how many schools?

Hey PalCareGrl,
Sounds familiar. I'll be applying exclusively to DO programs soon also, but this is my first time around so I'm learning a LOT. I've chosen 12 of the 19 schools I'm interested in attending, and plan to apply to those. I've been warned against going nuts with apps because focusing on a workable number of secondaries is important. But...like I said I'm still learning. Maybe other folks can help us out!
-J

 

when applying to a D.O. school or MD school, you must ask yourself one important question. what qualifications do i possess that would make me a strong candidate? make a list of your current overall GPA, science GPA, MCAT scores, volunteer experience, and how many D.O. letters of recommendation you can get. then, write down each school's admissions requirements and compare the two list. also, call the school and ask them what they look for in an applicant. does the school focus only on MCATs? only on GPA? or does the school look at the "entire" applicant. only apply to those schools that match your credentials. this will save you time, money, and headache.
i hope this helps.
p.s. it is also important to note whether or not the school gives preference to in state or out of state students.

 

The main reason that I ask is that I'm only planning on applying to six schools and it just seems like a risk applying to so few. [/B][/QUOTE]


This all depends on your stats. I know one person who applied to ONLY 3 schools and ONLY filled out 1 secondary but got accepted to the school he sent the secondary in. I personally don't recommend this at all.

If you're thinking about applying to only 6 schools, you should definitely do your homework on all 19 schools before you make your final decision.

Good luck on your appl. process!

 

An advisor once told me a good way to decide which schools to apply to would be to ask yourself "Would I go there for an interview...would I go there for medical school?"

If you can answer YES to those, then apply. If you answer NO...save your money.

Of course, you want to apply to several schools in order to help your chances, but if you are a competitive applicant and have a good shot any a few "top choice" schools, then you can maybe cut out a few from the bottom of your list.

But then again, any medical school is better than no medical school...right?


Best of luck to you!!!

------------------
Joshua Paul Hazelton, CNA, EMT-B
[email protected]
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (2002)
"D.O. Wannabe"

 

PalCareGrl

Hey I agree you should apply to several schools, but do you remember the section on the app that asks you to lists all schools that you have previously applied to or schools you plan to apply to.

All of the schools know where you apply, in less you don't tell them on the app. I discourage this because they may find out you where not honest and then you're screwed.

When you get an interview at one of the 12 schools you applied, they will inevitably ask you why you want to go to their school when you applied to 11 other places.

Each school has its own personality and the schools want you to truly want to be there.

I'm not saying put all your eggs in one basket, but don't put yourself in bind because you applied to too many schools.

Also, it gets expensive applying and travelling to interviews.

PS I only applied to 3 school primarily and sent secondary apps to 2 of those 3 schools and I got accepted at the one I wanted.

Something else, most interview committees at the DO schools will ask you why you previously applied to MD programs.

 

i applied to 13 DO schools my first time around and got offered interviews at 11. trick is to apply early and have an excellent interview. you'll be at an advantage applying to only DO schools, but you have to show that you are serious about DO and are not considering it as a "back up." they'll know you applied to MD's twice before (they're sensitive about that kind of stuff).

i only went to 4 interviews because they happened to be my top 4 choices. so, make a priority list and think real hard about which schools you want to attend (consider student body, curriculum, facilities, reputation, class size, residency opportunities, and social outlets, location, etc.)

i had an excellent time with the application process. travelled to four great cities, met some enthusiastic students. of course it cost me more than a nickel and a dime, and it was pretty stressful, but it was still a great experience.

good luck to you!!
~jay
COMP '05

 

awakening again to answer another interesting question...

here's what i did:

for the primary, i applied to all the schools that had no stated in-state preference and one out of state school that i thought i'd take a shot at (MSUCOM). this gave me a fairly broad field to start with but not outrageously so. in general i'd say it's safe to stay broad on the primary; you may not get secondaries back from everyone anyway.

for the secondaries that did come back, i studied up on all of the schools and applied only to the ones i thought would fit certain personal criteria. interestingly, i ended up not sending a secondary to MSU and turned down an interview at NOVA. even more interesting, i ended up choosing TUCOM over two others and up until this year they have had no track record whatsoever. go figure!

i guess this doesn't add to the thread much. hmmm...how's this...for the primary, apply to as many as you can afford and where you think you have a decent shot. pare the list down for the secondaries.

incidentally, i wouldn't worry too much about what they ask you at your interview about how many schools and MD vs DO. if they ask, just tell the truth and don't be embarassed at all. they expect you to do whatever it takes to be a doc, whether you go the DO route or the MD route or apply to one school or 140 schools.

good luck, i hope everyone get's in.

 

I filled out the AACOMAS for 3 schools. These were schools that I fit into their acceptance criteria and I would consider attending. All through undergrad I only wanted to attend LECOM. In the end, I sent only one secondary application and that was to LECOM. During my inerview I was asked how many schools I had applied to. I think they wanted to know how serious I was about their school. I was also asked when I first became interested in their school. There was a candidate at the same interview day as me who had applied to all 19 schools. That is very expensive not only for the applications but the travel and hotels for the interviews. I you do your homework, write a great personal statement, sell yourself and have something to make you stand out above the average applicant, you won't even need to apply to 6 school. I would try to narrow to 3-4. I was told to always apply to the schools in your state.

------------------
Lisa P.
LECOM 2005

 

pyoj,
I'm also starting COMP this fall. I was curiuos, what were the four schools you interviewed at, and why did you choose COMP above them?