IU Med School sees 47% increase in applications
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — In the middle of a pandemic, there’s been a major increase in men and women applying for medical school.
“People see something like this and they want to do something about it,” said Jenna Jones, a first-year med student at the IU School of Medicine.
It’s making med school more competitive than ever. Those overseeing the admissions process don’t think it’s going to change any time soon.
The increase at IU in just a single year is 47% for in-state students. Applications for non-residents was also up 20%. In total, there were more than 7,300 applications received for the class entering in the fall of 2021. They are all competing for just 365 spots.
“It is very competitive. It is medical school after all,” said Dr. Peter Duong, the assistant dean for admissions at the medical school.
“It was frightening,” said first-year student Melody Wickstrom.
“You worked hard and you got to trust the hard work you put in,” added first-year student Jenna Jones.
Jones hopes to become an orthopedic surgeon. She said most of her classmates want to make a difference and give back. It’s a commitment unshaken by the pandemic.
“Something like this happens and you see what it does to your community and it makes you say what can I do? How can I make a difference? What can I do to help my community right now?” Jones said.
Wickstrom hopes to become a pediatrician, inspired by her own medical issues as a child and in her family.
“I think it would be great if the pandemic would influence other people to go into medicine. There can never be too many physicians,” said Wickstrom.
Duong attributed a couple reasons for the increase including virtual college classes in the spring giving more time for students to get their application together and more people giving up their gap year to get started early.
“They saw a lot of good role models around them. I think the press has reported this as the Fauci effect,” he said.
He also said having virtual interviews made it easier for students to apply to a lot more places and interview for a position without having to commit to several days of travel.
But even with all the extra applications, Duong said the school cannot admit more than usual.
“If we expand the class, we would worry we wouldn’t have enough clinical sites especially right now with the pandemic,” Duong said.
He said every time the economy has a downturn, applications tend to increase.
Duong does expect the increased demand to continue, though not with another 47% right for the coming year.
“If the numbers don’t increase, the numbers will still remain high for applications,” Duong said.
While he adds with academic requirements, there’s a lot more to it than just waking up and deciding you want to become a doctor, his first-year students aren’t so sure.
“The pandemic could definitely play a role into it,” Wickstrom said.
“You’d be surprised. I was a family sciences major and I had an ‘aha moment,’” added Jones.
In-state students make up 80% of the incoming class every year.
Duong said the questions are already coming in for next year’s class. The application period for the 2022 fall semester opens up June 1.
In addition to the grades and coursework, he said prospective med school students need to demonstrate good citizenship through volunteering and good communication skills.
Indiana State Department of Health on Friday reported 106 more Hoosiers died of COVID-19, bringing the total to 8,016. The state also says 517,773 Hoosiers have tested positive for COVID-19. According to the Regenstrief Institute, 345,577 Hoosiers are estimated to have recovered from the virus.