Is there an ideal number of schools you should apply to?

[ciestar]

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Just out of curiosity....
I qualified for FAP (using for MCAT registration, reapplying again next year) and they include the 14 primaries. But is 14 too few?

I am not going to post my stats, as I haven't taken my MCAT yet so I don't feel that will be useful, yet.
Should I anticipate having to apply to more than 14 schools?

 

[wiloghby]

You should apply to as many schools as you can realistically afford -- unless your stats are impeccable. If that's just the 14 included in the FAP, then you should be all right as long as you are a strong applicant (good GPA, MCAT goes well) who has tested their desire to go into medicine through EC's. After all, even if you can't apply to as many schools as you would like, you still have control over which 14 schools you apply to. If you apply to your state schools and then make up the difference with OOS private schools (or OOS-friendly publics) that have MSAR acceptance stats that match your stats range, you should be able to snag an acceptance from at least one school.

Out of curiosity, which state do you live in? Your state residence will affect how broadly you'll need to apply to gain an acceptance. And of course your MCAT, but you don't know that.

 

[ciestar]

I am from PA, I don't feel like that gives me any advantages in the application process, though.

 

[wiloghby]

PA is a good place to live. There are a lot of schools in Pennsylvania, and though most are private, they still prefer Pennsylvania residents. Temple, Jefferson, Commonwealth, Penn State, maaaybe Drexel (they receive a ton of applications) are all within your reach if you have a good GPA, good MCAT, and the traditional batch of ECs. And of course, if you end up with a stellar application, there's Penn. Many options just within your own state!

Be thankful you're not from California, or Wyoming, or the like.

I suspect you can get by with 14 schools if you have a strong application. So without any specifics, the bottom line is this: the harder it is to find schools in your GPA/MCAT range (as per the MSAR), the more schools you should be applying to. Maybe we should leave it at that until you get your MCAT score. There's plenty of time to decide how many schools to apply to :]

In my case, while my MCAT score was >90 %ile at almost every school, my GPA was <10 %ile at just about every school. As a result, I felt like I needed to apply to 20 schools to be comfortable. So far, I've received 5 interview invites and I am holding 1 acceptance at my top choice (3 interviews withdrawn, 1 decision pending).

 

[darkjedi]

15-20 is what is generally considered to be a good number of schools to apply to. Try not to apply for more than 5 reach schools and focus your application on what your stats are in line for, as well as adding state schools.

If 14 is all you can do, cut down on some of the reach schools.

 

[SN12357]

Just out of curiosity....
I qualified for FAP (using for MCAT registration, reapplying again next year) and they include the 14 primaries. But is 14 too few?

I am not going to post my stats, as I haven't taken my MCAT yet so I don't feel that will be useful, yet.
Should I anticipate having to apply to more than 14 schools?

Depends on how strong your application, what state you live in, etc. 14 could be enough or you might want to do a few more.

However, personally I felt that the number of schools it makes sense to apply to for any one person tops out somewhere in the mid 20s (with less often being fine, especially if you have good in-state options). This is based on where you are competitive, geography, urban vs. rural, etc. Also secondaries are time-intensive and exhausting to write, and you can and will burn out. A lot of people around here who try to apply to 30+ schools end up burning out and not completing all the secondaries.

If you choose your schools well you will have interviews and need money for that, too. Better to be savvy and apply to <20 schools, all of which you can see yourself potentially attending.

It is not possible to finalize your school list before you know every piece of your application, including MCAT. You can do research before then but finalization of the list should only happen after you have your score.

 

[yehhhboiii]

5 reach
5 match
5 safer

 

[SN12357]

5 reach
5 match
5 safer

I would argue there's no such thing as a safety (my own experience this year has certainly born that out) so it's more like 10 match, 5 reach.

 

[darkjedi]

I would argue there's no such thing as a safety (my own experience this year has certainly born that out) so it's more like 10 match, 5 reach.

Agreed, safety is a misnomer, because schools far under your stats may not be more likely to interview/accept you than match schools. They have yield considerations to think of as well.

 

[yehhhboiii]

I would argue there's no such thing as a safety (my own experience this year has certainly born that out) so it's more like 10 match, 5 reach.

i didn't write safety
i wrote safer

 

[SN12357]

i didn't write safety
i wrote safer

Ha, fair point, but I still think determining match vs. safer match is really not information most premeds are going to be able to find, short of a a direct personal connection to the admissions staff....

 

[ciestar]

Thanks for all the tips 🙂

As far as my GPA is concerned, 3.71 cGPA and 3.86 major GPA (I haven't calculated my AMCAS gpa yet, so that's about what I can report, my cGPA will be slightly higher and my sGPA (which includes a few more classes than my major GPA which my UG reports to me) will be lower. Ballpark though, >3.7 cGPA and >3.8 sGPA

I do have a copy of the MSAR in my hands currently as well.

 

[LizzyM]

With that gpa, if you can manage a MCAT of 30 or better with not less than 10 in each section, you should have a successful cycle if you apply to at least 10 schools that are close to your stats as well as 3-5 reach schools.

 

[papi89]

Wouldn't it be a good idea to have more reach schools thought? Seems like 3-5 reach is a low number...

 

[SN12357]

Wouldn't it be a good idea to have more reach schools thought? Seems like 3-5 reach is a low number...

This depends entirely on how much money you have to spend on applications. The OP indicated cost was a factor.

If you have the money, might as well apply to as many reach schools as you want to....most people don't have that luxury, though.

 

[ciestar]

Penn is one of my reaches, as it's very close to me. I have a lot to think about obviously but taking the mcat will be the ultimate deciding factor.

I appreciate all the advice!! Thanks

 

[GatorsKW14]

I am a FL resident with a 31 MCAT (10 PS, 10 V, 11 BS), a 3.65 cGPA and a 3.55 sGPA. I will be applying to all MD and DO Florida schools (I know several are reaches with my low GPA), but how many out of state schools should I apply to? I really don't want to go out of state but I will if that is my only option. Thank you!

 

[TheBossDoctor]

Applying to 30-40 schools is worth it if you wanna have several different acceptances to choose from in May. I personally don't believe in applying to 10-15 schools and being forced to go to the only school I get into.

 

[ciestar]

Applying to 30-40 schools is worth it if you wanna have several different acceptances to choose from in May. I personally don't believe in applying to 10-15 schools and being forced to go to the only school I get into.

Well, my parents and I combined maybe make 30k a year, so that's not an option for all of us. So good for you that you can swing applying to 30 schools

 

[TheBossDoctor]

Well, my parents and I combined maybe make 30k a year, so that's not an option for all of us. So good for you that you can swing applying to 30 schools

I meant this in a general sense for all people (to answer the question in the thread title). I guess in your particular situation its best to apply to fewer schools. But if someone can afford it, then yea apply to 30 schools.

 

[papi89]

I meant this in a general sense for all people (to answer the question in the thread title). I guess in your particular situation its best to apply to fewer schools. But if someone can afford it, then yea apply to 30 schools.

Yeah I guess that is what I meant with my comment above, if finances are an issue then just apply to as many as you can afford... but I had thought something closer to this (25 to 30) was an ideal target, if possible.

 

[13132]

I would argue there's no such thing as a safety (my own experience this year has certainly born that out) so it's more like 10 match, 5 reach.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[jeghaber]

I meant this in a general sense for all people (to answer the question in the thread title). I guess in your particular situation its best to apply to fewer schools. But if someone can afford it, then yea apply to 30 schools.

I would add that regardless of financial consideration, while applying to 30 schools may sound like a splendid plan in terms of maximizing chances, when you're on secondary #18 and want to pull all your hair, eyebrows and eyelashes out, it might not sound as appealing of a plan. I'm sure some people can pull this off, but I was working full time this summer at a new job and was exhausted by the time I was done with ~15 of my 20 secondaries and nearly didn't finish the last few. If you embark on such ambitious plan, I would highly recommend pre-writing most of your secondaries. I pre-wrote my diversity and my challenge essays, but I'd argue that wasn't quite enough given the large range in character requirements and the subtle differences in schools' prompts.

 

[newborn11]

I am also a FAP-qualified applicant. I submitted my primary application to 24 schools this cycle, completed 21 secondaries, and received 15 interview invites. If your MCAT, gpa, ECs, letters, and interviewing skills are strong/above average/decent, you might not need to apply to 30+ schools to receive multiple acceptances. Also choose your OOS schools wisely to maximize your chances of interview invitations and acceptances. Examples of OOS-friendly private/public schools: Miami, Ohio State, Medical College of Wisconsin, Toledo, Saint Louis, Creighton, UVa, Emory, Albany, Vermont, etc.

 

[slz1900]

Well, my parents and I combined maybe make 30k a year, so that's not an option for all of us. So good for you that you can swing applying to 30 schools

If you have FAP it's only $35 for each additional school past # 14. I'd say it's worth a couple hundred bucks to make sure you are doing the most you can to have the best options down the line.

 

[ciestar]

If you have FAP it's only $35 for each additional school past # 14. I'd say it's worth a couple hundred bucks to make sure you are doing the most you can to have the best options down the line.

Now I somehow missed that. I'll definitely take that into consideration after I take my MCAT. Thanks!

 

[nedsybedsy]

Now I somehow missed that. I'll definitely take that into consideration after I take my MCAT. Thanks!

Also keep in mind that almost all of your secondary fees will be waived as well. Thus, in regard to primaries and secondaries, you'll only have that additional $35 per a school after your first 14. So don't let the financial aspect hold you back too far if there are a couple more schools you would like to apply to. However, also keep in mind how pricey interviews will get if you apply out of state (airfare, transportation from airport to hotel to interview and vice-versa, hotel, food, interview outfit, etc.), especially if you get a last minute interview invite.

 

[dap]

Do you have location bias, or urban vs. college town vs. rural bias, or anything like that? The pick-a-number before anything and then make a list that fits that number never seemed like that sensible of an approach to me. Why don't you apply to all the schools you REALLY would actually want to go to, are qualified for, and can afford. If there are a few schools you aren't quite qualified for but you have good reasons for wanting to go to (i.e. not "because it's Harvard") then apply to a couple of those as well.

For the record, I applied to three schools total and at every school my interviewers seemed impressed that I knew what I wanted and where I wanted to be rather than shot-gunning based off of average GPA and MCAT scores...

 

[LizzyM]

OP, as an aside, you are ideally positioned in Philly to keep costs for interviews down because you can easily drive or take ground transportation to schools from Boston to DC. Yale matriculated a non-traditional student some years ago who did exactly this.

Also, as newborn11 shows, if you can yield 2 interviews for every 3 applications made and if 30-50% of all interviewees are admitted to a given school you can narrowly tailor your application and be successful.