Dartmouth undergraduates applying to business or medical school will face a more forgiving admissions landscape next year, according to Justin Serrano, vice president at Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions.
Part of the reason for higher admissions rates is that fewer undergraduates are applying to business school.
Seventy-five percent of business schools saw their applicants drop this year from the 2003-2004 admissions cycle. This decrease in applications comes at the same time the job market for students with an MBA has been picking up.
"On the business school side, it's really the best time in five years [to apply]," Serrano said.
A rise in starting salaries for business school graduates may also make business school a more attractive option for students currently enrolled in college -- the average starting salary for an MBA student has risen approximately $6,000 in the last four years.
Recent booms in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries have also contributed to an expansion in medical school applications. Coupled with the changing attitudes of admissions officers towards post-college work experience, the upshot has been that more and more students are taking less time between undergraduate and graduate study.
"As far as the old rule of thumb saying you need four to five years of work experience to get into a top program, that may not be the case anymore," Serrano said.
Some Dartmouth students, such as Borko Kereshi '04, may soon reap the benefits of changing admissions attitudes. Kereshi said he spent his first year after graduation working at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, but plans to attend medical school soon.
Despite the reduced time needed to get into top medical school programs, Kereshi still advised against moving directly from undergraduate study to a medical school.
"For those interested in pursuing a graduate education in medicine, I would highly recommend taking a year off after graduation," Kereshi said. "This time off allows you to explore your reasons for going into medicine and is a good opportunity to gain experience working in a hospital."
Serrano also noted that graduates increasingly choose to pursue pharmaceutical degrees instead of going to medical school.
"Admission to these programs is becoming increasingly competitive," Serrano said.
Many students have been moving toward these programs because of their lucrative starting salaries and shorter training commitments.
Law school applicants may not face as optimistic of a picture, however.
"2004 was the most competitive year for law school applications than there have been in the last ten [years]," Serrano said.
The heavy weight accorded to grade-point average and LSATs in the law school admissions process has made many students focus intensely on the standardized tests required to enter graduate school. Test preparation programs such as those offered by Kaplan have expanded in popularity in recent years.
Students interested in attending graduate school and looking for more information on the tests required for admission will be able to attend a free strategy workshop offered by Kaplan on the Dartmouth campus on May 17.
