In order to appropriately obtain information for the purpose of reforming the school selection process, we analyzed questionaires from 1, 641 students in their first year of medical school. Twenty-five percent of the subjects were women and the 20 participating medical schools consisted of 4 newer national schools, 6 older national schools, 3 provincial or municipal schools, 4 newer private schools, and 3 older private schools.
As expected the medical students admitted to a strong desire to enter the specific profession of medicine. Important factors influencing their decision to apply to a particular medical school included (1) geographical location, (2) general public reputation, (3) whether or not the school was part of a university, and (4) the cost of tuition. Students did not appear to pay much attention to specific educational programs, facilities and environment, or the teaching staff of individual schools. The Committee proposes that medical schools make a greater effort to acquaint applicants with the history, purpose, and educational environment of their institution in order to aid the students in their selection process.