 "Photo: Alicia Schuster / UCD Advocate")
Last semester, only one out of seven UC Denver undergraduate applicants was accepted into Anschutz Medical School. Concerns about what this number implies about the merged schools have been brought up on behalf of the Student Government Association to the UCD administration.
“From what I’ve heard, one is a pretty good number compared to years past,” stated student body president Jack Kroll. However, Kroll expressed concern about the implications of the UCD Downtown and Anschutz merger, and how this may imply, to some students, that UCD undergraduates have a better chance of getting into Anschutz.
“Whether it’s intentional or not, we created a perception that, by being the same institution and by coming to UC Denver as an undergrad, you have a better chance of getting into Anschutz,” he said.
In addition, Kroll said that he has brought this issue to UCD administration and feels confident that there will be an effort on their behalf to produce better acceptance results. Specifically, a joint admissions program, or the “B.A./B.S./M.D.” program, may be the answer to his concerns.
Both CLAS Dean Dan Howard and Provost Roderick Nairn explained that the “B.A./B.S./M.D.” program, which has yet to be implemented, is designed to recruit high school seniors into Anschutz, as long as the students are able to meet certain academic requirements.
“The program will allow early admission to applicants. As seniors in high school, they are reserved a spot at the Anschutz medical school. While at UCD, applicants need to show some sign of professional achievement—you still need to maintain a certain grade point average and test well on the MCAT,” said Howard.
Howard said that the number of UCD applicants accepted into Anschutz is a misleading statistic when taken out context.
“The one-to-seven number is a blip on the screen. It is a relatively small sample that does not reflect the overall history of the school,” said Howard.
Nairn noted that he worked with a program similar to “B.A./B.S./M.D.” while at the University of Michigan. Overall, he expressed support for the program, and noted that the interests of the program go beyond getting UCD undergraduates into the medical school.
“There is sometimes a specific interest in getting students who want to stay in Colorado. One of the reasons behind the program in Michigan was because there was a low amount of practitioners in rural areas—as you may know, there is a shortage of physicians in rural Colorado.”
He said the program would interest Coloradans who want to stay in-state, but he also addressed the issue surrounding the low number of accepted UCD students.
“It is very hard to get into medical school,” he said. “It’s very competitive. Thousands of qualified applicants don’t get in.”
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