PreMeds/Meds: How Many Schools Did You Apply To?

[Rafa]

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I'd like to see what the SDN version of this bell curve looks like. If you applied to a large or small number (or somewhere in the middle), feel free to elaborate on why. 🙂

 

[Rafa]

late night bump :^)

 

[wildcatbio06]

I only wanted to do this process once so I went with a grand total of 29. Costly but I'll soon be in so much debt I'll look back and laugh at what I thought was a lot of money.

 

[OwnageMobile]

I only wanted to do this process once so I went with a grand total of 29. Costly but I'll soon be in so much debt I'll look back and laugh at what I thought was a lot of money.

I think this rings true. A similar comment was made about buying an MSAR, or taking an MCAT course.

 

[wildcatbio06]

I think this rings true. A similar comment was made about buying an MSAR, or taking an MCAT course.

HA 😛 , did both of those as well.

 

[jbrice1639]

I only wanted to do this process once so I went with a grand total of 29. Costly but I'll soon be in so much debt I'll look back and laugh at what I thought was a lot of money.

I was in the same position, only wanting to apply once, but i ended up stopping at 15 schools because i couldn't come up with any more schools that i wanted to go to that i thought i had a better chance of getting into than the 15 i'd already applied to. i ended up just applying to less "reach" schools in the end to save money.

 

[Risa]

17... way too many, but woah was I paranoid.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

California + bad gpa = 30+ schools

 

[QofQuimica]

California + bad gpa = 30+ schools

22 schools: no undergrad GPA and a nine-year-long PhD with a few work breaks in between going to grad school. 😀

 

[wildcatbio06]

i ended up just applying to less "reach" schools in the end to save money.

You are right, I could have easily cut it down to less than twenty if I had not included the schools I really had no business applying to or that I realistically wouldn't have attended though I had a good chance. Point taken.

 

[Flopotomist]

Applied to 30 - another CA resident with sub average numbers.

 

[LucidSplash]

10 schools, 3 interviews. I feel pretty good about that. I should have applied to a couple more (actually a couple different) but still pretty happy with how things have worked out so far.

I think it would be interesting (maybe not useful but interesting) to be able to search mdapplicants by the # of schools someone applied to.

 

[jbrice1639]

You are right, I could have easily cut it down to less than twenty if I had not included the schools I really had no business applying to or that I realistically wouldn't have attended though I had a good chance. Point taken.

i wasn't necessarily directing that to you as a "here's what you should have done." i only quoted you because i was in a similar position. for me, i didn't want to leave the chicago area anyways, and of my list of schools, my best shots were in-state anyways. and my wife forced me to be realistic with my applications because neither of us wanted to spend tons of money on applications and possible interviews if i was most interested in schools close by anyways. and, then i got no interviews out of state anyways, so i suppose i'm happy i didn't bother. 🙂

 

[NapeSpikes]

Applied to 30 - another CA resident with sub average numbers.

24 for me, same reason.

 

[Conqueror]

I applied to 28, but in retrospect I had no business applying to at least 10 of them. If I had cut the "dead weight" before sending the AMCAS, I probably would have only applied to 16 or so.

CQ

 

[PariPari]

applied to 6 that I researched well & thought I loved...interviewed at 5, no acceptances....decided for next year, it's going to be at least 20

 

[Thundrstorm]

21 schools on AMCAS, filled out 15 secondaries. I applied to so many because I was nervous about my chances, and because I applied MD/PhD to all of them. I got more interviews than I expected, so perhaps my number was too big, but I ended up liking (and getting into) schools that were last-minute additions or that I wasn't really focused on. In retrospect, I think I applied to a good number.

 

[lilnoelle]

I applied at 5, interviewed at three, accepted at two. I didn't want to leave the midwest and didn't want to spend a whole lot of money on applications. I also didn't think I had a better chance at getting into schools that I didn't apply to than the ones I did. I know now that applying to so few is a little foolhardy and could've very easily turned into another application cycle for me, fortunately it worked out.

 

[wildcatbio06]

i wasn't necessarily directing that to you as a "here's what you should have done."

It's all good. 👍 You just brought up a good point and I was affirming that.

 

[Rafa]

More votes! More reasons!

 

[Rafa]

Weekend bump...

 

[zero2hero]

18 schools, 16 secondaries, 9 interviews, 4 declined, 3 acceptances, 2 waitlists. I isolated myself to the Northeast, tri-state area but in retrospect I think I was a bit too paranoid.

 

[dopaminesurge]

Five. Next year (unless I get lucky), I'll apply to at least a few safeties.

 

[Pemberley]

Five. Next year (unless I get lucky), I'll apply to at least a few safeties.

Wow, dopaminesurge, your mdapplicants profile reads like a horror movie for those of us starting this process. Looks like the caribbean for me...
-Pemberley

 

[dopaminesurge]

Wow, dopaminesurge, your mdapplicants profile reads like a horror movie for those of us starting this process. Looks like the caribbean for me...
-Pemberley

Nah, I just should have had the brains to apply to a program or two that's not, you know, top ten. You'll be fine. At least you're not from California. Or maybe you are. Heh.

 

[doctoresse]

I applied to 18 schools, interviewed at 8, accepted at 4, rejected at 1, waiting on 1 and waitlisted at 2. I wanted to do this once also. I wish I knew I would interview at my 6 top choices (all in the northeast), I would have saved a lot of money on application!! But with med school procee, you never never know.
Dopamine, don't loose hope, you application looks great, I'm sure the schools will recognize that!

 

[galdoc]

9 secondaries, 6 interviews, 4 acceptances, 1 waitlist, and 1 pending decision. This application process turned out better than i expected considering that my MCAT score was borderline average.

 

[OctoDoc]

8 schools on AMCAS, 7 secondaries, 1 acceptance. Only 5 of those to which I applied I would seriously consider. The others were just to see if I could get in. My acceptance was at my top choice, too, thank God!

So few schools were because my fiancee has a great career, and so I chose good med schools near home. I didn't want to live apart from my soon to be wife. I want to come home to her every night possible! Two of my choices would require us to live apart, and I would do that only as a last resort. I'm thrilled that it didn't come to that!!!

 

[dopaminesurge]

I applied to 18 schools, interviewed at 8, accepted at 4, rejected at 1, waiting on 1 and waitlisted at 2. I wanted to do this once also. I wish I knew I would interview at my 6 top choices (all in the northeast), I would have saved a lot of money on application!! But with med school procee, you never never know.
Dopamine, don't loose hope, you application looks great, I'm sure the schools will recognize that!

Aw, thanks. If not this year, next year.

 

[Rafa]

Aw, thanks. If not this year, next year.

How are things in Israel? Are you speaking primarily Hebrew, English, or a mixture of both? What's the weather like? And when are you coming back?

 

[dopaminesurge]

How are things in Israel? Are you speaking primarily Hebrew, English, or a mixture of both? What's the weather like? And when are you coming back?

I'm speaking primarily Hebrew nowadays, but I teach English to finance my existence. Also, sometimes I just don't feel like forgetting words, so I subject my boyfriend to English. And the weather's currently fantastic. I love the winters/springs/falls here. The summers are east coast style. No good. And when am I coming back is a good question... if American schools don't take me, there's a chance I'll go to Tel Aviv U... (Sackler). I don't know if it's what I want, though. Sheesh, tis stressful making all these life-altering decisions.

Thanks for inquiring, though, Rafa. How's your life going?

 

[Saluki]

I applied to 21, but I withdrew from five really early on....
I think looking back that sixteen wasn't a bad number to apply to, but I didn't choose the schools well. I chose several schools that I really liked the programs and location, etc. but then I kind of randomly chose the others mostly based on prestige. So, if I had it to all over again, I would have only sent in the sixteen primaries, and I would have applied to more Midwestern and Western schools- U of Chicago, Northwestern, Stanford, etc. and fewer of the schools in the Northeast. Hindsight is 20/20....

 

[Rafa]

I'm speaking primarily Hebrew nowadays, but I teach English to finance my existence. Also, sometimes I just don't feel like forgetting words, so I subject my boyfriend to English. And the weather's currently fantastic. I love the winters/springs/falls here. The summers are east coast style. No good. And when am I coming back is a good question... if American schools don't take me, there's a chance I'll go to Tel Aviv U... (Sackler). I don't know if it's what I want, though. Sheesh, tis stressful making all these life-altering decisions.

Thanks for inquiring, though, Rafa. How's your life going?

That is awesome :^)

I'm fine though - two months 'till semester's end. Currently on spring break (which ain't bad).

Good luck with the app. process though - it's not over 'till it's over. 🙂

 

[dopaminesurge]

That is awesome :^)

I'm fine though - two months 'till semester's end. Currently on spring break (which ain't bad).

Good luck with the app. process though - it's not over 'till it's over. 🙂

Sigh... But how I wish it were over. If I get waitlisted at Yale, I'm going to knock my head on the table. I think I might prefer a rejection. Not sure.

 

[odrade1]

I applied to one school, (top 25) and was accepted.

I knew that my chances were good due to the fact that my stats placed me a standard deviation or two above the average of matriculants at the school to which I applied, and my subjective elements were also solid. Finally, I was applying to my local school, so my residency status also boosted my odds of acceptance.

If I had wanted to go to a top 10-15 school, I would have applied to 5-10 schools, instead of one. In my case, I knew where I wanted to be, and knew that I was a quality applicant for my school. Also, I would have rather gone through a second application cycle than sell my house and move to another state, so my decision was easy enough to make.

 

[Packamylase]

I applied to 15 last year, 7 this year...