I am applying in June and come from California. I go to UCSD. Talked with the premed advisor and he suggested applying to about 25 schools. I went through the MSAR and found about 40 that I was interested in/I met their requirements/they accepted out of staters. Seeing as I am from CA and our state schools are no slouch, what is a good number of schools to apply to? Further, any suggestions on back up MD progs that accept CA residents?
25 schools a reasonable number????
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SlippingSloth said:
20 is usually the best number. Private schools don't care where you are from. Public schools may give you some problems.
Of the 20, I was interviewed at 5, and accepted at 4. It always a gamble.
My undergrad would not let you apply to more than 15 unless you met with them and wrote a justification for the extra schools. I can see their point because your best bet is always your state schools and as for private schools your stats stay the same so I do not see how your odds increase that much by applying to more schools. Well your odds of rejection increase, but thats another story.
JonnyG said:
wow- that's strange. i would hate it if my school put restrictions on me like that.
i also plan on applying to 25 schools (but that includes two schools abroad). i was thinking of maybe adding osteo to my list, so that will make it 26 or 27.
I did 27. If I did it again I would be sure to make 1/3 high, 1/3 mid 1/5 low. Do not leave out the best schools if you apply early.
SlippingSloth said:
yeah, i applied to 26. i didn't want to take anything for granted so i applied to a wide range of programs (competitive to not-as-competitive). it's kind of a gamble. never know who's going to really like your application...
the process has been full of surprises, some good, some bad.
I applied to 14 and it cost me over 2000 dollars. (That is not including any interview expenses or miscallaneous costs like the 70 dollars I had to pay my HPO to send out recommendations.) Honestly, I think anything over 20 is excessive but of course its a personal choice. In the end, you're only gonna go to one school so really only apply to places you definitely can picture youself going to. I suggest you take those 40 schools and narrow down by locatoin, curriculum, student diversity, cost, etc... Good Luck!!
I have to go with the money angle too. It's an expensive process, one that I've been afraid to add up. I applied to 13 schools, submitted 11 secondaries, and have gone on 6 interviews, 5 of which were out of state. When I started this process, I had a nice little nest egg of savings. Now I'm hoping to get through August without accumulating credit card debt. I'd suggest to look at your finances and think realistically about what you can afford.
There's another angle to consider. When I looked through the MSAR, I was able to really whittle down the number of options. I have a strong geographic preference to go to New England for med school, so that right there cut out a ton of possibilities. Also, I looked carefully at the curriculum; one that was progressive and involved early patient contact was a priority. Then, I looked at the mission statement. I wanted a school that was dedicated to diversity and technology. With all that together, I actually stretched a little to find 13.
My advice is that if you've got the $$ to burn, apply everywhere that meets your needs. If you have to scrimp, find some exclusive criteria and your list makes itself.
Good luck!
There's another angle to consider. When I looked through the MSAR, I was able to really whittle down the number of options. I have a strong geographic preference to go to New England for med school, so that right there cut out a ton of possibilities. Also, I looked carefully at the curriculum; one that was progressive and involved early patient contact was a priority. Then, I looked at the mission statement. I wanted a school that was dedicated to diversity and technology. With all that together, I actually stretched a little to find 13.
My advice is that if you've got the $$ to burn, apply everywhere that meets your needs. If you have to scrimp, find some exclusive criteria and your list makes itself.
Good luck!
25 is fine. It is true that you lose a lot of money on the secondaries, but the big cost is for interviews. I was dumb and applied to too many schools- which had the net result of me withdrawing from 9 after the secondary stage. The key is to do a mix between high/low tier and then rolling/non-rolling. I was very lucky to interview early at one school and get in there on October 15th- this enabled me to drop 9 immediately and if I hadn't already had scheduled two interviews for the 15th weekend- I could have dropped 11-12.
I NEVER understood why people apply to so many schools. I applied to like 5, and even then I was bitching about the cost. I bet AAMC loves you guys. How can you be interested in 40 schools?? 
I probably can't even name 40 medical schools
I probably can't even name 40 medical schools
ThreadkillerMD, it is because CA applicants get kind of ripped off during the process. There are way too many pre-meds coming from CA relative to the number of medical school spots within the state. Since we can't rely on our state schools as "backup," we have to look out-of-state, which can be a problem when lots of out-of-state schools heavily favor in-staters. Trust me, I was not interested in all of the schools that I applied to (30), but did not want to have to reapply next year.
Anyway, SlippingSloth, I think that 25 is a good number. I applied to 30 on AMCAS, filled out 27 secondaries, and have done very well during the application process. My stats are good, but not stellar.
Anyway, SlippingSloth, I think that 25 is a good number. I applied to 30 on AMCAS, filled out 27 secondaries, and have done very well during the application process. My stats are good, but not stellar.
Not necessarily true, many private schools give preference, the amount varies, to instate students.OSUdoc08 said:
I understand that the hardest part of the process of becoming a doctor is getting into medical school, so I imagine that if you have ok grades and MCAT's, you'll want to apply to an incredible number of schools. If you have super stellar grades and MCAT's, you can apply to less and use more discerining criteria about which ones you'll apply to.
Here was my reasoning, I applied to 25 schools and I figured this would be the breakdown.
I'd get secondaries from about half of them. (12)
I'd get interviewed at about 1/2 of those (6)
I'd get into half of those schools (3) and have to decide based on financial aid and such.
Actual breakdown:
Got secondaries from ALL my schools (25)
Only returned (23) I'm not writing 298 essays.
Got interviewed at about 1/3 (7)
Got into 1 school, waitlisted from 6 post interview.
Didn't go exactly as planned, but I could be pulled from the waitlist anytime.
I'd get secondaries from about half of them. (12)
I'd get interviewed at about 1/2 of those (6)
I'd get into half of those schools (3) and have to decide based on financial aid and such.
Actual breakdown:
Got secondaries from ALL my schools (25)
Only returned (23) I'm not writing 298 essays.
Got interviewed at about 1/3 (7)
Got into 1 school, waitlisted from 6 post interview.
Didn't go exactly as planned, but I could be pulled from the waitlist anytime.
If you can afford it, apply to as many schools as you want. Just be warned: it is EXHAUSTING!!!! Writing all those essays, then scheduling time to interview at the schools (taking time off of work/school), travel arrangements (though you can save my staying with a student host) all take a lot out of you, both physically and financially. If you plan on applying to many schools, start early! You are more likely to retain your sanity! Just some things to think about....
G'luck!
G'luck!
UCLAstudent said:ThreadkillerMD, it is because CA applicants get kind of ripped off during the process. There are way too many pre-meds coming from CA relative to the number of medical school spots within the state. Since we can't rely on our state schools as "backup," we have to look out-of-state, which can be a problem when lots of out-of-state schools heavily favor in-staters. Trust me, I was not interested in all of the schools that I applied to (30), but did not want to have to reapply next year.
I see your point. I suppose a lot depends on your location. So I guess most of your apps are to private schools?
Brain said:
I am totally with you Brain! I only applied to 8 and got interviews at 4 (thats coming from a small liberal arts school that no one heard of). I'm already broke so I'm not going to one interview. I also heard that some schools, if they ask, don't like if you applied to so many schools because it makes you seem like you're not so interested in their school. I dunno though. Its just food for thought! Good luck with whatever you decide to do!!
TexasSnow said:
The Texas system is great! I filled out one common application, wrote one essay (plus 4 or 5 short answer questions on secondaries), paid about $250 in application & secondary fees, and received interviews at all 6 schools I applied to. Maybe this system should be employed in California and other populous states.
MoosePilot said:
Yup, they will not send out your recommendations or your premed committee letter. My undergrad doesn't really like a low acceptance rate coming from their students, so they try to control who applies. They have been pretty devastating in the past.
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