NOT applying to my state schools?

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BodyBuildingDOC

Dr. Camou
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I'm don't think I'm going to apply to my state schools. Is this unwise? The NY schools in my area that are "state schools" are all SUNY schools with some prestige... University at Buffalo, Uni of Rochester, Suny Stonybook. These schools are all famous for having 3.8gpa and 33+ MCAT scores. I haven't taken the MCAT yet, but my gpa will end up around 3.6 sci & cum. I don't know if I should spend the money & resources to apply to my state schools without being a little closer to their average numbers. My impression from reading this forum is that people apply to their state schools for a better shot right? That wouldn't be the case with these NY schools in my area so I don't know if I should bother.

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The amount of money you spend on AMCAS and secondaries for your state schools will be nothing compared to the amount you'll save in tuition if you get in. Even if you are slightly below their averages, it is worth a shot.
 
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Not to mention that you get a boost purely by being a resident. Definitely 100% apply to those schools.
 
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if your mcat is close, I'd go ahead and do it.....a few hundred buck is nothing in light of potentially not getting in. if your mcat ends up not being competitive for MD don't be shy about going DO
 
I'm don't think I'm going to apply to my state schools. Is this unwise? The NY schools in my area that are "state schools" are all SUNY schools with some prestige... University at Buffalo, Uni of Rochester, Suny Stonybook. These schools are all famous for having 3.8gpa and 33+ MCAT scores. I haven't taken the MCAT yet, but my gpa will end up around 3.6 sci & cum. I don't know if I should spend the money & resources to apply to my state schools without being a little closer to their average numbers. My impression from reading this forum is that people apply to their state schools for a better shot right? That wouldn't be the case with these NY schools in my area so I don't know if I should bother.

Rochester isn't a state school, so leaving them off might make sense. But you should of course still apply to your state schools.

Rule of thumb is that out of state applicants needs to have above average stats to get into state schools...what do you think creates the average, then? In-staters with below average stats for the school. 3.6 is below average but it's not nearly low enough for applying to your state schools to be a waste of time. Not applying to them would be extremely shortsighted.
 
Definitely apply to your state schools. The average GPA/MCAT may be slightly lower at some OOS private schools, but the applicant pool will be much, much larger (several of these schools receive more than 10,000 applications each cycle).
 
There are situations in which people don't apply to their state schools, but in your case you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not sending them your application.
 
Does the same apply to California residents? I heard that California state schools are a reach even for its own residents. Should you still apply to all of them if you're from there?
 
Does the same apply to California residents? I heard that California state schools are a reach even for its own residents. Should you still apply to all of them if you're from there?

perhaps not all, but at the very least UCD and UCI. both schools have a huge IS preference.
 
I'm don't think I'm going to apply to my state schools. Is this unwise? The NY schools in my area that are "state schools" are all SUNY schools with some prestige... University at Buffalo, Uni of Rochester, Suny Stonybook. These schools are all famous for having 3.8gpa and 33+ MCAT scores. I haven't taken the MCAT yet, but my gpa will end up around 3.6 sci & cum. I don't know if I should spend the money & resources to apply to my state schools without being a little closer to their average numbers. My impression from reading this forum is that people apply to their state schools for a better shot right? That wouldn't be the case with these NY schools in my area so I don't know if I should bother.
All of the SUNYs (Stony Brook, Buffalo, Downstate, and Upstate) have a good amount of in-state preference, so you are definitely improving your chances significantly if you apply to all of them. U Rochester however is not a state school in the sense that it is not funded by public money, but a lot of their students are from the area. 3.6 GPA should be competitive for most of the SUNYs anyway.
 
I'm don't think I'm going to apply to my state schools. Is this unwise? The NY schools in my area that are "state schools" are all SUNY schools with some prestige... University at Buffalo, Uni of Rochester, Suny Stonybook. These schools are all famous for having 3.8gpa and 33+ MCAT scores. I haven't taken the MCAT yet, but my gpa will end up around 3.6 sci & cum. I don't know if I should spend the money & resources to apply to my state schools without being a little closer to their average numbers. My impression from reading this forum is that people apply to their state schools for a better shot right? That wouldn't be the case with these NY schools in my area so I don't know if I should bother.
You also left off a couple of the other NYC state schools for which you would have numbers in range ...
 
You also left off a couple of the other NYC state schools for which you would have numbers in range ...

There is only one state school in NYC: downstate.

WHEREBROOKLYNAT
 
Living in NYC is pretty expensive, forget that.

Umm, Brooklyn. I promise you, Greenpoint, ENY, Bed-Stuy, Flatbush, Brighton, Coney Island, Bensonhurst are NOT expensive. Bed-stuy is on the up (i.e., significant drop in crime rate) and with the exception of ENY, as a dude who can hold his own, I feel pretty safe in these parts at night. Don't rule out SUNY Downstate because of pre-conceived notions that everywhere you go a gallon of OJ is $4....because it's not lol
 
Thank you all for the responses! I will definitely apply to my state schools now after looking at this from a different perspective. Lots of good points made here :)
 
I am also in New York and plan on applying to a SUNY. It think someone probably already said this- but it is in your favor to apply their since you are a NY resident. Plus tuition is significantly cheaper!
 
Definitely apply to your state schools. Applying to 3 or 4 extra schools is a small expense in the big picture.
 
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