically, don't be passive. Campaign for yourself at the right schools.

 

[MedIsInMyBlood]

Ugh, I rather have them tell me I suck.

Well, the rejection letter itself is generic and won't tell you anything about why you were rejected. But, if you email the admissions officer and politely ask what was lacking in your application and what you can do to improve your chances of getting in, they might let you know.

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

This is just a random topic, and I mean no harm by it.. but I really do wonder!

What are the stats for failures to get into med school. Do you personally know anyone (or yourself) that has failed to get into med school a few years in a row? Would you just take a Caribbean school and make it work?

You're assuming we have data that we just don't have. It's hard to show how many times someone reapplies before giving up and some of the other complexities involved with the question you ask. Especially because, as someone else mentioned, there are so many variables (read: confounders) involved.

 

[mishaS]

I know this same thing was discussed on here within the last several days, and someone brought up the great point that the data does not show how many premeds wash out before applying. In my huge introductory lectures, we would have hundreds of premeds and I had tons of friends who were premeds. Most either weren't willing to put in the work to become a competitive applicant, and many others who were just weren't smart enough to cut it (I felt really bad for these hard workers). I wonder the attrition rate before the MCAT, and how many people give up after their first, when they completely bomb it, and become those low numbers that you know exist, but never seen. Getting to the application is an ordeal in itself, so it's not terribly surprising that a good amount of people get beyond it, but most won't get in their first time applying, and fewer and fewer will get in as re-applicants.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

I am a fourth time applicant, and luckily for me this year, I received an acceptance to UCSD back in October (my second year interviewing there).

You would have been a doctor by now if you had applied to more schools/included DO schools in your initial applicant.

 

[GoWiththeFlo]

You would have been a doctor by now if you had applied to more schools/included DO schools in your initial applicant.

Huh, how do you know?

 

[Astarael]

I know this same thing was discussed on here within the last several days, and someone brought up the great point that the data does not show how many premeds wash out before applying. In my huge introductory lectures, we would have hundreds of premeds and I had tons of friends who were premeds. Most either weren't willing to put in the work to become a competitive applicant, and many others who were just weren't smart enough to cut it (I felt really bad for these hard workers). I wonder the attrition rate before the MCAT, and how many people give up after their first, when they completely bomb it, and become those low numbers that you know exist, but never seen. Getting to the application is an ordeal in itself, so it's not terribly surprising that a good amount of people get beyond it, but most won't get in their first time applying, and fewer and fewer will get in as re-applicants.

I've heard that the attrition rate for pre-meds before taking the MCAT is approximately 90%. I have no data to back this up, but it seems marginally realistic.

You would have been a doctor by now if you had applied to more schools/included DO schools in your initial applicant.

How do you know that? Even well qualified applicants fail to get acceptances. It's not like the applicant pool is made up of a bunch of idiots with a few stars thrown in. Most of the 45,000 people who apply each year would turn out to be at least decent doctors.

 

[ucladoc2b]

You would have been a doctor by now if you had applied to more schools/included DO schools in your initial applicant.

Applying to more schools does not equal a guarentee of acceptance.

Not to criticize to DO, but it really wasn't a fit with exactly what I wanted to do. I'll leave it at that. Like I said in my earlier post, it's all about fit to mission.

My application did work out in the end.

Additionally, the time off gave me a ton of experience I would have otherwise never had. It's not like I just sat in my room all day while I was applying. I learned a ton about hospital management and ops, advised government, made pretty good money, and travelled all around the place while doing so. I have no regrets.

And I still get to be a doctor...

 

[MedStudentWanna]

How do you know that? Even well qualified applicants fail to get acceptances. It's not like the applicant pool is made up of a bunch of idiots with a few stars thrown in. Most of the 45,000 people who apply each year would turn out to be at least decent doctors.

He said himself that one of his problems was school choice. As a CA resident, you should apply everywhere, even DO, if you want to be a doctor. If you want to be an MD from a CA school, then you spend four years trying to get in while the class that began the same year you would have graduates.

 

[aspiringOSTEO]

1

 

[Etzio]

Speaking of rejections...How are those usually worded? Do they elaborate on as to what the reasons for the rejection were? Basically is it like in undergraduate admission where they go somewhere along the lines of "I am sorry, but your GPA was the issue" or something. Or do they leave you in the unknown.

Basically, do they tell you why or do they assume you know why?

Basically as soon as you log in, the dean's fist punches you in the face through your screen.