Neither GW’s medical nor law school is considered a top 20 graduate school in the nation, but both are planning to become more selective.
The Law School accepted 4 percent fewer students, while the School of Medicine and Health Sciences had the most medical school applicants in the nation last year. The medical school did not place in U.S. News and World Report’s rankings.
“There are probably several reasons for (the large applicant pool) – private, collaborative, diverse body, multiple clinical opportunities, new hospital, new student opportunities office and (track program),” said Diane McQuail, the assistant dean of admissions at the SMHS. “We take full advantage of the opportunities available in D.C.”
A new program allows medical students to declare a pseudo-minor in a concentrated field of study such as global health or disaster preparedness, one aspect that differentiates GW’s medical school from other highly-ranked programs.
McQuail said more than 13,200 initial applications were submitted to her office. She said 300 offers of admission were made for 177 available spots in the school.
With installment of the track program, creation of the new student opportunities office and last year’s low acceptance rate, the medical school is trying to improve its caliber.
“We’ve always been selective and will continue to be so,” McQuail said.
Student Association Sen. J.P. Simon (SMHS), a graduate student at the medical school, said opportunities provided by the school’s location in the District were what brought him to GW.
“We’re studying in the nation’s capital,” Simon said. “We have access to the Hill, and therefore we have access to health policy.”
The GW Law School is also attempting to increase selectivity and its already prestigious presence in the law community.
Last year, the Law School – ranked 22nd in the nation – received 5 percent more applicants than it did in 2006. More than 10,350 students applied to the school last year and about 500 of those applicants were accepted for admission in the fall.
Anne Richard, associate dean of Law School admissions at GW, said only about 14 schools are more selective than GW. She said the school aims to become even more selective in order to refine class size within the school.
“We are the fourth largest (law) school with 500 students per class,” Richard said. “We hope to decrease the class size.”
To achieve this goal, the school admitted fewer people than in years past, although it received an increase in total applicants.
The Law School’s strengths are similar to those of the medical school – location in D.C., availability of internships and job placement within the District. The financial aid program at the Law School is also a selling point for students. Early decision students at the Law School receive fully paid tuition and 20 percent of students are awarded merit scholarships, Richard said.
Tracy Badua, a law student, said GW’s location is what attracted her to the Law School.
“You really can’t get better then D.C.,” Badua said. “No matter what you want to get into, this is the place to be. There’s so much opportunity.”
