Applicants to Allopathic (MD) Medical Schools
Last year, according the annual report of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), SUNY New Paltz had 17 students apply to US allopathic (MD) schools. The following is a summary of those students’ success compared to 34,862 applicants across the nation (a separate report on DO applicants -- including our BS/DO students is forthcoming).
Of our 17 applicants, 8 were successful in being admitted to one or more MD Schools, and all 8 of those matriculated at one of the colleges this fall (2001). Our students’ success rate of 47.1% was close to, but below the national average of 50.1% for all applicants, but slightly above that for Biology majors (most of our medical school applicants). Our students applied to an average of 13.2 MD schools each (some may have applied to DO schools as well, but those data are not included in the AAMC report). On average, each of our accepted students received offers from 2.4 MD schools.
Our 17 applicants for 2001 applied to 225 MD schools and 8 were accepted at the following institutions:
New Paltz applicants’ overall cumulative GPAs were close to national averages.
Our 17 applicants’ MCAT scores were slightly higher than national averages, with the exception of the writing sample score, which was one grade below the national median.
Our 8 successful applicants’ MCAT scores were close to national averages, with the exception of the writing sample score (as noted above).
Acceptance Rates by Major
Students often ask at orientation or at open house “what academic major is best for a pre-med?” The most recent data from AAMC suggests that in most cases, as long as the student chooses one of the ‘traditional’ Liberal Arts and Sciences majors, it does not matter. For example, comparing traditional science majors with traditional humanities + social sciences majors, there is no significant difference in acceptance rates to MD schools:
However, some majors were slightly more successful than others (see my Editorial for further discussion of these issues). In particular, the more challenging the major, the more successful the applicant (see the Table, below). Applicants whose major suggests a lack of commitment to a broad education (e.g., highly pre-professional, or General Studies, or No Major) are less successful. (Data below are for all AAMC applications for entrance to medical school in Fall 2001).
Undergraduate Major |
%Accepted |
#Accepted |
%Applicants |
GPA |
| Literature | 72.2% | 26 | 0.1% | 3.60 |
| Religious Studies | 64.2% | 61 | 0.3% | 3.63 |
| Neuroscience | 62.6% | 347 | 1.6% | 3.58 |
| Double Major (Sci+non) | 62.4% | 908 | 4.2% | 3.62 |
| Double Major (non Sci) | 61.2% | 142 | 0.7% | 3.63 |
| English | 58.4% | 250 | 0.1% | 3.54 |
| Interdisciplinary | 56.4% | 119 | 0.6% | 3.61 |
| History | 55.3% | 194 | 1.0% | 3.54 |
| Chemistry | 54.9% | 998 | 5.2% | 3.64 |
| Natural Science | 54.4% | 93 | 0.5% | 3.54 |
| Psychobiology | 53.6% | 147 | 0.8% | 3.60 |
| Biochemistry | 53.0% | 2333 | 6.7% | 3.64 |
| Double Major (Sci+Sci) | 52.9% | 450 | 2.4% | 3.67 |
| Political Science | 51.3% | 96 | 0.5% | 3.51 |
| Biomedical Science | 50.6% | 183 | 1.0% | 3.72 |
| Humanities | 50.0% | 17 | 0.1% | 3.56 |
| Human Biology | 48.9% | 162 | 0.9% | 3.56 |
| Philosophy | 48.0% | 84 | 0.5% | 3.61 |
| Medicine | 47.4% | 9 | 0.1% | 3.75 |
| Biology | 46.9% | 6098 | 37.3% | 3.60 |
| Physiology | 46.7% | 229 | 1.4% | 3.58 |
| Zoology | 46.7% | 301 | 1.9% | 3.64 |
| No Major | 45.9% | 51 | 0.3% | 3.63 |
| Microbiology | 45.9% | 526 | 3.3% | 3.66 |
| Psychology | 45.8% | 760 | 4.8% | 3.55 |
| Sociology | 44.4% | 71 | 0.5% | 3.49 |
| Pre-med | 43.3% | 260 | 1.7% | 3.65 |
| Physics | 39.0% | 68 | 0.4% | 3.52 |
| Nursing | 34.6% | 89 | 0.7% | 3.51 |
| Education | 31.4% | 70 | 0.2% | 3.52 |
| Comp Sci | 30.0% | 53 | 0.3% | 3.64 |
| Medical Technology | 24.7% | 43 | 0.5% | 3.59 |
| General Studies | 19.1% | 9 | 0.1% | 3.45 |
| ALL Applicants (34862) | 50.1% | 17445 | 80.7% | 3.60 |
