The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine welcomed its eighth class this week.

Every year, I am impressed by the quality of our incoming class and this year is no exception, said Dean Cynda Johnson, in a news release. Each student is competitive for medical school on paper based on their academic achievements, but they also have diverse backgrounds, which is something we strive for to enrich their learning experience.

-- Women outnumber men for the first time. Of the 42 students, 22 are women.

-- One-third come from Virginia. Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia tied with both sending five of their graduates to the med school.

-- Other schools with more than one student: Georgetown University, Haverford College, University of California San Diego and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

-- Most popular undergraduate majors: biology, neuroscience and biochemistry.

-- 20 percent have graduate degrees.

-- 4,403 people applied for the 42 slots.

More here:

Med Beat: Med school welcomes new class - Roanoke Times (blog)