Applying to Medical School

· Faculty relationships. Evaluate what you have heard about the general level of

interaction between students and faculty. It is important to get a sense of how sup-

portive faculty are to student academic needs.

· Residency placement. The Dean of Students Office is the best source to obtain

information in the school's ability to place its graduates in strong postgraduate

training programs. Of importance also is the range of specialties in which gradu-

ates have gained appointments.

· Research. Consider how significant a role research is for medical students at the

school. It is important to learn about research opportunities offered to students in

the form of electives or summer positions.

· Social attributes. How far is the school from your family's residence? Are the

amenities that the community in which the school is located attractive to you?

What is the general school environment?

· Attrition rate. While nationally the attrition rate is extremely low--about 3%--

only one third of these who left did so for academic reasons, thus, this issue need

not be a source of concern to you. Your acceptance should be taken as a vote of

confidence.

· School ranking. While it is comforting to feel you will attend a school that is

ranked high, even if true, that does not necessarily mean that it is the best one for

you. Your assessment of the aforementioned criteria should determine your choice.

In summary, accumulate all of the facts relevant to the schools you are considering

and determine which of these are especially important, to you. By this time you should

be able to ascertain, with a considerable degree of confidence, at which institution you

will thrive. It is there that your personal success probably lies.

REJECTION _________________________________________________________

Meaning of Rejection

When you apply to medical school you obviously risk the possibility of rejection.

While such a response is a major setback, it need not necessarily mean that the rejec-

tion terminates your career prospects. To a considerable degree, gaining admission

lies outside of your powers to control, since it is in part governed by factors over

which you have no control. Such factors include the total applicant pool and the ratio

of men, women, and minority applicants. For a long time white males felt assured

that they would stand the best chance of being accepted. With a larger applicant pool

and a substantial female segment, the situation has changed considerably to a much

more competitive one. The impact of an increasing number of minority applicants,

especially those of Asian background, has made admission even more unpredictable.

The uncertainty surrounding the admission process is further demonstrated by the

fact that even superior applicants who apply to a number of schools will usually find

that they are accepted by some and rejected by others.

The aforementioned considerations point to the fact that if you are rejected, this

should not be automatically equated with being unqualified or unfit to become a physi-

cian. As noted in detail below, careful, thorough, and objective analysis of your specific

situation is needed to judge possible reasons for your rejection and to determine the

most appropriate response.

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