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How many schools are you guys applying to? I have 19 right now, but have other schools I am thinking about adding, if that's not a ridiculously high number.
Number of Schools to Apply to
- Thread starter RM48
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.... 9 at the moment. Might add a few more in the coming days.
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From what I've heard, it seems that 20 or more is considered pushing it. I have 18 at the moment and that is considered on the high end by my advisor. I dont think it's worth your time to consider more than 20 schools unless you have all the time in the world this summer or your stats are on the low end of competitive. Just my opinion though.
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If you have competitive stats then 12-15 is perfectly acceptable and even on the high end. I don't have competitive stats, so I pretty much have to canvas the country trolling for some love next year. I recommend applying to however many you can afford. It is better to get accepted the first try then to lose a year and spend more money on apps. (Not to mention the year of lost income in your future)
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When I applied I really had no desire to move out of the state of VA, so I only wanted to apply to the 3 state allopathic schools. I kept reading here that everyone was applying to 10+ schools, so asked my pre-med advisor about it. I realize this isn't applicable to every state (i.e. CA), but VA gives preference to its residents so your own state schools should be the easiest for you to get into. Take my advice with a grain of salt, but I just wanted to get the point of view out there that you don't have to apply to a ton of schools just to get accepted.
this may be a silly question, but i'm just wondering what we are considering "competitive stats"? Like GPA above what number, MCAT above what number, etc.
I don't want to spend a ton of money applying, but i suppose it is better to apply to too many rather than too little in order to increase your chances of getting accepted. I guess I am just concerned that applying to 20 schools will be really overwhelming and make me slack on some of the apps a little.
I don't want to spend a ton of money applying, but i suppose it is better to apply to too many rather than too little in order to increase your chances of getting accepted. I guess I am just concerned that applying to 20 schools will be really overwhelming and make me slack on some of the apps a little.
D
Dr. Josh
I wanted to ask the same thing but know someone will say, "consult the MSAR". I really can't afford to apply to so many schools and although it can be a crapshoot I don't really believe applying to an insane amount is going to make me acceptable if I'm really not. 🙁
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20 is on the high end for most states. 15 is about average it seems like unless you are from the C's, Canada & California.
It seems like 20 is on the low end for Cali applicants and 30 is actually pretty normal.
It seems like 20 is on the low end for Cali applicants and 30 is actually pretty normal.
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From what I've seen, the average is 12-15. If you are really very competitive you can get by with 10 (but make 1 your state school). If you have more borderline numbers, (or are average and live in CA) go with 20-25+.
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I applied to 17, got interviews at 10, admitted to 6 schools, and waitlisted at 4. You must be really insecure to apply to 30 or 40 schools. I cannot imagine. Again, no offense, but applying to 40 schools shows a lack of self confidence and a lack of self awareness.
D
Dr. Josh
I sort of agree with you about the numbers, etc, but what do I know? Can I ask your stats with such a great track record? I am not really confident but don't think I'm a really compettive applicant to begin with, at least compared to the folks here. 🙁
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For highly competitive applicant, 15-20 w/ backups should be enough. For a semi or non competitive applicant, 20-30. For reapplicants 30+, because you never know how schools perceive reapplicants. Do people agree with this?
whoops, there is totally a thread called "A Competitive Applicant?" that answers our question 🙂 i hope you will find that you are, in fact, competitive.
D
Dr. Josh
Link? or is it near the top?
I'm not convinced I'm competitive by sdn standards. I also have not even taken the MCAT yet. Hope you're doing well in the process.
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If you got 10 interviews out of 17 you were far from the borderline applicant I was talking about. Many people in this process apply to 20 and are lucky to get 1 or 2 interviews. I hardly think that in such situation applying to over 20 represents insecurity -- it represents the sad reality of the process.
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CA is "blessed" with having very competitive state schools. So people who live there don't really have a "safety" school like residents of some other states. Thus if you live there, it pays to cast your net over a wider area.
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Very true. My premed advisor didn't even consider that I was a CA resident and told me to apply to whatever school I really want to go to. I ended getting some CA interviews and even some top 10 interviews, but only got waitlists. Here I am reapplying. Apply early and broadly, and be extra careful if you're a CA resident.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=414910
i hope that works. and if you haven't taken the mcat yet, don't fret! haha. even if you are not "competitive" right now, there is always the option of taking a year or two to strengthen your ECs 🙂
and i'm sorry that life has to be made more difficult for you Cali residents 🙁
D
Dr. Josh
thanks so much. And since I already graduated I am taking about two years off. There was just too much going on at once and I decided on medicine late in the process. I'm now in summer school retaking orgo and then still need orgo 2. Could have had a 3.9 BCPM if it wasn't for my horrible orgo class. 👎 Right now I have a 100 average on retake but don't expect that to last.
Overall I have a 3.65 gpa and just regular ECs, so nothing spectaclular. I'm hoping to complete a pediatric medical story book for a hospital departmenthat I've started; that may be the only thing a little bit different; otherwise I'm the standard applicant. 🙁thanks so much. And since I already graduated I am taking about two years off. There was just too much going on at once and I decided on medicine late in the process. I'm now in summer school retaking orgo and then still need orgo 2. Could have had a 3.9 BCPM if it wasn't for my horrible orgo class. 👎 Right now I have a 100 average on retake but don't expect that to last.
3.65 is by no means bad. haha. just keep up your work within the hospital and i'm sure they'll write you some stellar recommendations. and "standard applicants" get in all over the place! once you take your mcat, you'll be able to narrow down which schools you have a real shot at. choosing medicine later in your college career and sticking to it shows determination so i think that'll work to your advantage. have a little more confidence and just keep up what you are doing 🙂
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Does it cost more to add schools after you've already submitted (you don't need the $160 again right? just 30 for each?)
I only have 9 right now, all TOP schools. People have been telling me to go with a few backups but my thing is, would I really want to go to my "backup"? I dunno, I should probably add a few. I just want to be able to pull together stellar secondaries, and I don't know if I can to many more schools.
Thoughts?
http://mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=8235
I only have 9 right now, all TOP schools. People have been telling me to go with a few backups but my thing is, would I really want to go to my "backup"? I dunno, I should probably add a few. I just want to be able to pull together stellar secondaries, and I don't know if I can to many more schools.
Thoughts?
http://mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=8235
D
Dr. Josh
Your stats are like the best I've ever seen but you could bomb the interviews and sometimes there are random crapshoots. I'd add a state school as a safety just to be sure.
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20 schools minimum and then praying to ace the mcat 😳
back to the books....
back to the books....
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I started out meaning to apply to 14, but then I got lazy and cheaper and only applied to 8. But I'm from Texas... thank God I'm from Texas for med school applications! I was not a super competitive applicant.
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I'm only applying to 11, But for the most part they are all schools I can see myself going to and one's I may have a chance to get into. It is also nice my undergraduate has a med school so that makes for a perfect "backup"...but we will see what happens when I retake my MCAT!
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Does U Michigan count as a state school? ...j/k.
Do you know if it costs the initial $160 again? I'd love to avoid that if I have to add more schools, but I suppose there's no getting around it.
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Right! You don't need to pay the $160 again. Use that for five more schools like Mayo, Northwestern, USC, UCSF, UCLA and/or Stanford or wherever you might see fit. The purpose is to increase both the chance for some financial break in term of aids and scholarship and some bragging right that you are entitled to. Don't you want to conquer California just for fun? There are all kinds of sports activities (in all aspects, schools and clubs) all year round over there.
RSVP
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It's more important that you're a good applicant, rather than the number of schools you'll apply to.
Sure, there's some level of an "odds game," but what people don't realize is that they cannot always be the exception to the rule... the "low stat guy who squeaked in"
Some states don't have medical schools, or are on some sort of agreements with their neighbors. If you're in one of those areas, applying to a whole bunch might be a good idea... but the USUAL circumstance is that if you're not able to get into your state school, then it's highly unlikely you'll be able to get into a private or a different state school.
I say, pick schools you'd actually see yourself attending (this nightmare school crap is foolish and will make you very unhappy for 4 years, in addition to not liking your degree when you're done)... and continue to apply to those until you get in.
Another year of waiting is far better than going to B.F.E.
Sure, there's some level of an "odds game," but what people don't realize is that they cannot always be the exception to the rule... the "low stat guy who squeaked in"
Some states don't have medical schools, or are on some sort of agreements with their neighbors. If you're in one of those areas, applying to a whole bunch might be a good idea... but the USUAL circumstance is that if you're not able to get into your state school, then it's highly unlikely you'll be able to get into a private or a different state school.
I say, pick schools you'd actually see yourself attending (this nightmare school crap is foolish and will make you very unhappy for 4 years, in addition to not liking your degree when you're done)... and continue to apply to those until you get in.
Another year of waiting is far better than going to B.F.E.
