Safety school recommendations, please!

[silverlining1]

I'm looking to submit very soon, but I'm trying to apply broadly and am having trouble deciding where to apply simply based on the MSAR and med school websites. My MDapps is here http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=7159 and here are some criteria that are important to me:

• West coast, if possible
• not snowy, if possible
• early clinical exposure
• good research opportunities
• P/F, if possible

I was thinking about University of Miami... anything else? I would really appreciate recommendations. Thanks!

Edit: Although I can see from the MSAR that many schools fit my basic criteria, I am having trouble choosing 5 or so to apply to because I don't know what makes each of them unique. I'd be interested in hearing about schools with good volunteer opportunities, connections with an undergrad campus, nice surrounding area with things to do, student happiness, etc. I'm hoping that some of you may attend or have visited schools and have some insider info that I can't get from the MSAR.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[maestro1625]

ummm... you're in for a rude awakening.

 

[trichomoniasis]

this should go over well

 

[silverlining1]

I don't know what you mean... this isn't helpful

 

[Vizsla]

• West coast, if possible
• not snowy, if possible
• early clinical exposure
• good research opportunities
• P/F, if possible
• surgical rotation (not emphasis on general medicine)

cant all this info be found in the MSAR for each school??? you need to do some more work on your own researching schools. and theres never a safety...EVER. also im still trying to figure out what you mean by "surgical rotation not emphasis on gen med"? every med school does both a surg and med rotation...maybe you meant a school that has strong placement of grads in surgical fields? this you can find by researching match lists

 

[GreenMudPhud]

...uh.........Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you need to know general medicine before they let you slice & dice in live patients?

....Personally, I think you should take a step back and reevaluate your motivations for going into this field.

 

[silverlining1]

Yes, I can generally find this info in the MSAR, but there are many schools that fit my criteria. My point is that I would like help with learning more about safety schools so that I can figure out which ones to apply to. The MSAR doesn't provide that much information, so I can't tell what differences exist among the schools that fit my basic criteria. For example, is there a safety school with great clinical volunteer opportunities? Varied student groups? Low student stress, relatively? Nice surrounding area?

As for the surgical rotation thing, I saw some schools in the MSAR such as University of Illinois at Chicago that refer to a "generalist curriculum" that creates "general physicians, capable of entering graduate training in either generalist specialties or subspecialties". However, I read their website for more detail and saw that they do cover "six core disciplines". I misunderstood "generalist curriculum" and thought that they intended their students to go on and enter fields such as internal medicine.

 

[maestro1625]

Yes, I can generally find this info in the MSAR, but there are many schools that fit my criteria. My point is that I would like help with learning more about safety schools so that I can figure out which ones to apply to. The MSAR doesn't provide that much information, so I can't tell what differences exist among the schools that fit my basic criteria. For example, is there a safety school with great clinical volunteer opportunities? Varied student groups? Low student stress, relatively? Nice surrounding area?

As for the surgical rotation thing, I saw some schools in the MSAR such as University of Illinois at Chicago that refer to a "generalist curriculum" that creates "general physicians, capable of entering graduate training in either generalist specialties or subspecialties". However, I read their website for more detail and saw that they do cover "six core disciplines". I misunderstood "generalist curriculum" and thought that they intended their students to go on and enter fields such as internal medicine.

the fact that you're still looking for "safety schools" shows that you're misunderstanding at lot.

 

[silverlining1]

the fact that you're still looking for "safety schools" shows that you're misunderstanding at lot.

What do you mean? ::frustration at cryptic comments:: I'm a real person applying to medical school, so please answer my question helpfully or refrain from posting. This is a very stressful time.

 

[Cataract]

What do you mean? ::frustration at cryptic comments:: I'm a real person applying to medical school, so please answer my question helpfully or refrain from posting. This is a very stressful time.

There are no safety medical schools. You look great on paper, but there's no guarantee that you'll get into some certain backup school. Tossing that term around will get you a lot of replies like those above.

 

[maestro1625]

in other words... this isn't undergrad. having better numbers than the averages won't guarantee admission (and in most cases, it doesn't even help)

and if you're looking for a safety school, you sure as hell don't have the right to be selective about the weather.

 

[Mister Pie]

There aren't really any "safety schools" in CA.

 

[silverlining1]

in other words... this isn't undergrad. having better numbers than the averages won't guarantee admission (and in most cases, it doesn't even help)

and if you're looking for a safety school, you sure as hell don't have the right to be selective about the weather.

I understand. I put the weather criteria to say that I would prefer to be in, say, Virginia than Vermont.

I did not mean to sound overconfident or arrogant. I am concerned that I am applying to many top-tier schools and that I am by no means guaranteed admission, so I am looking for lower-tier schools that I may enjoy being at as well. I think that this is realistic and even modest, not overconfident.

 

[DoctaJay]

I understand. I put the weather criteria to say that I would prefer to be in, say, Virginia than Vermont.

I did not mean to sound overconfident or arrogant. I am concerned that I am applying to many top-tier schools and that I am by no means guaranteed admission, so I am looking for lower-tier schools that I may enjoy being at as well. I think that this is realistic and even modest, not overconfident.

As was mentioned before; calling a medical school a safety can get touchy on SDN because your safety school may be the only school that another SDN member was accepted to, and they were grateful for that acceptance.

So I hear what you are saying, and this is what you need to do. Make a list of non-negotiable characteristics for the schools that you want to attend. For me I wanted a school that was close to the Maryland/DC area (excluding LLU) and that didn't require a reserach thesis for me to graduate. That was it for me. Once a school fit those 2 very important aspects for me, then I would list them. If you find that your list of schools is too large, then you need to really reevaluate your non-negotiables. If you really don't have much of a preference, look at the average price of their secondary application; that usually deterred me from applying to a school (i.e.- Gtown and GW).

But like was mentioned before, please remember that stats will only get you so far. In fact, some schools might reject with you with a 4.0 GPA and a 39 MCAT, simply because they don't want you holding up a spot in their class when they are certain that you probably won't attend. There are just so many twists and turns in this process that its really hard to make assumptions. As you were attempting to do, just apply broadly and humbly, and it should work out for you.

 

[whoami]

I did not mean to sound overconfident or arrogant. I am concerned that I am applying to many top-tier schools and that I am by no means guaranteed admission, so I am looking for lower-tier schools that I may enjoy being at as well. I think that this is realistic and even modest, not overconfident.

Some people (including yourself) might think that is good stats, but in fact being a CA applicant that is not bad but not great either. I know people with stats better than that did not get into any top 30. As a matter of fact, your GPA may be a bit low for most CA schools. You want realistic, I suggest you toss in a bunch of OOS mid-tier privates.

 

[silverlining1]

Some people (including yourself) might think that is good stats, but in fact being a CA applicant that is not bad but not great either. I know people with stats better than that did not get into any top 30. As a matter of fact, your GPA may be a bit low for most CA schools. You want realistic, I suggest you toss in a bunch of OOS mid-tier privates.

I agree completely. I don't think I'm a stellar applicant. My question is which mid-tier privates might be of interest to me?

Doctajay, thank you for the tips. I hadn't thought to consider secondary costs, but I will now.

 

[Old ortho]

I agree completely. I don't think I'm a stellar applicant. My question is which mid-tier privates might be of interest to me?

Doctajay, thank you for the tips. I hadn't thought to consider secondary costs, but I will now.

Popular mid / low tier private schools for Cali pre-meds:
Drexel
NYMC
Albany
Temple
MCW
GW
Georgetown
Boston
Tufts
Loyola
Rosalin Franklin
Rush

Warm climate private schools:
Tulane
Miami

I am also Asian from Cali, and my stats are similar to yours. So far no love from Cali schools (waitlist on one) and I am going to start med school at Miami next month. It is a great program and I am excited.

 

[kittalin]

Hahaaaa, man the more I read on these forums the more THANKFUL I am to be accepted.

My stats are not impressive, in fact, they're dead average for all medical school applicants. But my "safety school" ended up being the only one that accepted me and I know why - it is a state school. Southern Illinois U to be exact and they are extremely focused on getting peple from southern Illinois who want to practice in southern Illinois. The dean of admissions told me that he was shocked when he first came to work for them because they throw out 75% of their applications because they're from the Chicago area, thereby throwing out the "sexier" applicants as he put it... I didn't apply outside of the midwest, but I'm assuming that there are plenty of schools that maintain the same objective - to find rural people who want to practice in rural areas. Now I have absolutely no intention of staying in Southern Illinois, but does the school need to know that?

Bottom line: if you want a "safety school," maybe this type of school is it. The kind that doesn't want a "sexy" applicant for fear of them leaving the area. Use that to your advantage.

 

[Kaydubz]

Uh oh, the OP used the S word, time to get self-righteous and question their motivations for applying to med school!

 

[TheRealMD]

People, get off your high horse. It's called a "safety" because it isn't as "risky" so to speak.

 

[Abilene85]

Don't you all miss high school, when your "safety" college was actually a school that would never in a million years dream of rejecting you? Ah, the good ol' days...

 

[barto123]

hahaha, I feel sorry for the OP, he/she did not deserve any of these odd passive aggressive comments. some of these posters act as though they've never heard of a safety school, or that it doesnt apply to med schools. i have always found it somewhat odd what people take offense at on SDN. people have no problem with others blatantly boasting about their 38-40 MCAT scores under the pretense of asking some ridiculous question like: can i really get in with these scores? or people complaining that they get 30's on their diagnostic. those posts are unnecessary. but this person had a legitimate question, and few treated him/her seriously.

silverlining: sorry i cant help you, i dont know much about west coast schools. all i can tell you is that safety schools differ for each candidate, and apparently you'll have to figure out which one's are best for you on your own.

 

[Abilene85]

This could be terrible advice, but if I were in your shoes...

I'd just pick an area you think you might like to live for 4 years - like the Carolinas or Florida or wherever - and then search for schools in the area. Figure out which ones interest you and apply there. Since you are considering these as safety schools, they're obviously not going to be your first choice, but at least you will like something about their programs and the area will be cool to explore.

 

[Tribeca]

hahaha, I feel sorry for the OP, he/she did not deserve any of these odd passive aggressive comments. some of these posters act as though they've never heard of a safety school, or that it doesnt apply to med schools. i have always found it somewhat odd what people take offense at on SDN. people have no problem with others blatantly boasting about their 38-40 MCAT scores under the pretense of asking some ridiculous question like: can i really get in with these scores? or people complaining that they get 30's on their diagnostic. those posts are unnecessary. but this person had a legitimate question, and few treated him/her seriously.

silverlining: sorry i cant help you, i dont know much about west coast schools. all i can tell you is that safety schools differ for each candidate, and apparently you'll have to figure out which one's are best for you on your own.

I know, why is everyone blasting the OP? I've read SDN'ers or MDApps comments that advice others "why don't you add more saftey schools such as XX?" I am also of no help to the OP, but I believe s/he has a valid question.

 

[maestro1625]

I know, why is everyone blasting the OP? I've read SDN'ers or MDApps comments that advice others "why don't you add more saftey schools such as XX?" I am also of no help to the OP, but I believe s/he has a valid question.

yes, but said advice on MDapps is hardly worthwhile... You have to target schools much better than you did for undergrad. Unless you've got a massive Wayne State-esque school in your state, you're not really going to have a lot of success with "backups".

Schools like GW are brought up all the time, but just look at the number of apps that go in.

 

[SketchLazy]

It's going to be hard to keep it west coast or close to CA.

If your willing to give up that, here's some schools that you might want to check out.

Georgetown
pros: no snow, p/f, averages below yours, research opps, all applicants are probably out of 'state'
cons: little early exposure, far as hell from CA
George Washington
pros: no snow, early clinical exposure, averages below yours, all applicants are probably out of 'state'
cons: not p/f (i think?), far as hell from CA
Oregon Health and Science
pros: close to CA, averages below yours, research opps
cons: not p/f, snow!, little early clinical exposure, 30% oos matriculants
Boston U
pros: sort of p/f, averages below yours, research opps, 84.4% oos matriculants
cons: cold, little early clinical exposure, far as hell from CA, expensive as hell
Emory
pros: averages below yours, research opps, Hotlanta, early clinical exposure, 67.5% oos matriculants
cons: far as hell from CA,
Tufts
pros: some classes are p/f, averages below yours, research opps, early, 55.5% oos matriculants, clinical exposure
cons: far as hell from CA, expensive as hell, COLD!
University of Virginia
pros: averages below yours, research opps, 52.9% oos matriculants
cons: mixed p/f, far as hell from CA, little early clinical exposure
Vanderbuilt
pros: mostly p/f, averages below yours, research opps, 84.9% oos matriculants, temperate weather, second year intro clinical exposure
cons: far as hell from CA, 'higher ranked' school
NYMC
pros: averages below yours, early clinical exposure, 70.1% oos matriculants
cons: can be cold, far as hell from CA, not p/f, no research opps
Saint Louis
pros: averages below yours, research opps, specifically friendly to CA residents (hearsay),
cons: don't know location (maybe middle somewhere?), thunderstorms and gateway to hell?, little early clinical exposure

That's about all I could find that at least match half your criteria, excluding the whole west coast thing.

 

[Mister Pie]

Even though I am not the OP, I must say that you sir (or madam) deserve an award for helpfulness!

It's going to be hard to keep it west coast or close to CA.

If your willing to give up that, here's some schools that you might want to check out.

Georgetown
pros: no snow, p/f, averages below yours, research opps, all applicants are probably out of 'state'
cons: little early exposure, far as hell from CA
George Washington
pros: no snow, early clinical exposure, averages below yours, all applicants are probably out of 'state'
cons: not p/f (i think?), far as hell from CA
Oregon Health and Science
pros: close to CA, averages below yours, research opps
cons: not p/f, snow!, little early clinical exposure, 30% oos matriculants
Boston U
pros: sort of p/f, averages below yours, research opps, 84.4% oos matriculants
cons: cold, little early clinical exposure, far as hell from CA, expensive as hell
Emory
pros: averages below yours, research opps, Hotlanta, early clinical exposure, 67.5% oos matriculants
cons: far as hell from CA,
Tufts
pros: some classes are p/f, averages below yours, research opps, early, 55.5% oos matriculants, clinical exposure
cons: far as hell from CA, expensive as hell, COLD!
University of Virginia
pros: averages below yours, research opps, 52.9% oos matriculants
cons: mixed p/f, far as hell from CA, little early clinical exposure
Vanderbuilt
pros: mostly p/f, averages below yours, research opps, 84.9% oos matriculants, temperate weather, second year intro clinical exposure
cons: far as hell from CA, 'higher ranked' school
NYMC
pros: averages below yours, early clinical exposure, 70.1% oos matriculants
cons: can be cold, far as hell from CA, not p/f, no research opps
Saint Louis
pros: averages below yours, research opps, specifically friendly to CA residents (hearsay),
cons: don't know location (maybe middle somewhere?), thunderstorms and gateway to hell?, little early clinical exposure

That's about all I could find that at least match half your criteria, excluding the whole west coast thing.

 

[Vizsla]

People, get off your high horse. It's called a "safety" because it isn't as "risky" so to speak.

anyone who gone thru an entire app cycle knows there is never a safety. there is no school out there (barring perhaps some state schools but certainly not any in cali) that you can say w/o a doubt "i will def at least get an interview". why? bc its not just mcat and gpa. its volunteering, clinical experience, research, extracurrics, Lors, life experiences, diversity of age/race/culture..and it goes on forever. and all of that is analyzed even before an interview is granted. after the interview is another slew of factors to be considered. So if you have an 35+ mcat and 3.8+ gpa, yes i would say u stand an excellent chance of being accepted somehwere but would i guarantee you an interview at every school w/ averages lower than yours..of course not bc we have seen time and time again, this never works out = no safeties. case in point: many here on sdn consider GW to be a safety or a low to mid tier school..and thus this program is flooded with over 10K apps. yet every yr, they routinely hand out pre-interview rejections to students who couldve sworn they were gonna get an interview there. for every one of you out there who considers a particular school a "safety" or "low-mid tier", there are thousands of others who are thinking the same thing. so you all apply to these safeties and suddenly, when a school is getting thousands more apps, the competition becomes a lot stiffer bc the school can now be as selective as they would like.

 

[twolfbear]

If you have any ec's involved in your church you might try LLU. It's in SO CAL, warm, research cabilities. DoctaJay and I will be going there this year.

 

[trichomoniasis]

People, get off your high horse. It's called a "safety" because it isn't as "risky" so to speak.

word. some schools ARE downright risky. I heard that if Hopkins rejects you post-interview they send you a bag full of snakes. Who would want to risk that?

 

[spencerxd]

threadstarter's MD applicant profile states: "I kicked butt on the writing sample, which I hear doesn't matter much, but maybe that will help make up for my 10 in VR : ( "....

aww poor you, you got a 10 in verbal. are you kidding me? u know i was reading the posts and started to feel sorry for you about the "safety school" bashing until i read this.

you sure know how to press the wrong buttons in a pre-med forum.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

There are no safety schools.

Having said that, I'd consider safety schools are medical schools in your own state (or if your state lacks a medical school, those that would consider you an in-state resident). This is why I always say to apply to all the medical schools in your state no matter who you are. They are the ones most likely to accept you because you are a resident.

Other than that, no place is a guarantee.

My "safety school" in my state rejected me. My top choice (actually just slightly higher than another one that was very close) accepted me. Go figure.

 

[Kaydubz]

threadstarter's MD applicant profile states: "I kicked butt on the writing sample, which I hear doesn't matter much, but maybe that will help make up for my 10 in VR : ( "....

aww poor you, you got a 10 in verbal. are you kidding me? u know i was reading the posts and started to feel sorry for you about the "safety school" bashing until i read this.

you sure know how to press the wrong buttons in a pre-med forum.

Look, not trying to sound elitist or anything, but since when is it your prerogative to tell others what scores to be satisfied with or happy about? If I were scoring consistent 12's on a section in practice MCAT's, I'd be disappointed with a 10, just as if I were scoring consistent 10's I'd be disappointed with an 8.

 

[spencerxd]

Look, not trying to sound elitist or anything, but since when is it your prerogative to tell others what scores to be satisfied with or happy about? If I were scoring consistent 12's on a section in practice MCAT's, I'd be disappointed with a 10, just as if I were scoring consistent 10's I'd be disappointed with an 8.

I'm pretty sure I wasnt TELLING her what to think, I was stating my opinion on what was said. I'm pretty sure this statement would offend many people, even adcoms, because its like saying she thinks 10 is a score people should be ashamed about.

but whatever, its just my opinion.

 

[punkindrublic]

Stewart

 

[silverlining1]

It's going to be hard to keep it west coast or close to CA.

If your willing to give up that, here's some schools that you might want to check out.

Georgetown
pros: no snow, p/f, averages below yours, research opps, all applicants are probably out of 'state'
cons: little early exposure, far as hell from CA
George Washington
pros: no snow, early clinical exposure, averages below yours, all applicants are probably out of 'state'
cons: not p/f (i think?), far as hell from CA
Oregon Health and Science
pros: close to CA, averages below yours, research opps
cons: not p/f, snow!, little early clinical exposure, 30% oos matriculants
Boston U
pros: sort of p/f, averages below yours, research opps, 84.4% oos matriculants
cons: cold, little early clinical exposure, far as hell from CA, expensive as hell
Emory
pros: averages below yours, research opps, Hotlanta, early clinical exposure, 67.5% oos matriculants
cons: far as hell from CA,
Tufts
pros: some classes are p/f, averages below yours, research opps, early, 55.5% oos matriculants, clinical exposure
cons: far as hell from CA, expensive as hell, COLD!
University of Virginia
pros: averages below yours, research opps, 52.9% oos matriculants
cons: mixed p/f, far as hell from CA, little early clinical exposure
Vanderbuilt
pros: mostly p/f, averages below yours, research opps, 84.9% oos matriculants, temperate weather, second year intro clinical exposure
cons: far as hell from CA, 'higher ranked' school
NYMC
pros: averages below yours, early clinical exposure, 70.1% oos matriculants
cons: can be cold, far as hell from CA, not p/f, no research opps
Saint Louis
pros: averages below yours, research opps, specifically friendly to CA residents (hearsay),
cons: don't know location (maybe middle somewhere?), thunderstorms and gateway to hell?, little early clinical exposure

That's about all I could find that at least match half your criteria, excluding the whole west coast thing.

Thank you so much for this detailed response. This is exactly the kind of help I was hoping for, and I will consider carefully what you said.

If you have any ec's involved in your church you might try LLU. It's in SO CAL, warm, research cabilities. DoctaJay and I will be going there this year.

I'm not religious; do you think it would be worthwhile for me to apply? I will definitely apply if there is a chance I can get in without any religious affiliation or church activities.

Stewart

I've heard of this place. Seems awesome

Thank you to those of you who have supported me and understood my concerns. I will be careful not to use the S word; I did not realize it would cause offense. As you understood, I am just trying to apply broadly and am looking for suggestions.

 

[prettymonkey]

word. some schools ARE downright risky. I heard that if Hopkins rejects you post-interview they send you a bag full of snakes. Who would want to risk that?

LOL!!! that IS risky. glad i didn't apply to that one.

i am tired of these threads asking about "safety schools". these exist as much as the tooth fairy. go to sleep with a tooth under your pillow and wake up to cash.