Advice on Picking Schools To Apply To

[milliya]

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Okay, so I have recently compiled a list of which schools I wanted to apply to. I'd like to compare what I did to what you all have done to see if I went about this the right way, and if anyone has any advice or tips for me or any others at this stage, please share, of course.

First, I picked schools that have significant meaning to me. In my case, they are also my reach schools, but thats besides the point.

For the rest of them, I took the following things into account:

How many schools can I afford to apply to?
Where do I want to live?
What chance do I have of getting in?
What have I heard about their program/facilities?

I chose a total of 15 schools:

5 that I should have the stats to get into
4 reach schools
3 school that I have a 50/50 chance with
2 in the state of my undergraduate institution
1 in my home state

Then, I went briefly browsed each school website to see if the school's mission was compatible with my vision of being a doctor, and if their programs have any features that really stand out to me. All but 4 of them passed with flying colors, but I will still apply to those 4.

So...did I do it right?

 

[UAAWolf]

Okay, so I have recently compiled a list of which schools I wanted to apply to. I'd like to compare what I did to what you all have done to see if I went about this the right way, and if anyone has any advice or tips for me or any others at this stage, please share, of course.

First, I picked schools that have significant meaning to me. In my case, they are also my reach schools, but thats besides the point.

For the rest of them, I took the following things into account:

How many schools can I afford to apply to?
Where do I want to live?
What chance do I have of getting in?
What have I heard about their program/facilities?

I chose a total of 15 schools:

5 that I should have the stats to get into
4 reach schools
3 school that I have a 50/50 chance with
2 in the state of my undergraduate institution
1 in my home state

Then, I went briefly browsed each school website to see if the school's mission was compatible with my vision of being a doctor, and if their programs have any features that really stand out to me. All but 4 of them passed with flying colors, but I will still apply to those 4.

So...did I do it right?

Hey friend- a few words of wisdom. It'd also be helpful to know your stats!

- Is there more than 1 in your home state? I'd apply to all in my home state...

-4 reach schools, if they are a true reach, is a lot if applying to 15. Why not do 2 reaches and replace the other 2 with safeties. I'm pretty conservative though...

Post some stats/ECs in the What Are My Chances forum and you'll get even more feedback 🙂

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Okay, so I have recently compiled a list of which schools I wanted to apply to. I'd like to compare what I did to what you all have done to see if I went about this the right way, and if anyone has any advice or tips for me or any others at this stage, please share, of course.

First, I picked schools that have significant meaning to me. In my case, they are also my reach schools, but thats besides the point.

For the rest of them, I took the following things into account:

How many schools can I afford to apply to?
Where do I want to live?
What chance do I have of getting in?
What have I heard about their program/facilities?

I chose a total of 15 schools:

5 that I should have the stats to get into
4 reach schools
3 school that I have a 50/50 chance with
2 in the state of my undergraduate institution
1 in my home state

Then, I went briefly browsed each school website to see if the school's mission was compatible with my vision of being a doctor, and if their programs have any features that really stand out to me. All but 4 of them passed with flying colors, but I will still apply to those 4.

So...did I do it right?

apply to all instate schools, north calorina has one school that only takes instate students if im correct, you should apply to that one always
also.. i'd try to get about 20ish schools, 5 which your stats are good for isnt enough
try getting that up to.. 10
and you should be fine 😀

 

[Catalystik]

If you haven't seen the School Selection spreadsheet stickied to the top of "What are my chances" Forum, check it out for additional help.

I'd have said 3 reach schools, 9 within your reach, and 3 safeties. If you have low stats, I'd add at least 5 more in the lower two categories.

 

[ksmi117]

It really depends on your stats. If you have above average stats, the list look good. But if you have average stats (even if those stats match up with schools'), keep in mind that a lot of people will have those too and you'll need more to set you apart.

 

[milliya]

If you haven't seen the School Selection spreadsheet stickied to the top of "What are my chances" Forum, check it out for additional help.

I'd have said 3 reach schools, 9 within your reach, and 3 safeties. If you have low stats, I'd add at least 5 more in the lower two categories.

oh em gee...ive never seen that! wow! i just did it and it put a lotttt of things in perspective for me. (and not in a good way) lol

i haven't taken the MCAT yet, but i'll revise my list a little and then post in "What are my chances"

thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[Amadelphous]

apply to all instate schools, north calorina has one school that only takes instate students if im correct, you should apply to that one always
also.. i'd try to get about 20ish schools, 5 which your stats are good for isnt enough
try getting that up to.. 10
and you should be fine 😀

While 20 schools is well within average, if cost is an issue try to narrow down the list so that you stand the best chance and also have applied to the programs you really like. Maybe 1 or 2 reaches and the rest match (because safeties don't exist). Cost was an issue for me so I only applied to 12 schools (11 complete secondaries) and my list was pretty top heavy because I knew what I wanted...statistics be d@mned. So all said, try to make a "smart" list that fits your financial and academic goals.

 

[rockymhs]

oh em gee...ive never seen that! wow! i just did it and it put a lotttt of things in perspective for me. (and not in a good way) lol

i haven't taken the MCAT yet, but i'll revise my list a little and then post in "What are my chances"

thanks for the advice everyone.

You can't know of your chances until you take MCAT.

You can never be sure of how you will score on MCAT.