Impact of Steep Medical School Application Costs on Medical School Application Patterns and Implications for Health Outcomes of Disadvantaged Communities 

Alissa Z. Zeglen
Dr. Brian Ott, Faculty Mentor

The high costs associated with the medical school application process, along with travel expenses for in-person interviews, are barriers that limit access to people from socio-economically disadvantaged groups. A pilot study was conducted to examine how current medical school applicants experience the application process, with a particular focus on gauging whether socio-economic status impacts application opportunities and applicants’ self-reported purposes for pursuing medical school. Eight current medical school applicants responded to a post in a Facebook group dedicated to discussing the application process and completed an online survey. Although a pilot study, respondents who identified as female and “non-traditional,” were more likely to state that their main reason for pursuing medical school was to serve underserved populations. Future research should investigate this further, including whether socio-economic barriers to the application process may limit the very kinds of applicants who could help to combat existing health inequalities.

Keywords: health inequalities, medical school application, socio-economic status

Topic(s):Sociology

Presentation Type: Poster

Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA