I give such a large range of how many schools to apply to because not everyone's situation is the same. Things to take into consideration when making this decision are:
Finances: Each primary application costs $40 (except for the first which is $140) and each secondary application costs $90-$130. This adds up QUICKLY so keep that in mind when you decide how many applications you want to send in.
School Rankings: If you decide you want to apply to a bunch of top schools, you probably will have to apply to more schools overall. In order to keep your list from being very "reach school" heavy you will need to expand your list.
Your Statistics: Simply put, the higher your statistics the less schools you have to apply to. However, if you're applying to all top tier schools that get tons of applications this may not apply to you.
Your Extracurriculars: Same as statistics - stronger extracurriculars enhance your chance at each school you apply to. In theory, if you have strong extracurriculars you can apply to fewer schools.
Now for how to pick WHICH schools to apply to:
Location: I cannot stress this enough!!! Do not put schools on your list if you are not willing to live there for four years. For example, Mayo is an exceptional medical school but I absolutely could not live in Minnesota for four years so I did not apply. Fun fact: I basically crossed off the middle of the country because I am so afraid of the cold and that is okay!!
Statistics: Use MSAR for this part -
Like I said in my "Application Timeline" post - you want to apply to:
- 25% Reach Schools: Schools that have a median GPA/MCAT higher than yours
- For some schools you will hit their median GPA but not their median MCAT or visa versa: I would put these in the "in range" category ONLY if you are not far off with the score that is below their median
- 50% In Range Schools: You meet or slightly exceed their median GPA/MCAT. These are also schools that have one stat that is slightly higher than yours and one that is slightly below yours.
- 25% Safety Schools: I HATE calling them safety schools because no medical school acceptance is guaranteed. Email me if you have a better name for this category. Anyway, schools in this category should have a median GPA/MCAT significantly lower than yours.
In-State Preference: Some schools strongly prefer people from their state/area. This could seriously inhibit your ability to get an acceptance so consider this when adding schools your list. University of Washington is a notorious example of this. Other schools do not have as strong of a preference but will ask you about your connection to the area in the secondary application (ex UC Davis).
Cost: Private medical schools tend to be more expensive than public schools (assuming you have in-state residency). If this is going to be a big issue for you keep it in mind while applying.
Number of Applicants: Some schools get a ridiculous amount of applications. For example: UCLA is in Southern California and is a top school so it gets tons of applicants. NYU also gets a high volume due to free tuition. I'm not saying you cannot apply to these schools but they do tend to be reaches no matter what your stats are.
I debated whether or not to release the schools I applied to and decided I want to be as transparent as possible so here it goes:
Super funny fact about me: I actually had U Chicago on my list and applied to Rosalind Franklin (Chicago Medical School) on accident. It worked out just fine and makes me laugh so hard now. Remember that small mistakes (this isn't even that small of a mistake) are not the end of the world.
I hope that was helpful. If you need any help editing your school list feel free to send me an email through the "Contact Me" page on the blog. You can also DM me at @jordan_eisner
Happy Applying
xoxo
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