ways to decide which schools to apply to..

[Jack Swift]

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I'm in the final phases of finishing my AMCAS app and I'm having trouble figuring out which schools to apply to. I naturally applied to all my in state schools (my top choices are their) but those only covers 4 schools. I don’t know a lot about some of the other schools. Is there any list that gives you quick reference to medical school stats, such as GPA/MCAT requirements, affiliates, gender ratio, etc. Or is the only way to go to each school website and investigate yourself (what I’m doing now).

 

[ChymeChancellor]

I'm in the final phases of finishing my AMCAS app and I'm having trouble figuring out which schools to apply to. I naturally applied to all my in state schools (my top choices are their) but those only covers 4 schools. I don’t know a lot about some of the other schools. Is there any list that gives you quick reference to medical school stats, such as GPA/MCAT requirements, affiliates, gender ratio, etc. Or is the only way to go to each school website and investigate yourself (what I’m doing now).

Have you checked out the MSAR?

 

[Blank00]

deleted

 

[novawildcat]

-average gpa/mcat of matriculants
-location
-where grads get residencies
-how many out of staters they accept
-school philosophy

 

[kevster2001]

I first narrowed the list based on places I wanted to live (large cities). Then I whittled it down based on which ones were top tier/ mid tier/ lower tier. I have a couple of top tiers, a bunch of mid tiers and a few lowers. Check the MSAR about which schools works for you

 

[Jack Swift]

-average gpa/mcat of matriculants
-location
-where grads get residencies
-how many out of staters they accept
-school philosophy

Is all that in MSAR?

 

[Wickedgood]

Is all that in MSAR?

Yes.

 

[Zanoman]

...

 

[Dr.who]

typo. whoops. ignore this post.

 

[Duchess742]

I'm in the final phases of finishing my AMCAS app and I'm having trouble figuring out which schools to apply to. I naturally applied to all my in state schools (my top choices are their) but those only covers 4 schools. I don’t know a lot about some of the other schools. Is there any list that gives you quick reference to medical school stats, such as GPA/MCAT requirements, affiliates, gender ratio, etc. Or is the only way to go to each school website and investigate yourself (what I’m doing now).

just in case you don't already know, you can add schools after you submit the amcas. so if you know some schools that you want to apply to for sure, it's ok to submit and then add more later after you've had more time to search.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Yes.

nope not all of it is in the magical msar, it does not mention anything about where grads get residency. Only mentions what percent which into what field (and only shows a limited spectrum of specialties)

 

[popbirch]

The way I chose which schools to apply to was using a statistical model based on total applicant vs. oos applicants/ total interviews vs oos interviews, and total accepted vs. oos accepted. After putting all these numbers into an excel spread sheet I calculated the overall percent of people being accepted and specifically looked at the oos numbers. Each school was then assigned a number and I eliminated schools that were too unlikely to accept me if it was purely chance. I then eliminated schools that a high MCAT avg. (Above 33) and a high GPA (above 3.8). That left me with a pretty thin list of about 30 schools. I widdled from there based on location and the schools I had a didn't have a good feeling about. I was down to about 14 or so by then. So I added a couple long shots, and my state school, and that made up my list of 18 schools to apply to.

I didn't care too much where I was going to go to medical school, so I tried to play the numbers to increase my chances as much as possible. It worked well for me. I think I apply to a bunch of schools that I was competitive at and that helped me be successful.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I ask myself two questions:
-Can I see myself living there for four years?
-Do I have more than a snowball's chance in hell of getting accepted?
A yes to both of those and I will apply there.

 

[govikings10]

I just did eenie meany miney mo. 👍

Shoot, you beat me to it.

 

[kevster2001]

I ask myself two questions:
-Can I see myself living there for four years?
-Do I have more than a snowball's chance in hell of getting accepted?
A yes to both of those and I will apply there.

That could be a monstrous list depending on how big you set your proverbial snowball

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I'm pretty picky as to where I will live. Basically based upon geography I excluded :
-New York, with the exception of Buffalo (-11 schools)
-California (-8 schools)
-New Jersey (-2 schools)
-Maryland (-3)
-Alabama (-2)
-DC (-3)
-Florida (-4)
-Georgia (-4) (but included the new school opening in Savannah)
-Illinois (-7)
-Puerto Rico (-3)
-Louisiana (-3)
-Mass-a-two-****s (-3)
-South Dakota (-1)
-Mississippi (-1)

That leaves roughly 70 schools.....now exclude USUHS, schools that basically don't accept out of state students, and factor in a mediocre (3.4) GPA and assume a decent MCAT (30), my snowball isn't that big I'll probably wind up applying to maybe 15-20 allopathic schools and a few osteopathic programs to hedge my bets.

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

The way I chose which schools to apply to was using a statistical model based on total applicant vs. oos applicants/ total interviews vs oos interviews, and total accepted vs. oos accepted. After putting all these numbers into an excel spread sheet I calculated the overall percent of people being accepted and specifically looked at the oos numbers. Each school was then assigned a number and I eliminated schools that were too unlikely to accept me if it was purely chance. I then eliminated schools that a high MCAT avg. (Above 33) and a high GPA (above 3.8). That left me with a pretty thin list of about 30 schools. I widdled from there based on location and the schools I had a didn't have a good feeling about. I was down to about 14 or so by then. So I added a couple long shots, and my state school, and that made up my list of 18 schools to apply to.

I didn't care too much where I was going to go to medical school, so I tried to play the numbers to increase my chances as much as possible. It worked well for me. I think I apply to a bunch of schools that I was competitive at and that helped me be successful.

smart 👍

 

[Jack Swift]

The way I chose which schools to apply to was using a statistical model based on total applicant vs. oos applicants/ total interviews vs oos interviews, and total accepted vs. oos accepted. After putting all these numbers into an excel spread sheet I calculated the overall percent of people being accepted and specifically looked at the oos numbers. Each school was then assigned a number and I eliminated schools that were too unlikely to accept me if it was purely chance. I then eliminated schools that a high MCAT avg. (Above 33) and a high GPA (above 3.8). That left me with a pretty thin list of about 30 schools. I widdled from there based on location and the schools I had a didn't have a good feeling about. I was down to about 14 or so by then. So I added a couple long shots, and my state school, and that made up my list of 18 schools to apply to.

I didn't care too much where I was going to go to medical school, so I tried to play the numbers to increase my chances as much as possible. It worked well for me. I think I apply to a bunch of schools that I was competitive at and that helped me be successful.

Could you maybe upload this spread sheet of your?

 

[Jonesie]

just in case you don't already know, you can add schools after you submit the amcas. so if you know some schools that you want to apply to for sure, it's ok to submit and then add more later after you've had more time to search.

Just wondering, is it a huge hassle to do this? The AMCAS instruction book says:

To designate additional schools once you have submitted your application to AMCAS, you must re-enter your AMCAS appliction, select the additional schools you wish to designate, and re-certify and re-submit your application to AMCAS.

I was considering adding schools later in the summer just to be safe, but I don't know if it's worth redoing the ENTIRE application. I'm already applying to 25 schools, so I'm probably just being paranoid.

 

[jbrice1639]

Just wondering, is it a huge hassle to do this? The AMCAS instruction book says:

To designate additional schools once you have submitted your application to AMCAS, you must re-enter your AMCAS appliction, select the additional schools you wish to designate, and re-certify and re-submit your application to AMCAS.

I was considering adding schools later in the summer just to be safe, but I don't know if it's worth redoing the ENTIRE application. I'm already applying to 25 schools, so I'm probably just being paranoid.

they mean re-enter as in re-log-in. you don't have to type the whole thing out again. you just log-in, add the schools, and re-certify it and give them a credit card number for the additional school fees.

 

[Jonesie]

they mean re-enter as in re-log-in. you don't have to type the whole thing out again. you just log-in, add the schools, and re-certify it and give them a credit card number for the additional school fees.

Thanks, that's great news. By the way, good luck at LU this year....I'm hoping to join y'all there in 2007. 🙂

 

[tomorrowgirl99]

they mean re-enter as in re-log-in. you don't have to type the whole thing out again. you just log-in, add the schools, and re-certify it and give them a credit card number for the additional school fees.

Just wondering, why did you pick loyola instead of un. of chicago?

 

[popbirch]

THey are in Excel, and the message board doesn't seem to want to post them. All the info I used is listed on this discussion http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=51012&page=3&pp=25

It even gives the overall interview % and accepted%. Which is a good start. Even any one knows how to post excel sheets I could put them up.

 

[silkworm]

THey are in Excel, and the message board doesn't seem to want to post them. All the info I used is listed on this discussion http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=51012&page=3&pp=25

It even gives the overall interview % and accepted%. Which is a good start. Even any one knows how to post excel sheets I could put them up.

Thanks for that link. I don't think Excel files are allowed as attachments here. But I made a PDF file with a easier to read format. The names of the schools are a bit screwed up, due to Excel's Text-to-Column function, but still readable.

 

[popbirch]

Yeah I did some other statistics based on that info, but the schools I applied to are on my mdprofile.
http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?id=4714
Those 18 are what I came up with my process. I think if I did it again with my stats, I would leave duke or stanford off, and only have one long shot on there. The rest of the schools I think I had a fairly decent shot at.

 

[jbrice1639]

Just wondering, why did you pick loyola instead of un. of chicago?

first off, i'm on the waitlist at pritzker...so they sort of made the decision for me. although i can say with no hesitation that if i get the call from pritzker about the waitlist, i will turn them down and stick with loyola. for me, loyola just makes more sense. i have no interest in research so the benefits of pritzker would be lost on me. loyola's atmosphere fit my tastes more, and their curriculum is more focused on practicing medicine than the academic/research side.

and, i'm a cubs fan...i can't be going to school down on the south side... (kidding...kinda)

 

[legobikes]

I first narrowed the list based on places I wanted to live (large cities). Then I whittled it down based on which ones were top tier/ mid tier/ lower tier. I have a couple of top tiers, a bunch of mid tiers and a few lowers. Check the MSAR about which schools works for you

how do you get a sense of which schools are around which tier?