Which medical schools to apply to?

[4540]

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I am about 6 months away from applying to medical school. I am completely lost as to where I should apply. I read that you should just apply to those schools that fit your values and goals. But in terms of numbers (GPA and MCAT), should I just apply to those schools have similar GPA and MCAT numbers as I do? Thanks.

 

[brandonite]

Generally, the advice suggests that you should apply to a range of medical schools. Some schools (called 'reach schools') that you would really like to go to, but don't really have the typical stats for, a pile of schools that are about your level, and a couple safe schools that accept people with stats lower than yours just to be safe.

It can get expensive, though. The current record for # of schools applied to (that I've seen!) is lady in red, who applied to 58 schools! 😀 See how many you can afford to apply to. I only applied to 7, so I'm sorta at the other extreme. Good luck! 😀

 

[UCLA2000]

Apply to alot of schools. Some top ten, some top 20, all the way down the line. If you are from california you'll prolly want to apply to at least 20 schools. If you're from somewhere else, you'll be able to get away with less.

 

[sandflea]

also, *definitely* apply to your state school(s). that is where you often stand the best chance of acceptance, because the simple fact that you call yourself a resident of that state works greatly in your favor. also, many private schools slightly favor residents of their state, although not the same extent as state schools.

other than that, i echo everyone's advice that you need to apply to a broad range of schools. it's impossible to predict where you're competitive at, so don't shoot yourself in the foot by limiting yourself *only* to highly-ranked schools. but at the same time, definitely apply to a few dream schools where you think you stand no chance--you may be pleasantly surprised. how many schools you apply to depends on 1) where you live, 2) how competitive your GPA/MCAT scores are, and 3) how much money you're willing to spend. i applied to 23 schools, which is on the high side, but this is my second time applying to med school (i only applied to about 5 schools the first time) so i went for all the marbles.

hope this helps.