"The interviewing seems to be getting lessstressful," says Spira. "They're trying toencourage people to come."

Two other prominent schools, however, havetaken more direct action to increase applicantpools and attract a more well-rounded studentbody.

For the last four years at Baltimore's JohnsHopkins Medical School, applicants have not beenrequired to take the Medical College AdmissionsTest (MCAT), the standardized test almost everyother school in the country uses. Instead, Hopkinsallows applicants to submit any of four admissionstests, including the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

David M. Trabilsy, director of admissions atHopkins, says that requiring the MCAT often forcesstudents to spend an unnecessary amount of timepreparing for the test, when they should befocusing on their undergraduate experience.

Meanwhile, faculty at the University ofPennsylvania Medical School decided three yearsago to accept students who had not completed thetraditional "pre-med" course requirements--a mixof biology, chemistry, physics and math. Instead,says Vice Dean for Education Frederic D. Burg, theschool has a "competency requirement," whichallows for limited coursework in the usual pre-medareas.

Burg says the "competency requirement"increases the school's appeal, and attracts morewell-rounded applicants.

"We should not stand in the way of innovationby not having traditional course requirements,"Burg says. "The school is recognized as having amore liberal approach to a person's readiness toenter medical school."

Burg says the new requirements have worked. Forthree out of the last four years, applications toPenn Med School have increased. This year, Pennreceived 300 more applicants than it did lastyear.

Harvard administrators have resisted suchchanges, however, saying they are unnecessary.

"I do know that we have very well-roundedstudents because we take into consideration thingsother than MCAT scores," Eisenberg says. "I thinkthat all those things [initiated at Hopkins andPenn] have been thought of, but no changes inadmissions have taken place.

Rakin agrees, saying that Harvard has alwayslooked beyond mere science ability in selecting astudent body.

"Harvard looks for an applicant that's anall-around candidate," she says.

Producing Better Doctors

For a school so seemingly disinterested inaltering long-standing admissions practices,Harvard has shown a surprising willingness tochange its curriculum. Many point to the NewPathways program--a still experimental teachingprogram--as an example of how Harvard MedicalSchool has met the profession's changing demands.

The program's methods are a radical break withthe past. Students spend less time in lectureslearning about physiology, and more in studygroups talking about doctor-patient relationships.