Pros And Cons Of Medical School Admissions

The Medical School Admission Process is Corrupt In Canada, less than 20% of applicants are accepted into medical school every year (BeMo Academic Consulting Inc.). This leaves thousands of pre-med students unemployed, needing to spend even more time attempting to achieve their goal of acceptance. Although one of the leading causes of this competitive nature of medicine is due to the low spots and space available, improvements must be made (Weiner). The high rejection rate negatively impacts applicants’ mental health and exaggerates the desperate need for healthcare workers. The medical school admission process has also been found to favor individuals that generally fall into the upper-class category (Greenfield et al.). Some of the major

The lack of resources can make the journey into medicine even harder for those facing financial stress or other barriers, visible or not (Farnand). Basing medical school acceptance on standardized tests such as the MCAT may give those with more money and resources an unfair advantage. It is much easier to do well on the MCAT when you have enough money to afford expensive preparation resources. You may also have the privilege of undergoing private tutoring. By putting a lot of weight on the MCAT for medical school admissions, schools often end up rewarding wealthy, predominantly white students (Farnand). This creates an implicit racial bias when accepting applicants. Moreover, a study by Capers, Quinn, et al. evaluated the medical school admission administration with the implicit association test (IAT). Results from their studies showed that all demographic groups demonstrated significant levels of implicit white preference (Capers, Quinn, et al.). These conclusions provide evidence of the favoritism that unconsciously occurs during selection in medical schools. By using the association test, admission committee members will be more aware when interviewing different candidates (Capers, Quinn, et

However, some subtle improvements and changes can be made to increase admissions. As discussed, having more accepted applicants every year will benefit the workplace and community in numerous ways. Some schools such as the University of Toronto have already begun this process by simply requiring a minimum MCAT score and removing it as a factor during admissions (Farnand). Furthermore, creating a safe and welcoming environment for pre-medical students to visit at universities will also be a great benefit. Experienced advisors may support students with academic advice such as prerequisites and applications. They may also help mediate the social adversaries students face due to the competitive nature of medicine. Similar programs exist at many schools in the United States, such as UC Berkeley and the University of Texas at Austin (Farnand). Some specific advisors help guide pre-med students through the process of obtaining prerequisites and applying to medical