<p>For those of you who have done this or are in the process, how did you choose your medical schools? I am a rising senior, but I am taking a year off so I will be applying summer '09. Is the process like the undergrad process where you visit the med schools, take tours, etc. I am a California resident, so I will be applying to all of the UC's; but, beyond that I have only decided on U of Washington and University of Vermont.</p>
<p>Any input is appreciated.</p>
<p>Both of those are probably bad choices. You can check out their in-state vs. out-of-state ratios in the MSAR. Generally one does not visit medical schools; that trip is reserved for the interview process. There are, I think, seven or eight schools in California, so that's likely to be a good chunk of the ~20 or so schools you'll be applying to. Much of the rest will be selected based on admissions statistics.</p>
<p>WHere is the best place to review the admissions stats?</p>
<p>You'll want a combination of the MSAR ($25, contains in-state vs. out-of-state, interview rates, science GPA vs. normal GPA breakdowns in admits, and some national trend data) and US News and World Report ($15 online, has mean GPA and MCAT data for the eventual student bodies as well as admissions percentages). Unfortunately the information doesn't overlap by enough; you really need both sources.</p>
<p>WHere is the best place to review the admissions stats?</p>
<p>I'd think you'd be fine with the new msar 08-09 on its own. It contains more information than last year's (bottom 10 + top 10 percentile mcat and gpa... etc).</p>
<p>However, I should say, not having the actual matriculated class statistics is frustrating, but I don't really think it is necessary because, after all, their acceptance range is what is important for you s/d to gain admission.</p>
<p>The MSAR is sufficient for choosing schools.</p>
<p>The best thing about US News is that it reports post-interview acceptance rates. The MSAR only gives the number of students that matriculates, not the number of students accepted (which is often 2-3X the number that matriculates). Some schools make it difficult to get an interview but have high post-interview acceptance rates (Brown, UCSF, etc.). Some schools give interviews generously but have post-interview acceptance rates around 20% (Columbia, Penn, Harvard, etc.). This kind of information can be useful for deciding whether or not to spend the money to attend an interview. It's worth the extra $10 or $15 in my opinion to get the US News.com Graduate Schools subscription.</p>
<p>The MSAR only gives the number of students that matriculates, not the number of students accepted (which is often 2-3X the number that matriculates). </p>
<p>Yea, you can generally just guess the number... 2.5 x class size for most selective med schools etc.</p>
<p>^You would also be way off for many schools. Some top schools have low yield (for various reasons). These schools are schools like UChicago, WashU, etc. Some top schools, not surprisingly, have excellent yield. In fact, many mid-tier schools have similar yield as top schools. All of this makes it extremely difficult to predict acceptance rates. </p>
<p>It still amazes me that, to this day, MSAR publishes no data on acceptance rates. I'm sure they have heard more than a few complaints about it.</p>
<p>Relying on my MSAR, for example, would give me the impression that HMS and NYU had equivalent MCAT scores. It also wouldn't tell you anything (as mentioned) about selectivity post-interview. I really think both sources are important; in fact, if I had to just recommend one, I'd recommend USN.</p>
<p>As far as getting into medical school, I do not see a reason to know the matriculated students average... Yes, the matriculated median at Harvard would most likely be > than NYU, but that does not change that their accepted median is the same.... which obviously is important when choosing where to apply...</p>
<p>norcalguy: </p>
<p>I have thought the same thing... As I previously alluded to, I am not interested in matriculated #'s I am interested in accepted #'s (at least when applying... maybe afterwords the matriculated would be "interesting" to see)</p>
<p>To buy both will cost D less than 50 bucks. With the costs of interviewing and applying being what they are I can't imagine anyone not buying both.</p>
<p>To the above: Good point... you could get by with just the msar (or probably the usnews) but buying both is probably the simplest option...</p>
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I'd think you'd be fine with the new msar 08-09 on its own.
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<p>the new MSAR is the 09-10 one...i just ordered it from amazon a couple days ago...seems like they are one of the few places that shows it in stock.</p>
<p>i have to agree with BDM on the USN argument....its important to know where you will be competitive on the wait list as well since many people end up going to a school where they were waitlisted at first. I find it to be quite a rip off though to pay $15 for literally 2 or 3 numbers on each of the schools you are interested in....at least the MSAR gives you a good deal of info for the price you pay. I wonder if there's a print version of these USNEWS stats....would probably be best to just go check it out at a barnes and noble :-)</p>
<p>Oh, is it already the 09-10? Well regardless, this year, they are also giving the bottom and top 10 percentiles of mcat and gpa (accepted) along with the median in the MSAR... I think I may follow your waitlist argument for needing matriculation data but still it ignore the fact that you must apply before you are waitlisted... so I still say that accepted medians are what really matter when it comes to applying whereas matriculation data indicate the actual strength of the future student body...</p>
<p>Say a student with a 33 is trying to decide where to apply. The MSAR will tell him that he's below average at NYU; USN will tell him that no, he's actually right around average and has a very good chance. In this particular instance, USN is correct and the MSAR is wrong.</p>
<p>The MSAR would not be "wrong". It would show the prospective that he IS below the median for ACCEPTED applicants. The ACTUAL entering class will probably be less than a 35 median but that is of little relevance to someone simply wishing to gain ACCEPTANCE.</p>
<p>Or am I totally missing something lol?</p>
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Say a student with a 33 is trying to decide where to apply.
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<p>its like BDM is speaking directly to me lol</p>
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The ACTUAL entering class will probably be less than a 35 median but that is of little relevance to someone simply wishing to gain ACCEPTANCE.
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<p>i'm not wishing to gain acceptance ....i just wanna end up going there....whether its being accepted or getting in off the waitlist....so no, i would care more about the scores of the people who got the chance to eventually go there!</p>
<p>Exactly. Why care about the average stats of those admitted, when a good number of those aren't attending? You have to be competitive matched against those who actually attend.</p>