How to pick school list?

[DenTony11235]

I'm from NY and want to stay here, so I'll be applying to almost all NY schools. How do I pick other schools?

Can i find peoples school lists that have similar stats to mine on this forum?

3.4 sGPA, 3.6 cGPA, 37 MCAT, ~200 hours of volunteering, 6 mo. of research assistant so far.
I would like to keep my specialty options open, so preferably I'd like go to a school from which there are plenty of specialty residency placements.


I do have MSAR.

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[Ace-Co-A]

I'm from NY and want to stay here, so I'll be applying to almost all NY schools. How do I pick other schools?

Can i find peoples school lists that have similar stats to mine on this forum?

3.4 sGPA, 3.6 cGPA, 37 MCAT, ~200 hours of volunteering, 6 mo. of research assistant so far.
I would like to keep my specialty options open, so preferably I'd like go to a school from which there are plenty of specialty residency placements.

Invest in the MSAR. Pick schools whose median stats are similar to yours as well as a few above (as reaches) and a few below (as "safeties"). Do some research and figure out which schools match well with your application (e.g., your ECs are in line with the goals expressed in their mission statements). Don't apply top heavy. Aside from your NY schools, apply to schools that take a lot of OOS students.

 

[DenTony11235]

Should've mentioned that I do have MSAR, I'll edit that in right now.

It's just so overwhelming, the number of schools that I can apply to.

Does anyone have like a flowchart or something that I can use? My day off from work is friday so i guess ill spend that day figuring it all out.

 

[Ace-Co-A]

It's just so overwhelming, the number of schools that I can apply to.

I hear ya. I applied to 18, and even this was on the low-ish side. I think 20 is probably pretty good, but keep in mind that limiting factors exist: (1) money! and (2) time. I'd encourage you to post in the WAMC forum to get help with a school list. Goro is mad helpful with these!

Does anyone have like a flowchart or something that I can use? My day off from work is friday so i guess ill spend that day figuring it all out.

Hmm... I'm not aware of one, but there are a lot of gems to be found in this thread.

Good luck!

 

[DenTony11235]

thank you!

 

[sazerac]

Here is what you need to do. Get a box of index cards. On each card write down the name of one school. Lay these hundred or so cards out on a big floor, with no overlapping of cards (this is important).

Next, get a handful of confetti, and throw it at the cards... if a piece of confetti landed on a school, you apply there.





The reason this system works so well is that it is the exact same system medical schools use to figure out which applicants to accept.

 

[DenTony11235]

Hm. So you're saying its NOT totally random? Theres a method to the madness?

If no confetti lands on NY schools, do i just not apply to them? please clarify.

 

[Goro]

Wander over to the WAMC forum. Plenty of list there.

I'll help you out some. Try all PA schools except Penn. Scratch Pitt if you don't have a lot of research. That still leaves five more in that state.

Then think about U VT and Dartmouth

Work outwards, state by state. Pay attention to the public schools and the % OOS they accept. If <20%, don't bother.

I'm from NY and want to stay here, so I'll be applying to almost all NY schools. How do I pick other schools?

Can i find peoples school lists that have similar stats to mine on this forum?

3.4 sGPA, 3.6 cGPA, 37 MCAT, ~200 hours of volunteering, 6 mo. of research assistant so far.
I would like to keep my specialty options open, so preferably I'd like go to a school from which there are plenty of specialty residency placements.


I do have MSAR.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

Apply to VA schools, where they accept half their classes from OOS. Ultimately it won't matter what schools you pick. I spent a lot of time picking what I believed was a well balanced school list. I ended up with 3 interviews, one at a reach school, and two IS, then got one acceptance to EVMS. Basically, every OOS school passed me over, except for Emory of all places, but maybe that was because I was born in Georgia. The process makes no sense.

 

[DenTony11235]

I want to keep my specialty options open, so I do want schools that place more into anesthesiology/radiology/surgery/dermatology. Any recommendations when focusing to build the optimal list of those kind of schools?

 

[DenTony11235]

Wander over to the WAMC forum. Plenty of list there.
Work outwards, state by state. Pay attention to the public schools and the % OOS they accept. If <20%, don't bother.

Solid advice. Thank you. I just looked at NY alone and I have 12 potential schools to apply to just there alone.

I'm thinking I'll apply to 20. What do you guys think? BTW, I have FAP and all AMCAS Fees are waived for first 15 schools. I'm looking to stay in the $2-3000 range, so what do you guys think is a good number of schools to apply to?

 

[darkjedi]

I want to keep my specialty options open, so I do want schools that place more into anesthesiology/radiology/surgery/dermatology. Any recommendations when focusing to build the optimal list of those kind of schools?

You can match into practically any specialty from almost any school as long as you do well in medical school and the boards. Right now however, your low GPA will likely preclude you from places like Columbia and Cornell. You should avoid only applying in one city, as that's a surefire way to wind up with zero acceptances.

 

[DenTony11235]

You can match into practically any specialty from almost any school as long as you do well in medical school and the boards. Right now however, your low GPA will likely preclude you from places like Columbia and Cornell. You should avoid only applying in one city, as that's a surefire way to wind up with zero acceptances.

The numbers don't tell the story. Theres an extremely strong upward trend. The reason it is what it is is because 5 years ago as a freshman, i took Cal and got an F, then retook and got a D. All my bio/chem/physics classes since have been A-/A, with just one B and two B+'s. Do you really think they'll exclude me just from looking at the number at first glance?

 

[darkjedi]

The numbers don't tell the story. Theres an extremely strong upward trend. The reason it is what it is is because 5 years ago as a freshman, i took Cal and got an F, then retook and got a D. All my bio/chem/physics classes since have been A-/A, with just one B and two B+'s. Do you really think they'll exclude me just from looking at the number at first glance?

Unfortunately yes, at least at places like Columbia/Cornell. If your sGPA/cGPA falls below their 10th percentile, unless you have something 90th percentile to make up for it, you will likely get screened. That said, I think you should still have a good shot at getting into med school, especially considering your MCAT. My advice is for you to expand your options and apply broadly and not to get too worked up over specialty placements and match lists.