Secondaries?

[wytosk]

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How many people get secondaries??? like 50%... more?less? do schools post that kind of info

 

[deuist]

AAMC's book on medical schools lists that information. Some schools also post that information on their websites. Harvard, for example, sends everyone a secondary.

 

[Run]

most schools will tell you on their website if they screen before sending secondaries.

 

[mooklyster]

Most schools will send out secondaries. Even if they have a cutoff, it is often WAY below what they will actually consider taking. Secondaries are a big cash cow for the universities. Think about it, I think it was like 35 bucks after the initial fee on amcas for each additional school. In the past, you sent your money for the initial app straight to the school, now there is a 3rd party getting a cut. They have to make it back somewhere. The worst part is that often people who aren't competitive at a school will be suckered in to sending in a secondary, bye bye $100 on average. Out of 20 schools, I think I got secondaries to them all. When I figured out what was up, I became very selective, and after I had one acceptance in hand, I became ultra selective with where I sent my money. Even still, I still sent in 12 I think

 

[Medikit]

Most schools will send out secondaries. Even if they have a cutoff, it is often WAY below what they will actually consider taking. Secondaries are a big cash cow for the universities. Think about it, I think it was like 35 bucks after the initial fee on amcas for each additional school. In the past, you sent your money for the initial app straight to the school, now there is a 3rd party getting a cut. They have to make it back somewhere. The worst part is that often people who aren't competitive at a school will be suckered in to sending in a secondary, bye bye $100 on average. Out of 20 schools, I think I got secondaries to them all. When I figured out what was up, I became very selective, and after I had one acceptance in hand, I became ultra selective with where I sent my money. Even still, I still sent in 12 I think

This doesn't make sense to me because it means you forked over $35 to schools where you didn't think you had a chance but then refused to do the secondary.

 

[mooklyster]

This doesn't make sense to me because it means you forked over $35 to schools where you didn't think you had a chance but then refused to do the secondary.

No, exactly the opposite. I was a little unready with how many secondaries I would recieve. All of the schools I applied to, I had a good shot at, but with the volume of secondaries, I had to start narrowing down sooner than I thought I would. $35 is one thing, no big deal in the grand scheme, but add to it an average of $75, and I had to start paring down. Not only that, but I set up a tier, once I was in at the lower tier, there was no reason to continue with schools on that tier and so on, until I got in where I really wanted to go all along.