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Boston UniversityOpenBU http://open.bu.eduBU Publications BUSM News and Notes1978-04-14BUSM News & Notes: April 14, 1978no. 11https://hdl.handle.net/2144/21748Boston UniversityBoston University School of Medicine Issue #11 A p r i l 14, 1978 A Special Edition The Admissions Process: A Status Report Recent controversy surrounding admissions policies at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) has precipitated a great deal of misunderstanding about the admissions process. This lack of understanding i s p a r t i c u l a r l y unfortunate here at BUSM, which has developed an approach to admissions that should be a source of pride. BUSM's Admissions Committee puts an immense amount of e f f o r t into taking the measure of potential physicians through other than t r a d i t i o n a l "paper" credentials. This process i s essential to the School's mission: the education of men and women to be humane, caring and knowledgeable physicians. A few years ago, during the late 60s and early 70s, when t h i s School and many others were struggling to come to grips with the freshly enunciated needs of various groups i n society, admissions became a frequent target for social a c t i v i s t s . The facult y , administration and student body of BUSM at that time worked through the d i f f i c u l t issues and began to make dramatic progress i n the areas of admissions for women and minorities. These gains were made under the leadership of Jacob Swartz, M.D. who has been chairman of the Admissions Committee and Associate Dean for Admissions since July, 1971. With t h i s report. News ^  Notes seeks to c l a r i f y some of the more common mis-understandings about the admissions process, while emphasizing that the admissions procedure here at Boston University School of Medicine operates by rules that have been openly developed and applied with i n t e g r i t y . Selection Factors According to "Information for Applicants" that i s sent to a l l applicants to the School, "The committee on admissions chooses applicants who seem best q u a l i f i e d not only by scholastic record, college recommendations and involvement i n college and community a c t i v i t i e s , but also by less tangible q u a l i t i e s of personality, character and maturity. A personal interview i s an integral part of the admissions process and is arranged at the request of the Admissions Committee." Throughout i t s existence, the School of Medicine has been noted for i t s unwillingness to conduct an admissions process that abides s t r i c t l y "by the numbers." Although emphasis on Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) scores and undergraduate grade point averages would allow a more quantifiable approach to admissions, the members of the Admissions Committee have always complemented these measures with information gained through the personal interview and supporting recommendations. Sex and Race and Admissions From i t s founding i n 1873 (when i t succeeded the New England Female Medical College, i t s e l f established 25 years e a r l i e r ) , Boston University School of Medicine has been f r e e l y open to students of both sexes and a l l races. On opening day, Nov. A member of Boston University Medical Center -cont.-Page 2 5, 1873, there were 35 women i n the class o£ 131 students. In recent years, p a r t i c u l a r l y since the early 1970s, the School has been receptive to increased interest i n medical careers by women and minorities, and i t has reorganized i t s e l f administratively to a t t r a c t , admit and successfully educate women and minorities. The Table (below) contains data on the composition of classes entering from September, 1968, to September, 1977. The Table makes clear that women compose a sizable percentage of each entering class, approximately 35 to 40 percent i n recent years. This i s substantially higher than the percentage for the nation as a whole; l a s t year, only 24 percent of a l l students entering medical school were women. In recent years, the percentage of women admitted to the School has exceeded the percentage of women i n the t o t a l group of applicants. In 1974, an assistant dean with special concern f o r women's needs was appointed to the administrative s t a f f . BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE INFORMATION ON ENTERING CLASSES TOTAL CLASS ENTERING COMPLETED CLASS IN SEPTEMBER APPLICATIONS SIZE 6-YEAR GROUP WOMEN MINORITY STUDENTS 1968 1380 88 37 12 1 1969 1850 98 28 17 3 1970 2426 96 36 18 4 1971 2074 112 40 20 3 1972 3008 120 39 29 15 1973 4160 125 43 31 16 1974 4996 130 53 36 21 1975 4701 133 45 42 11 1976 4618 135 45 52 20 1977 6784 134 45 49 21 The Table also contains information regarding admission of minority students. As a res u l t of a reorganization of the Admissions Office i n 1971, and aided thereafter by the appointment of an assistant dean with special concern for the needs of minorities and the establishment of an Office of Minority A f f a i r s , the percentage of minority members i n the entering class jumped markedly i n 1972. Currently, the 15.7 percent of the 1977 entering class represented by minority students compares favorably with the national 1977 entering class figure of 13.2 percent. Further, the number of minority applications to the School has increased tremendously, to a high of 364 la s t year--evidence that the word has gotten out that Boston University School of Medicine i s a desirable place for minority students to attend. -cont.-Page 3 To quote a publication o£ the Office for Minority A f f a i r s , the School recognizes "the need to address many levels along the educational pathway to increase the pool of (minority) applicants." Among the comprehensive programs offered to accomplish t h i s goal i s the Pre-entrance Program, a summer enrichment program for students accepted by the School of Medicine, o f f e r i n g six weeks of ins t r u c t i o n i n biochemistry and anatomy. Participation i s voluntary. Also conducted under a recently approved grant i s the Health Education Resources Program, which has three parts: (1) a high-school enrichment program, which works with three Boston high schools to provide health-career motivation i n t h e i r curricula; (2) a Premedical Program at the College of Liberal Arts, which eases the t r a n s i t i o n of medical-career oriented minorities to college and provides emotional and academic support throughout college; and (3) a summer premedical program, providing Boston-area college students with an enrichment experience. The effectiveness of the School of Medicine's minority programs has been repeatedly demonstrated i n the past six years, but i t can best be i l l u s t r a t e d , perhaps, by describing the case of a single recent graduate. A 25-year-old black woman, married and the mother of one c h i l d , applied to BUSM with a good overall grade point average, but with science grades below average for entering students. Her MCATs were similar--about average i n verbal and general knowledge, but below the average for successful BUSM candidates i n science and quantitative s k i l l s . She had excellent recommendations, and her interview showed her to be a very highly motivated young woman, with an unusual degree of determination to succeed i n her goal of becoming a physician. She was admitted, enrolled i n the pre-entrance summer enrichment program and did reasonably well i n her f i r s t two years at BUSM. In her t h i r d year, she did even better, earning honors grades i n two courses; i n her f i n a l year, she earned honors i n no less than seven courses. She received the surgery internship appointment that was her f i r s t choice, at a leading university hospital on the West Coast, where she i s currently considered one of the hospital's best interns. The School maintains and supports programs for women and minorities because i t recognizes an obligation to expand the number of women and minority members i n the contemporary practice of medicine. The School's s t a t i s t i c s demonstrate the marked success of these programs. The Importance of the Interview The personal interview i s an essential part of the admissions process at Boston L&iiversity School of Medicine. Through i t , the interviewer gains insight into the applicant's character, s e n s i t i v i t y and maturity. Since the number of applicants to the School of Medicine each year i s so large (6,784 applied l a s t year), i t i s necessary to l i m i t the number granted interviews to fewer than one-sixth of those who complete applications. Among those receiving interviews here, as at v i r t u a l l y every other medical school, are any applicants who id e n t i f y themselves as members of the immediate family of alumni, faculty, or students. I t i s a point of great i n s t i t u t i o n a l pride to the School to be able to at t r a c t the highly q u a l i f i e d children of i t s own excellent faculty and alumni. That these knowledgeable and discriminating men and women want t h e i r children to attend BUSM is perhaps the best measure of the School's excellence. The practice of granting interviews to relatives of alumni and faculty has often been misunderstood. U n t i l the early 1970s, the practice with regard to faculty members was more a part of the oral t r a d i t i o n of the School than of a w r i t t e n code. Accordingly, i n the spring of 1972, the faculty by open vote made the practice o f f i c i a l . -cont.-Page 4 The importance of the interview i n helping the Admissions Committee i d e n t i f y t a l e n t i n an applicant--and the potential value of the interview p r i v i l e g e to members of f a c u l t y and alumni fam i l i e s - - i s i l l u s t r a t e d i n the following case. The son of a senior c l i n i c a l faculty member applied for admission to the School from an Ivy League college. He had average to slightly-above-average scores i n his MCATs, but his grade point average was below that of the usual successful applicant. He was granted an interview, i n which he made a strongly favorable impression. He had, i n addition, an unusual record of extracurricular a c t i v i t i e s : He had been a counselor to inpatients i n a large psychiatric i n s t i t u t e , a member of his university's council f o r psychiatric services, and a summer research assistant to physicians i n a large teaching hospital. His recommendations, especially from the physician who supervised his summer research-assistant job, were outstanding. The student was admitted, published four research papers while s t i l l a medical student, and graduated near the top of his class. At graduation, he was awarded two of the School's major prizes, including one for being the best student i n one of the academic departments. He received a prestigious residency appointment at a northeastern teaching hospital, where he i s considered an outstanding resident. The interview can work the opposite way, as w e l l , helping the Admissions Committee i d e n t i f y candidates who, though t r a i l i n g a s t r i n g of academic honors behind them, may not reasonably be expected, on the basis of temperament and outlook, to make good physicians. Indeed, there have been applicants with nearly perfect grade point averages and with superb MCATs, who have been rejected because i n t h e i r interviews they revealed attitudes that reflected a lack of compassion and s e n s i t i v i t y . Age and the Admissions Process Through the years, the School of Medicine has been responsive to q u a l i f i e d applicants of whatever age. Although i n s t i t u t i o n s of higher learning can no longer o f f i c i a l l y discriminate on the basis of age, Boston Uni/ersity School of Medicine has always been f l e x i b l e i n regard to age. About 10 years ago, at a time when most medical schools had an age cut-off of about 26 for considering applications, a 42-year-old father of two presented himself to BUSM for admission. He had graduated cum laude from an Ivy League college many years e a r l i e r , but had unaccountably f a i l e d to gain admission to a medical school at that time. Instead, he became a successful optometrist, active i n professional organizations and i n community a c t i v i t i e s , including working with children with special problems. But he had never l o s t the desire to go to medical school. With his children nearly raised, and some money set aside to tide his family over the medical-school years, he decided to t r y again. In considering t h i s unusual application, the committee was impressed by the man's demonstrated s k i l l i n patient care, his leadership role i n the community, and the high recommendations of his peers. He was admitted to the School, did w e l l , and i s currently a resident i n obstetrics at a large northeastern hospital. Parental Wealth i n Admissions Contrary to inferences contained i n an off-campus publication la s t month, the fi n a n c i a l background of applicants plays absolutely no role i n admissions to the School of Medicine. The Admissions Committee has absolutely no information on individual applicants' economic status. Admissions decisions are never made with the promise, h i n t , suggestion or assumption of an eventual g i f t to the School. Tbe only piece -cont.-Page 5 o£ information that might provide an iot a of a clue regarding parental f i n a n c i a l status--parents' occupations--is contained on the master admissions form completed by applicants as. part of the American Medical College Admissions Service, which i s subscribed to by 90 percent of a l l medical schools i n the country. Dean John I . Sandson, M.D., put the matter clearly i n a March 16 statement: "Nowhere i n t h i s complex (admissions) process i s the fi n a n c i a l background known to the Admissions Committee." Summing Up: A Philosophy of Admissions Admission to medical school i s a delicate concern. Wrapped up i n the mechanical process of admissions are quantifiable measures of applicants' academic achievements and subjective estimates of t h e i r experience, motivation, personality and character. To further complicate t h i s mix, an i n s t i t u t i o n l i k e Boston University School of Medicine uses the admissions process as the most dire c t and p r a c t i c a l means of placing into practice i t s philosophy about the kinds of persons who w i l l be needed to deliver medical care i n the future. No one at the School of Medicine--least of a l l those d i r e c t l y involved i n admis-sions--claims perfection for the admissions process. That process inevitably raises d i f f i c u l t questions, requiring answers that are themselves bound to be controversial. Boston University School of Medicine has chosen to deal with the d i f f i c u l t issues with specific approaches that represent the best judgment of i t s administration and faculty. The record, we f e e l , shows that that approach i s working. This report on the admissions process at Boston University School of Medicine was prepared by the Office of Informational Services, Boston University Medical Center. Donald R. C i l l e r , director; Owen J. McNamara, senior editor; Lorraine Loviglio, editor for academic a f f a i r s . For additional copies, please write to the Office of Informational Services, Boston University Medical Center, 720 Harrison Avenue, Suite 300, Boston MA 02118. Telephone 617/247-5606. News 8i Notes Boston University School of Medicine Office of Informational Services 720 Harrison Ave., Suite 300 Boston, MA 02118 Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Boston. Mass. PERMIT NO. 56031 t l i i i ^ f i O ST L I S 

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