factors outside of the obvious MCAT and GPA necessary to be competitive at the school.
-Look up the mission statement of each in the MSAR, and be sure your ECs are a "fit" for the school. If you have one summer of research and no leadership, then consider going light on Top Twenties, for example. If you have no nonmedical community service to the poor, then avoid schools with a humanitarian mission. Does a school emphasize service to rural areas? Your ECs or background should reflect experience with that.
-Does it prefer regional applicants, like from surrounding states or WWAMI? Are state ties preferred? Sometimes you won't know this until you fill out the Secondary.
-Is a school an outlier in expecting extraordinarily high hours of clinical experience or service?
What are some [other] factors that one should consider when creating their list of schools to apply for? I find it difficult to determine whether a school would be a good fit without having visited the school or spoken to anyone at the school.
-Grading ( P/F vs A, B, C-F).
-Curriculum type (small group learning/PBL, traditional lecture, organ-based, block schedule, etc).
-If you don't qualify to stay on your folk's insurance, you might care about whether low-cost, but comprehensive, student insurance is available to you (and possibly your dependents). And what drugs its formulary covers.
-Job market for SO.
-Schools nearby (for kids and SO) and safety of area.
-weather and recreational availability.
-cost of housing, groceries.
