THE EFFECT OF A ROLLING ADMISSION POLICY ON A MEDICAL-SCHOOLS SELECTION OF APPLICANTS

Purpose. As the University of Kentucky College of Medicine (UKCM) empl oys a rolling admission policy, this study was designed to determine ( 1) whether the month during which applicants were considered by the UK CM admission committee was associated with admission status, (2) wheth er applicants considered early in the process differed in selected aca demic and noncognitive pre-admission characteristics in comparison wit h later applicants, and (3) what the importance of the month of the ap plicant's consideration was relative to other predictors of admission to UKCM. Method. The application files and admission committee's minut es regarding 302 applicants who received interviews during the 1993-94 application cycle were examined. Data reviewed included each applican t's gender, age, geographic origin, undergraduate science and non-scie nce grade-point averages, and Medical College Admission Test scores; t he date of consideration by the committee; interviewers' ratings; the initial motion on the applicant; and the final admission status, Resul ts. The findings indicate that the applicants considered earlier were significantly more likely to gain admission. However, upon assigning t he applicants to three groups according to the month of consideration no difference in academic qualifications was found. Regression analyse s revealed that despite the effect of time of consideration, noncognit ive characteristics related to UKCM's mission also predicted admission decisions. Conclusion. This study provides useful information to admi ssion committees reviewing the effect of a rolling admission policy, a s well as to applicants and premedical advisors, who should be aware o f the potential importance of submitting applications in a timely mann er.