"School 'x' gets 10,000 (serious) apps." Really?!!!

[Irish Football]

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Whenever I see "school 'x' gets 10,000 applications each year," it gets me nervous. I am not a 3.9/36 but I am still in the low-to-mid range for most schools. My question is, at a low-to-mid level school, how many of these several thousand apps are people with really no shot at all, people who are clearly not going to matriculate because they have super stats, or people applying from the other end of the country with no clear intention of ever going there? I'm sure this varies from school to school but for a school where my stats are right at the average and I am close to geographically, I just want to get an idea of how many people I am really competing against.

 

[Stumpyman]

Well, the average applicant has a 28.x MCAT, so that tells you that most people applying are pretty serious.

 

[Neurosis]

Well, the average applicant has a 28.x MCAT, so that tells you that most people applying are pretty serious.

what is the average GPA for applicants? just curious...😉

 

[music2doc]

Actually listing some sample schools might yield better results. I can tell you that the average applicant (via AMCAS) has about a 3.5/28 and the average matriculant has a 3.67/32. Since only ~40% (i.e., <50%) of applicants are accepted somewhere, it can be extrapolated the average applicant score is probably the bottom of the "modestly competitive" range for MD programs. If you are above 3.67/32, I wouldn't worry about it at all.

That all said, if you applied to mostly 10k-15k applicant-schools, you probably didn't do a very good job of picking schools. Yes, schools with 10k-15k applicants get plenty of competitive applications. Many of them interview around 1000 applicants. You don't interview applicants you are not seriously considering.

 

[WeAreNotRobots]

Whenever I see "school 'x' gets 10,000 applications each year," it gets me nervous. I am not a 3.9/36 but I am still in the low-to-mid range for most schools. My question is, at a low-to-mid level school, how many of these several thousand apps are people with really no shot at all, people who are clearly not going to matriculate because they have super stats, or people applying from the other end of the country with no clear intention of ever going there? I'm sure this varies from school to school but for a school where my stats are right at the average and I am close to geographically, I just want to get an idea of how many people I am really competing against.

The schools that get that many apps are usually "us news mid tier" schools. I would guess it's because the stellar applicants apply there as "backups", competitive applicants apply there as "match schools", and less-competitive applicants apply there as "reaches". At top ranked and lowest ranked schools there is more self-selection, so fewer applicants per school. as for the percentage of applicants that actually has a shot and the percentage that are lost causes...who knows... But you are competing with all of them.

 

[Irish Football]

Actually listing some sample schools might yield better results. I can tell you that the average applicant (via AMCAS) has about a 3.5/28 and the average matriculant has a 3.67/32. Since only ~40% (i.e., <50%) of applicants are accepted somewhere, it can be extrapolated the average applicant score is probably the bottom of the "modestly competitive" range for MD programs. If you are above 3.67/32, I wouldn't worry about it at all.

That all said, if you applied to mostly 10k-15k applicant-schools, you probably didn't do a very good job of picking schools. Yes, schools with 10k-15k applicants get plenty of competitive applications. Many of them interview around 1000 applicants. You don't interview applicants you are not seriously considering.

That's interesting. While my list includes a few 10,000+ schools, the schools I really would like to get into are more like 5,000-7,000 apps. More specifically, my target schools are midwest schools like Rush, Illinois, Michigan, Mich St, Case Western, Indiana (I'm IS).
My 10k schools include Rosalind Franklin, Loyola, Georgetown, GW, BU (I think is 10k could be wrong), and NYMC. You think I shouldn't bother applying to these? My stats (3.6 cGPA, 3.5 sGPA, extreme upward trend, no MCAT yet) are fine but not good enough that I wouldn't like some safety schools.

 

[music2doc]

That's interesting. While my list includes a few 10,000+ schools, the schools I really would like to get into are more like 5,000-7,000 apps. More specifically, my target schools are midwest schools like Rush, Illinois, Michigan, Mich St, Case Western, Indiana (I'm IS).
My 10k schools include Rosalind Franklin, Loyola, Georgetown, GW, BU (I think is 10k could be wrong), and NYMC. You think I shouldn't bother applying to these? My stats (3.6 cGPA, 3.5 sGPA, extreme upward trend, no MCAT yet) are fine but not good enough that I wouldn't like some safety schools.

As long as you apply to some others, you'll be fine. Just don't think of Loyola, GT, etc. as safeties. With my 3.8/32 and ECs, LORs, etc. galore, I still have not heard much from those schools. (I have heard from and been accepted to higher-ranked ones, however, so just know that a lot has to do with luck for the schools with ridiculous numbers of applicants.)

 

[Nymphicus]

The schools that get that many apps are usually "us news mid tier" schools. I would guess it's because the stellar applicants apply there as "backups", competitive applicants apply there as "match schools", and less-competitive applicants apply there as "reaches". At top ranked and lowest ranked schools there is more self-selection, so fewer applicants per school. as for the percentage of applicants that actually has a shot and the percentage that are lost causes...who knows... But you are competing with all of them.

That's interesting. While my list includes a few 10,000+ schools, the schools I really would like to get into are more like 5,000-7,000 apps. More specifically, my target schools are midwest schools like Rush, Illinois, Michigan, Mich St, Case Western, Indiana (I'm IS).
My 10k schools include Rosalind Franklin, Loyola, Georgetown, GW, BU (I think is 10k could be wrong), and NYMC. You think I shouldn't bother applying to these? My stats (3.6 cGPA, 3.5 sGPA, extreme upward trend, no MCAT yet) are fine but not good enough that I wouldn't like some safety schools.

Rejected from Boston and Georgetown, and have not heard anything from NYMC (complete and under review since August I think). Use the term "safety" carefully.

 

[chiapet874]

The schools that get that many apps are usually "us news mid tier" schools. I would guess it's because the stellar applicants apply there as "backups", competitive applicants apply there as "match schools", and less-competitive applicants apply there as "reaches". At top ranked and lowest ranked schools there is more self-selection, so fewer applicants per school. as for the percentage of applicants that actually has a shot and the percentage that are lost causes...who knows... But you are competing with all of them.

This all the way

 

[Irish Football]

Well, the average applicant has a 28.x MCAT, so that tells you that most people applying are pretty serious.

That means that almost half of apps have MCAT < 28, and at lower level school you'd have to figure that the avg MCAT would be even lower than that, so I think my question is still valid.

The beginning of the MSAR has a chart with # of apps with certain GPAs and MCAT scores and I see that thousands apply with very low MCATs and very low GPAs. I'm talking 25-27 and 2.75-3.2 stuff. I'm sure that these apps are very serious about their individual applications but I am wondering if a couple thousand apps at these schools are people whom someone with 3.6/32 would stand out from all else being equal.

 

[235788]

talking about drexel? lol

 

[1AO KTG]

Whenever I see "school 'x' gets 10,000 applications each year," it gets me nervous. I am not a 3.9/36 but I am still in the low-to-mid range for most schools. My question is, at a low-to-mid level school, how many of these several thousand apps are people with really no shot at all, people who are clearly not going to matriculate because they have super stats, or people applying from the other end of the country with no clear intention of ever going there? I'm sure this varies from school to school but for a school where my stats are right at the average and I am close to geographically, I just want to get an idea of how many people I am really competing against.

How is 3.9/36 low to mid range?

 

[camierz]

How is 3.9/36 low to mid range?

They said they are not that but are low to mid range.

 

[Slack3r]

No such thing as "safety schools" for medical school.

 

[1AO KTG]

They said they are not that but are low to mid range.

Ah, didn't catch that. I was about to say. I mean golly gosh lol