How Did You Decide What Medical Schools You Are Applying To

[AutonomicSN1]

Hi everyone. Long time lurker here and this site has answered virtually all my questions. I didn't see a thread yet on this, so I decided to ask.

How did you all decide what medical schools to apply to. Obviously there are certain medical schools that all of us have in mind and are applying to, but how did you find and apply to those other 10-15 schools that you are told to "apply broadly" for.

For me, I am a nontrad and have a 3.4 cGPA and a 33 mcat, so I am somewhat limited in where I am to apply, but I know I will be applying to both MD and DO schools. I just wanted to get input in how/where you all decided to apply. There is over a hundred schools and deciding on where to apply has thrown me for a loop!

It seems as though all OOS schools is gonna cost a ridiculous amount of money. Do most OOS schools provide more financial aid to OOS students? Do you guys know of any OOS schools that are mid-tier that are less expensive. I just bought MSAR, but if any of you know of a mid-tier school thats OOS friendly that is lower in COA/provides more financial aid, it would be greatly appreciated!


With my 3.4 and 33, where would you apply. Are there any schools that are known to be more forgiving regarding the gpa than others, weighing the MCAT more?

Thanks in advance!

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[ShenanigansMD]

location pretty much...

urban schools 4 me, top 50 research - just to make sure that's emphasized

 

[FattySlug]

Yea. Location. Accepted stats.

 

[SpaceHamsterBoo]

Where can I find the acceptances data for a med school?

 

[ShenanigansMD]

Where can I find the acceptances data for a med school?

US News has it (msar only shows matriculants), but you gotta pay up. I believe it's $20 for the online info.

 

[notbobtrustme]

Depends on your location. I was lucky enough to live in the Chicago area where we have 6 MD + 1 DO medical schools in the area.

Basically, look at the CoA, area and LizzyM score. You may love CT, stomach the CoA, but chances are you aren't going to attend Yale. If you hate TX, it doesn't make sense applying to any school there even if you jive with their stats/mission.

 

[MedPR]

If you have low stats, then you need to be especially aware of the median stats of schools. If you have high stats, you can basically apply anywhere you want based on location/prestige/cost

 

[Narmerguy]

US News has it (msar only shows matriculants), but you gotta pay up. I believe it's $20 for the online info.

I thought it was the other way around

 

[ShenanigansMD]

I thought it was the other way around

I'm the applicant gunner who has both (MSAR is way better in my opinion, US News is sort of sloppy with its layout). I would post images of the info but I'm afraid that Big Brother will swoop in my window and arrest me for copyright infringement.

If someone wants to confirm or disavow my claim that US News shows accepted and enrollees, while MSAR just shows enrollees then I'm open to that.

 

[Nymphicus]

I'm the applicant gunner who has both (MSAR is way better in my opinion). I would post images of the info but I'm afraid that Big Brother will swoop in my window and arrest me for copyright infringement.

If someone wants to confirm or disavow my claim that US News shows accepted and enrollees, while MSAR just shows enrollees then I'm open to that.

They both have number of applications, interviews, and matriculants.

US News has the additional statistic of number of acceptances.

 

[AutonomicSN1]

Thanks for the responses everyone. Any conclusion on which to buy.....US News or MSAR. I have also seen that excel file floating around sdn regarding the LizzyMs. Also, has anyone tried the GPA/MCAT calculater off of studentdoc?

I will probably buy MSAR or US News later today, but with my 3.4 and 33, where would you apply. Are there any schools that are known to be more forgiving regarding the gpa than others, weighing the MCAT more?

Thanks in advance!

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

Where can I find the acceptances data for a med school?

Buy a copy of the MSAR.

 

[NickNaylor]

Nick's method for choosing schools:

1) Buy MSAR

2) Flag all schools at which you are competitive (I would say you're competitive for a school if your numbers are at or above the median, assuming your app is otherwise in line; this should also include schools you get a IS advantage for, even if your numbers are below the median)

3) Flag schools in desirable locations you would like to apply to

4) Flag reach schools that you would like to apply to (reach schools for me are the big guns and any schools at which your numbers fall below the median with the exception of your state school(s), if applicable)

5) Eliminate schools you would not attend under any circumstances*

6) Starting with schools added at #4 and working your way back, eliminate schools in order to get down to your final target number of schools (for most people, this will likely be in the 12-20 range)*

*What you can and cannot eliminate is dependent upon the strength of your app. If your app is weak, you unfortunately don't get much say and you should try and be open minded about the schools you apply to. If your app is strong, you can be more choosy. Unless you're a beast I wouldn't apply to any less than 10 schools.

Obviously this is very general advice and you should tailor it to your goals/app strength, but this should get you a solid starting list of schools to work with.

(sent from my phone)

 

[sbuxaddict]

I went through the MSAR state by state, and eliminated it by: OOS-friendly or not, GPA range, MCAT range.

 

[heartshaped box]

I'm not sure how much weight to put on # of applications --> # of interviews etc.

My LizzyM score is 71. Tulane's LizzyM score is 67.5. But Tulane only interviews 3.6% of its applicants. Is this enough reason to cross Tulane off my list? I have no ties to Louisiana or to Tulane.

 

[MedPR]

I'm not sure how much weight to put on # of applications --> # of interviews etc.

My LizzyM score is 71. Tulane's LizzyM score is 67.5. But Tulane only interviews 3.6% of its applicants. Is this enough reason to cross Tulane off my list? I have no ties to Louisiana or to Tulane.

Tulane gets a lot of applicants and they are also very picky about the fit of each applicant. If I had to pick one MD school that was more concerned with ECs than stats, it would be Tulane.

 

[ChartaBona]

To start off, I bought the MSAR.

I have a limited budget, and my family can't help me pay for anything in the application process, so I chose schools within ~500 miles. From there, it was picking schools that were Out-of-State friendly and had an avg accepted MCAT below 36. Then I pruned out schools whose Mission Statements didn't jive with me.

I ended up applying to 10 schools total. I just need to get accepted to one

Here's a brief rundown of my stats:
BS in Biology at an ordinary state school, 4.0/ 37L
2 years undergrad research experience, including one full-time summer research project
1 year working as a CNA post-grad
Unique: Lost 60 lbs in the past year from running, weightlifting, and healthier eating.

 

[Sandstorm]

X

 

[Sandstorm]

X

 

[AutonomicSN1]

Really helpful information guys. Any input on OOS tuition. It seems as though all OOS schools is gonna cost a ridiculous amount of money. Do most OOS schools provide more financial aid to OOS students? Do you guys know of any OOS schools that are mid-tier that are less expensive. I just bought MSAR, but if any of you know of a mid-tier school thats OOS friendly that is lower in COA/provides more financial aid, it would be greatly appreciated! Also, on MSAR, I see the 10 - 90 percentile but how do you see the median without going to the actual link of the school?

 

[MonkeyDRuffy]

I tend to look at the average statistics of accepted students and see if I stack up. Tuition, location, curriculum also play a role. I also consider schools that would accept OOS (Since I am a Canadian with US citizenship I sort of fall into this category). I also consider ranking of the school as well but top tier schools like Hopkins, Harvard, Stanford etc. are hard to differentiate just by ranking, the other factors would play the biggest role overall (also the fact that those schools are extremely difficult to get into), since top tier schools tend to be a crap-shoot for the best of us.

I would buy the MSRAR to view the statistics and such.

 

[wizedw]

Proximity to family was a bid deciding factor to me. I drew an 8hr radius from home. The farthest schools away either were just an awesome fit or I had other family nearby. I am very close with my family and I very much want to stay near them

 

[circulus vitios]

To start off, I bought the MSAR.

I have a limited budget, and my family can't help me pay for anything in the application process, so I chose schools within ~500 miles. From there, it was picking schools that were Out-of-State friendly and had an avg accepted MCAT below 36. Then I pruned out schools whose Mission Statements didn't jive with me.

I ended up applying to 10 schools total. I just need to get accepted to one

Here's a brief rundown of my stats:
BS in Biology at an ordinary state school, 4.0/ 37L
2 years undergrad research experience, including one full-time summer research project
1 year working as a CNA post-grad
Unique: Lost 60 lbs in the past year from running, weightlifting, and healthier eating.

What does this even mean? They're all pretty much the same: blah blah blah we aim to create medical scientists and clinicians blah blah blah service, compassion, etc. blah blah blah.

 

[Cardinals]

I checked out most of the school's websites looking at their requirements. I cut out schools based on:

Not accepting people from out of state
Too expensive
Had prereqs I didn't meet
Average GPA/MCAT much higher than mine.

From the schools that were left, I picked my top choices by location, by whether they used lecture vs. PBL, and when I was especially busy, I picked a few places just because they didn't have many secondary essays.

 

[ChartaBona]

What does this even mean? They're all pretty much the same: blah blah blah we aim to create medical scientists and clinicians blah blah blah service, compassion, etc. blah blah blah.

I looked into more than just the mission statements to determine what kind of school they were. I also mean their unstated goals that might as well be in their mission statements. Some are all about research, whereas others don't care as much. Some are more focused on primary care. Some schools are all about helping certain underserved populations. Are you more comfortable helping a rural population or an inner-city community?

 

[Nymphicus]

location, avg stats, academic reputation/ranking, sdn rumors...also, was the school well-established or not

that about does it for me

 

[MonkeyDRuffy]

What does this even mean? They're all pretty much the same: blah blah blah we aim to create medical scientists and clinicians blah blah blah service, compassion, etc. blah blah blah.

This is so true.