narrowing it down

[ckd816]

hi,

i'm currently researching schools to apply to, but not until next year's application cycle. so far, i have about 9 schools i'm considering eek but i was wondering if anyone had advice on how they narrowed their lists down. aside from the cost of applying to that many schools, i'm mainly concerned about hearing it is looked down upon to apply to too many. what do you think is a good number of schools to go for?

some other information that i can throw in is that i am an arizona resident, so i have no state school. i plan on applying to colorado state, oregon state and probably ucdavis through the wiche program. also, i'm looking into michigan state, ohio state, upenn, tufts, and the rvc. possibly cornell as well since they tend to admit more out of staters, but we'll see where my stats are in about a year.

basically i've just looked at locations, requirements, and rates of oos admissions to come up with these. i feel like applying to more schools would increase my chances of getting in somewhere, but at the same time i don't want it to seem like i'll apply anywhere i completed the requirements!

sorry i'm so long winded-- any help is appreciated!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[VetMed555]

• First, requirements (it cut A LOT of schools out for me, because I didn't have genetics)
• Then the number of OOS students they take
• Then places where I would ACTUALLY NOT mind spending 4 years of my life, which included states where I had friends/family members for support (For example, if you need someone to take care of pets for a couple of days, or leave some of your things with, or just stay over every once in a while).

For me, it narrowed it down to 4 schools. Funnily enough, I got into 3 that I chose based on ALL of these criteria, and didn't get into my 4th choice, which was rather random (Mizzou). One thing, when you apply to a school that takes a very small number of OOS-ers, remember, that they probably OFFER more spots, but people usually decline in favor of instate schools. For example, I got into Auburn (which "only takes 10-15 OOS-ers") but they actually make about 30 offers and then most of the time tap into the waitlist as well, so the odds are *slightly* better than they seem.

 

[carrbear21]

I second that. I didn't want to leave but in case I didn't get in to my IS school I applied to 8 schools-- and had to take in to consideration places I wouldn't mind living indefinitely let alone for 4 years, plus my husband's career. Look in to also what schools LOOK AT first. IE: I ran in to an issue with Kansas. They ONLY look at their science pre-reqs and I had a disgustingly low GPA that they figured, so that ruled me out for everything else. Had I known that I wouldn't have wasted the $. Looking at the "average" GPAs and GREs gives you some idea of how competitive they are, along with how many IS/OOS apps they get. I didn't apply to UC-Davis because they only accept 4 OOS student and I knew I wouldn't have been one of them!

See if you have any schools that AZ contracts with so you're considered in a different pool than IS or OOS. I was accepted to RVC, ISU (off the waitlist) then my IS school (MN). RVC would be very different and had I been in a different stage of my life I definitely would have gone there! Just remember it would be a challenge (and expensive) to bring animals there if that is a consideration for you.

Good luck!!

 

[TCVM808]

some other information that i can throw in is that i am an arizona resident, so i have no state school. i plan on applying to colorado state, oregon state and probably ucdavis through the wiche program. also, i'm looking into michigan state, ohio state, upenn, tufts, and the rvc. possibly cornell as well since they tend to admit more out of staters, but we'll see where my stats are in about a year.

I applied to the WICHE program last cycle and wanted to add a few things regarding the participating schools. UC-Davis is not a full participant to the same extent as CSU, OSU and WSU. I would look into that before applying there. Davis also accepts a comparatively small number of OOS students. However, WSU is a full participant and I noticed that you did not specifically list them (you may have your reasons, just wanted to point that out in case you were not aware). Otherwise VetMed555 has given you some great advice!

Best of luck!

 

[enchantingme2]

I applied to as many schools as I could for vet school. I was only asked once why I chose so many, and I did not feel that it was ever a negative thing on my application. I believe I was asked once why, and I just explained that being from NJ I didnt really have a choice. I also mentioned that this was what i really wanted and that meant applying to anywhere that would make it a possibilty. So...I really dont think you should narrow it down unless money is a major concern.

 

[charismarl]

The first thing I did was look at all the requirements for ALL the US schools and crossed the ones off the list that required classes I didn't have. Then, I looked at how many OOS applicants that admitted every year as compared to how many people submitted apps. If it looked like I had a decent shot it stayed on the list, schools that accepted like 5 OOS kids were off the list. For whatever reason that narrowed it down to about 10 for me. Some were taken off the list because they seemed like crappy places to live (even though I did eventually apply to Iowa..sorry to those of you that live in Ames...I just couldn't do it). Anyway my final list came down to 6 (somewhere along the way I think I knocked one off the list because it had a rediculous application). It did cost a fortune in retrospect, and for that reason among others, I wouldn't suggest applying absolutely everywhere. Apply where you have a shot...be realistic.

 

[runnerDC]

The schools vary widely geographically in terms of what kinds of activities, political climate, local economies, etc, each place has to offer outside of school. I don’t know if any of these things are important to you.
When I was applying, we narrowed schools down fairly quickly because we wanted to live in a place that would offer us certain amenities: in or near a large city/major metro area, liberal politics and people, solid job opportunities for my partner, etc. Only 5 schools met those criteria. My thought was that the quality of the education I would get at most of the schools would be very similar, but I needed to feel good about and comfortable with where we were living for all of those other reasons.
I would say to apply where you really want to go and live; if you really can't envision yourself being happy in a certain place for at least 4 years, then it might be better to leave that one off of your list.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Then places where I would ACTUALLY NOT mind spending 4 years of my life

That was a huge decision-maker/breaker for me. Hooray for the b'Burg! I just need a place with mountains...plus I'm a bit of a homebody. I don't think I could have felt toally comfortable moving to another state. Not quite yet. Maybe for residency but I didn't feel ready or willing to go yet. Location, location, location!

 

[hoodle]

When I was applying, we narrowed schools down fairly quickly because we wanted to live in a place that would offer us certain amenities: in or near a large city/major metro area, liberal politics and people, solid job opportunities for my partner, etc. Only 5 schools met those criteria. My thought was that the quality of the education I would get at most of the schools would be very similar, but I needed to feel good about and comfortable with where we were living for all of those other reasons.
I would say to apply where you really want to go and live; if you really can't envision yourself being happy in a certain place for at least 4 years, then it might be better to leave that one off of your list.

I couldn't have said it better. My partner and I applied to 9 places, but that was because we were juggling applications and admissions processes for the two of us, simultaneously (grad school and vet school), and having all our eggs in too few baskets seemed unwise. That said, of those 9, we were most excited about only around 5. Thankfully, our dual admission process worked out well - we ended up with too many options, which was its own drama. All in all, though, I second what someone else said - location, location, location! Which, of course, encompasses politics, opportunities/cities, what kind of restaurants will be around, etc... important life considerations!