Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to the article published in the April 8th edition regarding the complaints that pre-meds have about the admissions process at the school of medicine. It has been a hot topic, especially given the recent audits conducted by the legislature. We have had a number of meetings with Dr. Wayne Samuelson, dean of admissions, and I am satisfied that the admissions process is done in a professional, non-biased manner. I was interviewed at a number of fine schools during the application process and found the U’s requirements to be among the most stringent and demanding. Given that fact that Utahn’s from every major university are competing for 75 spots, it can’t be any other way (the school of medicine has contractual obligations to states like Idaho who don’t have medical schools). I am certain that there are more than 75 applicants who had very high GPA’s and MCAT scores, which is precisely why these are only two of the eight important criteria that the admissions committee considers. Community service, research, and quality of interview are other elements that are given equal consideration. Incidentally, the average MCAT scores and GPA’s of the students currently enrolled are high and compete with some of the top schools in the nation.To call the admissions process unfair and random is to not understand it. The U interviews through March, and the fact that a majority of students do not hear of their status until April is actually the best way to fairly consider all applicants, regardless of their interview date. Additionally, absolutely no consideration to race or gender is given in the admissions process. In theory, all 75 spots could go to white males from BYU if their numerical score from the eight criteria ranked them the highest. It is highly unlikely, but the unbiased nature of the admissions process leaves the possibility.I regret that these three individuals were not accepted and can certainly understand their worry and frustration with the admissions process (I was in the same boat a year ago!). However, it is unfair to blame the school of medicine-there is simply no better way to perform the very difficult task of accepting 75 qualified applicants from a very qualified pool of a much larger number. To their credit, they have done an awesome job with our class. I am impressed on a regular basis at the intelligence and dedication to the principles of medicine that they demonstrate. The fact that the committee can put together such an awesome and dynamic group of people tells me that they have the process figured out.
Bryant Whiting, 1st year medical student