Wednesday, November 7, 2001

College briefs
Med school applications fall for fifth straight year

BERKELEY, Calif. (U-WIRE) — Fewer students applied to U.S. medical schools for the fifth straight year — a drop with varying effects at some University of California medical schools.

A report released Friday by the Association of American Medical Colleges showed medical school applications for the 2001-02 school year were down 6 percent from the previous year.

“Do young people still want to become doctors? Considering the downward trend in the applicant pool, the answer could well be ‘no,’” Jordan Cohen, president of the association, said in a statement released Sunday.

Although officials cannot pinpoint the exact causes for the continuing decline, some officials agree schools need to convey more effectively to prospective applicants the holistic approach they take in admissions.

Medical schools received 2,230 fewer applications for 2001-02 than last year, making a total of 34,859 applicants this year. The number of underrepresented minority applicants also decreased by 4.5 percent from last year, from 4,284 to 4,091 people.

There has been an acute decline, particularly among black men, Cohen said.

— Daily Californian