Ep03 | Must-Hear Discussion on Medical School Admissions

For students hoping to go through the rigorous process of becoming a physician, the challenge begins before they even set foot in a school. Navigating the application process is a daunting task. In 2018, medical schools in the US admitted, on average, just 4.1% of the applicants to their school (https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/). That translates to 41% of the total 52,777 applicants claiming a spot in the first year class at a medical school this year. With thousands of qualified applicants vying for less than 200 spots, how does an admissions department approach the process of selecting the young men and women who will become future doctors representing their institution? To find out, we sat down with Sunny Nakae, former Assistant Dean for Admissions at Loyola’s Stritch School of Medicine. Sunny Nakae is Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Associate Clinical Professor of Health Sciences at the University of CA Riverside School of Medicine. Prior to her role at UCR, Dr. Nakae served as Assistant Dean for Admissions, Recruitment and Student Life at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. She has been in medical education since 2001 and loves sharing in the journeys of students. Dr. Nakae is a passionate ally and advocate for social justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion in medicine.