Since then, applications have dropped about 12 percent, to 41,004 last year.

Even though applications have dropped significantly from their peak in 1996, admission to medical school remains extremely competitive.

But as much of the economy contracted, applications dropped.

Now that applications have dropped somewhat we have a little time to address ourselves to planning for the next boom.

But applications have been dropping even at the most prestigious medical colleges.

At Harvard University, for example, applications have dropped from 4,200 in 1979 to 2,700 last year.

Young Americans pondering career choices apparently have their own reservations; applications to medical school have dropped 25 percent over the past five years.

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And applications for medical and nursing schools have dropped drastically.

At Duke University, the admissions office says it expects applications to drop this year to 2,100 or 2,200, off from last year's total of 2,300.