The number of students applying to medical school has decreased steadily during the last three years, according to a survey conducted by the Association of American Medical Schools. And Princeton's statistics are no exception to this developing national trend.
"We have fairly convincing evidence over the last three years to indicate that there's been a decrease in the total number of applicants applying to medical school," said Dr. Daniel Notterman, the chair of the University's Committee on Health Professions. "And our colleagues at other Ivy League schools have encountered fairly significant drops, too."
Princeton pre-medical students have one of the highest acceptance rates at the nation's top medical schools — about 90 percent of Princeton students who applied to medical school were admitted last year. But only 159 students applied to medical school in 1999 compared to some 250 applicants in 1996.
The trend has evolved during the last few years as HMOs have become more prevalent and medicine less lucrative.
Notterman said that other schools are producing even fewer medical school applicants. "Princeton has seen slight decreases but not to the extent of national universities or of the other Ivies," he said.
In 1996, nearly 47,000 students at colleges across the country applied to medical school, but by 1999 that number had dropped to below 39,000, according to John Parker, media spokesperson for the Association of American Medical Schools.
But Princeton administrators and advisers say they are not concerned, since fluctuation in the number of applicants is common. "This is part of a historic trend," Notterman said. "Now we're back to where we were in the early 1990s."
Jessica Belz '02, president of Princeton's Pre-Medical Association, agreed with Notterman that — as with any profession — it is common for the number of applicants to change from year to year. "Hopefully starting now it will remain fairly high and stable," she said.
Belz said the waning interest in medicine could be connected to the profession's volatility. "There are such rapid changes in the medical profession like advances in technology and ethical questions," Belz said, "that it's hard to tell the direction that the medical field is going."
Also, other professions are attracting students away from careers in medicine, according to Notterman. "My view is that there are lots of things other than medical school for students interested in health and health policy," Notterman said. "And electronic commerce is drawing away some of our best and brightest."
Both Notterman and Belz suggested that the competition for admission into medical school may discourage many students from applying.
Notterman said that he believes Princeton's pre-medical program will continue to attract students in the years to come.
"There are many professors and faculty members in the molecular biology department, the Center for Human Values and the Woodrow Wilson School that hold good discussions and act as role models for pre-medical students," he said. "We think we have an effective system."
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