Can Applying to too many schools hurt your chances?

[Zakaqel]

If I'm right, all the medical schools you apply to know all the other ones you are also applying to. So, if you apply to 19 schools can that hurt your chances? Can the school you're applying to view it as proof of the lack of true commitment? Also, I heard that if you apply to a bunch of average State schools and couple top-notch private schools you risk being rejected by both. The state schools will think you are only applying just incase you don't get into the better schools and the better schools would see it as a lack of confidence....is this true or is it all a myth?

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[flip26]

If I'm right, all the medical schools you apply to know all the other ones you are also applying to. So, if you apply to 19 schools can that hurt your chances? Can the school you're applying to view it as proof of the lack of true commitment? Also, I heard that if you apply to a bunch of average State schools and couple top-notch private schools you risk being rejected by both. The state schools will think you are only applying just incase you don't get into the better schools and the better schools would see it as a lack of confidence....is this true or is it all a myth?

You are wrong...thus all of your questions that follow are moot.

 

[DoctaJay]

If I'm right, all the medical schools you apply to know all the other ones you are also applying to. So, if you apply to 19 schools can that hurt your chances? Can the school you're applying to view it as proof of the lack of true commitment? Also, I heard that if you apply to a bunch of average State schools and couple top-notch private schools you risk being rejected by both. The state schools will think you are only applying just incase you don't get into the better schools and the better schools would see it as a lack of confidence....is this true or is it all a myth?

I can't recall the exact date, but I think sometime in April, medical schools know all the schools that you have applied to, and sometime in May, they know all the schools you have been accepted to, so really by the time they find out, you should hopefully have an acceptance and it really shouldn't hurt you at all. If you are accepted to so many high tiered medical schools that lower ranked schools won't accept you, then that really isn't a problem in your case. So yeah, it won't hurt you.

 

[Doc Henry]

You are wrong...thus all of your questions that follow are moot.

I think you mean moo. But thats ok, lots of people get it wrong, so most probably knew what you meant. For further explanation see my signature

 

[taponthecloud]

I can't recall the exact date, but I think sometime in April, medical schools know all the schools that you have applied to, and sometime in May, they know all the schools you have been accepted to, so really by the time they find out, you should hopefully have an acceptance and it really shouldn't hurt you at all. If you are accepted to so many high tiered medical schools that lower ranked schools won't accept you, then that really isn't a problem in your case. So yeah, it won't hurt you.

huh..I did not know that..can someone verify this? I thought they could only see if other schools have accepted you as well.

 

[Depakote]

I don't believe this is true.

In may, schools find out what acceptances you hold (or after they accept you). They never find out where else you applied.

 

[161927]

Applying to many schools requires lots of money and time writing secondaries, as well as more travel. If those things stress you and cause you to have a bad interview, then yes, your chances could be jeopardized.

 

[TheRealMD]

It's not what the schools think that hurts you. It's going to a bunch of interviews in a short period of time that may be too much for people. You really need to take a light load that semester otherwise your GPA will commit suicide.

Remember for most people, an interview on one day usually takes out 2 days of studying for the most part. When you start doing that too often, your grades will suffer.

 

[RapplixGmed]

I think any possible detriment has less to do with med schools finding out where you applied to and more to do with you not being able to do a good job on the 10 billion secondaries. I think 5 good secondaries>>30 half assed ones. Anybody else have an opinion on this? I'm planning on sending the AAMCAS to a lot of them and then filling out maybe 15 secondaries depending on the response I get.

 

[HumidBeing]

Depakote & DoctaJay almost got it right.

MARCH 15 - Schools in which you have accepted a spot are able to obtain information about other schools at which you are holding a spot.

MAY 15 - Date after which you are permitted to hold only one acceptance.

At no time are schools allowed access to information regarding which schools you applied to, only those at which you hold an acceptance. The only way for them to know is for you to tell them, yourself.

Somebody has been feeding you a myth.

 

[SketchLazy]

I think any possible detriment has less to do with med schools finding out where you applied to and more to do with you not being able to do a good job on the 10 billion secondaries. I think 5 good secondaries>>30 half assed ones. Anybody else have an opinion on this? I'm planning on sending the AAMCAS to a lot of them and then filling out maybe 15 secondaries depending on the response I get.

This is the response you will get from most schools almost immediately, 'We've received you're primary application. Please fill out our secondary application and send us a check for $100.'

It's best to only apply to the schools where you can write a great secondary. Just receiving a secondary means nothing most of the time because schools won't seriously consider you until you finish it.

 

[167649]

I can't recall the exact date, but I think sometime in April, medical schools know all the schools that you have applied to, and sometime in May, they know all the schools you have been accepted to, so really by the time they find out, you should hopefully have an acceptance and it really shouldn't hurt you at all. If you are accepted to so many high tiered medical schools that lower ranked schools won't accept you, then that really isn't a problem in your case. So yeah, it won't hurt you.

That is incorrect. In March, the schools that have accepted you find out who else has accepted you (for financial aid purposes). Never once do they know everywhere you applied.

 

[pride4jc727]

I have gotten the advice that applying early and broadly will only help your application of being accepted somewhere. The only way you will suffer will be in the pocket book. Even then, your career will pay off all your debt in the long run, especially those primary and secondary application fees.

 

[xrevision]

Your application will suffer if you spread out your time too thin, and don't fill out secondary essays very seriously. Other than that, it shouldn't hurt you one bit.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Your application will suffer if you spread out your time too thin, and don't fill out secondary essays very seriously. Other than that, it shouldn't hurt you one bit.

I agree. If you want to apply to 50 schools, just make sure you have time to do 50 quality secondaries.

 

[remo]

I did over 40 secondaries and it was a pain in the a$$ but it was worth it in the end because I had interviews I could turn down. As long as you have the time to write decent essays and you have the money to pay for them then go for it. You only want to do this once.

 

[ayushman80]

I did over 40 secondaries and it was a pain in the a$$ but it was worth it in the end because I had interviews I could turn down. As long as you have the time to write decent essays and you have the money to pay for them then go for it. You only want to do this once.

Applying as broadly as possible = $990
Filling out all the Secondaries = $1900
Flying out to Interviews = $2000
Getting One acceptance = Priceless

 

[kcorona]

A schoool I just visited said that in March it received a list of every school their applicants have been accepted to AND waitlisted at.