tips for picking "safer" schools

[Gleevec]

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First off, I definitely dont think its easy to get into med school or that there are any "safety" schools.

But that said, many of you do have schools you have applied to for fear of being turned down by your top choices. These are what I will call safer schools for lack of a better term.

How did yall go about picking your safer schools, esp. if you are a fairly solid applicant. Are there any national ones of particular interest?

Thanks and Merry Xmas.

 

[Rapid Decomposition]

For me it was location and curriculum. NYMC because of location and because a lot of people from the west coast get in, and Drexel because of PBL. Those are the only non-top 50 schools I applied to.

 

[arsh]

I would suggest that you make sure that at least one or two of your safer schools are rolling adm. That way, you'll definetely get in somewhere somewhat early in the process. It definetely feels very good to have at least one acceptance under the belt while you have to wait until March.

 

[manicmaven]

Albany was one of my safer schools. It came back with an acceptance less than a week after the interview. Made the process easier because at least I know I'll be going somewhere next year, though it's not my first choice. Now if only I'd hear something from the rest.

 

[bioguy123]

Manicmaven-

I'm sure you will be hearing from other schools any day now. Albany is an awesome school anyway, so don't worry- you'll be a great doctor wherever you go!

 

[nero]

i picked schools with stats much lower than mine, but were still pretty good school and good location, residency match etc. .....juist realize that some schools you consider "safe" may not offer you an acceptance.....i have about 5 schhools i considered safe and have not gotten interviews at any of them, while i've gotten about 4 or 5 top ten interviews................try your best, but dont think it'll be easy........just a thought.

nero

 

[Bob Dole]

Some schools with much lower stats than yours won't invite you for interviews because they know you're not likely to come to their school. They don't want to waste their time if they know you're not gonna go...

I think you should just apply to schools where your stats are around their average but don't have as much as a rep... 🙂

 

[Gleevec]

What nationally-recruiting non-top20 schools give the quickest response time after interview and tend to interview earliest? I am also worried about getting screwed because these schools will figure I wont go there. How did yall handle this?

 

[lola]

i applied to nymc and drexel b/c they traditionally let in a lot of people from my undergrad. i applied to vermont b/c it looked beautiful, has a small class size, and is not in an urban area.

if your stats are way above the averages it may not be worthwhile to apply to too many "safety" schools. you'd probably be better off applying to multiple "mid-tier" schools.

 

[Ramoray]

albany actually was my "safest" pick however they were my 1st and fastest rejection.. go figure.. however i know glee has a super high mcat which mine was not even close to so its a whole diff ballgame... still point is surprises happen

 

[Bounty]

gleev
you'll be fine. With your grades and mcat, coming from duke. Trust me, you wont have a prob. Just pick a decent range and you'll be set. 🙂 I had a way lower gpa and mcat and i applied to a wide range and so far have had 10 invites. But maybe that is because of my sparkling personality. 😉
Bounty

 

[manicmaven]

Thanks Bioguy123. I wasn't around last night to get your encouraging post. Made me smile.🙂 🙂 🙂 😀

 

[sunlover]

I chose ones in my own state that had lower averages on GPA and MCATs. I agree with whoever said to apply to some that are rolling...because that way you're in somewhere for the time being and some of the tension goes away, even though you know you don't really want to go there. Just be careful when you interview at safety schools, because if you are overqualified, they could be suspicious. THey love to ask why their med school and what other schools you applied to. You have to convince them that you don't think their school is a safety school, but that you really want to go there, otherwise they will know and reject you.

 

[Kovox]

Originally posted by Gleevec
That sorta scares me cuz I have a relatively high GPA and MCAT (3.8, 38T), and I hear state schools often fear that they are your safety school and will reject you for fear of you not matriculating.

But then I fear being caught in the deadzone, between those awesome students at top schools and those elsewhere, and thus not get in anywhere.

That is sorta why I started this post, to try and pick some better safer schools.

Thanks for yalls help guys.

Hi Gleevec!

My stats are like yours kinda (3.87 36T). With those stats, you shouldn't have a prob interviewing at Duke, SIU, and U of Miami, those schools contacted me quickly for an interview...I think you've seen my list of schools that rejected me pre-interview🙁

I suggest that you apply to Pitt, which is heavily numbers oriented and apply to UMich.

Safer school? I'd have to say go for your state school especilaly the ones with the residency thingymajig!

Good Luck!!

😀

 

[chloe5]

😱
I never thought of Pitt and UMich as safety schools! Even for a 35+ MCAT applicant.

However, Georgetown and Northwestern might be good safety options because they are so focused on numbers and less on the other stuff.

Originally posted by Kovox
Hi Gleevec!

My stats are like yours kinda (3.87 36T). With those stats, you shouldn't have a prob interviewing at Duke, SIU, and U of Miami, those schools contacted me quickly for an interview...I think you've seen my list of schools that rejected me pre-interview🙁

I suggest that you apply to Pitt, which is heavily numbers oriented and apply to UMich.

Safer school? I'd have to say go for your state school especilaly the ones with the residency thingymajig!

Good Luck!!

😀

 

[Zoobaby]

Gleeve - If you're worried about getting caught in the deadzone, write to one or several of your state schools expressing interest. Stop short of making it a letter of intent, but honestly tell them that you are very interested in their program and hope you will be given an interview/acceptance. A letter like that may asuage the fear that you won't go there because your numbers are "too high." I am currently holding an acceptance at a state school with "lower" stats than mine, and I think a letter I sent helped them realize that I would actually like to go there. I talked about location, class size, philosophy etc. All stuff that I liked about the school. Med schools want people who are excited about their program.

Originally posted by Gleevec
That sorta scares me cuz I have a relatively high GPA and MCAT (3.8, 38T), and I hear state schools often fear that they are your safety school and will reject you for fear of you not matriculating.

But then I fear being caught in the deadzone, between those awesome students at top schools and those elsewhere, and thus not get in anywhere.

That is sorta why I started this post, to try and pick some better safer schools.

Thanks for yalls help guys.

 

[Tuesday Weld]

NYU would be a good safety school with those stats.

They are very "numbers oriented" as well as Michigan and Pitt.

It's amazing how most of the top schools are numbers oriented. They want to keep their stats as high as possible since students look at the average MCAT and gpa of incoming freshman.

 

[Mutterkuchen]

My only advice is to research your schools as much as possible. Don't pick a school that you do not want to attend, because it might be your only acceptance. Make sure that if you only get one acceptance, no matter where it is, you will be at peace attending there.

 

[lilycat]

Okay, unlike a lot of posters on this thread, I don't know anything about your stats, your home state, etc., so my advice is fairly general. I think the key is to pick a wide range of schools, rather than trying to apply mostly to your "dream" schools and several safety schools. The problem with perceived "safety" schools, is that a lot of applicants perceive them this way, and thus they get inundated with applications (when I applied, in 2000-2001, the "safety schools" tended to get on the order of 8000-10,000 applications vs. more selective schools which had 3000-4000 applicants). Thus, the sheer number of people applying can diminish your chances of even getting an interview.

So my general advice would be to apply to 15-20 schools total. I would not really go above 25 -- if you are honest with yourself when assessing your application, anything above 20 may be overkill, not to mention it takes up a lot of time and money). Apply to 4-6 "dream" schools, 4-6 schools that seem realistic for you based on your numbers, and 4-6 schools that may have average stats below yours. Your state school or schools are always ones that you should consider for one of these pools (and yes, I'm saying this as a CA resident). ABOVE ALL, PLEASE make sure that these are all schools that you would seriously consider attending. Your opinion may change after interviewing, but don't bother applying to Pitt if you really can't fathom the idea of living in Pittsburgh for 4 years. It's a waste of your time and the school's time for you to apply somewhere you don't think you'd actually attend. Even if you think you are a stellar applicant, strange things can happen, and you may only get in to one of the schools that you applied to.

So, to finally answer your question as to "safety" schools, your state school may fall into this category; if you have extremely high stats and a generally competitive application, schools such as USC, Med. College of Wisconsin, SLU, Tulane, NYMC, Med. College of Virginia, Finch, all generally fall into the "safer" category. Be wary of most state schools with their strong preferences for in-state residents.

Good luck.