How many schools did YOU apply to?

Veterinary Science Graduate Certificate from UofI
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forjunior

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Just wondering how many schools everyone applied to before being accepted? Is it even possible to apply to all of them?
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First cycle:
3 schools- VMRCVM (IS), UPenn, NCState
Rejected from all

Second Cycle:
6 schools- VMRCVM, NCState, Tufts, Auburn, Tuskegee, Mizzou
Interviews offered: VMRCVM, Auburn, Tuskegee, Mizzou
Interviewed at: VMRCVM, Mizzou
Declined interviews: Auburn, Tuskegee
Accepted: Mizzou
Waitlisted: VMRCVM (IS)
Attending: Mizzou
 
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Just one cycle: 11 schools

Around $2800.00 for applications, $2000.00 for interviews aka My life savings..... But it was worth it in the end!
 
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I applied to five schools, first and only cycle (4 acceptances, 1 waitlist).

Yeah, cost adds up, but it's drops in the bucket compared to paying for vet school right? No need to go crazy, but I don't think it's unreasonable to apply to a few; if anything better odds of getting in somewhere right?
 
cs5910 said:
Just one cycle: 11 schools

Around $2800.00 for applications, $2000.00 for interviews aka My life savings..... But it was worth it in the end!
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You have to pay for your interviews? Or is that just for traveling?
 
I applied to 6 and I think that was a good number.

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Frozenshades said:
I applied to five schools, first and only cycle (4 acceptances, 1 waitlist).

Yeah, cost adds up, but it's drops in the bucket compared to paying for vet school right? No need to go crazy, but I don't think it's unreasonable to apply to a few; if anything better odds of getting in somewhere right?
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Wow 4 acceptances and 1 wait list? That's impressive. What'd you major in?
 
forjunior said:
Wow 4 acceptances and 1 wait list? That's impressive. What'd you major in?
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Thanks! First, I'll throw it out there that your grades and what you do matter a lot more than your choice of major (any major can get into vet school as long as you take the prerequisite classes). Major is Biomedical Sciences however.
 
I applied to 15 schools (overkill, in hindsight ;) ). I was accepted to 7, waitlisted at a few, and rejected at 3 I think. I turned down a bunch of interviews once I got into OSU, so I don't know how it would have turned out, but am happy where I turned out!
 
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NStarz said:
I applied to 15 schools (overkill, in hindsight ;) ). I was accepted to 7, waitlisted at a few, and rejected at 3 I think. I turned down a bunch of interviews once I got into OSU, so I don't know how it would have turned out, but am happy where I turned out!
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7. Wow. What is your major? Just curious.
 
I was a biology major, nothing special. It doesn't matter what you major in, as long as you complete the pre-reqs.
 
1st time: 3
2nd time: 5
3rd time : 4
4th time: 4

ETA: in case you are curious, I was a biology and animal science double major.
 
forjunior said:
7. Wow. What is your major? Just curious.
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why the fascination with majors? just curious.

it actually means diddlysquat in terms of admissions, as long as you take all the prereqs (and maybe a few extra upper-level bio classes if you really want to show you can handle stuff). otherwise, if you want to be a bio major, major in biology. if you love music, be a music major. etc.
 
First cycle I applied to 4 schools and was rejected from all of them. This cycle I applied to 6 of them. I was rejected from 2, interviewed at 3, and waitlisted at 4 so... we'll see if I get in this round.
 
I second what Frozenshades said! Your grades are what matter, not your major. Don't pick a major that you "think" the admissions committees will like, pick a major that you will ENJOY for four years of study. I was a Biology major and have currently been accepted to four schools and have three waitlists for my first cycle this year. I turned down other interviews after I was accepted as well. My friend, who was a philosophy major, also had four acceptances. What you major in does not matter, rather what grades you earn. Make sure to have quality extra curriculars and vet experience and rock your personal statement and GRE; you will do great!
 
First and only cycle:
Applied: 11
Accepted: 1

I started as a biochemistry major, then switched to a biology major. Second year I added a major in animal behavior, ecology, and conservation (that is one major, not three). Ended up with two minors as well. BUT, like everyone before me has said: it doesn't matter what you major in. If you like English, be an English major. Grades are way more important.
 
The reason I'm asking about majors is because I am currently a Wildlife pre vet major. I would think that if a school had to choose between a wildlife major and a, say biological engineering major that they would take the biological engineering major because it looks more challenging. Do y'all understand what I'm saying? Am I just being ridiculous?
 
forjunior said:
The reason I'm asking about majors is because I am currently a Wildlife pre vet major. I would think that if a school had to choose between a wildlife major and a, say biological engineering major that they would take the biological engineering major because it looks more challenging. Do y'all understand what I'm saying? Am I just being ridiculous?
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Schools often do some account of course rigor, but that is more about course load, not course subject. Yes, it's good to take some additional upper level bio classes if you can, but don't sweat it.

Major in what you want to study, NOT what you think admissions wants.
Take 15+ credit hour semesters if you can (though not necessarily a deal breaker again either).
Make good grades (more important than taking more hours, no getting around this one).
 
I applied to 12, was accepted to 1, and withdrew my application from 2 others.

Yes, it is possible to apply to every single school, but I wouldn't recommend it. For starters, it's ridiculously expensive - VMCAS fees are based on the number of schools you apply to, plus each school usually has its own additional application fee, plus it costs money to send your GRE scores, plus some undergrad schools charge a fee for each copy of your transcripts. It all adds up VERY quickly. There was a thread recently about the cost of applying (you can find it using the forum search function if you're interested) and I estimated that I spent a bare minimum of $3,000. Not to mention that it's extremely time consuming filling out a ton of supplemental apps.

You're much better off determining how many schools you can reasonably afford to apply to, and then do some research and choose the ones where a.) you stand the best chance if being accepted, and b.) you'll actually be happy attending. Chances are not every school will fit those criteria.
 
Just one cycle.

Applied to three, accepted to one and rejected from the other two. Total spent, about $2000.

Edit: My major was Communications with a specialization in Public Relations.
 
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One cycle, only applied to 2 schools- Mizzou and my IS- Tennessee.. I got accepted to Mizzou and pulled my app from UTK.

My biggest thing was that I refused to spend money applying to schools that I didn't see myself actually attending.. So I narrowed down my list and figured I could only see myself at Mizzou or UTK..saved me a ton of money!
 
I applied to 7 schools.
2 acceptances, 1 waitlist, 2 rejections, and turned down two additional interviews after my first acceptance.
Double majored in Biology and Animal Science (pre-vet emphasis) and minored in chemistry...but I agree with the others. Your grades and experiences and GRE scores far outweigh your major as long as you complete all of the pre reqs (and do well in those)
 
1 cycle. Applied to 5, accepted to 3. 2 OOS, 1 IS. Attend OOS.
I suppose you can apply to 28; however, there are several where your chances will be next to nil due to your domicile. For those where your State isn't represented, why bother? If the vet school (UGA for instance) accepts maybe 1 OOS and GA isn't your IS, it seems like a complete waste unless you're a glutton for punishment.
 
Applied to 3, only interviewed / accepted to 1. But that's all you need! :love:
 
2 schools, 2 acceptances. Like others have said, major doesn't matter. In case you still want to know, I majored in zoology.
 
one cycle... 4 schools. accepted 3 (including IS), waitlisted 1 (and called off list).

Majored long ago in finance where I had a much lower GPA than my science classes.
 
I only applied to two schools, VMRCVM and UPenn. VMRCVM was my instate and that was a no-brainer that I would apply there, but UPenn was really the only out of state school I would be willing to go into major debt for. You have to consider that if you go out of state, you will most likely be facing upwards of $250,000 of debt. You have to really ask yourself: if I were accepted to an out of state school and were facing that debt, would I really accept that placement? I know people on SDN that were only accepted to out of state schools this year and are declining those acceptances because they would rather pay the lower tuition of the in-state school. So in hindsight, they wasted a ton of money on applications, because they weren't willing to go to those schools even if they got in.

The only reason why I applied to UPenn was because I am from Maryland and UPenn is only an hour and a half away from my house. I love my family and boyfriend to bits, so going to a vet school that was close was a big priority to me. VMRCVM is 5 hours away, which is still pretty reasonable.

Applied: VMRCVM (IS), UPenn (OOS)
Interviewed: VMRCVM, UPenn
Rejected: UPenn
Accepted: VMRCVM
Attending: VMRCVM
 
One (OVC), because Ontario residents can't apply to any other Canadian school.

It's my in-province and going international would have been significantly more expensive (currently I pay $8000/year for tuition). Plus it was my first cycle and I was in 3rd year undergrad, so I figured that if I didn't get in, I could broaden my sights for my next application after finishing 4th year.
 
Applied to 9.
Accepted at 3, declined 2 interviews, rejected at the rest.
 
variegata said:
Applied to 9.
Accepted at 3, declined 2 interviews, rejected at the rest.
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Exactly the same for me, except I applied to 10 schools. :)

And my major in undergrad was political science. Then I spent 2 years figuring what I wanted to do with my life and then the past 3 years finishing up my prereq courses and gaining experience.
 
I applied to one, and got accepted. My husband and I decided that for the first cycle, we'd try my IS and see what happened. OOS is so expensive, and I'd rather not be separated from him any more than we currently are (he's a pilot), so luckily my IS school is only 90 minutes away from the airport!

Edit: I'm a nontraditional student, but I had to declare a major/minor of biology/chemistry. I just took the prereqs (and the courses required to take those), plus a few upper level classes that looked interesting, to keep my status as a fulltime student. I'm still several semesters away from achieving a BS...but didn't really want one ;)

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I applied to 5 and got into 4 of them. And I'm a psych major, since that's apparently also part of the poll here?
 
tangowhiskey said:
I applied to one, and got accepted. My husband and I decided that for the first cycle, we'd try my IS and see what happened. OOS is so expensive, and I'd rather not be separated from him any more than we currently are (he's a pilot), so luckily my IS school is only 90 minutes away from the airport!

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Those of us who only applied to one school seem to be a minority around here. Like tangowhiskey, I only applied to my IS primarily for financial reasons, and because my chances of acceptance were much greater there. I realize that not everyone has an IS, but this was the only way to go for me.

That said, I visited one other school because it was one of those, "well I happen to be in the area" things, and I LOVED it... If finances weren't such a big issue, I might have applied. Meh.

Keeping to the poll on majors haha:
Bachelor's degree 1: Bio
Bachelor's degree 2: French. Awwww yeah.
 
I only applied to one, my IS, and got in.

I was a Biology major, Chemistry minor. I picked that by looking at all the pre-reqs for my IS and a couple of other schools, then looking at the required courses for the various majors at my school - I went to a tiny liberal arts school, so there were very few majors (Biology and Neuroscience were the only animal-related ones of any kind). I took the major that had the most requirements covered by the vet school pre-reqs, that way I could choose more freely for my elective courses. My reasoning is, if I had majored in something that didn't have much overlap with pre-vet courses, I would be able to take very few classes that weren't for either my major or vet school. With a lot of overlap, I could take electives without worrying about using them to finish my requirements.

That said, your school may have a lot more few-credit courses than mine that you could take, or the majors at your school could have more freedom in which courses count, so figure out how you can take what you want. I agree that adcoms don't care what you major in.
 
Don't apply to them all! just choose your top 6 (i like 6 the fees were just manageable). I applied to 6, was rejected by 2, waitlisted at 1, and accepted by the other 3.

and I was a bio major, i think its the easiest thing to do with all the prereqs
 
Only applied to my IS for reasons like everyone else said, financial and SO. My husband has a job where our house is free so it only makes sense to stay where we are, and also a non-trad. Major Animal Science w/ a pre-vet option.
 
Some will say I was a complete idiot not to attend my IS when accepted to both my IS and 2 OOS. I just couldn't stomach the thought of being at my IS for 4 yrs. From the curt, noncommunicative adcom's to negative attitudes of several current students I know, to 'unique' teaching methods that turned me off from the getgo, to the lack of asthetically pleasing facilities, my IS was not for me. It didn't matter that tuition at my OOS is double my IS. Had I only had the option of attending my IS, I would have tried again the next cycle or went a different route altogether. I went into the process with a positive attitude, but from the day the VMCAS opened, to the interview and the day I received an acceptance, there was nothing my IS offered me except for cheaper tuition. Blessed with parents willing and able to help, also made the OOS decision less intimidating and more realistic.
 
BulldogMS said:
Some will say I was a complete idiot not to attend my IS when accepted to both my IS and 2 OOS. I just couldn't stomach the thought of being at my IS for 4 yrs. From the curt, noncommunicative adcom's to negative attitudes of several current students I know, to 'unique' teaching methods that turned me off from the getgo, to the lack of asthetically pleasing facilities, my IS was not for me. It didn't matter that tuition at my OOS is double my IS. Had I only had the option of attending my IS, I would have tried again the next cycle or went a different route altogether. I went into the process with a positive attitude, but from the day the VMCAS opened, to the interview and the day I received an acceptance, there was nothing my IS offered me except for cheaper tuition. Blessed with parents willing and able to help, also made the OOS decision less intimidating and more realistic.
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I don't think that makes you an idiot. You had to do what was right for you. It's funny though, because I am the exact opposite. I applied to 3 schools; Auburn, Mississippi State, and Tennessee. I've been accepted at Auburn and Mississippi and will hear from Tennessee by Friday (interviews were last week...). If I do get accepted at TN, then my decision will be between Auburn and TN. Mississippi was not for me lol.

I will warn you to look carefully at supplemental application dates when you apply. I was planning on applying to Florida but I missed the supplemental application deadline by one day...:bang:
 
BulldogMS said:
Some will say I was a complete idiot not to attend my IS when accepted to both my IS and 2 OOS. I just couldn't stomach the thought of being at my IS for 4 yrs. From the curt, noncommunicative adcom's to negative attitudes of several current students I know, to 'unique' teaching methods that turned me off from the getgo, to the lack of asthetically pleasing facilities, my IS was not for me. It didn't matter that tuition at my OOS is double my IS. Had I only had the option of attending my IS, I would have tried again the next cycle or went a different route altogether. I went into the process with a positive attitude, but from the day the VMCAS opened, to the interview and the day I received an acceptance, there was nothing my IS offered me except for cheaper tuition. Blessed with parents willing and able to help, also made the OOS decision less intimidating and more realistic.
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Same here. I'll admit it was a tough call to turn down going to my IS because of finances, but I feel good about my choice.
 
dooleypuppy said:
Don't apply to them all! just choose your top 6 (i like 6 the fees were just manageable).
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(Caveat: I realize there are exceptions to everything. If you (generic you) applied to every school and got into only one, bully for you. It's not my point to say that can never happen.)

I sorta suspect there's a break-point where it doesn't really make sense to apply to many more schools. My thinking is basically:

1) At some point you're either going to get accepted <somewhere> or universally rejected. It seems improbable to me (see the caveat above) that most people would apply at a dozen schools and get into only one. But, only VMCAS peeps would really know.

2) You ought to be able to pick a more limited number of places that are realistic for you to get accepted at and that you'd be happy to go to.

This isn't meant to discourage anyone from applying at as many schools as they want - if someone wants to spend the dough, more power to 'em. But I suspect there has to be a point where it's not really money well spent.

And to the OP's question, I applied at one school. I wouldn't have hesitated to apply at 3-4 if it was possible for me to go to them, though.
 
1st cycle: Applied to 3. Rejected from 2. Interviewed at 1, rejected.

2nd cycle: I applied to 12. Accepted to 5. Waitlisted at 3. Rejected from 1. Withdrew application from 1. Turned down 2 interviews.

If I could apply over again I probably wouldn't have applied to so many, but I really wanted to cover my bases. Also, it was very expensive and time consuming not only to do all of the apps but to attend the interviews. I tried to limit the number, but I kept thinking what if I don't get into my IS? What if I don't get into an inexpensive OOS? What if I only get into a school that isn't in the US? What if I don't get in anywhere? :confused:

BulldogMS said:
I just couldn't stomach the thought of being at my IS for 4 yrs.
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This is how I feel about my IS. Even though I am accepted there I don't know that I will attend. The more I think about going there the more I realize I would only be going there to make my family happy. Thankfully, I have an OOS option that is not crazy expensive.

Oh, and my major is chemistry and my minors are biology/english. I am also pursuing a master's degree in pharmaceutical chemistry.
 
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LetItSnow said:
2) You ought to be able to pick a more limited number of places that are realistic for you to get accepted at and that you'd be happy to go to.
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:thumbup:

I've seen a surprising number of times someone has applied to a school, been admitted, and then realized they have no intention whatsoever of attending there. It's normal to have preferences and priorities among your potential institutions, but do your research (or at least a rudimentary look over) before applying; make sure they are schools you would be okay, or preferably, want to go to.

CheshireNeko said:
This is how I feel about my IS. Even though I am accepted there I don't know that I will attend. The more I think about going there the more I realize I would only be going there to make my family happy. Thankfully, I have an OOS option that is not crazy expensive.
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Unfortunately a certain level of pragmatism has to exist and I think anyone here would say it would be crazy to drown yourself in debt, especially if you have a cheaper alternative, but if you can afford it then do what's best for you and go for it.
 
I applied to 7 because after I nixed schools that I didn't have the pre-reqs for (nutrition, public speaking, etc...), schools in locations I couldn't see myself living in, and the schools that took ridiculously few OOS students, that's all I had left :)

I also majored in biological sciences because that was the only major that would allow me to graduate on time after taking all my vet school pre-reqs, crazy liberal arts school graduation requirements, distribution reqs, and taking a semester off to do an animal internship.

I agree with LIS's assessment. If you have money to burn, it won't matter. But if you're the applicant that is likely to get 8+ rejections, you really have to start wondering if adding extra schools is worth it, when you can save that for reapplying the next year (which you will likely have to do). I think it's important to look very hard at your qualifications and apply strategically unless you just want to spend the cash for the shotgun and pray approach... Which can also be emotionally taxing.
 
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