Predicting Performance in a Combined Undergraduate and Medical Education Program

Abstract

This study investigated the prediction of success in the six-year combined undergraduate and medical education program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Students enter this program directly from high school, and at the end of six years receive their bachelors and medical degrees simultaneously. In addition to the usual measures of academic success, criteria for this study included measures of personal development, participation in cultural and community activities, and attitudes and plans with respect to various kinds of medical careers. The best predictor for any given criterion variable tended to be previous standing on the same variable, and in general adding other predictor variables improved prediction only a little. Academic performance was largely independent of other criteria. Implications for selection policy are considered.