<p>How does one apply to several BA-BS/MD programs, reach schools, and safeties; I have a list of 20 applications to complete, how do I narrow it down?</p>
<p>That is pretty much how many you need to apply to, I applied to 25. With BSMD, bigger is better.</p>
<p>Do you feel like it was at a detriment to your undergraduate applications to reach schools (not BS/MD)</p>
<p>That what was a detriment?</p>
<p>I also applied to a really high number of BS/MDs and I do have to say that it was a sizable detriment to my normal undergrad applications. By the time I hit December, I had already done tons of apps and only started normal undergrad apps like the week before they were due. Also, I put half the effort since I assumed that they didn’t matter and that I would end up in a bs/md program anyways. If I could re-do the process (and knew that I would end up in normal undergrad) I would have definitely cut down bs/md apps from 20 to 6, and focused more on normal undergrads. I realized only afterwards that I really didn’t want to do a BS/MD in the end which is why it was a waste for me to apply to that many. If you’re 100% set on a BS/MD and don’t care about normal undergrads, you’ll want to apply to around 20. But if you’re 50/50, then 5-10 bs/mds is reasonable. In terms of narrowing down, try to pick 6 BS/MD programs you would be willing to attend if you were accepted and focus on those. For normal undergrads have one safety (state school), one decent school safety (cmu/vandy level) and 5 reaches that you’ll have a decent shot and could see yourself going to (Ivies, Duke, Northwestern, etc.) Good luck, and let me know if you have any further questions about the application process.</p>
<p>I completely agree with breaker if you are are 50/50 on BA/MD. My D concentrated on 5 ivies, little ivies with high med school admitt rates, various state schools and only 2 joint programs and. She was lucky enough to get a preliminary BA/MD interview in the summer with one of the program heads which she used as practice for interviews with the ivy admission officers in the late summer. Since she didn’t get Yale, and Rutgers was too big she picked a joint program. In hindsight she should have applied to more joint programs but she did not know what she wanted until she received her acceptances and the financial packages.</p>
<p>This infor I posted on another thread but it shows how she starting managing 14 apps at this point in the summer. </p>
<p>You stil have 10 business days in August to visit schools , admission officers and heads of BA/MD programs so you are not a ghost applicant.</p>
<p>If you are a rising senior start work on your common app and write a couple of essays and start to fine tune them. These programs have very early cut off dates so you have to apply early. Even general studies Rutgers honors with Presidential scholarship was early.</p>
<p>Some early action (not early decision) allow you to apply to one state school at the same time . With the odds of obtaining an interview in a joint program so small I would advocate 10 or more combined schools if I was certain about medical school.</p>
<p>Make a oaktag chart with all the schools with columns for app cutoffs , date app sent, date app payment sent, SAT submission date, SAT II sub, ACT sub, transcripts and letters of reference out, summer college transcripts out, college websites passwords, interview dates, FAFSA out, comments (such as call Ms Jones ad. officer once a month to show interest or provide updated info) , deposit dates etc.</p>
<p>Look at this chart everyday for two minutes to stay ahead of the deadlines. Because the guidance counselor had 200 kids applying to college and my D had 14 apps, we made that many postal priority envelopes . Each was prepaid and weighed out and pre-addressed with passport photos so the guidance counselor just photocopied the transcripts, her rec., two teacher recs. and other documentation twice for early and standard admission dates and sealed it in the envelopes. They act as a gentle reminder to guidance since they have missed deadlines and impacted college admissions and scholarships in the past. Daylight is burning.</p>
<p>Raycmr, I am interested in what colleges are the “little ivies with high med school admitt rates”. Would you please list them?</p>
<p>Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore are the top three that my D applied to. There are a couple of others but I read those college guides 4 years ago. There are also public ivies such as TCNJ. All of these schools have higher than average admit rates. Larry summers the first time he was president of Harvard said he wanted Harvard to be more like Williams. All except TCNJ are pricey if the parents make more than 60k and don’t have several kids in college at the same time.</p>
<p>On a given day…those three schools are some of the toughest acceptances in the country and can never be considered SAFE in any regard. Had a pal accepted to Prince/Yale…was REJECTED from Williams/Swarth…yes great admit rates to grad school but getting in a real challenge!!</p>
<p>Troppix, I did not say they were easy.</p>
<p>On the Swarthmore tour 4 years ago they said tuition was 50k but they spent 90k on every student since they have a gigantic endowment. I remember one was also located in Iowa and another was Skidmore. Even public ivy TCNJ only takes about one app from high schools in New Jersey.</p>
<p>Make that 1 applicant each</p>
<p>berseklemur just three sixty no scope it. if miley told you to come in like a wrecking ball, then give her what she wants</p>
<p>Thank you honorable aznfob for your words of wisdom</p>
<p>Narrowing down can be tough. Don’t apply to schools you know you won’t like or go to. Applying to a school just to see if you’d get in is a waste of time and money. Although, backups are important. Know what school suits your personality and atmosphere. Have you visited them? Which do you feel most at home? Which makes you feel like you’re in a community? Familiarize yourself with the school as well as the program. How intense is the workload? Stuff like that</p>