University of Virginia Library

'Well-Qualified' Accepted

At the Medical School
concern has arisen over the
possible quality of students in
a class with limited out-of-state
enrollment.

"The first concern of an
admissions committee is to
obtain well-qualified students
irrespective of their place of
residence," Medical School
Admissions Committee
Chairman William R. Sandusky
said.

"We have been able over the
years to obtain a very high
percentage of Virginia residents
who are well-qualified."

"Rather than take poorly
qualified students, we have
supplemented these
well-qualified Virginians
with a limited number of
well-qualified out-of-state
students."

"As a matter of policy we
feel that we do the best service
to society if we take
well-qualified out-of-state
students rather than poorly
qualified Virginia students."

Dr. Sandusky said that he
thought all qualified Virginians
were presently being accepted
by the medical schools in the
state.

He also noted that of the
290 applicants to the
University medical school in
1970, 72 percent of them got
into some medical school if not
the University's.

Virginians on the whole also
have a better than average
chance to gain acceptance to a
medical school, he said.

"Of all the applicants on a
national level who apply to
medical school only one-third
will land a berth. On the other
hand, over half of all applicants
from Virginia will more than
likely get positions in Virginia's
own medical schools."

Dr. Sandusky also said the
shortage of doctors in
Virginia's rural areas is not the
fault of the admissions policies
of the state medical schools.

"I don't think it's got
anything to do with admissions
practices."

Dr. Sandusky said he did
think a Virginia student would
have a greater tendency to
remain in-state after graduation
than would an out-of -state
student, "that doesn't
mean he's more likely to go to
a rural area."

He also noted that only ten
per cent of the University
Medical School's graduates go
into general practice, further
cutting down on the number
likely to settle in rural areas.

Should restrictions be
imposed on enrollment Dr.
Sandusky warned that the
medical school would miss the
high qualifications of out of
staters who in the past
have held higher grade point
averages and medical boards
scores than Virginia
students.