Resources
Overview:
MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICANTS AND MATRICULANTShttp://www.aamc.org/data/facts/start.htm
(Note that the number of Matriculants stays fairly constant each year.)
MEDICAL SCHOOL STRUCTURE
Medical school is a four-year program. For the first two years students
learn the science behind medicine. This takes place in a classroom
setting, although in most schools students also get early clinical
exposure. The last two years of medical school consist of various clinical
rotations.
Medical students must pass both parts of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). Step 1 is taken at the end of the 2nd year of school and Step 2 is completed after the end of medical school. Once medical school is over, the new physician looks forward to a minimum of 3 years of residency (year 1 is called an internship). If a resident wants to become even more specialized (i.e., Surgery, Radiology), he/she goes on to complete a fellowship.
GENERAL ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
1 year of Biology with lab, 1 year of Physics with lab, 1 year of
General (Inorganic) Chemistry with lab, 1 year of Organic Chemistry with
lab, 1 year of English/Composition
Most schools strongly recommend that students also complete courses in mathematics (including calculus) and computer science.
The majority of medical schools also require that new entrants have completed a baccalaureate (bachelor's) degree.
MEDICAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS CRITERIA
Undergraduate grades, science G.P.A., cumulative G.P.A., MCAT scores,
letters of recommendation, personal comments portion of application,
interview, research experience, clinical experience, difficulty of
coursework, breadth of coursework, extracurricular activities.
MEDICAL SCHOOL STATS
Most common undergraduate majors of accepted students: Biology,
Biochemistry, Chemistry, Psychology
Number of accredited U.S. medical schools = 125
Number of matriculants in 2003 = 16,538
Average MCAT score of matriculants in 2003 = 27.1
Number of applicants in 2003 = 34,786
Average MCAT score of applicants in 2003 = 29.6
More to come.