Students versus faculty members as admissions interviewers: comparisons of ratings data and admissions decisions.

Purpose: To explore variations both in interview ratings data and in medical school admissions decisions when current medical students do and do not participate in interviewing applicants.

Method: The research team conducted this randomized controlled trial by performing identical analyses for each of six independent cohorts of applicants (n = 3,868) to Baylor College of Medicine for the academic years 2005-2006 through 2010-2011. A pair of randomly selected interviewers--either two faculty members or a faculty member and a student--interviewed each applicant in a one-on-one interview.