UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
Necessity of having a plan B, in case plan A does not work out.
You are probably well aware that getting into medical school is very competitive. In recent years, as the number of applicants increased, and the number of admissions remained fairly constant, the % applicants accepted was declining. For the past two years, it appears that this trend may be reversing.
National Statistics:
| Year | Applicants | Accepted | % Accepted |
| 1994 | 45,365 | 17,317 | 38.2% |
| 1995 | 46,591 | 17,357 | 37.2% |
| 1996 | 46,968 | 17,385 | 37.0% |
| 1997 | 43,020 | 17,313 | 40% |
| 1998 | 41,300 | 17,379 | 42% |
Over these same five years, 388 students from CWRU have applied to medical school and 250 have been accepted, for an average acceptance rate of 66%.
(Figures do not include students accepted to osteopathic medical schools.)
Obviously, some CWRU premedical students will not get into medical school. Therefore each of you should at least be considering an alternative plan. If your academic record and MCAT scores are marginal, then whether or not you apply to allopathic (MD) medical school, it would be wise to also apply to another type of medically-related school or formulate some other alternative plan for your career. If you are turned down for medical school once, it is possible that you could get in later if you take further courses and/or re-take your MCAT test, but do not count on it.
Some alternative fields to consider:
- osteopathic medicine
- optometry
- dentistry
- nutrition
- nursing (nurse practitioner, midwife)
- medical social work
- podiatry
- hospital administration
- medical technology
- physician assistant
- physical or occupational therapy
- anesthetist's assistant
- athletic training
- speech pathology
- x-ray technology or sonography
- audiology
- genetic counseling
- health educator
- pharmacy
- music, art or dance therapy
- clinical psychology
- medical writing for the media
A special note: Be sure, while you are in college, to maintain a good credit rating!! Government loans may be insufficient to cover your expenses and you will not be able to get a regular bank loan with bad credit. (A major state university even RESCINDED 23 acceptances recently because of bad credit though luckily this has not become a widespread practice.) You should check your credit rating at the start of the application process, so it can be "cleaned up" if necessary. You can get a credit report from Experion for $8: (800) 682-7654.