I mean, is there a place to learn about the school other than what they say on their website? Like, I want a family friendly school, research isn't important, etc. It just seems so overwhelming (keep in mind I'm a non-trad, so I guess I'm pretty much like a freshman pre-med).
how do you decide what schools to apply to?
- Thread starter rnnpmaybe
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Check out the Medical School Admissions Requirements book, or the MSAR. You can get it here http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/msar.htm or at Amazon.com or something like that. If you have access to a university library, they may have it as well.
This book has stats for accepted applicants, information about what percentage of them did research, requirements, and general information about the school. It may not address everything you want to know (especially the family-friendly thing) - for that, I think the best bet you may have at this point is asking around on SDN. You could also just apply very broadly (if you have the time and funds) and then ask current students when you go to interview. Best of luck!
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Silverlining has said what I was planning on saying too, but I'll tell you the steps I used to narrow schools down:
yeah, the MSAR was the best book in the world to figure out where to apply. My first step was to look at my GPA and MCAT and go through the schools in the MSAR and cross out the ones where I didn't feel competitive - the newer MSAR gives the avg GPA and MCAT and the ranges of both (and breaks the MCAT down into sections for the avg and range).
Then I crossed out schools where it seemed like research had a higher priority because I don't really care much about research schools. Third, I crossed out state schools where I'd be an out-of-state student and they don't take many (or any) OOS applications. I think I calculated that the school had to take at least 25% OOS or something like that. I'm from California, so most of the OOS students at these schools are Californian, so it might be different if you're from somewhere else.
That really narrowed my schools down a lot! Now, I applied to more schools than most applicants. I am probably about average for the number of schools CA applicants apply to though - we are encouraged to apply broadly because it's really difficult to get into our state schools.
It's probably hard to tell from a website or MSAR if the school is family-friendly, but you can always figure that out on interview day. There are non-trads at every school, so hopefully you can find someone who can talk about their experience and offer you advice.
Good luck!!
yeah, the MSAR was the best book in the world to figure out where to apply. My first step was to look at my GPA and MCAT and go through the schools in the MSAR and cross out the ones where I didn't feel competitive - the newer MSAR gives the avg GPA and MCAT and the ranges of both (and breaks the MCAT down into sections for the avg and range).
Then I crossed out schools where it seemed like research had a higher priority because I don't really care much about research schools. Third, I crossed out state schools where I'd be an out-of-state student and they don't take many (or any) OOS applications. I think I calculated that the school had to take at least 25% OOS or something like that. I'm from California, so most of the OOS students at these schools are Californian, so it might be different if you're from somewhere else.
That really narrowed my schools down a lot! Now, I applied to more schools than most applicants. I am probably about average for the number of schools CA applicants apply to though - we are encouraged to apply broadly because it's really difficult to get into our state schools.
It's probably hard to tell from a website or MSAR if the school is family-friendly, but you can always figure that out on interview day. There are non-trads at every school, so hopefully you can find someone who can talk about their experience and offer you advice.
Good luck!!
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You could ask in the non-trad forum for opinions on which schools are family friendly.
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I took my uGPA and multiplied by 10 and added my MCAT score to get the number 72. I then did that for the average matriculant numbers of the schools listed in the MSAR (someone made a spreadsheet here that made it easy). Then I made a smaller list of every school that had a 72 or less as their number and looked for those schools with the lowest cost of attendance.
Oh, and then I looked for schools that accepted a reasonable number of students OOS.
Oh, and then I looked for schools that accepted a reasonable number of students OOS.
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This calculator is a good reference tool for deciding what schools to apply to: http://www.quickfilepost.com/download.do?get=042809f1975ea2dd0d8fc0ae8bd058dd
If you don't have Excel download OpenOffice at OpenOffice.org and use the OpenOffice Calc program to open it. Follow the directions then switch sheets to see a list of schools.
If you don't have Excel download OpenOffice at OpenOffice.org and use the OpenOffice Calc program to open it. Follow the directions then switch sheets to see a list of schools.
i used MSAR and then school websites after i narrowed down the list.
I was looking at the numbers, locations and requirements. If i didn't fulfill requirements I didn't apply. I also didn't apply to any out of state public schools and schools that had things like a required year of research
I was looking at the numbers, locations and requirements. If i didn't fulfill requirements I didn't apply. I also didn't apply to any out of state public schools and schools that had things like a required year of research
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1. stats - did i have a chance?
2. location - would i live there for four years? (turns out i'm pretty flexible as i applied to over 30 schools)
2. location - would i live there for four years? (turns out i'm pretty flexible as i applied to over 30 schools)
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This is derailing a tad into "what factors did you use to choose med schools" - just a reminder that the OP wants to know what resources he/she can use to learn more about schools (such as good places to have a family).
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Personally, I just flipped open MSAR to a random page and wrote down the school name. then closed the book and repeated 15 more times. Was this a bad idea?
Apply to all schools within your state
Apply to four schools that you would be considered an average student based on GPA/Mcat/Curriculars
Apply to two schools that you would be considered an above average/superb student based on the same criteria
If you'd like apply to two schools where you'd be considered lower on the totem pole based on your personal interest with the school
I'm picking schools based on location, quality of life within the city, living expenses, and the number of hot females that attend. The last one being a joke but boy oh boy would I love the numbers to what school has the most attractive female student body
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Having just applied, I do have one piece of advice: pay attention to how admissions work- i.e. rolling vs. non-rolling. Make sure to have a good mix of both, esp if you are applying to a lot of top schools which are non-rolling, so that you have the chance of being admitted somewhere early on. This will save you from going neurotic like I am waiting until March!
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