Applying to Only In-State Schools (Texas) Bad?

[Dbate]

Would it be a bad idea for a person to apply only to Texas Schools? The costs associated with the application process are really discouraging and if I got into a medical school in-state, I would go there over a school out of state in a heartbeat, due to costs mostly.

The problem is that I don't know if my numbers make it wise for me to only apply in state. My cGPA is 3.6 and sGPA is 3.4 and for the MCAT I may end up getting about a 34, and I go to Yale (I only mention that because some people say that it matters and I could use any little boost). Would it be unwise for someone like me to only apply to Texas schools?

 

[Astarael]

Would it be a bad idea for a person to apply only to Texas Schools? The costs associated with the application process are really discouraging and if I got into a medical school in-state, I would go there over a school out of state in a heartbeat, due to costs mostly.

The problem is that I don't know if my numbers make it wise for me to only apply in state. My cGPA is 3.6 and sGPA is 3.4 and for the MCAT I may end up getting about a 34, and I go to Yale (I only mention that because some people say that it matters and I could use any little boost). Would it be unwise for someone like me to only apply to Texas schools?

I think it would be unwise to only apply to Texas schools. It might be possible if you're in-state, given the number of schools in Texas, but why risk it? Shelling out a couple hundred (or even thousand) dollars for extra applications is going to look like really good investment later on in the cycle when you only get a couple interview invitations.

Edit: Are you applying this year still? If so, the lateness of your application is going to be another reason to apply to more schools.

 

[Dbate]

In terms of extracurriculars, I have the standard ones:

Worked in a medical clinic for 2 years
Researched in an endocrinology lab for 2 years
Officer in the Yale Medical Professions Outreach program for 3 years
Member of the Yale Political Union for 4 years (served on the executive board for 1 semester)
Member of the Roosevelt Institute's Public Health Research Group for 3 years
Section Editor for the Yale Journal of Public Health (3 years)

Summer Internships:
Intern in the Houston Department of Health and Human Services
Intern at the Tropical Health and Education Trust in London (public health internship)

 

[Dbate]

I think it would be unwise to only apply to Texas schools. It might be possible if you're in-state, given the number of schools in Texas, but why risk it? Shelling out a couple hundred (or even thousand) dollars for extra applications is going to look like really good investment later on in the cycle when you only get a couple interview invitations.

Edit: Are you applying this year still? If so, the lateness of your application is going to be another reason to apply to more schools.

I am not applying this year, I will be applying next year. I am instate (I was born in Woodville, Tx) so the really low tuition is a huge incentive for me to stay in-state. My parents may be able to provide $700 max for the entire application process, so I don't want to waste my money on schools that I wouldn't go to, if I got accepted into a Texas school. Plus AMCAS is really expensive.

 

[Etorphine]

I don't think it is a bad idea given your stats/undergrad college, but it IS a calculated risk, and you have to be OK with the consequences of having to reapply.

 

[Dbate]

I don't think it is a bad idea given your stats/undergrad college, but it IS a calculated risk, and you have to be OK with the consequences of having to reapply.

That is part of what is scaring me. I would prefer for this to be a one shot deal, but both my cumulative and science GPA are below average for the vast majority of medical schools in the country, so I thought I had the best shot at my instate schools.

I am not even sure how competitive I am at out of state schools, so I am unsure which ones to apply to :/

 

[Astarael]

I am not applying this year, I will be applying next year. I am instate (I was born in Woodville, Tx) so the really low tuition is a huge incentive for me to stay in-state. My parents may be able to provide $700 max for the entire application process, so I don't want to waste my money on schools that I wouldn't go to, if I got accepted into a Texas school. Plus AMCAS is really expensive.

That is part of what is scaring me. I would prefer for this to be a one shot deal, but both my cumulative and science GPA are below average for the vast majority of medical schools in the country, so I thought I had the best shot at my instate schools.

I am not even sure how competitive I am at out of state schools, so I am unsure which ones to apply to :/

You really can't know the outcome of the cycle until after it's over. If you get into a Texas school after applying to a bunch of out of state schools, you'll be out a couple hundred dollars. That would suck, but not as badly as if you applied only to Texas schools and didn't get in. Etorphine is right, it's a calculated risk.

Edit: There are plenty of out of state schools that would be a good fit for your mix of academics and experiences. You'd just have to pick up the MSAR to find them.

 

[Dbate]

You really can't know the outcome of the cycle until after it's over. If you get into a Texas school after applying to a bunch of out of state schools, you'll be out a couple hundred dollars. That would suck, but not as badly as if you applied only to Texas schools and didn't get in. Etorphine is right, it's a calculated risk.

Edit: There are plenty of out of state schools that would be a good fit for your mix of academics and experiences. You'd just have to pick up the MSAR to find them.

Thanks for the advice. I think I am going to just suck it up and save up a couple of hundred dollars to fund the extra applications. That is not nearly as bad as being left out in the cold with no acceptance.

I found this link to a MSAR, which seems pretty reliable: http://www.washington.edu/uaa/advising/downloads/gpamcat.pdf

 

[ozzi22]

Just add a couple of out of state schools to be on the safe side

 

[Dbate]

Based on the MSAR, I think these schools might be good to apply to:


University of Illinois-Chicago Medical School
Rush Medical College
Loyola University Chicago
Rosalind Franklin University
Drexel
UCLA
USC
GWU
Georgetown

 

[ozzi22]

Based on the MSAR, I think these schools might be good to apply to:


University of Illinois-Chicago Medical School
Rush Medical College
Loyola University Chicago
Rosalind Franklin University
Drexel
UCLA
USC
GWU
Georgetown

 

[CodeBlu]

Add OOS schools... I know someone that got zero Texas interviews... and ended up getting 5 OOS interviews and 3 acceptances I think?

Moral of the story: Play it safe, apply broadly.

 

[CodeBlu]

Based on the MSAR, I think these schools might be good to apply to:


University of Illinois-Chicago Medical School
Rush Medical College
Loyola University Chicago
Rosalind Franklin University
Drexel
UCLA
USC
GWU
Georgetown

This is a good list. But Try to avoid the UC system... it's hard enough for native Californian's to get in there.

 

[Astarael]

Based on the MSAR, I think these schools might be good to apply to:


University of Illinois-Chicago Medical School
Rush Medical College
Loyola University Chicago
Rosalind Franklin University
Drexel
UCLA
USC
GWU
Georgetown

GWU and Georgetown are going to be tricky. They don't have very high average stats, but the volume of applications that they get is so high each year that they still have a pretty low acceptance percentage. I'm not saying not to apply to those schools, just be aware of the fact that they each get something like 10,000 applications per year.

 

[ozzi22]

GWU and Georgetown are going to be tricky. They don't have very high average stats, but the volume of applications that they get is so high each year that they still have a pretty low acceptance percentage. I'm not saying not to apply to those schools, just be aware of the fact that they each get something like 10,000 applications per year.

If the OP apply's early, then that won't be much of a problem

 

[CodeBlu]

If the OP apply's early, then that won't be much of a problem

Early passed last week.

 

[Astarael]

Any insight into why that happens? Is it just that the numbers of the applicants are lower overall or that they don't put as much emphasis on them?

I honestly couldn't tell you. My guess would be that they weight other areas of the application more heavily in their decision process than gpa and mcat when compared to other schools, but that's only a guess.

 

[Barcu]

So OP, as others have said, be careful with the Cali schools and GW/Gtown.

I would also add be careful with the Chicago schools. Check your MSAR; they favor IS heavily (especially Rush).

Some others to check out that get mentioned are Creighton, SLU, and the Philly schools.

 

[ozzi22]

Early passed last week.

I didn't even know the OP was applying this cycle

 

[Dbate]

So OP, as others have said, be careful with the Cali schools and GW/Gtown.

I would also add be careful with the Chicago schools. Check your MSAR; they favor IS heavily (especially Rush).

Some others to check out that get mentioned are Creighton, SLU, and the Philly schools.

I checked the stats on the AMCAS website and all of the Illinois schools had out of state matriculation percentages of about 20% or higher, which I thought was pretty decent. The lowest was UI-Chicago (19.9) and the highest was Rosalind Franklin (58.4).

My father is from Carbondale, IL and I have family there, so maybe that will help some.

 

[Dbate]

I didn't even know the OP was applying this cycle

I'm not. I'm applying next year. Also, what would be considered an early application? If I applied in mid July, would that be late?

 

[CodeBlu]

I'm not. I'm applying next year. Also, what would be considered an early application? If I applied in mid July, would that be late?

Early is verified and getting secondaries and IIs in July.

So submitting within the first two weeks of June usually.

 

[isoquin]

If you want to save money in the short term, don't go to med school. If you want to be a doctor, you need to step it up and go big. That's not to say you should apply to every school in the country, but it is a little short sighted to only apply to in-state schools. Go for a happy compromise.

 

[toxictrix]

I only applied to TMDSAS. We will see I guess. I completed my apps early July. Also in state.