Applying to Medical School - Page 41
became dentists, and 1 became an optometrist.
These data indicate that a medical career
is still possible if one is rejected initially
and that a career in one of the many health care
professions is a realistic
alternative.
A later study, consistent with the
aforementioned findings, showed that unsuc-
cessful applicants to medical school tended to
reapply at least once and that 51% of
those employed after being rejected initially
were engaged in health-related occupa-
tions (with laboratory technology being the
leading choice, especially for women).
This study also noted that of the respondents
who were still students, 29% of the
men and 20% of the women were in health-related
training. The largest group
among men was in dental school and among women
was in the study of microbiol-
ogy or other medical sciences. Women were found
to be less likely than men to enter
doctoral-level health science study. Careers in
the new mid-level health fields such
as physician's assistant and nurse practitioner
attracted a few rejected premedical
students. This conclusion is strongly supported
by an even more recent study of a
larger sampling of unaccepted applicants to the
medical school class. It was found
that a majority had reapplied and that 27% had
gained entrance to either a U.S. or a
foreign medical school. Of those still
unaccepted, about half were studying or work-
ing in health-related fields or occupations.
Because the state of medical school
admissions is currently somewhat more
competitive than it has been in the past,
reapplying to U.S. schools is clearly a less
attractive option than it has been in a
very long time.
In any event, you should carefully consider the
risks involved with medical
study overseas before applying to such schools.
See Chapter 13 on Foreign Medical
Study for the problems involved with
transferring credits, obtaining American
licenses, and other difficulties of foreign
study. If you should decide to undertake an
alternative health profession or graduate
study, you must determine if you have suf-
ficient motivation to do so. Without sufficient
motivation, the chances for success
are slim.
Coping with Rejection
A second major facet of relevance to the
unsuccessful applicant is the psychological
impact of falling into this
category.
Occupational choice results from a combination
of conscious and subconscious
elements involving both rational and emotional
factors. The manner in which these
factors are synthesized and compromised,
leading to the ultimate career choice, is
unclear. Although the making of a vocational
choice is, for many individuals, a long-
term process spanning the college years, this
is not the case for most premedical stu-
dents. It has been shown that about half of
these had made a definite career decision
before entrance to college and that 60% never
changed their vocational choice once it
was made.
Thus, as a group, premedical students are
likely not only to enter college with a pre-
determined career goal, but also to insulate
themselves from situations perceived
as threats to their decision, as well as from
faculty members who may challenge the
wisdom of their career choice. Moreover, they
surround themselves with peers who
share their values and reinforce their
beliefs.
Many premeds have, therefore, at an early (and
perhaps premature) stage fixed
their vocational goal irrevocably and insulated
themselves from any possibility of
change. Consequently, such individuals are
potentially incapable of anticipatory cop-
ing with rejection to medical school. If this
situation comes to pass, the potential
exists for a crisis due to a thwarted career
goal. Moreover, it is believed that, since
our society equates self-worth with success, a
career crisis becomes equivalent to an
identity crisis, which can produce serious
negative psychological manifestations. At
the initial stage these may be evident as a
sense of shame, inadequacy, and guilt-pro-
ducing feelings of isolation. This phase may be
followed by a second stage character-
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