Thoughts on the Admissions Process...

[AugustWinterMan]

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A friend of mine recently interviewed at a midwestern school for a chemistry-related PhD program. On this interview, they paid for his hotel, reimbursed him for traveling, and paid for his meals. This interview lasted through the weekend. From what he tells me, this type of situation is pretty normal for his field.

His experience made me wonder why the medical school admissions process is so incredibly different. Applications, including the primary, are roughly twice as expensive for most (not counting GW or Georgetown). Interviews are held on weekdays for most schools mentioned, even though most applicants are still in school.

I am interested to see what SDN members attribute this difference to.

 

[Bacchus]

Demand. When you have 10,000 people vying for 150 spots schools can do what they want.

Besides that, it would be expensive to put up airfare, room and board for 750 interviewees.

 

[235009]

His experience made me wonder why the medical school admissions process is so incredibly different. Applications, including the primary, are roughly twice as expensive for most (not counting GW or Georgetown). Interviews are held on weekdays for most schools mentioned, even though most applicants are still in school.

the reason is that PhD students are more valuable. PhD students will be at the school for at least 5 or 6 years and will be conducting all the experiments or research that are the basis for the grants that professors write to bring more money into the university. They are also the pool from which future professors are taken so they want to attract the absolute best and brightest from the outset.

On the other hand med students (typically) produce absolutely nothing for the university during their four years there.

 

[WeAreNotRobots]

Applications, including the primary, are roughly twice as expensive for most (not counting GW or Georgetown). Interviews are held on weekdays for most schools mentioned, even though most applicants are still in school.

I am interested to see what SDN members attribute this difference to.

the sheer volume of applicants.

PhD programs tend to be highly specialized, and you apply to a specific department/lab, thus each program has a relatively small applicant pool for a highly limited number of spots.

part of the reason for having amcas is probably because individual schools don't have the resources to go through the trouble of verifying everyone's primary app (or can't do it as efficiently). and i doubt there are enough weekend hours in a given application cycle to accommodate all those awarded an interview.

 

[BigRedBeta]

This sort of discrepancy will continue even on to residency interviews. I'm going into pediatrics and got free hotel rooms (at some extremely nice hotels like the Omni in Downtown Indianapolis) and free meals and gift bags from most of the places I interviewed at. My friends going into ENT and Ortho...not so much - sometimes not even a discounted rate on the hotel room, rarely a free meal, and certainly not gifts. Most peds programs interview three or four days a week from mid-November to the end of January, while most Ortho programs have three or four (if that) interview days the entire season...and if there day happens to overlap with another program your interested in, well that's just tough.

So in other words, get used to some people having "easy" or "nice" or "gentle" interview experiences and others not.

 

[student1799]

So in other words, get used to some people having "easy" or "nice" or "gentle" interview experiences and others not.

The reason isn't hard to find: peds is seen as a less desirable specialty, so programs actually have to RECRUIT applicants to fill all the spots, whereas the ROAD specialties are ultra-competitive and have way more applicants than they can handle.

Same deal for science PhD vs. MD: very few US citizens want to get PhD's in science (most candidates are from abroad), so the few there are get the red-carpet treatment. Meanwhile, we all know that there's no shortage of med school applicants, so they can get away with treating us like garbage.

BTW, notice I said SCIENCE PhD's. In the humanities, there are way more PhD's than teaching jobs, so they get treated like utter ****.

Basically, schools (like employers) will do whatever they can get away with.

 

[tiamat360]

In the humanities, there are way more PhD's than teaching jobs, so they get treated like utter ****.

That's actually true in science as well - there are more people with PhDs than there are PI positions.

 

[tennisball80]

Simply because the amount of volume of applicant.

If 1 person is applying for 10,000 spots avaliable, I'm sure you will get full ride+ scholarships anywhere.

But now its 10,00 people applying for 100 spots. Son of a bitch !

 

[singularity2012]

Remember that the fundamental principle in play in these types of processes is money. As a physician, it goes without saying that you will be making a lot of money (even with all the debt), and so that alone is the "justification behind the justification."

 

[DrWookie]

A friend of mine recently interviewed at a midwestern school for a chemistry-related PhD program. On this interview, they paid for his hotel, reimbursed him for traveling, and paid for his meals. This interview lasted through the weekend. From what he tells me, this type of situation is pretty normal for his field.

His experience made me wonder why the medical school admissions process is so incredibly different. Applications, including the primary, are roughly twice as expensive for most (not counting GW or Georgetown). Interviews are held on weekdays for most schools mentioned, even though most applicants are still in school.

I am interested to see what SDN members attribute this difference to.

There are a lot less people interviewing for individual spots in graduate programs, compared to medical school.

In addition graduate school is also very much about meeting a PI and finding a fit in a lab. So you are interviewing for a long period of time to get to know the people cause you will be working with them a lot.

My friend recently got back from a 4 day interview that was paid for INCLUDING a skiing trip (In Montana). Oh you also didn't mention that graduate school is PAID FOR and you get a stipend 🙂

 

[Aladdin]

the reason is that PhD students are more valuable. PhD students will be at the school for at least 5 or 6 years and will be conducting all the experiments or research that are the basis for the grants that professors write to bring more money into the university. They are also the pool from which future professors are taken so they want to attract the absolute best and brightest from the outset.

On the other hand med students (typically) produce absolutely nothing for the university during their four years there.

You hit the nail on the head. skinMD is absolutely correct

 

[student1799]

That's actually true in science as well - there are more people with PhDs than there are PI positions.

I was referring only to the app process. Science PhD candidates do get treated well while applying, while in the humanities they don't (for the most part anyway). But once they're in the program, I agree with you: everyone gets abused.

 

[1010btf]

As most here have said, you have WAY much less applicants.

On a side note, please ignore the "Telling Medical schools..." title... I thought I was posting a new topic. Whoops 😛