FACTORS AFFECTING APPLICANTS ACCEPTANCE OR DECLINE OF OFFERS TO ENROLL IN A MEDICAL-SCHOOL

Admissions committees at most faculties of medicine worldwide have a m andate to establish and maintain equitable and effective selection pro cedures. In an extensive appraisal of admissions goals, policies, and procedures, an admissions task force determined that about 36% of all applicants offered admission to the faculty of Medicine at the Univers ity of Toronto declined the offer (Admissions Task Force 1987). Respon ses by administrators and faculty members to this finding were varied, and they offered diverse rationales for the seemingly high number of applicants who declined admission. The conflicting perceptions indicat ed a need to survey applicants and attending students to identify fact ors that influenced their choice. The study attempted to identify fact ors that influence decision-making in the acceptance or nonacceptance of an offer of admission in an undergraduate medical program and answe r the questions. Why were approximately 36% of accepted applicants dec lining the offer to enroll in the Faculty of Medicine? What factors in fluenced the final choice?