Dear Editor:
U Med Should Keep Feather Out…For Now
It is great that the University of Utah School of Medicine is celebrating its successes, but it should also be nervous about its weaknesses. I was also granted an advanced viewing of the rankings by simply paying $10 for the offered online addition. What I noticed did not make me particularly ecstatic for the “U”. The medical school dropped again in this year’s U.S. News and World Report research ranking. The U dropped five places from 38 to be tied with four other schools at 43. The research ranking is regarded as the more important ranking by most medical school applicants. This “important achievement” as the chronicle stated will indeed help students decide where to attend graduate school.
This is not the med school’s only problem. The admissions process still has many unresolved issues. It was full of too many problems this year including the unprecedented number of third interviews, when most schools at most still only have two. New application requirements this year, such as six letters of recommendation, have also departed from the national norm of two or three. These requirements turn away many qualified applicants from even applying to the school. The school also made the unwise decision to reject every applicant on the same day causing a public relations nightmare. Fortunately, the kindness of the admissions office staff helps to alleviate some of these problems.
These new admissions processes are designed to accept a better class, but then why would the committee turn away highly qualified women this year when women still make up a nation-low of less than 40% for total enrollment. Don’t try to tell me that women here in Utah are not as qualified to go to med school as other areas of the nation.
It is great the “U” is celebrating their many successes, but I challenge the “U” to fix the many other problems that still persist. I love this school, so I hope that this great institution will be honest with itself and take steps to correct problems. It is my hope that the med school will remain in the top ten for several programs, so that many native Utahns will be enticed to come back for residency.
Rick HenriksenSeniorBehavioral Science and Health