Why do medical school applicants apply to particular schools?
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 8, 2026

Bridging the Technology Divide in the COVID-19 Era: Using Virtual Outreach to Expose Middle and High School Students to Imaging Technology
Published on: September 28, 2022
I C McManus1, B C Winder, K A Sproston
1St Mary's Hospital Medical School, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK.
Abstract:
5427 applicants to British medical schools indicated the importance of each of 22 specific reasons for applying to the five choices they had put on their medical school application. The 24852 applications were aggregated by medical school, and the profile of reasons analysed for each school. Factor analysis showed four clear dimensions, labelled as 'Reputation', 'Personal contact', 'Location' and 'Prospectus'; scores and rank order for each school on each factor are reported. Scrutiny of the pattern of ratings of individual schools suggested that although many of the applicants' perceptions were probably valid, there were some perceptions which appeared inconsistent with other evidence. Cluster analysis showed that in general the London schools clustered together as did the provincial schools of England and Wales, and the Scottish schools; Oxbridge and Belfast were perceived as very separate from the other schools.
Related Concept Videos
Dose-Response Relationship: Selectivity and Specificity
Selectins
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...
Tissue-Drug Binding: Localization of Drugs and its Significance
Drugs can bind to different tissue components, enhancing their distribution and localization. The factors influencing drug localization in tissues include the drug's lipophilicity, structural characteristics, tissue perfusion rate, and pH differences. These factors determine the...
Pharmacokinetic Models: Comparison and Selection Criterion
Physiological models take a detailed approach by considering specific molecular processes. They can predict drug distribution, metabolism, and elimination changes, providing a comprehensive understanding of how drugs interact with the body.
Antibiotic Selection