Does it hurt to apply to tons of schools?

[fastfingers]

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Does it hurt my chances if I apply to say 40 schools?

My undergrad basically told me that I can't apply to 1 school just to get my application verified. So I need figure out every school I'm applying to before submitting my application or else the undergrad won't start on my committee recommendation. The problem is that I don't get my MCAT score until July 21st and my predicted range is HUGE (from like 27-33).

What should I do? Obviously a score like 28 would apply to completely different schools than a score like 33.

I'm contemplating just submitting my application to schools assuming both a 28 and a 33.

 

[Swiss Medical]

It does not hurt your chances. It may help, in fact.

 

[Geekchick921]

Does it hurt my chances if I apply to say 40 schools?

My undergrad basically told me that I can't apply to 1 school just to get my application verified. So I need figure out every school I'm applying to before submitting my application or else the undergrad won't start on my committee recommendation. The problem is that I don't get my MCAT score until July 21st and my predicted range is HUGE (from like 27-33).

Actually, I believe you can.

And it won't hurt your chances unless you start half-assing all your secondaries. It'll help your chances to cast your net wide. That said, it WILL hurt your wallet.

 

[blizzah]

If money is no object, then go ahead.

Just choose the secondaries you focus on etc. once you get your MCAT back

 

[fastfingers]

yeah that's what i was thinking. just choose my secondary when i get my MCAT score.

i guess the other worry is that my school said i should only apply to like 25 school MAX. i wonder if they would give me a slightly worse committee letter if they see that i'm applying to like 40 schools.

 

[flatearth22]

It doesn't hurt as much as re-applying.

 

[iniquus]

It does not hurt your chances. It may help, in fact.

I don't see how it could help, seeing how it'd be a waste of money if his MCAT score was bad. Please don't encourage an application strategy if you haven't even been through part of it.

Some schools don't send out secondaries, and most if not all schools don't look at your application, until you have your MCAT score. The bottom line is applying to schools without an MCAT score is poor decision-making.

You can apply to one school to get verified, it's what I did. When I was confident with my application after receiving my MCAT score, I added all the other schools instantaneously. 25 schools should qualify as "applying broadly" if you selected schools wisely.

 

[kachan0]

Does it hurt my chances if I apply to say 40 schools?

My undergrad basically told me that I can't apply to 1 school just to get my application verified. So I need figure out every school I'm applying to before submitting my application or else the undergrad won't start on my committee recommendation. The problem is that I don't get my MCAT score until July 21st and my predicted range is HUGE (from like 27-33).
.

Not true. I submitted for verification with just one school last cycle and added the remaining list of schools a bit later. It was fine.

Correct me if I'm wrong, SDNers...

 

[Geekchick921]

yeah that's what i was thinking. just choose my secondary when i get my MCAT score.

i guess the other worry is that my school said i should only apply to like 25 school MAX. i wonder if they would give me a slightly worse committee letter if they see that i'm applying to like 40 schools.

They don't need to know. That said, I think if you're smart about choosing your schools, unless you have some glaring issue in your app you're hoping a school will be kind enough to look past, 25 should be enough.

 

[Swiss Medical]

I don't see how it could help, seeing how it'd be a waste of money if his MCAT score was bad. Please don't encourage an application strategy if you haven't even been through part of it.

Some schools don't send out secondaries, and most if not all schools don't look at your application, until you have your MCAT score. The bottom line is applying to schools without an MCAT score is poor decision-making.

You can apply to one school to get verified, it's what I did. When I was confident with my application after receiving my MCAT score, I added all the other schools instantaneously. 25 schools should qualify as "applying broadly" if you selected schools wisely.

What you are basically implying is that it WILL hurt him. If he does not apply, he certainly will not get in....and I am pretty sure that you do not know the screening process for each individual school, so please back off!!! I am simply saying it can help....

 

[fastfingers]

I'm kinda in a different situation cause a committee letter takes like 4 weeks to put together at my school and I need to give them a list of schools or else they won't start. I'm assuming they start sending to those schools as soon as the letter is done.

 

[Geekchick921]

Your school doesn't send the LoRs out. You upload the letters to AMCAS (from Interfolio is a popular way of doing it on SDN) or send them straight from Interfolio if the school doesn't accept letters via AMCAS, but only a few schools don't.

 

[MrLahey]

Apply to as many as your wallet will allow

 

[Avoidthetiger]

I'm kinda in a different situation cause a committee letter takes like 4 weeks to put together at my school and I need to give them a list of schools or else they won't start. I'm assuming they start sending to those schools as soon as the letter is done.

Why not just give a list of 1 school? Or 5-10 schools?

Complete you AMCAS, submit it, and print it out - showing it to your school that you have already submitted your application for verification.

They should start your letter then. Around the same time they complete your letter, your MCAT score will be back, and many of your secondaries will be complete.

If you like or dislike your MCAt score, you can ADD more schools to your list later. You will have the committee letter sent to AMCAS already - and you can direct that to other schools as you want. The committee letter shouldn't be addressed to a specific school, so it should be OK to do this later.

I really don't see the issue or why they need schools you are applying to before writing the letter. If it really is an issue, just give them a few good chance schools... and then add more later after you get the letter. ta da.

DO NOT PAY for 40 primary applications before you see your MCAT score. Just pay for 1-10.

 

[fastfingers]

that's what i thought, but i asked and i was told i'm extremely wrong. i asked why it matters with the master list if they just submit it electronically online and the online submits it off. but apparently it's not how it works.

 

[fastfingers]

was told they can only add "a couple" after i give them the master list.

 

[MrLahey]

They really cant do anything if you add like 20 schools afterwards...SO I would put like your top15 on there and than add as many as you like once the send the packet

 

[MrLahey]

committee letters are the biggest joke in the entire application process

 

[darkhope]

lol i'm from the same school...blah for our school haha =)

 

[NickNaylor]

It hurts your wallet and your personal time.

 

[doctorshateher]

It sounds like your school just wants to know exactly which schools you are applying to and doesn't want you to change/add schools without them knowing.
Also they seem controlling and misinformed.

As far as I understand it, you can add as many schools as you want post-verification and as soon as the committee letter is sent you can forward it to all the schools via AMCAS.

I would submit now with ~10 schools and then add more schools once you get your MCAT score.

If you do get into a school that was not on your UGs original list and they question you about it, you can tell them it was one of 2-3 that you added after the face - since they did tell you that you could add a few...

 

[iniquus]

What you are basically implying is that it WILL hurt him. If he does not apply, he certainly will not get in....and I am pretty sure that you do not know the screening process for each individual school, so please back off!!! I am simply saying it can help....

I'm implying that it can only hurt him. He can always add the school later, with or without the pre-med committee's blessing. I don't know the screening process for every school, but I'm fairly certain there's a general consensus that you need an MCAT score to have your application fully examined. I'm not backing off because I want this guy to save his money and time. I feel his pre-med committee is grossly misinformed, or wants to analyze his school list to ensure he's making wise choices. A failed application cycle reflects poorly on the school and that's why they tend to weed people out of the process and comb through your school list. He can either put one school down or a bunch of "safety schools" and add the more competitive ones at a later time.

If he's worried about time, he can start working on secondaries earlier than that with the secondary threads here on SDN, and he can always add the schools at a later time with no penalty. Some schools release their secondaries in July anyway, so it's not like he's going to be late.

 

[fastfingers]

Could medical schools see the schools I apply to? I'm pretty sure the answer is no, but a friend tried to tell me otherwise.

 

[transfec]

It only hurts your wallet.

 

[EpicBearMan]

If the school's letter is uploaded to your AMCAS, YOU designate what schools it gets sent too. You can have it sent to more schools as you add them later, and your undergrad won't know / can't do anything about it.

I'd say you should give them a list of some favorite schools where you will apply no matter what score you get, and get your recommendation rolling. If they are telling you that you can't add more schools later, that is a bunch of bologna if their letter is uploaded to your AMCAS.

 

[EpicBearMan]

Could medical schools see the schools I apply to? I'm pretty sure the answer is no, but a friend tried to tell me otherwise.

No, but they can see what other schools you are accepted at once spring rolls around.

I did get directly asked what other schools I applied to at one of my interviews though.

 

[MrLahey]

heres my list


Baylor
Case Western
Creighton
Dartmouth
Drexel
Duke
Eastern Virginia
Emory
George Washington
Georgetown
Hofstra North Shore
Johns Hopkins
USC
Loma Linda
Loyola
Mayo
Wisconsin
Michigan State
New York College
Oakland University
Oregon
Rosalind Franklin
Rush
Saint Louis
Temple
University of Oklahoma
University of Toledo
University of Vermont
Tufts
Tulane
University of Arizona PHX
University of Arizona TUC
UC Irvine
University of Colorado
University of Illinois
University of Kansas
University of Louisville
University of Maryland
University of Minnesota
Virginia Commonwealth
Virginia Tech Carilion
Wake Forest
Wayne State


It's a lot I know

 

[mauberley]

It's a lot I know

Too long. Trim it.