is it realistic to apply to 50 schools?

[aspiring20]

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i am applying next cycle, and right now, i am looking at 40 MD and 10 DO schools.

now, assuming money isn't an issue and i have absolutely no other obligations during application time...is it realistic to apply to 50 schools?

 

[Radon XP]

I bet keeping up with secondaries and app materials will be a drag. However, I'm sure others have applied to as many schools and had success. I think you can do it if you can keep up with everything.

I guess my answer is, I don't see why not. Then again, I've never applied, so maybe somebody else with more experience will chime in.

 

[Lambda Phage]

It's realistic but inadvisable.

 

[aspiring20]

I bet keeping up with secondaries and app materials will be a drag. However, I'm sure others have applied to as many schools and had success. I think you can do it if you can keep up with everything.

I guess my answer is, I don't see why not. Then again, I've never applied, so maybe somebody else with more experience will chime in.

thanks

i'll get my MCAT score back in about 3 weeks, and if i get a 33+, i will put some real focus on MD schools. if not, then i will start looking at the DO option.

a physician is a physician, and at this point, i don't really care.

 

[jeghaber]

I'd recommend that many schools only if you're able to pre-write most of your essays. 50 secondaries is a LOT even if you take into account overlap between secondary prompts. If you don't manage to prepare a majority of them for submission before they literally pour in, you might find that you'll lose steam and end up not being able to submit anyways.

That being said, I don't think anybody *should* have to apply to that many schools if you're putting thought into school selection. ~25 seems like a more reasonable upper limit.

 

[tewpac]

OP this was a thread from a few days ago on a similar topic: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=1018677&highlight=applying+to+50++schools

Its got some good information about applying to 50 schools, but the general consensus seems to be that a) you'll probably get burnt out before finishing them all, and b) the only reason to apply to that many schools is if your stats are not so great, but even then there aren't 50 schools that'll be in your range.

So yeah, you can certainly apply to 50+, but most likely you can cut a good amount off your list because they won't be good matches anyway.

 

[aspiring20]

OP this was a thread from a few days ago on a similar topic: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=1018677&highlight=applying+to+50++schools

Its got some good information about applying to 50 schools, but the general consensus seems to be that a) you'll probably get burnt out before finishing them all, and b) the only reason to apply to that many schools is if your stats are not so great, but even then there aren't 50 schools that'll be in your range.

So yeah, you can certainly apply to 50+, but most likely you can cut a good amount off your list because they won't be good matches anyway.

where does the line "not so great" gets drawn?

 

[TheShaker]

If money is absolutely no problem then I don't see why not. Apply to as many as you are comfortable applying to. I still don't think secondaries are that hard. Your patience might run dry from all the bull**** prompts and ****ty website function but most of them are fairly easy. If you work hard then you will eventually get through them all in a timely manner.

I'm on FAP and I'm applying to 41 schools (although I have a different reason). The secondaries will no doubt be grueling in the sense that it is absolutely mindless work but whatever, if it makes for a more comfortable application cycle then it's worth it.

 

[Dires]

I regret applying to as many as I did. It really depends on what state you're from.

 

[LuciusVorenus]

OP this was a thread from a few days ago on a similar topic: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=1018677&highlight=applying+to+50++schools

Its got some good information about applying to 50 schools, but the general consensus seems to be that a) you'll probably get burnt out before finishing them all, and b) the only reason to apply to that many schools is if your stats are not so great, but even then there aren't 50 schools that'll be in your range.

So yeah, you can certainly apply to 50+, but most likely you can cut a good amount off your list because they won't be good matches anyway.

👍

If you have to apply to 50 schools, chances are you won't even meet the average stats for 50 of the schools anyways. When I was making my school list I listed out every single school I met the averages for and took out of state students and even before narrowing it down it was still only like 45 schools...

 

[Law2Doc]

i am applying next cycle, and right now, i am looking at 40 MD and 10 DO schools.

now, assuming money isn't an issue and i have absolutely no other obligations during application time...is it realistic to apply to 50 schools?

It's been done before, so in that sense it's realistic. Most people with weaker credentials tend to max out at 25-30 though. What you don't want to do is have a lot of applications that look like cut and paste attempts to fit one schools essays into another's. If you aren't putting thought into it, and just going for volume, it often shows.

 

[tewpac]

where does the line "not so great" gets drawn?

That's a good question, because it's definitely not all about numbers. From what I've seen, GPA can often be a real killer. Once you start getting in to the <3.3 range, your chances begin to drop significantly.

But, you said you're getting your MCAT score back soon, so see how you did first and then move on to making a school list.

And if you're wondering where I'm getting all of this: https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/app...mcat-gpa-grid-by-selected-race-ethnicity.html
These are on sdn and alot easier on the eyes: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=888650

 

[Camy99]

I applied to 28 schools and only filled out 25 secondaries (well 2 schools didn't have secondaries, so 23). Burnout doesn't even begin to describe....

 

[circulus vitios]

After the first 20 or 25 secondaries, you get a strong urge to hurt the people who write asinine essay prompts like "why this school" or "how can you contribute to our diversity/explain your experiences with diversity and how it impacted you" or whatever.

 

[jeghaber]

I applied to 28 schools and only filled out 25 secondaries (well 2 schools didn't have secondaries, so 23). Burnout doesn't even begin to describe....

After the first 20 or 25 secondaries, you get a strong urge to hurt the people who write asinine essay prompts like "why this school" or "how can you contribute to our diversity/explain your experiences with diversity and how it impacted you" or whatever.

Truth. I'm currently 11/20 for secondaries (including a few that only had optionals) and my eyes glaze over every time I try to work on another one. Even when schools have similar prompts, they all have different word/character limits, so it's been a pain just to adapt my "diversity" essay from 500 words -> 2500 characters -> 2000 characters -> 1500 characters -> 900 characters.

 

[bigdogrob4284]

It's definitely doable if you have the time. At that point, so many secondaries will be repeat essays, I imagine that after like 25-30 secondaries, they will all simply be reword/cut/paste.

 

[Beargryllz]

I applied to 29

I probably won't even make secondaries for all of them

 

[BurberryDoc]

After the first 20 or 25 secondaries, you get a strong urge to hurt the people who write asinine essay prompts like "why this school" or "how can you contribute to our diversity/explain your experiences with diversity and how it impacted you" or whatever.

Hahahaha I love this answer.

 

[Jennyfishy]

Even if money wasn't an issue, why would you want to do that to yourself?

I think that if you were really in some position where you *had* to apply very broadly, you could at least cut it down to 35-40. I imagine after the 15th secondary (or 15th rejection), you'd just want to flip tables and gauge your own eyes out though...

 

[Cinclus]

I don't think you'd be human by the time you finished. I would not recommend applying to 50. I was practically driven mad by completing applications for a mere 15-ish. I only partially completed #16.

 

[TheShaker]

It's definitely doable if you have the time. At that point, so many secondaries will be repeat essays, I imagine that after like 25-30 secondaries, they will all simply be reword/cut/paste.

Building Frankenstein essays is an art.

 

[Anicetus]

People I know who did 30+ even started just reusing essays. Not every prompt is exactly the same, but past essays can be twisted a bit to fit the answer to different prompts.

Honestly the hardest time you'll have will be the first month when you will get a MOUNTAIN of secondaries and you will have to start essays from scratch.

 

[pyrrion89]

The extra effort it takes to write 10 vs 20 essays is much greater than 20 vs 30. The same for 30 vs 40 and 40 vs 50. At an early point you do the heavy work of writing the main prompts. Then you have them all, pretty much, and going from 20 to 30 or 30 to 40 is just reusing the same prompts with minor revision. I'd say apply to more rather than less, unless the fees are too great for you.

That being said, I am doing 31 schools and they do seem a little tiring now that I'm at the ~24 mark.

 

[askamsky51]

Truth. I'm currently 11/20 for secondaries (including a few that only had optionals) and my eyes glaze over every time I try to work on another one. Even when schools have similar prompts, they all have different word/character limits, so it's been a pain just to adapt my "diversity" essay from 500 words -> 2500 characters -> 2000 characters -> 1500 characters -> 900 characters.

Quoted for truth.

Applied last cycle to 31 thinking I would only get 50% of secondaries. I got all but one. Unfortunately I did them in poor order as far as good matches and myself went (which I'm sure showed). In all I applied super late and did only like 15-ish. Luckily I did prioritize a few and wound up successful.

I panicked supremely at the end and threw away money on 4 more--but it was probably too late to matter anyhow.

You'll regret that many next year when you are trying to rid your inbox of every stupid universities SMP/podiatry/MPH/fill in random degree here advertisements.