how many schools to apply to, when to start looking at schools, when to apply?

[hoops90]

1. I have heard that one should apply to between 10-15 schools. It makes sense to me because you want to be able to focus on secondary applications, as opposed to rushing through so many. Here is how I thought about applying to schools:
2 in-state MD schools
1 in-state DO school
3 safety DO schools
1 Caribbean school
6 average chance DO schools
2 less than average chance DO schools
Total: 15 schools
*there are 3 schools in my state

2. I am technically a junior, but I have to do a fifth year to complete my Biology major and pre-med requirements because I just changed to pre-med. I am also considering a sixth year to increase the length of my ECs that I actually am passionate about. When should I start looking at schools? The earlier the better? Now?

3. When should you fill out the AMCAS and AACOMAS? Some people do it their last year of undergrad, and some do it the year before they graduate. Which one is better?

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[perpetual labor]

Apply the summer before you graduate college. Have all of your letters of recommendation complete and submitted to your premed advising office the spring of your junior year of college. Don't be a *****. You're not helping yourself by applying in September. Trust me on this one.

Applying to all of the medical schools in your state is smart, but the rest of your list may need some tweaking. Once you know a ballpark number for your GPA and MCAT, use that information and a medical school admissions reference book to pick schools in your range. As for a Caribbean safety school, don't worry about that. If you get your application in on time elsewhere you will not need to worry about that unless the application cycle is going very poorly. Also, you may want to consider delaying medical school in order to get a domestic acceptance.

10-15 schools sounds like a good number. Of course, I applied to more two cycles ago... and I'm a reapplicant.

-P

 

[hoops90]

Also, you may want to consider delaying medical school in order to get a domestic acceptance.

10-15 schools sounds like a good number. Of course, I applied to more two cycles ago... and I'm a reapplicant.

-P

Why exactly is 10-15 schools a good number? More time to work on secondary apps?
Also, I am not sure what you meant about delaying medical school...

 

[deleted413795]

It is never to early to start looking at schools. You pretty much want to apply as early as possible in the cycle.

Personally I applied to 14 schools, so I would say 10-15 is a good number. 12 MD, 2 DO. I actually did not even bother with the secondary for one of the DO schools after getting my MCAT back. Looking back I probably could have cut the number to 10.

My question is why you are applying to so many DO schools and posting in pre-MD? I would say you should apply to more MD schools and less DO, unless you really want to do DO over MD.

I have nothing against DOs, but most private MD schools have cheaper tuition than DO schools. Even many MD schools' OOS tuition is cheaper than many DO schools. The other bad thing is that if you apply to all these DO schools and get multiple offers, unless your first acceptance is your first choice you will be spending literally thousands to hold your spots. Most DO schools only refund a small portion of their exorbitant seat holding fees.

In sum, 10-15 schools is reasonable, less DO more MD (unless you have some desire to be a DO or just love the idea of having more debt), and apply early.

 

[hoops90]

My question is why you are applying to so many DO schools and posting in pre-MD? I would say you should apply to more MD schools and less DO, unless you really want to do DO over MD.

you will be spending literally thousands to hold your spots. Most DO schools only refund a small portion of their exorbitant seat holding fees.

I am posting in Pre-Med Allo because I am interested in MD and DO schools. I don't want to cross post, so I decided to post in Pre-Med Allo only. Also, I guess my GPA is not very great right now, and I think DO schools tend to accept students with slightly lower GPAs.

Also, in terms of spending money during the application process, I know it will be expensive. However, my mom will help me out with that because these expenses are for my education, as opposed to leisure.

 

[anbuitachi]

average at school i garduated from was 19 schools. and this is a top 100 university

 

[ps9891]

I would also say 10-15 is a good number, and like a previous poster said, definitely check out the MSAR for average GPA and MCAT scores for the schools you're interested in.

As for the AMCAS, my personal opinion is that you should wait until the summer you're applying to actually write it. I feel like that would give you the most advantageous/complete perspective on your experiences. But it never hurts to start thinking about it early, especially as you are actually participating in these experiences that you'll be writing about later. Just my two cents.

 

[Slack3r]

1. I have heard that one should apply to between 10-15 schools. It makes sense to me because you want to be able to focus on secondary applications, as opposed to rushing through so many. Here is how I thought about applying to schools:
2 in-state MD schools
1 in-state DO school
3 safety DO schools
1 Caribbean school
6 average chance DO schools
2 less than average chance DO schools
Total: 15 schools
*there are 3 schools in my state

2. I am technically a junior, but I have to do a fifth year to complete my Biology major and pre-med requirements because I just changed to pre-med. I am also considering a sixth year to increase the length of my ECs that I actually am passionate about. When should I start looking at schools? The earlier the better? Now?

3. When should you fill out the AMCAS and AACOMAS? Some people do it their last year of undergrad, and some do it the year before they graduate. Which one is better?

1) All of this depends on your particular situation. I applied to almost 40 schools this cycle because I was a reapplicant and wasn't leaving anything to chance. If you have a strong application (>3.5, >30), then less schools will likely be a better option.

As to why people choose 10-15, I can't say. It's likely a combination of budget issues, time issues (how many secondaries you'll actually complete), and probably a few other factors. Again, there's no "correct" number of schools to apply to.

2) You can start looking at schools now to get a basic idea of what you're looking for. It wouldn't hurt to know early the schools you may be interested in.

3) This depends on whether you want a year off or not. As you (may) know, the application process takes a year to complete. You send in your primary in the summer for admission to the following fall's entering class. If you DON'T want a gap year between college and med school (I personally took one), then you'll have to apply the summer before you graduate. If you don't mind taking a year off, you can apply after you graduate, but you'll have a year without school to find something to do.

As to which is "better", again, it depends on what YOU want. I elected to take a year off because I wanted a break from school. I worked waiting tables and enjoyed my free time. When it came time to apply and fill out secondaries, it was also nice to not have school to worry about on top of 30 secondary applications. Many people on SDN will say a year off is a waste of time, but many people on SDN are neurotic idiots, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[perpetual labor]

Why exactly is 10-15 schools a good number? More time to work on secondary apps?
Also, I am not sure what you meant about delaying medical school...

More than 20 schools and you're spending thousands on applications while not investing sufficient time in the supplementary applications.

Of course, you'll know once your GPA and MCAT are set, but many DO schools may not be the best idea.

Make sure you crush your remaining college courses.

Good luck.

-P

 

[Etorphine]

More than 20 schools and you're spending thousands on applications while not investing sufficient time in the supplementary applications.

Of course, you'll know once your GPA and MCAT are set, but many DO schools may not be the best idea.

Make sure you crush your remaining college courses.

Good luck.

-P

not true. I applied to well over 30, and wrote well-crafted responses to all schools applied to. All secondaries were turned in in early July, unless I received the secondary later. With my trusty mbook air and large cup of coffee, nothing was impossible.

 

[kpcrew]

it depends on the strength of your application
you would probably only need to hedge your bets like that if you're a borderline applicant. i did about 15

 

[deleted261193]

wow 10-15? at my undergrad, they said that ~21 was average. and i know a lot of my friends and i on this cycle applied to about ~20ish and still aren't fairing "too well" (as in interviews left and right). this cycle just seems really competitive, which is why i'd think that maybe you should apply to more schools to increase your chances. what someone said above about investing time on each app is definitely a factor to consider so i guess it's a balancing act. i know i wouldn't feel safe with only 15 schools.

 

[deleted413795]

Also, in terms of spending money during the application process, I know it will be expensive. However, my mom will help me out with that because these expenses are for my education, as opposed to leisure.

I guess I am talking more in terms of money spent post-interview.

For example: most MD schools charge between $75-$150 to hold your spot and it is almost always refundable.

All DO schools I have encountered charge at least $1000 and you get roughly 10% back.

It just stinks because if the first DO school you get into isn't where you want to go, then you are losing lots of money, whereas the MD schools you will not lose much, if any.

I know it may seem like I am speaking about things that are a long way away, but it is worth considering unless you have tons of money laying around.

 

[MegMurry]

not true. I applied to well over 30, and wrote well-crafted responses to all schools applied to. All secondaries were turned in in early July, unless I received the secondary later. With my trusty mbook air and large cup of coffee, nothing was impossible.

+1. I've seen LizzyM recommend about 27 secondaries as the max in previous threads, but I do think that enough fear/pre-writing will give you sufficient motivation/edge should you want to apply to more schools. As a non-traditional reapplicant with a huge disparity between MCAT/GPA, I knew I had to apply broadly. I sent out 9 secondaries out in June, ~30 out in July and another ~10 out in August / September. I've been super lucky and am sitting at 9 IIs (7 were July secondaries and 2 were Sept ones) now, but I honestly did NOT think that would happen.

The stronger of an applicant you are, the less you have to worry about accruing IIs. The more conventional you are of an applicant, the more conventional wisdom applies to you. However, if you have some weaknesses and you have the $$ saved up, prep well and pre-write.

 

[LizzyM]

+1. I've seen LizzyM recommend about 27 secondaries as the max in previous threads,

I did?? I think that 15-20 well placed applications are much more cost effective and efficient. That's why I came up with the LIzzyM score to help people make the first cut of the list. If you got 9 interview invites you could have applied to just those 9 and had the same outcome having applied to 15 schools as you did applying to 30.

Visit your school's pre-med office and look at a copy of the Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) and consider buying a copy (about $25). Start making a list of what you'd be looking for in a school, become familiar with the average stats needed to get an offer to that school (to give you an idea of where you need to be stats-wise) and start buffing your application (shadowing, research if you are interested and qualified for a top tier school, etc).

Follow your school's pre-med office schedule and instructions for LORs or open an Interfolio account and request LORs before Spring break 18 mos before you hope to begin medical school. Begin filling out the application in early May, about 15 mos before you hope to begin medical school. Following the instructions for the application and planning to submit it June will have everything else falling into place for you.

 

[Slack3r]

If you got 9 interview invites you could have applied to just those 9 and had the same outcome having applied to 15 schools as you did applying to 30.

This is a bit disingenuous. There's really no way to estimate, ahead of time, what schools will be interested in you. I applied to a TON of schools, and I've received interviews from places I thought were a long shot and been rejected from schools I thought I was almost guaranteed an interview.

Couldn't you, by that same logic, argue that if you have an acceptance you could have just applied to that one school since you would have been accepted anyway? I'm sure we'd both agree that's horrible advice.

 

[docbrill]

not true. I applied to well over 30, and wrote well-crafted responses to all schools applied to. All secondaries were turned in in early July, unless I received the secondary later. With my trusty mbook air and large cup of coffee, nothing was impossible.

Agreed

 

[anbuitachi]

I applied to 21. Orginally I applied to 16... but my mom woudn't stop bugging me until about how few 15 was... so I added 5 more. And those 5 were some of my first rejections... I should have stuck with 15. Something I wish I knew before applying, if you are on the east coast (im from NY) Boston U, Georgetown, George Washington, are pretty difficult to get interviews from. Several of my friends w/ 3.8+ and 35+ were rejected very quickly from BU. GW and GT came a couple months later. NYCOM and Rochester were difficult as well I thought.

 

[WorldChanger36]

It really depends on your stats. GPA around 3.6 MCAT around 32 Lots of ECs w/ shadowing, clinical, leadership, research and life/ recreation; then 15 to 20 schools will be fine with a few reach schools, mid tiers and DO schools.

Below that add 10 to 15 schools.

Above that add 10 schools and a few more upper tier schools.

Way below that think about an SMP or postbacc.

 

[hoops90]

I plan on applying to only DO schools because I feel more drawn to the philosophy of osteopathic medicine.

I am still considering applying to 10-15 DO schools
3 "dream schools"
7 schools I have an average chance of being accepted
5 schools I have a high chance of being accepted

What do you think of my current plan? If you don't think it's a good plan, how many schools would you apply to, assuming that you will have to submit the potential secondary apps during school?

I am assuming that the more secondary apps you write during school, the less amount of time you can spend on each.

To Moderator: I think this thread may need to be moved to Pre-Osteopathic because I am only interested in DO schools.

 

[aSagacious]

To Moderator: I think this thread may need to be moved to Pre-Osteopathic because I am only interested in DO schools.

Ok, I'll move this over to pre-osteo.

 

[tenndoc]

i did about 18 initially. filled out secondaries for 14 of those. received 3 rejections/holds and gotten 4 interviews with one acceptance so far. :fingerscrossed: so im batting about 22%

 

[ManBroDude]

Skip the Carib school. Apply on the first day by having all your ducks lined up (LOR's, PS, MCAT, etc).

DO YOUR RESEARCH! There's no point in applying to schools if you know you have no chance (whether it's regional bias, historically high MCAT scores, or what have you). For example, did you know the Ohio DO school requires you to sign a contract saying you'll stay and practice in Ohio for 5 years after graduating? Did you know PNWU's regional bias is over 90%? Did you know Touro-NY's MCAT average is way higher than it used to be a year or two ago?

I applied to 16 schools and sent secondaries to 15 of them (MSU needs to get with the program). If you're able to apply to a few other MD schools within your MSAR range, I'd hit those up too. Whatever increases your chances.

 

[hokie13]

Personally I haven't applied yet to schools, so this thread was interesting for me to read as well. I just wanted to comment on your consideration of doing a 6th year to focus more on extracurriculars. In my opinion that would be a lot of extra money to spend on school to do extracurriculars. Maybe you could consider applying to grad school to continue these ECs. Or consider picking up a job when you graduate to save some money for applications, etc.

As far as when to apply, our pre-med advisor has always said to apply when you feel ready. That could mean while your still an undergrad or a few years after. I think it's going to vary for each person. I definitely won't be ready until after undergrad.

I've started researching schools now. Researching the different schools as you go through the process of applying will help you make a list, and eventually determine which ones are your top choices. It will help you determine if there are additional courses you might be required to take, and if what the schools value are similar your values. Definitely don't think it could hurt!

Good luck!

 

[hmainn]

I agree with my fellow SDNers that it is based on your application, and to do your research on the schools before you waste money.
I don't think there is a right number of schools to apply to. It depends on how safe you want to be, how much money you want to spend, and if and how your stats make you unique.

Going into the cycle, I had no idea how competitive I was (at DO schools). All I looked at were average mcat/gpa data and figured I was average for mid tier MD, and above average for DO. If I knew that my EC activities, history, and interviewing skills would make me stand out, I would still have applied to the 8 schools.
One thing is, you won't necessarily know what the school is like until you visit. Websites can only do so much. If you look at some of the top MD and DO schools, there are a mixture of informative and less-informative websites. Don't judge a school by its website .

The way I chose my DO schools were to start with the whole list of ~26 schools and knock one by one off by my limitations. Was left with 5 DO schools (which included 1 safety). Added 2 MD around where I live, and 1 dream (Mayo). And off my applications went.

It's better safe than sorry. But you also have to be confident if your application is good.