> The UK, for instance, has the opposite problem, where becoming a doctor is much easier
According to a friend who qualified in the UK and now practices in the US the _process_ of becoming a doctor is much harder in the UK: medical schools in the UK test students holistically (i.e. big exams which test all the topics) whereas American students are tested one module at a time (so lots of cramming).
I agree that gaining acceptance is probably harder though (ish: the UK government subsidises the provision of medical teaching so places are also capped in the UK for financial and capacity reasons).
It's not the opposite of objective. It is a POV that says that something can best be understood and addressed as a whole rather than by its parts individually. Basically a "greater than sum of parts" thing.
From webster - relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts
So it is more the opposite of specific than objective. I think your confusion comes from colleges using holistic to mean they looks at things beyond beyond objective measurements like test scores and GPA
According to a friend who qualified in the UK and now practices in the US the _process_ of becoming a doctor is much harder in the UK: medical schools in the UK test students holistically (i.e. big exams which test all the topics) whereas American students are tested one module at a time (so lots of cramming).
I agree that gaining acceptance is probably harder though (ish: the UK government subsidises the provision of medical teaching so places are also capped in the UK for financial and capacity reasons).