The number of students who applied to enter UNMC educational programs in 2003 was 3,447, more than 600 more students than applied to become a student at UNMC in 2001.
Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., says the increased numbers show that UNMC has become more prominent to students over the past few years.
“These students want to be educated where they know they will be rubbing elbows with the very best faculty and students,” Dr. Maurer said. “The fact that our numbers have grown so substantially over the past couple of years is a testament to our educational programs, as well as the regard for which UNMC is held throughout the region and nation.”
The UNMC College of Medicine and the Graduate College have seen the biggest increases over the past two years. Graduate College applicants jumped from 391 in 2001 to 498 in 2003. The College of Medicine’s application number jumped from 748 applicants for the incoming class of 2001, to 980 applicants for this year’s incoming class. Applications for next year’s incoming class nearly reached 1,000.
Jeffrey Hill, M.D, associate dean for admissions and students in the UNMC College of Medicine, said the college is aggressively going after the top students in Nebraska.
“We’ve really stepped up our efforts in the past few years, especially in terms of making early scholarship offers to prospective students,” Dr. Hill said. “We are going out and talking to all the colleges in the state in an effort to recruit the best and brightest students in Nebraska.”
Prospective medical students who come to campus are given a great deal of attention, Dr. Hill said.
“I meet with each student for 30 minutes and try to answer their questions. We also have them meet with the financial aid people, give them a tour of the campus and provide them with lunch,” Dr. Hill said. “By the time they’re through, they have a real good feel for the Medical Center and can see that it’s a friendly, professional, welcoming environment.”
Another factor influencing medical-school applications, Dr. Hill said, is that potential students are scrutinizing the business sector. Market fluctuations and profit declines have made ‘dot-com’ companies not as appealing.
“The number of applicants is somewhat cyclical and based on what is happening in the business sector,” Dr. Hill said. “Students are more interested in medicine now. They see the long-term job security of being a physician and how it can provide happiness and fulfillment. It’s truly a rewarding profession that allows you to help other people. It’s a profession that doesn’t wax or wane based on the economy.”
Other UNMC colleges and programs have seen application numbers flourish, as well. The College of Pharmacy’s number of applicants increased from 138 in 2001 to 210 in 2003; the number of undergraduate students applying to the College of Nursing increased from 462 to 525 during that same time; and the College of Dentistry’s doctoral-program applicants remained above 500, a number second only to Nursing and Medicine.