Abstract
This study attempted to perform two functions: (1) establish demographic and psychological characteristics of an incoming self-declared premedical student group at the University of Texas, Austin and (2) compare attitudinal value and belief sets of an incoming group and a group of premedicai students completing their premedicai training in an attempt to assess the impact of the collegiate experience upon the premedicai students' occupational goals. In Group I were all students attending an orientation program at the University of Texas during the Summer of 1972 prior to enrolling in the University in the Fall of 1972, N = 372, of whom 80% were male. Group II, the medical school applicants, were prerneds at the University in the academic year of 1972–73 applying for admission to medical school (N = 182). The findings indicate the male group was more variable than its female counterpart. Premedical students, male and female, seemed to be more research oriented, more anxious and inner-directed and more concerned with traditional aspects of medical school, quality of faculty and facilities than applicants. The applicants seemed calmer, more certain, more “practice” oriented, and more open and liberal. The later in life the individual thought about and decided to study medicine, the better the chances of surviving to apply to a medical school.
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