Will it be viewed negatively if I apply to only one school?

[Helen Wheels]

I am a 30-something nontrad applying in 2009 to med school for 2010 admission. I am planning on applying to only one school, Pitt, which is located within commuting distance to my house. Professionally, I think Pitt is a great school with extensive research and clinical opportunities. Personally, I have lived and worked my whole life in the Pittsburgh area and I am comfortable here, have family in the area, and it would be a major pain to have to sell my house and move, especially since I would lose money in the poor housing market right now. Let's face it, when you are older it is just not that easy to relocate. Obviously, on applications and at an interview I am going to emphasize the good fit for me as a student and not the more personal issues. I know Pitt is a really good school and this is a little crazy when the conventional wisdom is that you should apply to a minimum of 10 schools. As a side note, I believe that my UG GPA and my work and research experience in healthcare will make me competitive here but realize there are no guarantees when it comes to med school acceptances.

Anyway, my question boils down to the fact that I might well be asked if I get an interview at Pitt where else I applied. If I say that I was so smitten with Pitt that it was my only application will they summarily reject me on the basis that I am clearly nuts? Should I mention that fact that Pitt is my first and only choice on my personal statement or will that be perceived as crazy, too?

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[Law2Doc]

I am a 30-something nontrad applying in 2009 to med school for 2010 admission. I am planning on applying to only one school, Pitt, which is located within commuting distance to my house. Professionally, I think Pitt is a great school with extensive research and clinical opportunities. Personally, I have lived and worked my whole life in the Pittsburgh area and I am comfortable here, have family in the area, and it would be a major pain to have to sell my house and move, especially since I would lose money in the poor housing market right now. Let's face it, when you are older it is just not that easy to relocate. Obviously, on applications and at an interview I am going to emphasize the good fit for me as a student and not the more personal issues. I know Pitt is a really good school and this is a little crazy when the conventional wisdom is that you should apply to a minimum of 10 schools. As a side note, I believe that my UG GPA and my work and research experience in healthcare will make me competitive here but realize there are no guarantees when it comes to med school acceptances.

Anyway, my question boils down to the fact that I might well be asked if I get an interview at Pitt where else I applied. If I say that I was so smitten with Pitt that it was my only application will they summarily reject me on the basis that I am clearly nuts? Should I mention that fact that Pitt is my first and only choice on my personal statement or will that be perceived as crazy, too?

Odds are simply not good to apply to just one school, particularly if it's not a generously in-state friendly state school. Most nontrads will apply to closer to 20 schools (not 10). Good schools are getting as many as 10,000 applications, and whittling that down to a fraction of that to interview, and then again liberally cutting down to the folks they offer seats to. With competitive stats, if you apply to ENOUGH schools, odds are good to get in, but if you apply to ONE school, odds are horrible. Most folks get rejected at some places that on paper they seem competitive for. The reason is simply statistics -- there will be many people who look as good as you on paper no matter how good you are, and the school can only interview so many. And then again at the interview, you can do perfectly fine, but if a bunch of people do a little better than fine, you get dumped to the waitlist. So if there is any way to expand your search to places a bit further away (even if it would mean a nasty commute), you help your odds significantly.

And while most schools let you wriggle off the hook when they ask you where else you are looking, no school is going to get excited because you only applied to them because of geography. You can mention that Pitt is your first choice, but I think you undermine it if you say it's your only choice. It smacks of desperation. It's like dating -- if you seem like you have other options, it makes you more attractive.

 

[kypreos]

honestly why would you do that to yourself? you have your opportunity to apply for the 2010 cycle and what happens if you find out that you dont get into pitt and your on the waitlist and then rejected and its too late in the application cycle and your gonna have to wait a year until 2011. that would REALLY suck, you need to apply to a range of schools. a friend of mine had a 28(kinda low) a 3.9 from TCNJ(graduated VVictorian), a pretty reputable school in NJ, His dad was a capt of the state police. he was out of school 1 year. hundreds of hours of research he even went to the state police academy and decided he didnt want to be a state trooper. He applied to the big 2 in NJ (RWJ and NJMS) and thats it cause he didnt want to be out of jersey. well they both rejected him. he then waited to till the next application cycle(rejected in 07 and then tried 08) he reapplied with more hours of volulnteering and an updated mcat score of a guess what...28. he applied the same schools as well as a few in the caribean. guess what, they rejected him. When he asked what he could do the next application cycle, they simply said "were sorry but we just feel that your not a good fit for our program" harsh words, hes now at ross and hates it. (not a shot at ross by any means, he personally doesnt like it down there). so some admissions commitees just feel that your not the right person for there school, they get thousands of candidates with thier average credentials and higher that they need to weed through. Its just not a safe decision if medicine is what you really wanna do.

 

[NTF]

Applying to one school only makes sense if they participate in EDP. Since Pitt doesn't, what you are proposing is unwise. I understand if you're placing your family and the desire not to uproot them as your priority. Just be aware that you stand a reasonable chance of not getting in even if you're an excellent candidate. There's an element of crapshoot to all of this.

But to get back to your original question. I don't think it will necessarily look bad in an interview if you only applied to one school. But don't say it's because your love Pitt or anything ingratiating like that. Just tell them that your family obligations make Pitt the only sensible option at this time or some such.

 

[halekulani]

huge gamble

buy a lottery ticket while you're at it.

 

[Law2Doc]

Just be aware that you stand a reasonable chance of not getting in even if you're an excellent candidate. There's an element of crapshoot to all of this.

I wouldn't say it's an element of crapshoot. I would simply say that you lack the data to determine if a school is going to find you a good fit. It's not random, but you don't know (1) what the school is looking for, and (2) what else they are seeing in the applicant pool that impresses them more. It's not all about numbers -- every school will reject a bunch of folks with numbers high above their average matriculant numbers. Numbers often help make the first cut, but it's the subjective stuff that makes or breaks you. And you simply won't know that. Which is why even the dudes with 4.0/40 get at least a rejection or two, and are still advised to apply to a handful of schools, not one. Again, if the one school close to you was a lower ranked state school, or if as nontradfogie suggests, they had EDP, that might make a difference, but otherwise yes, you are basically playing a lottery -- very low odds of even getting an interview and if you do you still only have about a 1 in 3 chance. If you are doing this I sure wouldn't be telling friends/family you are planning on med school because odds are you won't be.

 

[gman33]

To answer the original question, it won't be viewed negatively. You just may not get in. If Pitt doesn't have an EDP program, than this is a terrible strategy.

The chances of getting into a single school are not very good, regardless of your stats. Pitt is a very competitive school, which makes this plan even worse.

What is your plan if you don't get in? Keep applying there until you do?
Do yourself a favor and apply to a bunch of schools.

I only applied to one, but that was via EDP.

 

[efex101]

If you do not like moving due to all the issues it comes with....what about residency? I mean let's say you do get into Pitt (although this is a HUGE chance you take and the odds are against you) then after medical school you still have to apply to residency, and then look for fellowship or a job. You will need to overcome this "moving" issue, better now than later. There are 1000s of folks wanting a spot in medical school and the odds favor that apply broadly regardless of Nontrad vs not, I had many nontrads apply at my school and ALL of them applied broadly. If you want to pursue medicine you may need to get out of your comfort level.

 

[njbmd]

I am a 30-something nontrad applying in 2009 to med school for 2010 admission. I am planning on applying to only one school, Pitt, which is located within commuting distance to my house. Professionally, I think Pitt is a great school with extensive research and clinical opportunities. Personally, I have lived and worked my whole life in the Pittsburgh area and I am comfortable here, have family in the area, and it would be a major pain to have to sell my house and move, especially since I would lose money in the poor housing market right now. Let's face it, when you are older it is just not that easy to relocate. Obviously, on applications and at an interview I am going to emphasize the good fit for me as a student and not the more personal issues. I know Pitt is a really good school and this is a little crazy when the conventional wisdom is that you should apply to a minimum of 10 schools. As a side note, I believe that my UG GPA and my work and research experience in healthcare will make me competitive here but realize there are no guarantees when it comes to med school acceptances.

Anyway, my question boils down to the fact that I might well be asked if I get an interview at Pitt where else I applied. If I say that I was so smitten with Pitt that it was my only application will they summarily reject me on the basis that I am clearly nuts? Should I mention that fact that Pitt is my first and only choice on my personal statement or will that be perceived as crazy, too?

As long as you are happy to accept the expense of applying to one school and the risk of no acceptance, then you have made your decision. Medical schools don't care where you applied outside of your application to their school. If you are asked any question, you can choose to answer the question or not answer the question. Again, you can always say that you have applied in-state (which would not be untruthful as Pitt is in PA). You are not likely to be asked this question in the first place.

Adults make decisions for themselves based on what they believe is best for them. You can't try to project or even guess "what THEY think" as you are not inside anyone's head but your own. Since you seem to have some notion that people are even interested in "perceiving you" one way or another, I will tell you from my experience, that your actions in an interview will largely affect the interviewers "perception" of you. If you act eccentric, you will likely be perceived as eccentric.

If you have sound reasons for making your choices and if you are willing to live with the consequences of your choices, then they are the right choice for you. It's kind of immature at your age to be fixated on what other's "think" of you. Project the image that you want to project and go from there.

 

[mouseben]

I agree with what everybody said here, it would not be a wise plan to apply just to Pitt. Your goal is to go into medical school and there are many many medical schools besides Pitt in this country that will give you great education. Why put yourself in such a risky situation?

But if your heart is just set on Pitt and you could not imagine going anywhere else, then sure, you can apply just to Pitt. Your application will not be viewed negatively. Actually I personally think Pitt will probably view your application more positively if they know Pitt is the only school on your list and you have tons of good reasons for choosing Pitt. Just my 2 cents.

 

[bjolly]

I understand where you're coming from. I also was thirty-something, with a house, and a family that I didn't want to uproot. If you would rather risk having to wait out a year and reapply, rather than risk having to move, then apply only to Pitt. Just understand there's a significant chance it won't work and you'll have to reapply next year.

If Pitt has EDP and you're a very strong candidate (high gpa, high mcat, no blemishes on your academic record), it may be worth the gamble. If not, a much better strategy would be to look into other areas where your family could be happy (affordable cost of living, good schools, maybe close to extended family) and select some other schools to apply to.

 

[bioteach]

But if your heart is just set on Pitt and you could not imagine going anywhere else, then sure, you can apply just to Pitt. Your application will not be viewed negatively.

Since this was your question, I agree with the above statement. Think about potential back-ups, though. Considering that you are in your 30's you don't want to have to repeat this process multiple years.

My 2 cents on the "applying to one school" issue...

I am from Colorado and applied to CU as my first choice last year. Didn't get in and moved to Ohio for med school. My husband left his great career there and we are renting out our house (couldn't sell it due to the market), but I didn't want to wait and apply this year...and next year... and so on.

It made alot more sense to bite the bullet and move to get my education going, especially since I am already in my 30's as well. On the other hand, I talked to several other CU applicants that were going on their third and FOURTH round of applications because they didn't want to leave Colorado. That is insane, I could be done with my education in Ohio in the time it might take to get into school in Colorado.

So you have to decide: is it worth it to risk having to reapply multiple years to Pitt alone or would you rather just get the show on the road?

 

[thewendster]

I would really recommend applying to a few other schools in the area.. meaning the schools close enough where you could go home every weekend if you wanted. PSU, philly schools, maybe a few in Ohio. If your stats were ocmpetitive and you added weekend commutable schools so that you were up to maybe 6 or 7 schools then you would greatly improve your odds of being in medical school next year.

 

[dragonfly99]

I agree with wendster.
Realistically, any applicant's chances of getting in to a school like Pitt are quite low. Even if you had a 3.8 from Harvard and 35 MCAT, that wouldn't be a guarantee. From what I know of it, this is a VERY competitive school. Your odds of getting in there are low. You could check US news and World Report to guess at your odds. What is the acceptance rate for that school? 10%? 20%? You might have a slightly higher choice being from the same city and if they think (or know) you are their first choice, but to be honest it won't affect their decision much I would think. Schools like Duke, Harvard, Yale, really any competitive school aren't going to take someone just because his is an in-state applicant and really wants to go there.

There must be some other school(s) in Pennsylvania or other nearby states you'd be willing to go to. Isn't there even a DO school in Pittsburgh? Maybe that's Philadelphia and I'm confused...

You can always "suicide" and apply to just one school, and apply again the next year if you don't get in, but after not getting in to the school once your chances won't necessarily be any better the next year. At this point you have to decide what your priorities are. Is it more important to not move, and maybe wait several years to go to med school and/or pursue a different career, or is it more worth it to become a physician even if you have to move?

 

[spicedmanna]

I am a 30-something nontrad applying in 2009 to med school for 2010 admission. I am planning on applying to only one school, Pitt, which is located within commuting distance to my house. Professionally, I think Pitt is a great school with extensive research and clinical opportunities. Personally, I have lived and worked my whole life in the Pittsburgh area and I am comfortable here, have family in the area, and it would be a major pain to have to sell my house and move, especially since I would lose money in the poor housing market right now. Let's face it, when you are older it is just not that easy to relocate. Obviously, on applications and at an interview I am going to emphasize the good fit for me as a student and not the more personal issues. I know Pitt is a really good school and this is a little crazy when the conventional wisdom is that you should apply to a minimum of 10 schools. As a side note, I believe that my UG GPA and my work and research experience in healthcare will make me competitive here but realize there are no guarantees when it comes to med school acceptances.

It's an unsafe bet if getting into a medical school and becoming a doctor is your goal. Not only are there no guarantees in the application process, but slightly less than half of the folks applying actually get accepted and that's applying to multiple medical schools. It's a huge gamble to apply to only one school. Just look at the acceptance rate for any given medical school and I think you'd agree. If you are comfortable with not winning that bet, then by all means, go for it. However, most people will take a much more calculated bet, by wisely applying broadly and to several schools. The perspective is that it's better to get into a medical school than not at all, even if moving becomes necessary, a perspective that I tend to agree with. You, on the other hand, seem to be suggesting that it is better to not get into any medical school at all, if not Pitt. That's not unreasonable if it's what's true for you. Just make sure that it is. Otherwise, I'd recommend applying to more schools to maximize your chances.

If you want to become a doctor, it's best to do what you can to maximize your chances of acceptance and deal with the reality that you might need to move. That's what most of us have done.

 

[MSmentor018]

being a non trad is tough already. unless you got stellar grades, mcat, and have family on the admissions committee, I'd apply to a few more than just 1.....although I know a couple of traditional apps with 3.8 gpa/28-32 mcat that applied to only one school.....over, and over, and over again. they finally got in on the 3rd attempt. so it's all about where you want to go...good luck

 

[J ROD]

It's only viewed negatively if you do not get in!

 

[Helen Wheels]

Unfortunately, there is nothing else near Pittsburgh. No other MD schools anywhere nearby and no DO schools, either. If there were I would certainly be applying to them. Too bad I don't live near Philly...

I am probably going to take a big gamble and just apply to Pitt in 2009. If it doesn't pan out I will reapply next year and cast a wider net. I don't want to take years to get into med school (I am not getting any younger, after all!)

 

[CuyahogaMD2B]

Unfortunately, there is nothing else near Pittsburgh. No other MD schools anywhere nearby and no DO schools, either. If there were I would certainly be applying to them. Too bad I don't live near Philly...

I am probably going to take a big gamble and just apply to Pitt in 2009. If it doesn't pan out I will reapply next year and cast a wider net. I don't want to take years to get into med school (I am not getting any younger, after all!)

Pitt is a nice school but I am glad that I interviewed at other schools. I am likely going to give up my acceptance there but I guess is won't help since you are applying next year. Cleveland (2 medical schools) is not that far from Pittsburgh and you could come home on weekends. Good luck.

 

[dragonfly99]

futurepitt,
You can just go for the one school. I'd say well under 50% chance to get in, but you can try it. I would make sure you let them know they are your #1 choice, that you love the school,etc. and have no desire to move elsewhere. I don't think it will necessarily help vs. hurt you as an applicant to that school...knowing they are your #1 choice is likely to help a little, but it's just still very risky to apply to just one school.

 

[ruraldr]

Temple and Jefferson. If I remember correctly, both have 3rd and 4th year rotation abilities in Pittsburgh. You might be able to do long distance for just the first 2 years and then be at home the next two and for residency....

 

[gman33]

Temple and Jefferson. If I remember correctly, both have 3rd and 4th year rotation abilities in Pittsburgh. You might be able to do long distance for just the first 2 years and then be at home the next two and for residency....

You can do years 3 and 4 at West Penn if you go to Temple.
One of my classmates flies home to Pitt every weekend.

 

[halekulani]

Unfortunately, there is nothing else near Pittsburgh. No other MD schools anywhere nearby and no DO schools, either. If there were I would certainly be applying to them. Too bad I don't live near Philly...

I am probably going to take a big gamble and just apply to Pitt in 2009. If it doesn't pan out I will reapply next year and cast a wider net. I don't want to take years to get into med school (I am not getting any younger, after all!)

or you could just apply to a bunch while praying for pitt and writing update letters to pitt. like you said, you're not getting younger. i don't get why you'd waste another year applying. it's not like they have list of every other school you applied to.

 

[rnnpmaybe]

i'm in the same boat. There are alot of schools within 2-3 hours of Pittsburgh. there's Case Western and another school in Cleveland (1 hour), WVU in Morgantown (1.5 hours), a few in Cincinatti (I think that's more like 3 hours) LECOM in ERIE (2 hours). Then there are Penn State and all the ones in Philly (6 hours). I will be applying to these schools, while hoping and praying I get into Pitt.

 

[dragonfly99]

The 50% acceptance rate is for all comers...including people who really wanted in so they applied to 30 or 40 schools or something. For someone applying to only one school, I think the acceptance rate would be more like 5-15%...something like that.

 

[t33sg1rl]

I am a 30-something nontrad applying in 2009 to med school for 2010 admission. I am planning on applying to only one school, Pitt, which is located within commuting distance to my house. Professionally, I think Pitt is a great school with extensive research and clinical opportunities. Personally, I have lived and worked my whole life in the Pittsburgh area and I am comfortable here, have family in the area, and it would be a major pain to have to sell my house and move, especially since I would lose money in the poor housing market right now. Let's face it, when you are older it is just not that easy to relocate. Obviously, on applications and at an interview I am going to emphasize the good fit for me as a student and not the more personal issues. I know Pitt is a really good school and this is a little crazy when the conventional wisdom is that you should apply to a minimum of 10 schools. As a side note, I believe that my UG GPA and my work and research experience in healthcare will make me competitive here but realize there are no guarantees when it comes to med school acceptances.

Anyway, my question boils down to the fact that I might well be asked if I get an interview at Pitt where else I applied. If I say that I was so smitten with Pitt that it was my only application will they summarily reject me on the basis that I am clearly nuts? Should I mention that fact that Pitt is my first and only choice on my personal statement or will that be perceived as crazy, too?

Don't admit that you only applied to Pitt. Adcoms are going to view this as evidence that you are not really committed to medicine-that you're applying "just to see", not because this is something you really want, because they're going to assume that if you really wanted this, you would have applied to 10+ schools. Maybe you're super committed and can't see yourself doing anything else, but you definitely increase your odds of rejection if you tell them about the one school thing. Instead, say things like "This is my only interview so far" and "I'm really only applying within Pennsylvania because it's important for me to be near my family". It's certainly OK to tell them that Pitt is your first choice... but emphasize that it's because of academics, not geography.

As an alternate plan, there are plenty of schools where you can spend virtually all of your 3rd and 4th year away. Check all of your local hospitals on their visiting med student policy and see if you could do 2 years elsewhere and return to Pittsburgh for 3rd and 4th years.

 

[aunt ethel]

I am probably going to take a big gamble and just apply to Pitt in 2009. If it doesn't pan out I will reapply next year and cast a wider net. I don't want to take years to get into med school (I am not getting any younger, after all!)

My 2 cents: Do it! Good luck. And from admissions people I've spoken with, your "personal" reasons for wanting to go there aren't negative...med schools appreciate applicants who will have built in support and stability because they are close to family. Just as long as that's not the only reason, it should be fine.

 

[cpants]

It is wise to apply exclusively to Pitt if you are truly unwilling to relocate. Why waste your money on applications and secondaries if you only want to study at Pitt. At the same time, realize the odds of acceptance are very low. You may be forced to apply multiple times, and, even then, you still may not be accepted to Pitt. So if you are unwilling to locate, there is a chance you may never be a doctor.

What are you statistics like?

 

[CarrieBad]

I don't think it will be viewed negatively, in fact Pitt really wants its students to want to be there more than any other school. I do agree with everyone else that applying to one school is VERY dangerous. If you are applying to med school, you have probably worked your butt off and it would be a total waste not to get into medical school.

One thought, the University of West Virginia is in Morgantown (only about an hour an a half from Pittsburgh), maybe that would be a "doable" commute. If I were you I would think long and hard if you want to put all your eggs in one basket.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do!

 

[njbmd]

Pitt is a nice school but I am glad that I interviewed at other schools. I am likely going to give up my acceptance there but I guess is won't help since you are applying next year. Cleveland (2 medical schools) is not that far from Pittsburgh and you could come home on weekends. Good luck.

I don't think it will be viewed negatively, in fact Pitt really wants its students to want to be there more than any other school. I do agree with everyone else that applying to one school is VERY dangerous. If you are applying to med school, you have probably worked your butt off and it would be a total waste not to get into medical school.

One thought, the University of West Virginia is in Morgantown (only about an hour an a half from Pittsburgh), maybe that would be a "doable" commute. If I were you I would think long and hard if you want to put all your eggs in one basket.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do!

Now, you have a total of 3 potential schools that you could apply to, possibly get into that would be relatively close to your home (at least close enough and with cost of living cheap enough) for you to come home every weekend. If University of Pittsburgh didn't work out, you would at least not lose a complete year with no guarantees that the next year would be successful anyway.

 

[Helen Wheels]

My overall UG GPA is 3.75. I don't know what my science GPA is exactly but it should be around 3.4-3.5. I am taking the MCAT in March 2009. Right now I am studying my behind off because I know this score will be so important.

 

[beepbeep]

one school applicant here. i also applied to only one (top tier) med school and (amazingly) got in. however, my reasons for doing so were bc my family could not leave the area (husband tied by contract) and i was unwilling to live apart. i mentioned it in my personal statement and i think that may have made me stand out a little. also, i was able to focus all my efforts on that school (talking to faculty, letters to the dean, etc...) and that also probably helped. if you're willing to have to reapply next year (which, most likely, will be the case) i say take the chance. if not, cast your net wider. also, i wouldn't even think about it unless your mcat is easily above 35 (your gpa is going to work against you a little).

 

[Bleurberry]

I am a 30-something nontrad applying in 2009 to med school for 2010 admission. I am planning on applying to only one school, Pitt, which is located within commuting distance to my house. Professionally, I think Pitt is a great school with extensive research and clinical opportunities. Personally, I have lived and worked my whole life in the Pittsburgh area and I am comfortable here, have family in the area, and it would be a major pain to have to sell my house and move, especially since I would lose money in the poor housing market right now. Let's face it, when you are older it is just not that easy to relocate. Obviously, on applications and at an interview I am going to emphasize the good fit for me as a student and not the more personal issues. I know Pitt is a really good school and this is a little crazy when the conventional wisdom is that you should apply to a minimum of 10 schools. As a side note, I believe that my UG GPA and my work and research experience in healthcare will make me competitive here but realize there are no guarantees when it comes to med school acceptances.

Anyway, my question boils down to the fact that I might well be asked if I get an interview at Pitt where else I applied. If I say that I was so smitten with Pitt that it was my only application will they summarily reject me on the basis that I am clearly nuts? Should I mention that fact that Pitt is my first and only choice on my personal statement or will that be perceived as crazy, too?

I almost applied to just PCOM, and it would have been fine, I'd be $200 richer, too. Do you know the faculty at Pitt, does admissions know your passion for their program? I mean, they need to know you're not a nut, that you've done your homework. Then it can work in your favor. But I wouldn't advise doing groundwork this late in the game; I started checking PCOM out two years out.

By the way, if I had been interested in going allopathic, I gotta say, I really like Pitt's program, too. I would have chosen Temple over Pitt because of distance, but Pitt has a really impressive PM&R research program. Wooah! Lovin' it. Best of luck to you.

 

[Signaq]

I'm in the same boat as OP, for sure. Top med school in my backyard, 10 minute drive from home. The next nearest med school is literally a six+ hour flight. Also, husband is Native to this state -- not much seal hunting in New Jersey or Florida to fill his time, so to expect him and the kids to pack up and move to some random city just because I got an acceptance to me feels very self-centered and a discouraging way to begin my career. That doesn't take away from any commitment I have to becomming a physician, in my opinion....it is consistant with my belief system that drives me to begin this journey in the first place. How can I devote myself to rural health care and providing services for people in their home communities, then demand that those closest to me leave their home for my convenience?

 

[ellekk]

im confused....how many dental schools are you "supposed" to apply to....and whats wrong with applying to just a few, or two or even one?

 

[Helen Wheels]

Well, this thread from a year ago shows how naive I was. Of course, the original post was before I took the MCAT this year and realized that despite two attempts and LOTS of studying I would end up with a tepid MCAT score.

Anyway, after realizing my MCAT score was shaky (really wish I could have done better ) I did come to my senses and I ended up applying broadly and to a ton of schools. So, far I have ten rejections including my beloved Pitt. Clearly, I am not top 20 material. No interviews yet though I am hoping one or two invites might arrive in the next few months if I am lucky. Might have to regroup and try DO school next year.

Anyway, the moral of the story is to never underestimate the beast that is the MCAT!

 

[Thomas Hearns]

Well, this thread from a year ago shows how naive I was. Of course, the original post was before I took the MCAT this year and realized that despite two attempts and LOTS of studying I would end up with a tepid MCAT score.

Anyway, after realizing my MCAT score was shaky (really wish I could have done better ) I did come to my senses and I ended up applying broadly and to a ton of schools. So, far I have ten rejections including my beloved Pitt. Clearly, I am not top 20 material. No interviews yet though I am hoping one or two invites might arrive in the next few months if I am lucky. Might have to regroup and try DO school next year.

Anyway, the moral of the story is to never underestimate the beast that is the MCAT!

It's tough out there... if you really have your heart set on pitt, maybe try completely changing your study schedule... and DOs are still doctors

That was my goal in all of this... if I could go back in time knowing what I know now, I'd do a lot of things differently, but you gotta just do what you can with what you got... seems like you cant really put it all together until it's too late at least for me.

Good luck!

 

[thecleaner]

pitt is a difficult school to get into. superstars get rejected from that place everyday. good luck.

 

[tigress]

Ah, sorry you got rejected

Pitt is a tough school to get into at all. I think it makes sense to apply to only one school in some situations (like mine lol), but definitely when your local school is a top-20, it's never safe to apply to just one, regardless of your stats.

I hope you get some interviews soon!

 

[thecleaner]

i have an interview at pitt coming up, not getting my hopes up too high though

 

[BennieBlanco]

Well, this thread from a year ago shows how naive I was. Of course, the original post was before I took the MCAT this year and realized that despite two attempts and LOTS of studying I would end up with a tepid MCAT score.

Anyway, after realizing my MCAT score was shaky (really wish I could have done better ) I did come to my senses and I ended up applying broadly and to a ton of schools. So, far I have ten rejections including my beloved Pitt. Clearly, I am not top 20 material. No interviews yet though I am hoping one or two invites might arrive in the next few months if I am lucky. Might have to regroup and try DO school next year.

Anyway, the moral of the story is to never underestimate the beast that is the MCAT!

Try DO, do whatever it takes. If you believe you can! Good luck friend



You can do it.

 

[Old Grunt]

No, it's just a really poor strategy for a successful application cycle.