Determining which medical schools to apply to

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
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<p>When our younger D was in the process of trying to determine which undergraduate schools to apply to, CC was a HUGE help in giving specific information about schools. We listed ourselves as 'clueless parents' at that time and when it comes to medical schools, we still are!! </p>

<p>How does one decide which medical schools to apply to? Is a large part of the decision based on your MCAT scores and GPA? Is there a source that lists the MCAT/GPA ranges for the different schools? Do you then just apply to the same "reach, match, safety" sort of group?</p>

<p>I see threads where people say "University of XYXY" is very good in such and such an area or for someone looking for this or that. Is there an information source somewhere that lists the particulars of the schools? </p>

<p>I've also read, "apply to all the schools in your state of residence and those in the state where your undergrad university is located" - is this correct? Do you have an advantage at the schools in your state?</p>

<p>Although we are not from CA, I am just curious why those who reside in that state are told to apply to many, many schools.</p>

<p>Thank you in advance for your help!</p>

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Is there an information source somewhere that lists the particulars of the schools?

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<p>Buy the MSAR. It's the authoratative source for school statistics - average GPA, MCAT score, etc.</p>

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I've also read, "apply to all the schools in your state of residence and those in the state where your undergrad university is located" - is this correct? Do you have an advantage at the schools in your state?

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<p>Yes, you do have an advantage in your home state. The advantage in the state of your undergrad is not as strong, in my opinion, but it may count for something.</p>

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Although we are not from CA, I am just curious why those who reside in that state are told to apply to many, many schools.

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<p>There are way, way more qualified students in CA then there are spots in CA. That's why.</p>

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<p>I think you'll also want a USN, in addition to an MSAR. USN has admissions percentage, which is a key statistic. My MSAR (which is now a few years old) didn't have this information. Be warned that both sources are terrible places to get tuition information.</p>

<p>MCAT scores and GPA are key determinants, it's true, but so is geography, and so is admissions percentage. For example, WUSTL's MCATs and GPA are higher than anybody else's, but it's not the hardest to get into -- it's probably not even among the top 5 in this respect. Admissions percentage is useful as well. Also take note of the fact that the MSAR reports some of the extracurriculars the students participate in. When UCSF has 95% of its students having done research as undergrads, that's also important to notice.</p>

<p>Admissions percentage was the reason that I didn't apply to Mayo, Georgetown, Boston University, or Wake Forest -- with really, really low admissions percentages, I just found that those three programs (all excellent schools) were probably not worth the tradeoff. I replaced them with comparable schools which had similar MCAT/GPA percentiles but higher admissions percentages. This is why I think USN is useful.</p>

<p>You pay attention to this because the key question in medical school is: can I get in? Everything else comes second. Don't yet worry about what the schools are good at (most are basically similar) or where they are or how much they cost. That comes during the selection phase, but for applying, the most important thing is whether or not you stand a chance.</p>

<p>One of the key things medical schools worry about is: will this person actually come? Being from that state helps most of all, but having gone to undergrad in the area still demonstrates a willingness to spend four years there. A lot of schools in unpopular-with-twenty-year-olds areas (Nashville, St. Louis, Durham) have to worry about this -- and if you went to school just up the highway, it's a pretty compelling demonstration that you're willing to be there.</p>

<p>CA's state schools are exceptionally difficult to gain admission to, so you can't rely on those. You have to apply to all of them to get a good spread among them, but even afterwards, you'll want to apply to a larger number of private schools as well.</p>

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<p>Thank you Shades and BDM! BDM you are a marvel -how you keep up with medical school and share your wealth of knowledge on this thread is completely amazing to me!</p>

<p>Okay, I said I was clueless - what is a USN?</p>

<p>Regarding the "can I get in?" question. I assume that is determined by comparing your stats (MCAT, GPA, ECs) to those of the accepted students? As I asked earlier, then do you develop a list of schools that are "matches", with some "reaches" and "safeties" thrown in? AND as you mentioned, look for schools where your MCAT scores and GPA are in the range and have higher admission percentages.</p>

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<p>Sorry, meant a US News. =)</p>

<p>And yes, it's largely about the numbers -- percentage, MCAT, GPA, EC's, and location. My advisor was always adamant that the language of "safeties" be tossed during this process -- when the admissions percentages hover around 7%, it's hard to think that way. But yes, you'll need to apply across a range of schools, definitely. How many depends on how quickly your daughter can write, since these apps are very time sensitive. Set yourself a good number of match schools and "better bets" (my advisor's language) -- perhaps twelve total? -- and then add as many reaches as you think you're capable of doing.</p>

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<p>I think that the first thing to realize is that there are no safeties with medical school admissions. Something like half of all applicants wont get an acceptance anywhere, and these students have often applied to many, many more medical schools than they did undergraduate (average is something like 12, and it's not at all uncommon to see students applying to 20+ medical schools).</p>

<p>I think that there are still matches and reaches. But matches are determined by other things in addition to MCAT, GPA, and ECs. Like BDM said, medical schools want to accept students that they feel will come to their school, and so things like geography can become important as well.</p>

<p>In general, the advice on which medical school to apply to goes something like: every medical school in your home state (unless there's some obvious reason why not) and then start looking at GPA/MCAT/research statistics to fill out the rest of your list. Some people also say that if there's an area where you want to end up (even if it's not your home state), then apply to every school in that state/area as well.</p>

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<p>There really is no such thing as a safety. Part of this is due to the overall low admission rates. The other, and more important part, is due to the fact that if your daughter's numbers are much higher than the school's average, your daughter may not even be granted an interview. The adcom figures that since your daughter's stats are so high compared to the school's average, she's sure to get into a better-ranked school, so in the end, she won't even seriously consider going to their school. Therefore, the adcom decides that it's better to reserve interview slots for students who are most likely to attend their school, the adcom passes over your daughter's application entirely.</p>

<p>I say this because I strongly suspect this is what happened to me during my application process. It's a long story, but it was very frustrating to learn about this after I'd spent the time and money for applications to schools like Georgetown and GWU where I probably didn't stand a serious chance at getting in. GWU actually kept me hanging for months on end. It's better to save yourself the effort and money and apply to schools where you stand the strongest chance of getting in.</p>

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<p>Thanks again all! Sounds like you walk a tightwire during admissions. Some schools you won't get into because your stats aren't high enough. Some schools you won't get into because your stats are TOO high! Seems like it might be difficult to strike a balance.</p>

<p>I wonder if students ever tell a school where their stats are higher than the average that YES, they will attend if accepted - maybe they want to be closer to home, maybe they like the area, maybe they plan on living in that area of the country when it is all said and done. Wonder if the admission committee would believe them!</p>

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I wonder if students ever tell a school where their stats are higher than the average that YES, they will attend if accepted - maybe they want to be closer to home, maybe they like the area, maybe they plan on living in that area of the country when it is all said and done. Wonder if the admission committee would believe them!

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<p>Yes, student do tell schools that they are their first choice. Yes, adcoms do believe them.</p>