Where to apply?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

EUpremed

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2009
Messages
27
Reaction score
0
Hi all-
I was wondering how the people who are applying/applied make a decision on schools. There has been a previous post on non-trad favoring schools- so in combination with that post:

1. How do you narrow down the huge number of schools to a manageable number? Location, stats on present students, non-trad acceptances etc?

2. Public v. Private?

I've begun making a list, but am still not sure if I am picking schools that I have a good chance at getting in.

Members don't see this ad.
 
I used the current MSAR to make my list. The info I had didn't tell me if it favored non-trads or not.

After looking at my stats and plugging them into the "calculator" I was able to choose 3 safety schools, 4 in state schools, 4 ok chance schools and 3 long shot schools. I wish I could apply to more, but I'm a high school teacher. Application money is not falling off trees. ;)

You might want to look into that spreadsheet, although I, too, would be interested in knowing schools that favor nontrad. I know Morehouse favors URM, but that's about all the info I have.
 
Instead of looking at nontrad data, I used a number of criteria, including % of OOS in the class, MCAT/GPA, # of applications received and # of applicants interviewed, tuition cost and cost of living, and location -- which is kind of a big deal to me, personally. I've got it down to a list of 20, including 2 in-state schools, only 1 that accepts only a few OOS but for which I can make a huge case for close ties, and all the other schools have at least 35+% OOS. I also looked at my interests in regard to the school. For example, Harvard didn't make the list because I'm not interested in doing research and that is what they are known for. Not that I could get in there anyway, but you get the drift. I have found the OOS factor to be much more important that nontrad vs. trad.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Thanks for the advice. I think the high percentage acceptance for OOS will also be an important factor for me, as I am unlikely to go to an in-state school. Should I buy the MSAR book- is it really necessary?

I also did the points calculator and found I am on the edge (or slightly below) of being competitive for schools that I'd really like to go to. How accurate is this?

Also, teddy bear- do you think you could list a few of the schools that you found with high OOS matriculation? Thanks so much!
 
Sure. I'll warn you though, most of them are private. The tuition factor, while still important, wasn't as important to me as the OOS acceptance rate. But none of them are absurd like Mich. State (OOS tuition is like $70K!!!) Also the ones I picked were ones that were pretty much what some people would probably consider safeties, i.e. my scores were above their accepted average. I'm just not that big of a risk taker, and I don't have the money to be applying to places that I have a really low chance of acceptance, especially since your chances aren't even that great at places that would seem to be an admissions slam dunk. Most places only interview 10% or less of their applicants and accept maybe 30-40% of interviewees.

Included are Drexel, Temple, Jefferson, Boston U., NYMC, Wake Forest, Tulane, U of Vermont, MC Wisconsin, Rosalind Franklin, plus some others I can't remember off the top of my head. I strongly prefer to not be in the Midwest, my choices mostly reflect that, with a few exceptions. I have a copy of the infamous now-deleted spreadsheet someone made up a while back, and I will PM it to you. You input your cGPA, sGPA, and MCAT and it tells you where your best shots are based on numbers alone. Also medicalschoolsinusa.com has more in-depth admissions data. It's up to you as to how much risk you take in applying, how much you think you can sell yourself past your numbers (with PS, secondary, interview, etc).

Keep in mind too that some schools (GWU and Georgetown most of all, but also some that made my shortlist) have a large OOS class proportion but get maybe 10K apps. GWU was like 12K!!! So that waters it down a bit, like yeah, their class is predominantly OOS, but they don't really accept that many people total because they get so many apps. There are a lot of factors to consider, but good luck! Personally it took me about 3 days of pretty constant researching to wade through the info and come up with a solid list, though even that is still sort of in flux.
 
PS. I just snooped you a little, and with a PhD in infectious disease (that was you, right??), you probably have a good shot at places I don't stand a chance. Your background will allow you to upsell yourself a lot more than mine. Plus it sounds like you are interested in research (since, umm, you have a PhD) so your school list will probably look a LOT different than mine, since I am leaning toward primary care. Happy trails though, and good luck to you.
 
Hi all-
I was wondering how the people who are applying/applied make a decision on schools. There has been a previous post on non-trad favoring schools- so in combination with that post:

1. How do you narrow down the huge number of schools to a manageable number? Location, stats on present students, non-trad acceptances etc?

2. Public v. Private?

I've begun making a list, but am still not sure if I am picking schools that I have a good chance at getting in.
Applying to a range of schools is key. Obviously apply to places that typically interview people with scores (GPA/MCAT) around your own, but don't be put off my schools that seem like they are 'reach' schools. I interviewed at the University of Toronto (has a higher average GPA and MCAT than Harvard) with stats less then their mean GPA and MCAT.

Also, stay away from state schools if you are OOS for that school. There are a few exceptions (SUNY schools spring to mind) that accept a fair amount of OOS applicants, but you are essentially wasting your money on the rest. I applied to MUSC only to learn (after I applied) that they maybe take one applicant from OOS every other year and you need to demonstrate overwhelmingly strong ties to the state if you are not a resident.

Lastly, if you have a PhD, expect the schools that focus almost entirely on patient care (usually state schools) to be suspicious of you. They are going to focus more on your GPA and MCAT because research accolades simply hold little weight with them.

I hope that helps!
 
Definitely don't apply to schools that have a poor record of accepting out of state applicants. Also, apply to more, rather than less, schools.
 
Top