Schools you wish you applied/didn't apply to?

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qmcat

qmcat

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Looking back at this application cycle, I feel that I went into the application process not knowing much about which schools I liked and didn't like. I just picked schools based mostly on the MSAR and on random ranking lists and stuff online.

I'm extremely glad, however, to have acceptances to awesome schools that I would be happy at and how my process is going so far, but at the same time, I keep wondering how different it would be if I changed some of my school choices around.

Does anyone feel the same way? If so... which schools would you have applied to (but didn't)? Feel free to add reasons also if you feel inclined.

I'm hoping this thread will help applicants in the next cycle consider a wider range of schools (especially for average applicants who are looking to apply broadly)

Here's my list...

Wish I had applied to:
-Albert Einstein: it's in NYC!
-UNC Chapel Hill
-U of Vermont
-U of Virginia
-U of Miami: beach, warm weather, beautiful women
-U of Iowa
-U of Wisconsin
-Tulane: after reading that "most laid back" thread lol

Wish I didn't apply to:
-WashU: I don't have the stats... complete waste of money
-Loma Linda: I don't think I'm religious enough...
 
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I dunno, this seems like a way to alienate people going to the schools you wished you hadn't applied to.

I'll throw in RSF, Jefferson, Loyola and Drexel. Since none have gotten back to me and don't offer any sort of status check email or website. I haven't heard from these guys since I shelled out 100 bucks a piece to apply. Give me the common decency to acknowledge I exist. It's been 7 months for cryin out loud.
 
mmmcdowe said:
I wish I hadn't applied to U of Wash, seeing as I am not eligible to be considered...

I also wish that I had applied to the right UCLA program 😀
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Why were you not eligible?
 
CRB 717 said:
I dunno, this seems like a way to alienate people going to the schools you wished you hadn't applied to.

I'll throw in RSF, Jefferson, Loyola and Drexel. Since none have gotten back to me and don't offer any sort of status check email or website. I haven't heard from these guys since I shelled out 100 bucks a piece to apply. Give me the common decency to acknowledge I exist. It's been 7 months for cryin out loud.
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Oh yea... that's a good point. Maybe we can just post where we wish we applied to? I can edit my original post.
 
I wish I would have applied to California schools. I was under the impression that they were "impossible" to get into so I didn't bother, but I love that state so much and have so many friends and family down there that I am kicking myself for not even considering it. Esp after visiting friends down there, I realized how GORGEOUS the schools are. FML.
 
I wish I hadn't applied to any Ivy League schools.

I wish I had applied to U of Hawaii, U of Miami (for the weather), and the new school in Florida because they will pay all four year's tuition for their first class.
 
I wish I hadn't applied to Marshall. While they do take OOS, they only take people with "significant ties" to WV -- wish I had known that beforehand! I also would have axed my Dartmouth and GW applications (Dartmouth because there was no chance, and GW because they get SO many applicants and there's that whole probation thing, which makes me nervous)

I would have applied to MORE schools. I would have included UVM, because they're nice to OOS. I also would have sucked it up and done the Texas schools (except Baylor), as they seem to be reasonable for non-Texans -- although as a New Englander, I don't know if I could have restrained myself from making Texas jokes 🙂
 
I wish I'd done more research before applying, and had thought a bit harder about what kind of "fit" I was looking for. Once I started thinking about my own learning style and what I wanted in a med school, I realized that I should probably have not applied to the heavy-PBL schools, schools that (despite what the deans say) only tend to treat rich white and educated people, and California schools, since they're impossible to get into anyway and I don't want to stay in California.

I kinda wish I had applied to University of Maryland, University of Chicago, and Jefferson, cause I've heard good things about all of those. I also kinda wish I had applied to DO schools, cause I'm curious about how their approach is different, if it is at all, and what I would have thought of it. I also wish I'd applied to more non-rolling schools, just cause I'm a bit bored now, watching everyone else get all antsy. Oh and finally, I wish I'd gone to my Tulane interview. I couldn't afford it, and ultimately probably wouldn't have gone there, but it would have been nice to see the school and the city.
 
ButImLETired said:
I wish I'd done more research before applying, and had thought a bit harder about what kind of "fit" I was looking for. Once I started thinking about my own learning style and what I wanted in a med school, I realized that I should probably have not applied to the heavy-PBL schools, schools that (despite what the deans say) only tend to treat rich white and educated people, and California schools, since they're impossible to get into anyway and I don't want to stay in California.

I kinda wish I had applied to University of Maryland, University of Chicago, and Jefferson, cause I've heard good things about all of those. I also kinda wish I had applied to DO schools, cause I'm curious about how their approach is different, if it is at all, and what I would have thought of it. I also wish I'd applied to more non-rolling schools, just cause I'm a bit bored now, watching everyone else get all antsy. Oh and finally, I wish I'd gone to my Tulane interview. I couldn't afford it, and ultimately probably wouldn't have gone there, but it would have been nice to see the school and the city.
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Yep. I used the "shotgun approach" and applied to a million schools. I wish I researched the schools before paying them $100 for my app. I also should have applied to less schools. Ooo and I wish I sucked it up and finished that Duke application.
 
Wish I didn't apply to:
-Indiana
-RFU
-Rush
-Loyola
-George Washington
-Tufts
-Boston
-Drexel
-EVMS

I have various reasons for this list (school not a good fit, didn't have a chance, ended up not completing the secondary, etc.) but I would have gone to any of them had they been my only acceptance.
 
I wish I had applied to:
Einstein
Northwestern
Chicago
U. Wisconsin
Ohio State
UVA
Yale
Miami - I mean hey...it's Miami
Texas State Schools...specifically San Antonio, Houston, and Southwestern

Wish I hadn't applied to:
UC Irvine
 
I wish I had been just alittle ballsier and applied to a couple of Ivy league schools just to see what would happen, and I wish I had saved my money and not applied to schools so far away like Pennsylvania and New York. I hated saying "no" to interviews that cost be ~$100 a piece. Waste of money!
 
I wish I had stuck with my first instinct and only applied to schools I really wanted to go to, even if it was under 10. I talked to a few friends and added George Washington, Georgetown, and NYMC due to my low GPA. GW has not given me the time of day, take my money and never hear back, Georgetown was a terrible fit, I withdrew right after my interview, and I skipped the NYMC interview, so all in all a lot of wasted money.
 
Applied to:
Harvard, UCSD, Duke

Not:
Iowa
 
I applied to way too many schools, but it worked out in the end. Still burned through a few thousand dollars doing it though. I probably should have applied to more selective schools instead of picking so many safeties.

At the same time, I wish I would have gone to more interviews and applied to at least one UC school. I would have liked to see Northwestern and Michigan and made a trip down to the west coast.
 
I wish I had not added so many schools based on where there were academic job openings for my s.o. The economy crashed, jobs were canceled, he ended up with nothing, and I ended up out at least an additional $500.

Edit: Now that I know I don't have to reapply, I can add this
I don't regret not applying to Texas schools. Had I gotten in to one of those as well, the difference in tuition would have been too tempting to turn down. No offense to any Texans (I will always be a Texan at heart), but I know I would have been heartbroken to spend the next four years back in Texas (esp w/o my s.o.)
 
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I think the only school I wish I hadn't applied to was Harvard, because that was a total waste of money by adding it literally 3 days before the AMCAS was due on a whim. The secondary was a joke, but at that point my chances of getting an interview were slim.

Can't really say I wish I'd applied to any MORE schools (early on, of course). While I kinda am curious what might've happened if I'd been a bit ballsier and sent in a few more reaches at a few more "top-10s," realistically I doubt I could've chosen to go there over IS tuition at Baylor or any of the Texas state schools- that, and I almost died last semester with the number of interviews I had as it was!
 
I also wish that I had done more research about the schools instead of just relying on the MSAR primarily. I wish I hadn't applied to U Maryland (location), George Washington (with the recent scandals, and due to $$$), and Mass. schools (again location, just too far for me).
And of course, I'm sure everyone regrets the silent-rejection schools that never got back to them.
 
I wish I hadn't applied to Indiana, VCU (for OOS purposes) or Georgetown and George Washing for the ridiculous cost of the secondaries.

SUPER glad I applied to Cincinnati and Toledo. I added them a the last minute (about a month after I initially submitted) and got accepted to both!
 
Wish I hadn't (re: ~$500+ in toilet)
-UMich
-Brown
-Mayo
-GWU
-Arkansas (no "strong ties" for me")
-Baylor

Wish I had:
-VCU (sooner, added it late)
 
ButImLETired said:
I wish I'd done more research before applying, and had thought a bit harder about what kind of "fit" I was looking for. Once I started thinking about my own learning style and what I wanted in a med school, I realized that I should probably have not applied to the heavy-PBL schools, schools that (despite what the deans say) only tend to treat rich white and educated people, and California schools, since they're impossible to get into anyway and I don't want to stay in California.

I kinda wish I had applied to University of Maryland, University of Chicago, and Jefferson, cause I've heard good things about all of those. I also kinda wish I had applied to DO schools, cause I'm curious about how their approach is different, if it is at all, and what I would have thought of it. I also wish I'd applied to more non-rolling schools, just cause I'm a bit bored now, watching everyone else get all antsy. Oh and finally, I wish I'd gone to my Tulane interview. I couldn't afford it, and ultimately probably wouldn't have gone there, but it would have been nice to see the school and the city.
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OTOH, I'm THRILLED that I gave the Southern schools a chance. I really wasn't going to, but a couple of friends from the South (especially one whose dream school was Vandy) basically forced me to give the Southern schools a chance, and lo and behold, 4/7 interview invites I received were from schools in the South, and that's probably where I'll be attending school. Go figure! So for posterity's sake: give random places a chance!
 
i wish i hadn't let my pre-med advisor affect my confidence. was told that i would never get into medical school and told to choose another career path. i am very happy and grateful for my interviews and acceptances. but i shouldn't have let anyone tell me what i can and cannot do. good luck to all future med school applicants. follow your heart and not what others tell you! on the other hand, i do not believe in regrets. med school will be hard but i am sure i will be happy where i end up.

oo but i do think you should research more about school's philosophy, atmosphere, focus and thought more about fit. as a foreigner, i had no idea what i was doing and i should have probably picked schools more carefully
 
Knowing what I know now, I wish I didn't apply to Michigan State (I'm in-state and haven't had my status change since July), BU, Jefferson, Temple, Tufts, etc... it would have been better to save my money rather than try to compete with tens of thousands of other applicants to these schools. But I couldn't know how it would turn out back then, so I have no regrets.

I'm glad I didn't apply to either of the DC schools or Drexel for that same reason.

I applied broadly to 35 different schools, and there isn't much else I would have done differently had I had the chance to go back in time and change that list.
 
RoadRunner17 said:
I applied broadly to 35 different schools, and there isn't much else I would have done differently had I had the chance to go back in time and change that list.
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wait roadrunner you're applying this year? weird, for some reason i thought you were alreayd a med student
 
RoadRunner17 said:
Weird. I dunno why you would think that. But hey, in a few months it won't matter anyway, right?
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Maybe it's the mod status 🙂 We just have so much respect for you that we can't possibly conceive of you being a lowly premed like the rest of us!
 
virusgirl said:
Maybe it's the mod status 🙂 We just have so much respect for you that we can't possibly conceive of you being a lowly premed like the rest of us!
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i think this is it!
 
Wish I didn't apply to:
Indiana
WVU
EVMS
VCU
USC(S Car)
MUSC
GW
Georgetown
 
No-nos:
-Toledo (I don't even know where it is)
-Cincinnati (OOS)
-Meharry (they lost my application post interview, no decision since Nov. interview, haha!)
-RFU
-Albany
-Creighton (didn't know about the religious affiliation)

Man, I should've been more ballsy and applied to:
-Columbia P&S (I have a heart for Columbia, even though they rejected me for undergrad; bitter-love)
-Oregon Health Science University (beautiful location!)
-Brown/Alpert (although it would've been ridiculously impossible to get in)
 
I wish I hadn't applied to the NJ schools. I didn't realize until it was too late that they take virtually no OOS students, so it was a complete waste of time and money. Also, they have applicant-unfriendly admissions procedures (paper secondaries, no online status) and obnoxious rejection letters.
 
I wish I hadnt applied to all of the ones that I wont be attending.
 
drmonti said:
I wish I would have applied to California schools. I was under the impression that they were "impossible" to get into so I didn't bother,
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Exactly! My advisor kept saying how I didn't really have a shot at them so why waste money, but looking back, I should have done it anyways since I want to end up in CA one of these days (I love cali, I think I'd be much happier where the weather wasn't so cold).

I actually wished I didn't apply to Vanderbilt only because the city of Nashville really isn't for me.
 
well this seems like a healthy idea for a thread... 😉

but ill play too:

I wish I had applied to (but didnt):
-UCLA
-UCSF
-USouth FLorida
-UFlorida

I am ever-fortunate for my acceptance at Penn State. I added them in as a "wild card" school and was happily surprised to get called in😀
 
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