Is it just me or...?

[NoahIndonesia]

Is it easier for CA applicants to get an OOS spot? I see many OOS spots going to CA residents, and some schools even seem to have a preference for CA residents for those OOS spots.

(Caveat: I am a VA resident posting mainly b/c I see how hard it is for CA residents to get into Medical Schools, but find that by looking at MDApps this might not be true).

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[gyngyn]

Is it easier for CA applicants to get an OOS spot? I see many OOS spots going to CA residents, and some schools even seem to have a preference for CA residents for those OOS spots.

(Caveat: I am a VA resident posting mainly b/c I see how hard it is for CA residents to get into Medical Schools, but find that by looking at MDApps this might not be true).

The large majority of overqualified CA applicants cannot get an IS seat and therefore have to go OOS. Last year CA had 5,920 applicants. Only 870 matriculated in CA. 1,436 had to leave the state to go to medical school. OOS schools know that they can pick up excellent candidates because of the low number of seats in CA so their yield on these candidates will be much higher than equivalent candidates from let's say, TX where only 193 leave the state.

 

[NoahIndonesia]

The large majority of overqualified CA applicants cannot get an IS seat and therefore have to go OOS. Last year CA had 5,920 applicants. Only 870 matriculated in CA. 1,436 had to leave the state to go to medical school. OOS schools know that they can pick up excellent candidates because of the low number of seats in CA so their yield on these candidates will be much higher than equivalent candidates from let's say, TX.

See that's where I differ, I see many borderline CA applicants who have 3.5/3.5/30 and get in! It's interesting.

 

[tiedyeddog]

See that's where I differ, I see many borderline CA applicants who have 3.5/3.5/30 and get in! It's interesting.

There are plenty of very well regarded undergrads these people come from. Having those stats from Stanford, UCLA, Berkley, etc means more than those same stats from Unheard-of University in the middle of Nebraska or Ohio. There are tons of people coming from those schools as well.

You have to remember that it's highly competitive to get into those undergrad schools as well. They are also well known for being tough premed programs. (And just FYI I did not go to any of those nor did I apply from CA. )

 

[MrLogan13]

See that's where I differ, I see many borderline CA applicants who have 3.5/3.5/30 and get in! It's interesting.

Borderline to you, obviously not to the schools they matriculated at.

 

[NoahIndonesia]

There are plenty of very well regarded undergrads these people come from. Having those stats from Stanford, UCLA, Berkley, etc means more than those same stats from Unheard-of University in the middle of Nebraska or Ohio. There are tons of people coming from those schools as well.

You have to remember that it's highly competitive to get into those undergrad schools as well. They are also well known for being tough premed programs. (And just FYI I did not go to any of those nor did I apply from CA. )

Really? All the adcoms I've spoken to say it doesn't matter where you went to school, and there's little consideration in 3.8 from podunk U against a 3.5 from Harvard

 

[gyngyn]

See that's where I differ, I see many borderline CA applicants who have 3.5/3.5/30 and get in! It's interesting.

If a particular school has had similar students excel, they are likely to interview and accept them.

 

[ridethecliche]

Really? All the adcoms I've spoken to say it doesn't matter where you went to school, and there's little consideration in 3.8 from podunk U against a 3.5 from Harvard

Pssst: gyngyn is an adcomm at a cali school

 

[Goro]

That's not borderline; that's slightly below avg.

See that's where I differ, I see many borderline CA applicants who have 3.5/3.5/30 and get in! It's interesting.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Really? All the adcoms I've spoken to say it doesn't matter where you went to school, and there's little consideration in 3.8 from podunk U against a 3.5 from Harvard

That's not how it really works. They are giving you the PC answers but in real life their is a big name bias.

 

[gapyearguppy]

I also think California students have to be smarter about where they apply knowing how difficult it is to get a seat in state. So a lot of us probably spend a lot of time creating school lists that favor OOS. At least, that's what most of my peers did. I found out a bit too late about IS bias but I was lucky to be one of those 1400 to get a seat OOS.

 

[FFH]

Really? All the adcoms I've spoken to say it doesn't matter where you went to school, and there's little consideration in 3.8 from podunk U against a 3.5 from Harvard

GPA is only a small part of application package. There are much more to it. How well does one organize one's time for EC, PS, filling out AMCAS, writing secondaries and return them on time. Do the research about the application process, about the school. Knowing what to do and how to act in interviews. Not to be a "bubbling idiot". Etc etc.

A student who is able to maintain a 3.5 from highly competitive premed schools might not be treated differently number wise from someone with a 3.5 from a relaxed state school, but having spent years surviving the shark tanks and having had a broader breath of intellectual influences probably make him or her more on point when it comes to the other parts of the admission process.