<p>I don’t really have any questions for you, jamestown (my data point is almost done with her app season) but if you’d like to share anything you’ve learned (both positive and negative) with those in the on-deck circle, I’m sure they’d appreciate it. ;)</p>
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<p>Yup, insane is me. I’m only here trying to setup my son with curm’s D bcos she will have a job and can shoot free throws. A two-fer. Can’t get any better than that.</p>
<p>Of course, not sure I can handle curm as an in-out law? :D</p>
<p>Jamestown- if you are an SDN poster I can understand your viewpoint; you are out there checking it all yourself and SDN has far more detail. Some of us have kids who are not really interested in following the forums, but who benefit from the knowledge gained by their parents. </p>
<p>My DD is appreciative of the information I have learned to some complicated questions along the way. The journey may be hers, but many students need their parents for state residency, for FAFSA info, etc.</p>
<p>You are right, there may be some helicopter parents around who are over involved, but the posters on this thread are merely being willing to share their process so those reading can learn something for their families med school journey. And if I am paying $5-10k in application fees, LOR transmittal fees, MCAT fees, transcript fees, and interview costs, why is it not a great thing that I understand precisely how difficult a process it is for my DD?</p>
<p>But, Curmudgeon is right, please post any info or hints on things you know now, but wish you’d known last year at this time, help out.</p>
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<p>I haven’t really looked through much of this forum, so I can’t really tell what the basic themes are around here. Basically:
+Apply early and to schools with a range of average numbers.
+Consider applying to DO schools if you are below a 3.5/~31.
+Where you went to undergrad doesn’t matter.
+Some things that do matter are ECs, letters of recommendation, and essays.</p>
<p>If you do all of that and have average numbers, you will probably get in somewhere. If you have an outstanding EC, or a higher than average MCAT/GPA, you will probably get multiple offers from some schools with a lot to offer. All bets go out the window if you have an attitude of entitlement or display any hint of arrogance, though.</p>
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<p>Not a frequent SDN poster, but I browse the forum. I also find it pretty ridiculous that you’re spending 10k on applying, but that’s your prerogative. Not to mention the fact that you’re footing the bill for your kid’s application process.</p>
<p>As far as doing things over:
I wish I had applied to way fewer schools (and spent less money).
Other than that not much. Apply super early, but I think most people know that. Go to the cheapest school you can (good advice for med school and undergrad).</p>
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<p>I wonder if this has really happened where parents talk to each other on CC and then set their kids up. People have met each other on CC or SDN before and started a relationship…</p>
<p>There are a couple of posters on CC whose kids met at university and are dating.</p>
<p>“I also find it pretty ridiculous that you’re spending 10k on applying, but that’s your prerogative.”</p>
<p>I agree</p>
<p>And to state that somekid’s strategy that necessitated spending that $10K is “pretty ridiculous” just shows a monumental ignorance of the process some kids go through. Not all students have lower threshold IS state schools as options. Not all students’ travel expenses are the same. Geography can be a big $ grabber in this process. </p>
<p>BTW, I’d learn not to judge before having all the facts. It’s not that becoming.</p>
<p>Congrats again to somekid, somemom and don’t mind the naysayers. Your kiddo did it right and got in her first choice school (and what a school it is!!!). Cheap at twice the price. ;)</p>
<p>I would think that if a large portion of the 10k is due to travel expenses, one would look closer to home.</p>
<p>I’d hope that maybe folks who think that somemom’s D’s approach and expenditures were “pretty ridiculous” would share details about their strategy, expenditures, and outcomes so that others can critique them in the same kind and generous manner. But they won’t. ;)</p>
<p>I happen to know that one kid applied to about 35 medical schools this cycle, and he is not a California resident. If he ends up having many invites, the travel expenses will be high. (I do not know the details.)</p>
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<p>Which state has the lower threshold IS state medical school? IL? FL? NY? A blue state or a red one? </p>
<p>curmudgeon, How about TX? Is it a high , medium or low threshold state (as compared to, say, NY) in your opinion?</p>
<p>It is rumored that it is not easy to get an invite from some mid-level medical schools like George Washington State (or Georgetown? I am not sure) or tufts, because there are just so many applicants to these medical schools due to its location. It is even rumored that a high stat may be a liability rather than a blessing for an applicant who applies to these medical schools. Is there any truth in this?</p>
<p>I don’t know what strategies my D used as I try not to get involved. I’m not even sure of which schools she applied to or what the applications looked like etc. She payed for the applications since she works. I am aware of where she received acceptances. The only thing I suggested was that she look at schools that were within a distance that if she wanted to come home, it would be relatively easy and inexpensive for her to take a bus or train and come home. She’s paying for medical school so this wasn’t a particularly difficult argument to make. I will probably become more involved since I will be cosigning the loans that she will be taking out. Since we’ve never taken out a loan except for home mortgages, I expect that this will be a learning experience for our family.</p>
<p>Luckily for us, my DD did not spend $10k, that $5-10k range post above was a generality based on what I have seen many people post; but if she had continued to travel to all her interview invites it could have been that much and many posters on SDN/MD applicants seem to be in that range. </p>
<p>DD happens to be traveling from a difficult and expensive airport, but even so, most interviews involving flights would be minimum $500, and with bad luck $1000, so 10 interviews could cost $5-10k. Of course a person back east with interviews close enough to drive too or even use trains and geography keeping things close together would have a far different experience.</p>
<p>The usual recommended number of schools seems to be maybe 15-20 for solid applicants, 20+ for average kids, and 30+ for weaker applicants from states like CA. If you are in TX, yes you can just apply there and maybe a reach or two if you feel like it. A kid from CA sub 35 better apply</p>
<p>Think about it and budget for it:
$30+ per app on AMCAS plus about $200 for TMDSAS
$35-100+ per secondary
If the average app + 2ndary was $150 each, then 20 apps = $3000
LOR fees- to transmit from your school to AMCAS/TMDSAS/INTERFOLIO
Transcript fees from every school you have attended to AMCAS/TMDSAS
Interfolio fees
MCAT fees
MCAT prep fees
Interview travel costs- flights, meals, airport transit, hotels when student hosting is not offered</p>
<p>It is very easy to reach $5000 for this application process unless you are in a state with stats such that you have a pretty good chance to stay in state. </p>
<p>Thanks Curm for the comments, but I did not spend that much so I don’t feel scrutinized, just that I need to clarify in more detail so it is helpful to those coming behind. I have seen people’s MDapplicants posting that they spent well over $5000. </p>
<p>It also depends what you count as part of the process, some people pay $1500+ for an MCAT prep and some don’t; some fly to travel and some don’t, some apply to 10 schools and some apply to 30+, some have one transcript to send, some have 5. Some applicants pay it all themselves, some parents pay it all, some share the expenses. </p>
<p>The point of our posting is so that people who are coming along can think it through and plan and not make silly mistakes. There are always stories on SDN of reapplicants who applied late or not broadly. Right now there are people asking if they ought to still complete their secondaries, when if they had had proper advice, they would have been 90% done by early August.</p>
<p>For certain if my DD had been confident she would get into her state school she would have only applied to 4-5 schools, but with a 29, it seemed like a larger cross section would be smart.</p>
<p>(edited- fun, but not worth it ;))</p>
<p>somemom, I knew she hadn’t spent that much. 
But I know that had she gone to all her interviews she would have. No doubt.</p>
<p>My D hasn’t even hit $10K… yet. ;)</p>
<p>With re-visits and still a few to hear from? Maybe so. ;)</p>
<p>“It is rumored that it is not easy to get an invite from some mid-level medical schools like George Washington State (or Georgetown? I am not sure) or tufts, because there are just so many applicants to these medical schools due to its location. It is even rumored that a high stat may be a liability rather than a blessing for an applicant who applies to these medical schools. Is there any truth in this?”</p>
<p>My DD did interview at one of these schools and with her 29, she did notice on SDN that many people with higher stats were not invited for immediate interviews, though not declined. It is supposed that with 12k+ applications and lower average stats, they know they are a safety for many higher stat kids so don’t elect to interview some of them early on.</p>
<p>I do wonder if when seeing higher stat kids they pay attention to the state, would a 33 from CA get an interview because that is no guarantee of admissions to a UC whereas a TX or UT or NV or AZ or KS kid with lower average state school stats might not get the early interview?</p>
<p>Look. Some folks live on a bus route in the New England/Mid-Atlantic states and don’t apply widely. Some don’t live anywhere near there. To let a few grand now limit your chances and choices just doesn’t seem that smart to me.</p>
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<p>So, are these states the low threshold IS states for the IS applicants? Some time ago, I noticed that a very high number of students from BYU got into medical schools and BYU is indeed in UT. So it makes sense to say UT may be one of the low threshold IS states. I do not know much about NV and AZ. I happen to know one kid who is not willing to go back to a medical school in NV, but I do not know the reason. Given his high stat and a major research credential (Having accumulated 18 credit hours in research, is he still an undergraduate student?! I do not understand why so many students try to accumulate as many research credit hours as possible, to the extent that their “normal” credit hours are somewhat fewer than normal), he could possibly go to many other places if he chooses to do so.)</p>
<p>How about IL or NY? Somehow I have the impression that IL and NY have many IS medical schools. (But NY has many many applicants.)</p>
<p>mcat2, Texas has a few medical schools that have a lower than the national average “threshold” for matriculants, a few right at the average, and a couple above. For a student who had no compelling career reason to go to a “top-tier” med school or something in their personal life calling them out of state , there would never be a reason to apply OOS. In fact, it’s fairly well-known (in Texas) that one of the Texas med schools makes a point of questioning anybody who applies out of state in the interview…as in, “What were you thinking you’d find OOS that Texas doesn’t have?”. ;)</p>
<p>My D met many, many kids on the “tour” who only applied to Texas schools. Many others apply to several Texas schools and only OOS reaches.</p>
<p>(Edit: It is my opinion that it hurts Texas kids applying to OOS as the schools might think “If he gets into Baylor or Southwestern, he ain’t coming here at twice the price. So let’s not even bother accepting him.” But it’s just a theory and I have no proof.</p>
<p>(Timed out- drats) </p>
<p>This would also be applicable to schools a “tier” down in selectivity. The morale of this story is - you better sell your desire to be there in the “Why _____ Med School?” essay.</p>