How many schools did you apply to?

[xanthomondo]

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For everyone in med school now, how many schools did you apply to and do you wish you applied to more, less or the same amount?

Thanks!

 

[deuist]

I applied to 20. At the time I wanted to cast a wide net in hopes of securing a spot somewhere. Any standard applicant (3.5, 30, EC's, and LORs from profs that don't hate you) should apply to at least 10 schools.

 

[vtucci]

In 2004, I applied to 31 programs with a 3.93 post-bac, 3.5 undergrad and 3.4 Law average GPA and 29S MCAT (11V, 10BS, 8PS). I filled out all the secondaries and got 11 interview invite (went to 4 interviews and received 3 acceptances) before I started pulling applications. I liked having choices even among interview invites because it is so expensive to fly to interviews.

 

[Brainsucker]

I applied to 28 on the primary, ~24 secondaries for 6 interviews and 2 acceptances (2 flat out rejections, two waitlist withdrawals). Part of the low interview yield I think was that I switched from MD/PhD to MD in the middle--not something I'd recommend--and I'm sure a bunch of schools lost my app.

I'm happy I applied to all the schools I did. I really didn't know much about the school I'm in when I applied. It turned out to be very appropriate for my goals. I might not have even applied if I had cut down the number of apps. Well, I probably would have, but applying to lots of schools gives you more interviews and more chances to look at different places.

 

[lord_jeebus]

If you haven't done so, browsing through mdapplicants.com will give you a good idea of how many schools people with stats like yours applied to and how that worked out for them.

Asking this question in the allopathic forum is going to exclude a lot of people that didn't get in anywhere.

 

[lilmo]

yikes! i think i would have poked my eyes out if I would have applied at that many schools. I was an average applicant, applied at 3-->all instate, 3 secondaries, 3 interviews. i'd do it the same all over again. there is definitely an advantage to casting a wide net, but i couldn't have made it through all the interviews. it gets really hard to sound excited and original when you are answering the same questions over and over.

 

[chintu]

Applied to 11, 11 secondaries, 7 interviews, 2 acceptances. If I had to do it all over I would have applied to a few more reach schools, although as someone said it gets really old and annoying to answer the same questions in different interviews but it would be nice to pick and choose which interviews to attend.

 

[liverotcod]

2.95 GPA, 39 MCAT
30 on amcas
27 secondaries
~15 interview invites
9 interviews
7 acceptances
In hindsight, it would appear that I could have saved a lot of time and money by applying only to my top choice, where I'm attending. But that doggone GPA forced me to cast a wide net. I'm not rueful.

 

[deuist]

yikes! i think i would have poked my eyes out if I would have applied at that many schools. I was an average applicant, applied at 3-->all instate, 3 secondaries, 3 interviews. i'd do it the same all over again. there is definitely an advantage to casting a wide net, but i couldn't have made it through all the interviews. it gets really hard to sound excited and original when you are answering the same questions over and over.

You're in a very unique situation. Many students who would have applied to only 3 schools would not have scored interviews at all of them. Also, doing more interviews does not necessarily get boring. With the exception of, "Why do you want to be a doctor?" there are lots of other questions that people ask.

 

[Miami_med]

They give you 10 free, and I applied to 10.

5 Interviews, 3 Interviews Attended, 2 Acceptances.

I was accepted early in the process, so I didn't attend all of my interviews.

 

[stargirl50]

You're in a very unique situation. Many students who would have applied to only 3 schools would not have scored interviews at all of them. Also, doing more interviews does not necessarily get boring. With the exception of, "Why do you want to be a doctor?" there are lots of other questions that people ask.

3.7 GPA, 30 MCAT. Applied to 4 schools, interviewed 3, accepted 2. For me, it was more important to be a) in a certain geographic area and b) state schools of a certain caliber than to apply at places i didn't want to be. although he/she is in the minority, s/he's not the only one.

 

[lilmo]

3.7 GPA, 30 MCAT. Applied to 4 schools, interviewed 3, accepted 2. For me, it was more important to be a) in a certain geographic area and b) state schools of a certain caliber than to apply at places i didn't want to be. although he/she is in the minority, s/he's not the only one.

SWEET! Glad to know I'm not the only atypical med student out there. You're a breath of fresh air in the conformity of med school 🙂

 

[happygirldoc]

I applied to 10 schools. Pretty average stats, a kind of low science GPA, and good MCAT. 4 interviews, 2 acceptances (as of today!), 1 waitlist, 1 rejection. I kind of wish I had applied to at least a couple of more schools because I was sure I wanted to be in Chicago near home, but now I am not even going to be there. So, if you have average stats, I would say apply to at least 12, but it still worked out for me.

 

[Tiki]

SWEET! Glad to know I'm not the only atypical med student out there. You're a breath of fresh air in the conformity of med school 🙂

I only applied to 5 schools, I got interviews at 3 of them. I was really poor, and honestly I knew my best chances were with my state schools anyway. I ended up getting into two of the schools, and was accepted by my top choice right before classes started. 🙂

 

[tiger_lily]

I applied to 1, interviewed and was accepted. I know it was risky, but there aren't all that many Canadian schools, it was my first choice, and (I figured) was my best shot. Plus I was totally broke and couldn't have afforded to apply to more than one school! (Not at $100/school anyway). It's also the only medical school in my province, and I really wanted to stay here. Plus applying to any other schools would have made me an Out-Of-Province student, making my chances of getting in anywhere else much more difficult. But at 1850+ applicants for 200 seats it was definitely a risky manouver.

 

[medicomel]

Applied to 22 schools
Submitted 22 secondaries
Received 13 interview invitations
Went to 6 interviews
Waitlisted at 4 and accepted at 3

 

[sweetmelody]

applied 24, sent out 23 secondaries, offered 9 interviews, went to 7,
rejected from 2 places post interview, accepted to 1, waitlisted at 4

 

[exantus]

For everyone in med school now, how many schools did you apply to and do you wish you applied to more, less or the same amount?

Thanks!

I applied to 10 AMCAS
8 secondaries
7 interviews
2 rejections
2 acceptances
1 waitlist
still waiting on 2 more responses.

Its definately risky applying to a few schools. I wish I had applied to more in the end but i thought that with my stats some of the schools were out of my league. However, i've come to find out that you never know what a medical school is looking for so you should definately apply to as many as you can afford. First start out with the schools that fit you profile then expand out.

My stats were GPA 3.4 Science GPA 3.5 MCAT 26 and great recomendations.

 

[akaz]

I applied to 20 AMCAs

Admitted to a bunch of schools--only rejection was Harvard.

I applied to 10 AMCAS
8 secondaries
7 interviews
2 rejections
2 acceptances
1 waitlist
still waiting on 2 more responses.

Its definately risky applying to a few schools. I wish I had applied to more in the end but i thought that with my stats some of the schools were out of my league. However, i've come to find out that you never know what a medical school is looking for so you should definately apply to as many as you can afford. First start out with the schools that fit you profile then expand out.

My stats were GPA 3.4 Science GPA 3.5 MCAT 26 and great recomendations.

 

[mlw03]

i applied to about 20 schools through amcas, filled out 17 secondaries i think. for me and my goals, this was the right amount. but let me note that as important as the number of schools you apply to, it's also important to apply to the right mix of schools.

 

[medicomel]

i applied to about 20 schools through amcas, filled out 17 secondaries i think. for me and my goals, this was the right amount. but let me note that as important as the number of schools you apply to, it's also important to apply to the right mix of schools.

i agree. definitely apply to some reach schools, but be realistic about where you're competitive.

 

[CANES2006]

Back in 2001, I was a 20 year-old junior pre-med with a 3.99 overall GPA (3.98 science GPA and 4.0 non-science GPA) and a 30 MCAT (11 V, 9 PS, Q, 10 BS). I applied to 3 allopathic schools (all within my state), got 3 invites, went on 2 interviews and was accepted to both of them. Don't do this! Although I had a great outcome, I definitely underestimated the difficulty in getting into medical school, which I later discovered when talking to other medical school hopefuls.

 

[Pkboi24]

Back in 2001, I was a 20 year-old junior pre-med with a 3.99 overall GPA (3.98 science GPA and 4.0 non-science GPA) and a 30 MCAT (11 V, 9 PS, Q, 10 BS). I applied to 3 allopathic schools (all within my state), got 3 invites, went on 2 interviews and was accepted to both of them. Don't do this! Although I had a great outcome, I definitely underestimated the difficulty in getting into medical school, which I later discovered when talking to other medical school hopefuls.

I am planning on applying to 20 schools total, 5 of those are reach schools that will probably reject me post pre-secondary anyways, so in actuality I will only be filling out 12 secondaries (3 TX schools don't require 2ndaries). I have a 33P MCAT and 3.93 GPA, not too sure about my science GPA but since I'm a bio major, it shouldn't be THAT much lower.

Do you guys think this is too many or too few?

 

[Ypo.]

I applied 12 total. It was too many because I knew where I wanted to go and got accepted there early-but you never know that when you start out.

 

[Hard24Get]

I was an idiot. My advisor told me to apply to 10. I applied to 23, but then was overwhelmed by all the secondaries. Sent in 10 🙁 (10 interviews, went to 7, accepted at 7 [5/7 mdphd]). What a waste of money! 😳 But like others said, if I were to do it again, knowing how difficult it is to get in, I would have applied to about 14 and sent back all the secondaries!

 

[mjakec]

I applied to 3 schools (1 in state). I interviewed at 2 and was accepted to one. I reccommend applying to more!

 

[Dunce]

I applied to 3 schools (1 in state). I interviewed at 2 and was accepted to one. I reccommend applying to more!

I agree and would definitely apply to more. I was incredibly clueless when I dove head first into the application process. I still don't even know what an MSAR looks like.

I only applied to 2, both instate. Interviewed at both and was accepted at 1.
This was partially due to familiarity with the two state schools but primarily because my undergrad GPA was weak by med school standards (3.2) but MCAT was good at 30. I felt like I needed the instate status to boost my app. Knowing what I know now, I would have applied broadly but I am happy where I ended up. Like an idiot, I didn't even consider any of the private schools.

I guess this is a good lesson to learn. I do not have any plans for my residency choice or location to be limited because I might have to settle for something less than what I am capable of. Bust ass and it will pay off.

 

[ToPa55]

I appled to all 3 med schools in my state (Louisiana). I knew for sure that I wanted to stay in-state, so I didn't even bother applying anywhere else.
I got flat-out rejected by one public school, wailisted at the only private school, and acceptance at another public school (my 1st choice). I guess the only time this would be a problem is if your state only has one medical school (or none), but you want to stay in-state. In that case, I wouldn't put all my eggs in one basket.

 

[OrnotMajestic]

I applied to 21 schools. Yeah, I overshot it a bit and ended up applying to schools that I really didn't have an interest in. I got their secondaries and didn't fill them out. So in all actuality, I ended up only willingly sending in about 12 secondaries. A few schools rejected me pre-secondary (ie Vandy) I thought "more is better". Well, it is, to a point. The cost then just got ridiculous.

Though, it's hard to blame me. I was applying from a state (Oregon) that has ONE medical school. That medical school also has the reputation for accepting excessive amounts of OOS due to budget cuts. Considering Washington state only has one med school (which is very exclusive), California schools are just insane to get into regardless, and all the other states don't even HAVE med schools...I was pretty much resigned to my state school and lots of East Coast schools. This worked out well for me.

I got four interviews (I turned down one), two wait lists and one acceptance to my #1 school (my in-state school dropped to the bottom of the heap after my interview. NOT impressed.) I didn't feel my application was overly strong academically, so I applied to a lot of schools and poured my energy into my essays and interviews.

 

[chocomorsel]

MCAT 21
Science GPA 3.2
Non Science GPA 3.8

I applied to 4 schools less than two weeks before deadline. Wasn't interested in doing secondaries. Got a last minute interview at one, (someone cancelled), and got in!!!! Got rejected by the other two. Didn't finish one secondary. I'm not saying do like I did, but it worked for me. I'd say keep your options open and apply to 10 or so. If I had to redo it, I would have applied, way way earlier, to all 7 texas schools.

 

[Scalpellum]

For everyone in med school now, how many schools did you apply to and do you wish you applied to more, less or the same amount?

Thanks!

I applied to just under 30 schools. I interviewed at 4 and got accepted to 4 schools. Keep in mind my verbal score sucked a@@.

 

[jbrice1639]

I applied to 15 and I wish I'd applied to less. Everyone says you have to cast your net wide, so I did that, but in the end, the schools I expected to hear from were the ones I heard from and the rest rejected me without an interview. So my recommendation is to drill your list down to the schools you REALLY want to go to and think you have a shot at, and then add a few reaches/dream schools and call it a day. Would have saved me about $1000...

 

[OrnotMajestic]

I applied to 15 and I wish I'd applied to less. Everyone says you have to cast your net wide, so I did that, but in the end, the schools I expected to hear from were the ones I heard from and the rest rejected me without an interview. So my recommendation is to drill your list down to the schools you REALLY want to go to and think you have a shot at, and then add a few reaches/dream schools and call it a day. Would have saved me about $1000...

I did the same thing. I probably could have cut my list in half if I had really just been honest with myself.

 

[VFTW]

I applied to like 24 or something and I am glad I did. I got 12 interviews, went on 10 (dropped two after first acceptance), got into 7, had my pick of schools. I got into places I didn't think would even interview me, and got rejected from places that I thought I was a sure thing to interview at. I am glad I went ahead and applied to a wide variety because otherwise I might not have ended up where I am today! And I am very happy with my medical school.

 

[NubianPrincess]

I applied to about 22 schools on the AMCAS application. I went to 3 different undergraduate institutions and got less than a 3.0 GPA in my first year. No matter how the rest of my application looked, I couldn't help but worry about this. Knowing what I know now, I would have applied to fewer schools. But I don't regret applying to so many. I wanted to get in.

As it turned out, I got more interview invitations than I could accept. In hindsight it seems like I wasted money, but i'm glad that I didn't take any chances.

 

[DoctorFunk]

I applied twice, only applying to 4 schools (2 in-state) during my first round. I received 2 interview invites and a waitlist, but no acceptances.

My second try I applied to 13 schools, and applied much earlier than I did previously. I got 3 interview invites and 3 acceptances, then pulled my applications to the rest of the schools as I had already been accepted to my top choice.

I really regretted not casting a wide net during the first application cycle, but I was young, broke, and stupid (not necessarily in that order). I believe that if I had done more research into the process and applied more broadly then, I would probably be starting my M4 year this fall instead of my M2 year. Those extra two years of added physician income are sounding mighty nice about now...

 

[nymc flower]

Wow! Everyone sounds pretty impressive here. When I put in my application, it was the late 1990s. I was a California resident at the time and applied to about 40 med schools. It was so darn competitive to get into a California school, even if you were an in-state resident. I had a 3.7 GPA and a 30 MCAT. 10 interview offers outside of California, including impressive schools like Cornell, AECOM, and MSSM. But I got ZERO interview offers from my own California schools.

In the end, I received 3 acceptances. So no worries 👍

 

[jbrice1639]

Wow! Everyone sounds pretty impressive here. When I put in my application, it was the late 1990s. I was a California resident at the time and applied to about 40 med schools. It was so darn competitive to get into a California school, even if you were an in-state resident. I had a 3.7 GPA and a 30 MCAT. 10 interview offers outside of California, including impressive schools like Cornell, AECOM, and MSSM. But I got ZERO interview offers from my own California schools.

In the end, I received 3 acceptances. So no worries 👍

if you check out some of the cali threads in pre-allo, you'll see things aren't much different. most of the cali residents applied to 35-45 schools it seems like and had similar results to what you described.

in my case, i applied to 15 and it was overkill, but illinois is a very different ballgame than cali considering i had 5 schools with 15 minutes of my house.

 

[cutievans]

Hey guys, I dunno if this is the right thread to post it in, but did anyone took they MCAT's august for the first time and applied for the next year admissions and got in to TX schools? I am takin it this aug and applyin for 07 admissions? What do u all think? Thanks

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Hey guys, I dunno if this is the right thread to post it in, but did anyone took they MCAT's august for the first time and applied for the next year admissions and got in to TX schools? I am takin it this aug and applyin for 07 admissions? What do u all think? Thanks

Sure, why not? Applying late hurts, but is not the death sentence of an application, despite what some might say.

 

[titoincali]

So I turned in an AMCAS app. to 34 schools and secondaries to 25. I received 22 interview offers, went on 9 interviews and received 9 acceptances.

Moral of the story: I didn't know what I was doing when I picked schools for AMCAS! I didn't research well enough the type of school, curriculum, and location I wanted so I ended up spending a lot more money than was necessary. I also ended up turning down a lot of interviews and not turning in secondaries after realizing that the schools/locations were not the best fit for me. Of course, the benefit was that I felt I had a lot of options available to me which I might not have felt if I had applied to significantly less schools at the beginning without having really understood my preferences.

 

[murphomatic]

Applied to > 35
Interviewed at 6
waitlisted at 2
accepted at 1 and I couldn't be happier. 😀

 

[chocomorsel]

Hey guys, I dunno if this is the right thread to post it in, but did anyone took they MCAT's august for the first time and applied for the next year admissions and got in to TX schools? I am takin it this aug and applyin for 07 admissions? What do u all think? Thanks

Yup, but you can still get everything else in except for your MCAT scores. Some schools may just send you and interview even if your scores aren't out yet. Increases your chances of getting in. I actually applied less than two weeks before deadline and I have to say I was blessed cuz I got in.

 

[silas2642]

I put 10 schools on amcas, sent in six secondaries, was granted interviews at four schools, interviewed at two, accepted to both. In hindsight, I would have cut out a few schools, but at the time, I had no clue where I would get in. I would definitely say do your homework before you apply to any school; if you wouldn't attend if accepted, then don't apply there. Have fun with this application cycle, it's expensive!!!

 

[cutievans]

really, u applied with 2 weeks to the deadline, and got in awesome, can u tell me where all u applied? and where u got in and stuff, just stuff that might help me, THANKS!!!

 

[cutievans]

Yup, but you can still get everything else in except for your MCAT scores. Some schools may just send you and interview even if your scores aren't out yet. Increases your chances of getting in. I actually applied less than two weeks before deadline and I have to say I was blessed cuz I got in.

really, u applied with 2 weeks to the deadline, and got in awesome, can u tell me where all u applied? and where u got in and stuff, just stuff that might help me, THANKS!!!

 

[chocomorsel]

really, u applied with 2 weeks to the deadline, and got in awesome, can u tell me where all u applied? and where u got in and stuff, just stuff that might help me, THANKS!!!

I applied to UT Houston,(rejected), applied to UTHSCSA(rejected), applied to TCOM(never finished the secondary-rejected) and UTMB(interviewd and accepted.) Yeh!!! Now I'm not saying follow my lead and wait close to deadline to apply. Do it early and that gives you a wider net. Of course if you are in TX you have way more in state schools to choose from. I would apply to all of them, including Baylor, like most of my friends did and get my apps in early even before your MCAT scores. You can still get interviewed even before your scores are in if everything else looks good. Anyway, God was watching out for me, because I was really thinking I would be reapplying and retaking the MCAT the next year. Good luck.