Schools with the Cheapest Secondarie Fees?

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I'm a little curious what your reasoning is for trying to find the cheapest secondaries. In an ideal world, it would be nice if all of our secondaries were free, or at least a lot less expensive than they are. That being said, I don't think it is a good idea to choose schools based on application fees. At most, you would maybe save a few hundred dollars applying to the schools with the cheapest secondaries. However, if the schools are not at all good fits for you, you are still wasting money. For example, say all of the cheapest secondaries come from out of state public schools that show a very strong preference to in state candidates. Your chances at these schools are likely very slim, so one could argue that applying to these schools at all is a waste of time and money. I would focus more on finding schools that are good fits for you than schools that are cheaper to apply to, but that's just my two cents.
 
For students with below average stats, applying broadly is a must. Fit comes second. A bad fit for four years followed by a career as a physician certainly beats not being a physician at all.

But my application strategy isn't the topic of this thread.
 
I'm not talking about fit for you as far as what you're looking for in a medical school (specific programs, location, etc.). I'm talking about your fit as an applicant to that school. If someone has, say, a 3.3 GPA and there is a school that has a really cheap secondary, but their 10th percentile GPA is 3.62, it doesn't really matter that this school is cheap to apply to. That applicant has almost no chance at that school, so spending any money at all on that app is probably a waste. Same for applying OOS to a public school for which 93% of the students are IS. When applying to one of those schools, you must have significantly higher than average stats to get one of the few seats for OOS students. I understand the need to apply broadly, but it is still true that you must figure out if your application stands a chance before looking at the price tag on the secondary. If all of your apps are to schools with cheap secondaries, but you are clearly not the type of applicant any of those schools are looking for, then not only will the money you spent on secondaries be wasted, but also the money you spent on your primary.
 
nwts said:
I'm not talking about fit for you as far as what you're looking for in a medical school (specific programs, location, etc.). I'm talking about your fit as an applicant to that school. If someone has, say, a 3.3 GPA and there is a school that has a really cheap secondary, but their 10th percentile GPA is 3.62, it doesn't really matter that this school is cheap to apply to. That applicant has almost no chance at that school, so spending any money at all on that app is probably a waste. Same for applying OOS to a public school for which 93% of the students are IS. When applying to one of those schools, you must have significantly higher than average stats to get one of the few seats for OOS students. I understand the need to apply broadly, but it is still true that you must figure out if your application stands a chance before looking at the price tag on the secondary. If all of your apps are to schools with cheap secondaries, but you are clearly not the type of applicant any of those schools are looking for, then not only will the money you spent on secondaries be wasted, but also the money you spent on your primary.
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Almost no chance is higher than no chance. But I get your point and I was not advocating cheap secondaries as the only criteria for school selection. However, for an applicant who must apply broadly, it can be an important consideration after weighing the probability of getting an interview.
 
i think the cheapest one I came across was $60, but i forgot what school
 
I completely understand the need to apply broadly and how that can hit you pretty hard in the wallet. I'm glad that you aren't using secondary cost as the most important factor. Do you have a subscription to MSAR? That would be your best bet in sorting this all out. It lists secondary application fees as well as 10th-90th percentile GPAs and MCAT scores and IS percentages for all the medical schools in the country. It would probably be good to look around on there and find a bunch of schools that you have a shot at, and then you can start cutting down the list based on secondary cost.

I could start throwing out random schools with cheap secondaries, but I feel like that isn't likely to help. The University of Mississippi has a $50 secondary which is very cheap, but they don't accept OOS, so obviously this information is only useful to you if you are from Mississippi. I just feel like throwing out a bunch of random schools like that is probably not very helpful, and you'd find better options for your personal situation if you looked on the MSAR.
 
Indiana is $50 and they pre-screen, so you only pay it if you are asked to interview.
 
UWashington is $35, and they ONLY take checks (at least when I applied).
 
I love a school like UCSF which has a very selective process for screening for secondaries. How sweet of them. I wish more schools would do that. It would save us poor college students a lot of money.
 
northernlights15 said:
I love a school like UCSF which has a very selective process for screening for secondaries. How sweet of them. I wish more schools would do that. It would save us poor college students a lot of money.
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If all schools did this, everyone would apply to all schools.
Thus, eliminating the possibility for any schools to do it!

It is therefore actually quite strategic of UCSF.
It dramatically increases their application pool because of the perception that the applicant is not "wasting $."
It takes advantage of a system relying on applicants to think about their fit (because of the disincentive of the secondary fee).
 
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gyngyn said:
If all schools did this, everyone would apply to all schools.
Thus, eliminating the possibility for any schools to do it!

It is therefore actually quite strategic of UCSF.
It dramatically increases their application pool because of the perception that the applicant is not "wasting $."
It takes advantage of a system designed to make applicants think about their fit (because of the disincentive of the secondary fee).
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Can't a school just add a bunch of required essays? There has to be a better way of reducing applicants besides an economic barrier.
 
Ronaldihno517 said:
Can't a school just add a bunch of required essays? There has to be a better way of reducing applicants besides an economic barrier.
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I guess you haven't started filling out (endless) secondaries!
Even with the economic and self reflective disincentives, applicants apply to as many schools as they possibly can.
I saw an applicant apply to 110 schools last year (unsuccessfully, I might add).
The only way to make this a truly egalitarian process is to limit the number of schools to which a single candidate could apply. If this were accomplished we could do away with the fees (gladly!).
 
gyngyn said:
I guess you have started filling out secondaries!
Even with the economic and self reflective disincentives, applicants apply to as many schools as they possibly can.
I saw an applicant apply to 110 schools last year (unsuccessfully, I might add).
The only way to make this a truly egalitarian process is to limit the number of schools to which a single candidate could apply. If this were accomplished we could do away with the fees (gladly!).
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That's ridiculous! Did he or she even have realistic stats to get in? You'd think that if that person had that much free time and money to throw around, they would do something to strengthen their app.
 
Ronaldihno517 said:
That's ridiculous! Did he or she even have realistic stats to get in? You'd think that if that person had that much free time and money to throw around, they would do something to strengthen their app.
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Desperate people often employ low yield strategies.
Actually, he might have gotten in, but not to the schools he wasted so much time and $ on.
 
gyngyn said:
If all schools did this, everyone would apply to all schools.
Thus, eliminating the possibility for any schools to do it!

It is therefore actually quite strategic of UCSF.
It dramatically increases their application pool because of the perception that the applicant is not "wasting $."
It takes advantage of a system relying on applicants to think about their fit (because of the disincentive of the secondary fee).
Click to expand...

Don't they get around 5k apps? Pardon my ignorance, but isn't the average of what most schools receive?

I feel like most people are wise enough to not bother wasting money sending their primary application to them because it's well known one would need to have a high GPA/MCAT and strong research experience to even be considered. So why waste the money if you don't fit that criteria?
 
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gyngyn said:
I guess you haven't started filling out (endless) secondaries!
Even with the economic and self reflective disincentives, applicants apply to as many schools as they possibly can.
I saw an applicant apply to 110 schools last year (unsuccessfully, I might add).
The only way to make this a truly egalitarian process is to limit the number of schools to which a single candidate could apply. If this were accomplished we could do away with the fees (gladly!).
Click to expand...

If the person had decent stats, I'm surprised they didn't even get love from any schools that don't require any secondary essays (NYMC, for example).

I guess sometimes I, along with others, can't help but feel that applying to more schools increases one's chances of getting in at least somewhere.
 
northernlights15 said:
I guess sometimes I, along with others, can't help but feel that applying to more schools increases one's chances of getting in at least somewhere.
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That's what he said.
He did such a terrible job on the essays, though, that he actually decreased his chances at the few spots where he might have had a chance.
 
northernlights15 said:
Don't they get around 5k apps? Pardon my ignorance, but isn't the average of what most schools receive?

I feel like most people are wise enough to not bother wasting money sending their primary application to them because it's well known one would need to have a high GPA/MCAT and strong research experience to even be considered. So why waste the money if you don't fit that criteria?
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More like 7,500.
I assure you, many of them are just throwing Hail Mary's.
This technique does draw in some good OOSer's, though.
 
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What's the most number of schools you've seen someone apply to with success?
 
northernlights15 said:
What's the most number of schools you've seen someone apply to with success?
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Every year there is someone who holds on to a couple of dozen acceptances, so the number of applications must have been huge. This is still not very strategic, or helpful, though.
 
gyngyn said:
Those don't usually come to my attention!
Every year there is someone who holds on to a couple of dozen acceptances, so the number of applications must have been huge.
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Ah, I want to apply to a lot of schools (70-80) and I will spend several months working on secondaries prior to applying writing secondaries because my schedule allows it but I'm seriously reconsidering 🙁
 
northernlights15 said:
Ah, I want to apply to a lot of schools (70-80) and I will spend several months working on secondaries prior to applying writing secondaries because my schedule allows it but I'm seriously reconsidering 🙁
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Don't do it.
There is no applicant for whom this makes any sense.
Do your research (like any good scientist) and make sound choices.
 
northernlights15 said:
Ah, I want to apply to a lot of schools (70-80) and I will spend several months working on secondaries prior to applying writing secondaries because my schedule allows it but I'm seriously reconsidering 🙁
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you will want to quit med school before you even finish the secondaries.
 
I consider secondaries to be a tax on the hopelessly naive or truly desparate.

My schools receives 5000 apps for 100 seats. I'd say half of them are from people who have no business ever setting foot on a med school campus (except as a standardized patient). Gtown and GWU get >13000 apps!

gyngyn said:
More like 7,500.
I assure you, many of them are just throwing Hail Mary's.
This technique does draw in some good OOSer's, though.
Click to expand...
 
northernlights15 said:
I'm afraid of this. Fortunately many schools do have similar secondary questions...
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Yes, but the character limit is different, and even though each prompt is worded similarly, there are usually just enough differences so you will have to retweak your essays.

Imaging having to write about "an obstacle that you overcame":

1st school gives you 1500 characters
2nd school gives your 750 characters
3rd school gives you 100 characters
4th school has no character limit.
5th school has 1500 character limit, but wants you to add how does this experience add to their med school's diversity.
6th school asks what is one obstacle that you face within the past year?
7th school gives you 700 characters
8th school gives you 300 words.

Now do this again, but with "how you bring diversity to the school"

Are you going to be able to copy and paste to all these schools? No, because once you trim down to fit character limit, your original essay has already lost a good chunk of its meaning and flow. You'll need to rewrite it to make it readable and to fit the exact prompt

I am speaking from experience after applying to 43 schools... I didn't even finish my last secondary because it became so tedious. You don't need 80 schools. You just need better picks. I needed better picks.
 
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gyngyn said:
Copy and Paste is more evident than you might think.
Click to expand...

hoihaie said:
Yes, but the character limit is different, and even though each prompt is worded similarly, there are usually just enough differences so you will have to retweak your essays.

Imaging having to write about "an obstacle that you overcame":

1st school gives you 1500 characters
2nd school gives your 750 characters
3rd school gives you 100 characters
4th school has no character limit.
5th school has 1500 character limit, but wants you to add how does this experience add to their med school's diversity.
6th school asks what is one obstacle that you face within the past year?
7th school gives you 700 characters
8th school gives you 300 words.

Now do this again, but with "how you bring diversity to the school"

Are you going to be able to copy and paste to all these schools? No, because once you trim down to fit character limit, your original essay has already lost a good chunk of its meaning and flow. You'll need to rewrite it to make it readable and to fit the exact prompt

I am speaking from experience after applying to 43 schools... I didn't even finish my last secondary because it became so tedious. You don't need 80 schools. You just need better picks. I needed better picks.
Click to expand...

Both of you are totally right. I still have a lot to consider but thanks for the fair warning. I don't want all my money to go to waste. Especially if 12-15 schools with a good chance of interview is usually enough.

I'm glad it worked out for you though! @hoihaie
 
I'm curious why GW and Georgetown receive so many apps. Is it because DC is such an attractive place to attend school?
 
JackieChanFan said:
I'm curious why GW and Georgetown receive so many apps. Is it because DC is such an attractive place to attend school?
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No 'In-State' preference + low-to-mid stat averages ( - thorough study of MSAR) = GW/Georgetown picks for the average applicant
 
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