Choosing schools based on historical statistics

[ghgi8]

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Hey all,
I came across a spreadsheet which lists the relative successes that previous undergrads at my school have had when applying to medical schools. I was hoping that some of you could take a look at this and try to make some sense of it. I am a Florida resident and will obviously be applying to UF, USF, UM, and maybe FSU (although I've heard stories). I dont have too much money to throw around so I really want to make educated choices as to the schools that I apply and try to get a real "bang for my buck." My undergrad GPA is a 3.9 but I am weary about my MCAT scores (which I'm waiting on) because I don't know that I was adequately prepared when I went in. Thanks in advance.

http://www.advising.ufl.edu/prehealth/handouts/MEDCOLLsum1996-2003.PDF

 

[merlin17]

Hey all,
I came across a spreadsheet which lists the relative successes that previous undergrads at my school have had when applying to medical schools. I was hoping that some of you could take a look at this and try to make some sense of it. I am a Florida resident and will obviously be applying to UF, USF, UM, and maybe FSU (although I've heard stories). I dont have too much money to throw around so I really want to make educated choices as to the schools that I apply and try to get a real "bang for my buck." My undergrad GPA is a 3.9 but I am weary about my MCAT scores (which I'm waiting on) because I don't know that I was adequately prepared when I went in. Thanks in advance.

http://www.advising.ufl.edu/prehealth/handouts/MEDCOLLsum1996-2003.PDF

Hi,

That's a tough call. What I conclude is that there are a few superstars at your school that got into the top schools. There are also a few that didn't get into the Florida schools that got into some of the bottom tier schools. Then there is a huge pile of people in the middle who get into the Florida schools and go there. Unfortunately, a spreadsheet like that doesn't tell you how you compare to the people in those three groups. The acceptances numbers are pretty dismal for most of the private schools but I'm not sure if this is because people are applying to schools that they don't have a realistic shot to get into. That said, there are some where the percent accepted is so low, I wouldn't bother applying.

My advice is to speak to someone in the advising office to get a better idea of where you stand. Only someone who is familiar with working with people from your school can really tell you how you stand compared to applicants who have come before you! Good luck 🙂

 

[ghgi8]

yea i couldnt make much of it either, kinda discouraging. is 40% matriculation a decent statistic for an undergrad institution that doesnt screen its applicants?

 

[principessa]

You should try to find out how people with your stats fared. This is an excellent way to predict your chances. I was fortunate to know someone from my school who had my exact numbers the year before, and I got into every school he did. If you don?t know anyone with similar numbers, and the pre-med office won?t tell you, try looking on mdapplicants.com. Best of luck.

 

[mikedc813]

What ECs do you have ghgi8? That would help people tell you where you might apply, but I would definitely say apply to UF and USF with a 3.9. Both are excellent schools and I don't think you can go wrong with either. In-state tuition is a good deal and compared to the hefty UM price tag it's a steal for more or less the same education. If you have questions about USF let me know... 👍