Reputations or well-known 'facts' about medical schools

[Tyrone.]

I have spent some time looking at the programs on the MSAR. I am curious, as I've noticed on different threads occasionally, which schools have certain reputations. Things I'm referring to are a strong preference for in-state applicants, or nearly impossible OOS acceptance. Also I'm a white male, if that matters much with some schools.

When I see where I fall as far as GPA and possibly MCAT, I notice some schools and I'm not sure if it'd really be worth me applying if it's a school that's going to see where I'm from and not give me the time of day in the first place. The only things I've heard are it's hard to get in schools in TX and CA if you're not a resident, and that some schools highly prefer URM but I am not sure of which. That's all that I know. Thanks in advance!

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[Lucca]

OOS/IS ratio is a good way to figure out whether a school is relatively high or low yield for OOS students.

CA and TX are hard for OOS for different reasons. CA is difficult for OOS because everyone wants to move to California. TX is difficult for OOS because by TX law 90% of medical students at public medical schools have to be from in state (75% at private, i.e Baylor, IIRC). When you make a school list, its important to be familiar with your home state's laws/tendencies. Typically, including all public schools in your home state is a smart move.

Schools closer to the top of the USNWR value research-focused applications more than others, roughly.

There are several mission-based schools whose admissions tendencies are organized around fulfilling a certain purpose. HBCU (Historically Black Collegiate Universities) Medical Schools for example exist to primarily serve underserved and minority communities and therefore are composed of mostly URM students. Puerto Rican schools are US MD schools like any other but focused on serving Puerto Rico, classes are in Spanish, and therefore have a preference for people with ties to the island and knowledge of the language and culture of Puerto Rico. Some schools in CA are mission based in that they hope to accept people who will serve in a certain region of CA, etc.

Some schools are very service oriented but not predominantly URM and might have higher service expectations of their applicants than other schools.

The best way to figure all of this out is to:

1) See where people from your state / with your stats are applying and whether or not they are successful.

2) make a WAMC thread with a school list and your info and have people just inform you of what schools you could add or take away from your list for the above reasons

and

3) read school websites / mission statements prior to applying so you have a better idea of what they are looking for.

The vast majority of schools are not distinguishable from one another in terms of what they look for: Good stats, clinical experience, service, an academic/scholarly bent, other impressive achievements, etc.

 

[MCATISEZ]

OOS/IS ratio is a good way to figure out whether a school is relatively high or low yield for OOS students.

CA and TX are hard for OOS for different reasons. CA is difficult for OOS because everyone wants to move to California. TX is difficult for OOS because by TX law 95% of medical students at public medical schools have to be from in state (75% at private, i.e Baylor, IIRC). When you make a school list, its important to be familiar with your home state's laws/tendencies. Typically, including all public schools in your home state is a smart move.

Schools closer to the top of the USNWR value research-focused applications more than others, roughly.

There are several mission-based schools whose admissions tendencies are organized around fulfilling a certain purpose. HBCU (Historically Black Collegiate Universities) Medical Schools for example exist to primarily serve underserved and minority communities and therefore are composed of mostly URM students. Puerto Rican schools are US MD schools like any other but focused on serving Puerto Rico, classes are in Spanish, and therefore have a preference for people with ties to the island and knowledge of the language and culture of Puerto Rico. Some schools in CA are mission based in that they hope to accept people who will serve in a certain region of CA, etc.

Some schools are very service oriented but not predominantly URM and might have higher service expectations of their applicants than other schools.

The best way to figure all of this out is to:

1) See where people from your state / with your stats are applying and whether or not they are successful.

2) make a WAMC thread with a school list and your info and have people just inform you of what schools you could add or take away from your list for the above reasons

and

3) read school websites / mission statements prior to applying so you have a better idea of what they are looking for.

The vast majority of schools are not distinguishable from one another in terms of what they look for: Good stats, clinical experience, service, an academic/scholarly bent, other impressive achievements, etc.

This! Typically you have your best shot at your in state schools (and the tuition makes them stand out all the more)! The WAMC helped me a ton. Do not underestimate your state of residence. It truly makes a huge impact. Identical successful candidates from Texas, California and Washington would likely have quite different school lists.

Reading mission statements helps. If they include something about serving the populations of a specific region you have been completely unexposed to (which they often do), that may speak for itself.

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[Tyrone.]

Thanks for that, y'all! I'm in North Carolina, 27, 3.5 GPA (at best when applying) haven't taken MCAT yet though. UNC and ECU are definitely on my list!

 

[altblue]

Thanks for that, y'all! I'm in North Carolina, 27, 3.5 GPA (at best when applying) haven't taken MCAT yet though. UNC and ECU are definitely on my list!

Shoot for 512+ for MD

 

[Tyrone.]

Shoot for 512+ for MD

This may be a stupid question, but is easy, average, hard?

 

[altblue]

This may be a stupid question, but is easy, average, hard?

That's about the 87th percentile, which isn't ridiculous but still well above average. In general it's recommended you study for at least 250 hours to maximize your odds of getting a good score! You did decent in your classes too, which is a good sign as well.

Take the MCAT seriously, like you would the classes for your gpa, by studying hard for it and using the right resources as recommended by the MCAT subforum or subreddit

I think you can do it man

 

[Lucca]

1) California In state acceptance rate is only 15%; just inordinate competition
2) Texas law requires 90% instate. They have averaged 92% instate the past several years.

ty for the correction, I always thought it was 95.

 

[Tyrone.]

That takes two off of my list. How about Howard? More for URM?


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[ciestar]

That takes two off of my list. How about Howard? More for URM?


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Also a HBCU. Same with Meharry and Morehouse.

 

[Tyrone.]

Also a HBCU. Same with Meharry and Morehouse.

Those were on my list, but after going through their sites I had a feeling that was more of the schools' sentiment.