Application strategy too risky?

[Revolution #9]

Here's my situation. I'll have everything ready to go for the 2006 application cycle by early June - final transcripts, 5 letters, personal statement/AMCAS filled out, MCAT scores, etc. But since I'm fairly low on cash, I would like to apply to as few schools as possible. I'm thinking of initially applying to only the schools that my numbers are competitive at and I am interested in (Wake, USC (California), Chicago, NU, NYU, and UNC), plus three reach schools, with my initial application. Hopefully I'll have some interviews completed by September. If I don't have as many as I would like (either completed or scheduled), then I'll add a number of backups. I'm a South Carolina resident, so backups would be MUSC, USC (South Carolina), ECU, Drexel, and maybe another, while my reaches are Duke, Yale, and Harvard (a guy can dream, right? )
I'm thinking that my strategy is sound as long as I add the backups a couple of weeks before all the August MCATers are complete. What do you think? Is it too risky to not include backups right off the bat if you're applying in June? Any one else use this strategy?

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[virilep]

Here's my situation. I'll have everything ready to go for the 2006 application cycle by early June - final transcripts, 5 letters, personal statement/AMCAS filled out, MCAT scores, etc. But since I'm fairly low on cash, I would like to apply to as few schools as possible. I'm thinking of initially applying to only the schools that my numbers are competitive at and I am interested in (Wake, USC (California), Chicago, NU, NYU, and UNC), plus three reach schools, with my initial application. Hopefully I'll have some interviews completed by September. If I don't have as many as I would like (either completed or scheduled), then I'll add a number of backups. I'm a South Carolina resident, so backups would be MUSC, USC (South Carolina), ECU, Drexel, and maybe another, while my reaches are Duke, Yale, and Harvard (a guy can dream, right? )
I'm thinking that my strategy is sound as long as I add the backups a couple of weeks before all the August MCATers are complete. What do you think? Is it too risky to not include backups right off the bat if you're applying in June? Any one else use this strategy?

I would apply to all the backups first and ur reach schools. and applying to cali schools without great number and being out of state... not good. and school out of state... no good. but securing a spot is more important.

 

[Revolution #9]

...and applying to cali schools without great number and being out of state... not good. and school out of state... no good. but securing a spot is more important.

Really? Even though USC is private?

 

[MWillie]

You're gambling your future to save something like 300 bucks?

 

[8-)]

Here's my situation. I'll have everything ready to go for the 2006 application cycle by early June - final transcripts, 5 letters, personal statement/AMCAS filled out, MCAT scores, etc. But since I'm fairly low on cash, I would like to apply to as few schools as possible. I'm thinking of initially applying to only the schools that my numbers are competitive at and I am interested in (Wake, USC (California), Chicago, NU, NYU, and UNC), plus three reach schools, with my initial application. Hopefully I'll have some interviews completed by September. If I don't have as many as I would like (either completed or scheduled), then I'll add a number of backups. I'm a South Carolina resident, so backups would be MUSC, USC (South Carolina), ECU, Drexel, and maybe another, while my reaches are Duke, Yale, and Harvard (a guy can dream, right? )
I'm thinking that my strategy is sound as long as I add the backups a couple of weeks before all the August MCATers are complete. What do you think? Is it too risky to not include backups right off the bat if you're applying in June? Any one else use this strategy?

I don't know what your numbers/ECs are, but they better be stellar if you expect your plan to work. I'm a NC resident and I can tell you that getting an interview at UNC is near impossible for an out-of-stater, and getting into ECU IS impossible (they haven't accepted an out-of-stater in over 20 years). So there goes two schools, plus as virilep said, USC is probably out, and so is Harvard, etc, etc, etc. So, I think you should start saving up now...

 

[trinitrotoluene]

Could you get a fee waver?

 

[Revolution #9]

I don't know what your numbers/ECs are, but they better be stellar if you expect your plan to work. I'm a NC resident and I can tell you that getting an interview at UNC is near impossible for an out-of-stater, and getting into ECU IS impossible (they haven't accepted an out-of-stater in over 20 years). So there goes two schools, plus as virilep said, USC is probably out, and so is Harvard, etc, etc, etc. So, I think you should start saving up now...

I've been told that as a Wake undegrad (living in NC for four years), I can be considered a NC resident for the NC state schools. Is this incorrect?


And to MWillie - that's why I asked the question in the first place, to see if others thought it was too risky. Obviously you think it is, so thank you for the feedback

 

[redheadpremed]

Here's my situation. I'll have everything ready to go for the 2006 application cycle by early June - final transcripts, 5 letters, personal statement/AMCAS filled out, MCAT scores, etc. But since I'm fairly low on cash, I would like to apply to as few schools as possible. I'm thinking of initially applying to only the schools that my numbers are competitive at and I am interested in (Wake, USC (California), Chicago, NU, NYU, and UNC), plus three reach schools, with my initial application. Hopefully I'll have some interviews completed by September. If I don't have as many as I would like (either completed or scheduled), then I'll add a number of backups. I'm a South Carolina resident, so backups would be MUSC, USC (South Carolina), ECU, Drexel, and maybe another, while my reaches are Duke, Yale, and Harvard (a guy can dream, right? )
I'm thinking that my strategy is sound as long as I add the backups a couple of weeks before all the August MCATers are complete. What do you think? Is it too risky to not include backups right off the bat if you're applying in June? Any one else use this strategy?

This is just my opinion, but your plan needs a little tweaking. Here are some things to take into account:

1. Your reach schools (Duke, Harvard, and Yale) are all non-rolling. While it's a great plan to have reach schools, you just won't know the outcome for these three schools in time to COUNT on them for your medical school future.

2. UNC and USC(California) are both out-of-state schools for you, and from what I've heard, they're not terribly welcoming to out-of-staters. Again, it's a good thing to try for, but you can probably expect to have to get a better average MCAT score than the in-staters (think way above average), as well as all the awesome extra-curriculars. It's just conjecture, but you might not get early interviews at these schools, even if you are outstanding, because they are state schools.

3. Northwestern, Wake, UChicago and NYU are all awesome schools...they could possibly even be counted in the same "reach" category as Duke (again, just my opinion). Definitely apply to them, they're all fantastic, but you want to throw in a couple schools that aren't so competitive.

4. Applying to your state schools isn't going to decrease your cash flow by all that much. State schools secondaries are generally cheap, and interviews are just a car ride away. If you have good stats, you can usually get an early interview (or an early acceptance!). Trust me, it's an wonderful feeling when you're in a stressful interview to know that you already have one acceptance in the bag.

Good luck in the application process!

 

[Revolution #9]

Could you get a fee waver?

Shockingly, no. I couldn't believe it myself, and when I appealed via email, I got some crap about "we carefully considered your situation...".

 

[atomi]

You're gambling your future to save something like 300 bucks?

I've gambled on my future for a lot less than 300 bucks.

He says he only wants to apply to schools where he's competitive and those in which he is interested. Please explain to me the flawed logic in this because I can't find it.

 

[shantster]

I've been told that as a Wake undegrad (living in NC for four years), I can be considered a NC resident for the NC state schools. Is this incorrect?


And to MWillie - that's why I asked the question in the first place, to see if others thought it was too risky. Obviously you think it is, so thank you for the feedback

My premed advisor told me that for med schools you are considered instate in both the state that you have a permanent address and at the state that you did undergrad at. So, you should be considered instate for NC schools, but if you want to make sure, ask your advisor or contact one of the schools you are interested in.

 

[atomi]

My premed advisor told me that for med schools you are considered instate in both the state that you have a permanent address and at the state that you did undergrad at. So, you should be considered instate for NC schools, but if you want to make sure, ask your advisor or contact one of the schools you are interested in.

I wouldn't count on that unless they actually give you instate rates. Sounds like somebody talking.

 

[8-)]

I've been told that as a Wake undegrad (living in NC for four years), I can be considered a NC resident for the NC state schools. Is this incorrect?


And to MWillie - that's why I asked the question in the first place, to see if others thought it was too risky. Obviously you think it is, so thank you for the feedback

I don't exactly know what you mean. I know that if you get accepted to UNC as an out-of-stater, you can file residency and start paying in-state tuition by around the second year, but that doesn't have to do with being considered a NC resident for admissions purposes. Unless you're actually a NC resident though, you'll be considered an out-of-stater.

 

[MWillie]

I've gambled on my future for a lot less than 300 bucks.

He says he only wants to apply to schools where he's competitive and those in which he is interested. Please explain to me the flawed logic in this because I can't find it.

No one can really tell where they are competitive, you can look at GPA and MCAT but in the end there's a lot of randomness. The flaw is that in order to save 300 bucks or so, he may have to apply late to a number of schools, reducing his chances of admissions to those schools. There is certainly a chance that by delaying some of his application, he may not be accepted at all this cycle, costing him a year of his career.

And I don't even know what you're talking about regarding the gambling your future for less than 300 bucks.

 

[bmcgilligan]

If I were you, I would just shell out the extra $30 per school for the AMCAS application and then fill out your secondaries as you get enough money.

 

[bidster]

I don't know what your numbers/ECs are, but they better be stellar if you expect your plan to work. I'm a NC resident and I can tell you that getting an interview at UNC is near impossible for an out-of-stater, and getting into ECU IS impossible (they haven't accepted an out-of-stater in over 20 years). So there goes two schools, plus as virilep said, USC is probably out, and so is Harvard, etc, etc, etc. So, I think you should start saving up now...

I agree with this...before applying, check the MSAR for their applied vs. interviews vs. entrants states to see which out-of-state schools aren't going to be so friendly to you. NC and CA state schools are guaranteed to be among them. I would just go ahead and replace those with your two state schools and possibly a reach school and have those on your AMCAS from the start (from what I hear, adding schools to the AMCAS later on can be something of a nuisance in terms of processing time). Going ahead and applying to all your options early will help you immensely in having a shot at scoring an interview.

I would also strike the hope of interviewing at NYU before the end of September--a lot of people here submitted the secondary in late July (the first day it was available) and interview invites didn't come out until almost October, and later for most out-of-staters. Doesn't mean you shouldn't apply to NYU, just don't get disappointed if you don't hear from them for awhile.

Other than that, good luck!!!

 

[atomi]

No one can really tell where they are competitive, you can look at GPA and MCAT but in the end there's a lot of randomness. The flaw is that in order to save 300 bucks or so, he may have to apply late to a number of schools, reducing his chances of admissions to those schools. There is certainly a chance that by delaying some of his application, he may not be accepted at all this cycle, costing him a year of his career.

And I don't even know what you're talking about regarding the gambling your future for less than 300 bucks.

Well, I knew a guy who financed a Range Rover by eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a year. Anybody who says they can't pull together 300 dollars (or even 3000) is either lying or doesn't want it in the first place. My advice is if you're concerned about the money, then it's not worth applying to the school because you obviously don't care enough about it, and it will show on your application and during your interviews. Put your effort into what you want. If you want it bad enough, it's easy to come up with the money.

 

[tigress]

You can only have one state residence, so either you find a way to declare yourself a resident of NC in order to get into UNC, and in the process forget about USC (SC) and MUSC, or vice versa. I live in PA now but grew up in SC and my entire family is there; when I asked MUSC if I could be declared a resident, they said I could apply to be declared a resident, but then I would be a SC resident and wouldn't be a PA resident for application purposes. As another person said, it's extremely difficult to get into UNC if you aren't a NC resident (and ECU doesn't accept non-residents); it's also extremely difficult to get into MUSC, and hard to get into USC (SC), if you aren't a SC resident.

Right, not sure if any of this makes sense (it's late!), but basically: decide if you want to be a NC resident or a SC resident and then figure out how to make sure you are one. That's all the advice I have right now
good luck!

 

[Scarletbegonias]

You're gambling your future to save something like 300 bucks?

Some people are actually limited by the amount of money it costs to apply. It is not really a choice.
And just because someone doesn't eat pb&j for a year or however long to save money doesn't mean that he or she doesn't want to go to med school desperately enough.
If I would have had enough money to apply to 15 or so schools this year, I would probably know what I was doing next year, but like the OP I didn't, and I worked really hard the past 6 or so years to achieve what I have: i.e. academic and non-academic achievement. But anyone that has applied to med school knows and anyone who hasn't yet will find out that it is a process that is perplexing and depends a lot on subjective, chance factors, and leaves quite a few qualified candidates without an acceptance, or the one of their choice.
So please, don't critisize this person for the financial reasons posted that will be taken into consideration in applying. Try using some of that empathy that you should hopefully express as a physician to patients, many of which, you will see, have financial limitations that they must also take into consideration.

My advice to the OP would be, like many others have said, to choose the schools wisely. Really find out what goes into their app processes, such as primary screening factors. Do they use some kind of formula with your gpa and mcat figures to determine if you meet a certain cut-off? Things like that. And certainly, apply as early as you can. Good luck.

 

[JohnBasedow]

300 dollars is not too much to spend if you consider the cost of reapplying. If one were to re-apply, he/she would have to cough up 150 or whatever it is for the first school, and it would be 30 for each successive school. So with 300 dollars, the reapplicant could only submit 6 primary apps (and more money would have to be spent on secondaries of course). With those limitations, I don't think one could really be confident of gaining an acceptance unless the person has pretty solid stats, ECs, and LORS. I suggest getting a job at Kaplan or PR to make a few bucks if cash is that tight.

 

[Law2Doc]

Here's my situation. I'll have everything ready to go for the 2006 application cycle by early June - final transcripts, 5 letters, personal statement/AMCAS filled out, MCAT scores, etc. But since I'm fairly low on cash, I would like to apply to as few schools as possible. I'm thinking of initially applying to only the schools that my numbers are competitive at and I am interested in (Wake, USC (California), Chicago, NU, NYU, and UNC), plus three reach schools, with my initial application. Hopefully I'll have some interviews completed by September. If I don't have as many as I would like (either completed or scheduled), then I'll add a number of backups. I'm a South Carolina resident, so backups would be MUSC, USC (South Carolina), ECU, Drexel, and maybe another, while my reaches are Duke, Yale, and Harvard (a guy can dream, right? )
I'm thinking that my strategy is sound as long as I add the backups a couple of weeks before all the August MCATers are complete. What do you think? Is it too risky to not include backups right off the bat if you're applying in June? Any one else use this strategy?

While I am sympathetic to the money issues, I think your tactic is way too risky. If you have really really stellar stats and only applied to six of the lowest ranked (per US News) schools, your odds might be quite good. But the mix of competitive and less competitive schools you have indicated (not to mention the out of state status at some mentioned by prior posters) lowers the odds significantly. There are a number of people with reportedly impressive stats on this board who are as yet on waitlists (even after applying broadly to over a dozen places), and quite a few who applied early but didn't have their first interview until after December. This application cost is a drop in the pond of what you are going to pay over the course of your medical education -- this is unfortunately not the best time to try and cut corners.

 

[virilep]

Really? Even though USC is private?

sorry, I get the USC of Cali mixed up with the gamecocks. I'd def apply to all my instates or "safety" (even though there is no such thing) schools before all others.

 

[delta1410]

Sorry I am reading this post so late, but I felt that I had some useful information for the OP. I applied as a SC resident this past fall. If you are confident in your stats, and if you are confident that you want to attend one of the few schools that you apply to, then this strategy is not risky at all. Most of the posters on here think that this is insane, but I knew that I wanted to stay in the South, and I felt confident about my chances to get into a school, so I only applied to 6 schools. I was accepted to three (USC, MUSC, and Wake Forest) and declined interviews at the other three (Emory, MCV/VCU, and UAB). If you have solid stats, consult the MSAR to find out, then applying to the schools you listed should be fine, with the exception of the ones that you have no chance of getting into out of state. You don't have to apply to 25 schools to get into medical school, you just have to know what you are doing. At any rate, good luck in the process.

 

[Axe]

I used 0% APR credit cards and then balance transfered the amounts using 0% no fee offers when the balance came due. You can conserve your cash quite alot by punting your debt and charging when you can over using checks/cash.

 

[Sparky Man]

Here's my situation. I'll have everything ready to go for the 2006 application cycle by early June - final transcripts, 5 letters, personal statement/AMCAS filled out, MCAT scores, etc. But since I'm fairly low on cash, I would like to apply to as few schools as possible. I'm thinking of initially applying to only the schools that my numbers are competitive at and I am interested in (Wake, USC (California), Chicago, NU, NYU, and UNC), plus three reach schools, with my initial application. Hopefully I'll have some interviews completed by September. If I don't have as many as I would like (either completed or scheduled), then I'll add a number of backups. I'm a South Carolina resident, so backups would be MUSC, USC (South Carolina), ECU, Drexel, and maybe another, while my reaches are Duke, Yale, and Harvard (a guy can dream, right? )
I'm thinking that my strategy is sound as long as I add the backups a couple of weeks before all the August MCATers are complete. What do you think? Is it too risky to not include backups right off the bat if you're applying in June? Any one else use this strategy?

I took out a loan so that I could apply to more schools and interview. If you want better odds, it's worth it.

 

[crys20]

I didn't read most of this thread so I'm not sure what ya'll's opinion was...But yeah I'm gonna go with TOO RISKY! Apply to your best shots first and foremost. My other tip is PUT IT ON YOUR CREDIT CARD!!!!!!!!! Go to campusi.com, click credit cards and they'll rank em based on ease of approval. Even if it takes you a couple months to pay off that 300 bucks it will be well worth it. What will be much more costly will be not getting in this year because of this strategy and doing it all again next year. Credit, baby!

 

[chocolate-e]

If you are confident in your stats, and if you are confident that you want to attend one of the few schools that you apply to, then this strategy is not risky at all.

I guess the answer to "Is this too risky?" is, "How much of a risk do you want to take?" Can you deal with the possibility that you may have to reapply if you are too selective in the number of schools that you apply to? Are you okay with the prospect of not getting multiple acceptances, so you won't be able to choose the cheapest/nearest/warmest-and-fuzziest (or whatever!) school?

Just apply early.

 

[Kiroro]

My premed advisor told me that for med schools you are considered instate in both the state that you have a permanent address and at the state that you did undergrad at. So, you should be considered instate for NC schools, but if you want to make sure, ask your advisor or contact one of the schools you are interested in.

Actually I heard the same thing from the director of admission from my university. I think you would have NC residents' chance of getting in to UNC but you would have to pay out-state tuition