Worth purchasing the MSAR when not applying this cycle?

[Calad]

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I plan to apply to school next cycle, but I would like to apply as soon as it opens up, which is june 1st of next year if i remember correctly. Due to this I have been considering purchasing the MSAR to do some preliminary research on schools I might be interested in and to just start up a list. Do the statistics vary a large amount from year to year, or would I be better off waiting till the next edition of the MSAR?

 

[circulus vitios]

The online subscription is good for one year. The latest one was released in April (I think) so it should give you the current version and the version that comes out next April.

 

[Calad]

The online subscription is good for one year. The latest one was released in April (I think) so it should give you the current version and the version that comes out next April.

So just to clarify, I will have access to the most current MSAR until 7/22/2013 if I were to purchase it today? If that is the case then that is probably the best possible outcome for me! 👍

 

[DAPI]

So just to clarify, I will have access to the most current MSAR until 7/22/2013 if I were to purchase it today? If that is the case then that is probably the best possible outcome for me! 👍

Yes, but you may also get access to next years too in April, but I'm not sure if that. I would say however purchasing access is not really necessary till you have your MCAT score IMO.

 

[BurritoBandito]

I had my msar at least a year before i took my mcat. It was great to familiarize myself woth schools and pick out my favorites. After i took my mcat, i narrowed down my favorites based on my score. This way i spent less time searching for schools after my mcat and more time focusing on my application.

So i would definitely suggest getting it early

 

[circulus vitios]

So just to clarify, I will have access to the most current MSAR until 7/22/2013 if I were to purchase it today? If that is the case then that is probably the best possible outcome for me! 👍

Actually, I'm not sure. I bought my copy in April. I have access to the 2013 and 2012 version. If it's truly a one-year subscription I think they would give you access to the 2014 version as well (which releases sometime in April 2013), but I just don't see any company giving you access to three years of information for one subscription fee. You might want to e-mail them and ask.

 

[armybound]

What difference does the MSAR make that people go so nuts over?

 

[mmmcdowe]

They often have MSARs in the library or on file in the pre-med counseling office that you can flip through. I found one at my local public library.

 

[circulus vitios]

What difference does the MSAR make that people go so nuts over?

Estimated costs of attendance, secondary application fees, percentage of students with research experience, out of state acceptances, and median GPA/MCAT for accepted students...among other stuff that I don't really care about.

 

[DAPI]

They often have MSARs in the library or on file in the pre-med counseling office that you can flip through. I found one at my local public library.

With there not being a paper version anymore this may not be the case although your pre-med advisor may have access to it and let you look it over.

 

[MaenadsDance]

You mean you DON'T like geeking out over spreadsheets??

I was feeling bad about the spreadsheets I've been drawing up planning out my next few years of education, until I told my brother and he showed me HIS spreadsheets (and he's a political philosophy major!). I think it's a family trait, and not just a neurotic pre-med one -- my father is nuts about lists too.

Seriously, there's something comforting about a brick of statistics.

 

[DAPI]

You mean you DON'T like geeking out over spreadsheets??

I was feeling bad about the spreadsheets I've been drawing up planning out my next few years of education, until I told my brother and he showed me HIS spreadsheets (and he's a political philosophy major!). I think it's a family trait, and not just a neurotic pre-med one -- my father is nuts about lists too.

Seriously, there's something comforting about a brick of statistics.

Seriously, my spread sheet has MSAR data AND US News data. Its intense. Too bad the MSAR copyrights all their info or I would have shared it a long time ago. Its kinda like the 2010 version one thats floating around out there on the internet by better IMHO

 

[Calad]

Would love to use my pre-med advisors copy, however i am a non-trad and currently not enrolled in classes so I don't think that is much of an option. Plus, wasn't the last edition that was printed in something like 2010?

 

[circulus vitios]

Seriously, my spread sheet has MSAR data AND US News data. Its intense. Too bad the MSAR copyrights all their info or I would have shared it a long time ago. Its kinda like the 2010 version one thats floating around out there on the internet by better IMHO

I just bought US News access. What a waste of money.

 

[DAPI]

I just bought US News access. What a waste of money.

I kinda agree, but it was interesting to see which schools accept high and matriculated much lower stats. Also, it was much easier to pull that data for a spread sheet then from the MSAR data.

 

[circulus vitios]

I kinda agree, but it was interesting to see which schools accept high and matriculated much lower stats. Also, it was much easier to pull that data for a spread sheet then from the MSAR data.

I agree, but I'm not sure where they get their data. US News reports Creighton's average overall GPA 0.07 under what Creighton lists on their website. US News is supposed to be average matriculant data. Creighton, and most other schools, list average matriculant data under a class statistics/profile page. So I'm not sure where US News is getting that data. 😕

 

[TheMightySmiter]

MSAR is awesome considering how cheap it is. Get it as early as you can.

 

[blizzah]

I agree, but I'm not sure where they get their data. US News reports Creighton's average overall GPA 0.07 under what Creighton lists on their website. US News is supposed to be average matriculant data. Creighton, and most other schools, list average matriculant data under a class statistics/profile page. So I'm not sure where US News is getting that data. 😕

US news is super useful for its interview numbers.

 

[circulus vitios]

US news is super useful for its interview numbers.

Yeah, that's true. For instance, I knew that U Arizona prefers IS applicants. But according to US News, they hate OOS applicants and troll the hell out of them by accepting <10% of the students they interview!