How hard is it to get into med school these days?

[Riprorin]

When I interviewed at the University of Rochester Med School in the early '80s there were 3,500 applicants for 100 spots.

Is it still that difficult to get in?

 

[Spoooon]

Piece of cake.

 

[Riprorin]

I'm guessing that it's still hard, but not as difficult as it used to be given HMOs, high insurance costs, reduced salaries, and such.

 

[Riprorin]

Originally posted by: Spoooon
Piece of cake.

Aren't you in your first year of med school or am I thinking of someone else?

 

[BassDominator]

It's still difficult.... but the number of applications has been falling for the past couple of years. I'm in my fourth year. Feel free to PM me.

 

[Mallow]

pretty damn hard but definitely not impossible. You mainly just have to have a good GPR from undergrad and a 27 or better on the mcat to be competative at many school. Of course if you want to go to baylor or johns hopkins it requires a little more.

I think most people who try hard enough can get into medical school. That being said it takes a certain type of person who is willing to put in a lot of hard work over long periods of time while realizing the long term pay off.


PS. BTW, I'm a 1st year med student.

 

[Spoooon]

Competition for the M.D. program is keen: Each year there are many more qualified candidates than there are positions available. For example, more than 4,400 individuals applied for the 160 positions in the 2002 entering class.

-Keck School of Medicine, USC

 

[Riprorin]

Congrats, guys. It's a long, tough road, but I'm sure it will have it's rewards.

 

[Riprorin]

Originally posted by: Spoooon
Competition for the M.D. program is keen: Each year there are many more qualified candidates than there are positions available. For example, more than 4,400 individuals applied for the 160 positions in the 2002 entering class.

-Keck School of Medicine, USC

Wow, that's pretty stiff competition.

 

[Mallow]

Originally posted by: Riprorin

Originally posted by: Spoooon
Competition for the M.D. program is keen: Each year there are many more qualified candidates than there are positions available. For example, more than 4,400 individuals applied for the 160 positions in the 2002 entering class.

-Keck School of Medicine, USC

Wow, that's pretty stiff competition.

That statistic is misleading. Sure there were 4,400 applications to USC but there are wayyyy more than 160 positions available in the entire state.

I'm not sure how many applications there are in texas but there are around 800+ positions total in all school combined. I'm sure there are at least 800-1000 positions in cali.

 

[Riprorin]

Yes, I'm sure that applicants apply to a number of schools.

Nevertheless, it's still pretty tough.

 

[ShOcKwAvE827]

I am from TX and I believe the numbers for 2003 applicants/accepted was 3187/1339 just for TX public schools. Thats more than 40%. Of course, TX schools give you the best odds of getting in because there are the most spots of any state. If you compare it to Cali, which has something like 4500 applicants with LESS spots than TX. Plus, TX has a law that the class has to consist of 90% in-state residents. However, it doesn't mean it isn't hard to get into med school here. I didn't get in this year with a 3.73 undergrad gpa and a 28 MCAT but semi-weak ECs. But I am working my ass off to improve my MCAT and and ec's and I have some actual confidence that I will get in this year compared to last year when I didn't believe in myself at all. They didn't either My backup plan is osteopathic med school, but who really knows what a DO is?

But considering the majority of people DON'T get into med school and most of the people applying are at least semi-competent, its harder to get into than most graduate institutions.

 

[FrontlineWarrior]

back in '93 there was an overall acceptance rate of about 33%. due to the decline of total applications, the acceptance rate reached a peak last year at around 50%. it's misleading to look at individual schools because people often apply to 20-25 schools, especially applicants from california. all in all, one out of every two applicants gets accepted each year, which is a lot higher than 1 in 3. however, the average gpa and mcat score have been rising, so the quality of the applicant pool is still high. keep in mind that many of the premeds have been weeded out even before taking the mcat, then again before applying at all. i am a first year student as well.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

From Mcgill's website

A maximum of 160 students are accepted into the first year class. Students recently accepted had the following academic profile (mean scores): CGPA 3.8 (4 point scale)

That's friggin insane, it means you average better than an A- on every class in a school that doesn't give A+'s :Q

 

[ShOcKwAvE827]

A lot of schools also use only ABCDF grading scales, and it's a lot easier to pull off the 4.0. I would think my GPA would be much lower if they used A-/A/A+ because I rarely pulled of A+/As But I don't know if all the Bs I got were low or high.

 

[911paramedic]

Originally posted by: Riprorin
When I interviewed at the University of Rochester Med School in the early '80s there were 3,500 applicants for 100 spots.

Is it still that difficult to get in?

That's better than the FD.

 

[Mallow]

I got into medical school with a 3.969 GPR and MCAT of 27... MCAT was below what I could have done but I knew my GPR would keep me in the loop.

 

[glen]

I got in with a 2.3 GPA and 29 MCAT the maximum interview scores, plus bonus points for unusual previous experience