How Many Schools?

[DOit]

How many DO schools did you guys applied or will apply? I was thinking of applying to all of them, but it is a bit expensive!

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[DrMom]

I agree with slickness, just apply to those you'd be likely to go to. That said, you really should do some checking in to the schools so that you can make a good decision rather than just randomly choosing some.

 

[DOit]

I applied to 8 schools, but this whole process is so random that I keeping thinking that one of the schools I did not apply would have potentially accepted me had I applied to that school!

 

[PublicHealth]

I'm seriously considering three osteopathic schools. I agree with the above poster who recommended applying to the schools that you would actually attend if accepted. Why waste a school's time and your money?

 

[dctrben]

I applied to 6 or 7 schools and finished the applications to three of them. I got accepted to 2 of those. Basically, just apply to the schools you want to go to and take it from there. It can get costly to apply to the 20 DO schools, so do your research and pick the one that is best for you.

Good luck with your app.

Ben

 

[my alias]

Also keep in mind, a lot of schools have in state preferences for their matriculating class. Some schools like Michigan and Texas post this on their websites. I think Michigan wants 80% in state and Texas 90% if I remember right. A lot of the schools have 800 numbers you can call, so you can ask the admissions office directly. Thats one factor. Another is to look at all the pre reqs for a school. If you go to the AACOMAS page on general requirements, theres a chart that will show you. Some schools require 4 hours of biochem, some schools want genetics, some have a high behavioral science requirement. In addition to this, If you look at AACOMAS's website for each individual school, they will often give you a cut off for gpas that they will or will not send secondaries to. This could affect you too. Im sure by doing this you will eliminate some of the 20 schools. Out of those, look at factors that are important to you. Check out tourist sites for that city...some schools are in the middle of NOWHERE!!! (this is a factor for me). oh and one other interesting thing i saw. NYCOM requires high school transcripts...i have enough to explain about a particular semester of my college transcripts. we dont need to talk about my rebellious hs days. good luck.

 

[ramsestiger]

Unless your numbers are rock solid, apply to all the schools where you think you might have a decent shot at being accepted (based on in-state preferences, etc). Admissions decisions can be a little random... I think most schools interview about 10% of the applicants. Do you really want to sit at home for an extra year because you were rejected everywhere you applied from that select few you chose? My numbers were well above PCOM's average and I'm IN-STATE, but they still didn't even interview me! I was invited by "better schools."

I only applied to 7 schools and sent in my primaries mid-November. Looking back, that could have been a big mistake. Just remember that you might get a couple of surprise rejections and acceptances, so apply to every place that even qualifies as a safety school (you would want to go there only if rejected everywhere else).

 

[cocoNUT]

I applied to about 6 MD schools and about 9 DO schools... was offered interviews to my TOP 5 choices (2MD and 3DO)... and absolutely nothing from the remaining 10!!! I went to 3 interviews(1MD and 2DO)... accepted to 2(DO)! I guess in hindsight I could have saved so much money and only applied to my top three choices, but at the time who knew? Increased number of applications = increased chances of acceptance.

 

[rchrest1]

Applied to 1, accepted at 1. Don't ever settle for less than what is the best in your eyes.

 

[vvanguelova]

I would like to thank all of you for the great information and diversity in oppinions. It has been of help. Well I did make my decision and sorry folks up in Erie, but I am staying on Long Island. Just a gutt feeling, as many of you recomended. For those of you that are attending NYCOM, if you have any suggestions as to how to find a place to live around there, that will not cost me my too hands, I will be forever in your debt!
Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart!!!

 

[doctorperez]

Applied to 2 got accepted to 2

 

[raptor5]

I am applying to 6 schools. 1 DO, 5 MD. All in Phila. region. This is b/c I need to stay in Phila. b/c of my wife who works for GSK. I really want to go to PCOM over the others, Penn, Jefferson, MCP, Penn State, Temple. I hope my LOR from a PCOM adjunct helps my chances. I really do not think I stand a chance at Penn but who knows. If I do not make it in to 2008 class I will try again for the 2009 class. My physician applies to 10 schools (back in 1996)and got interviews to all of them. He only got accepted to schools not in his home state and they were better schools (I use the word better lightly. Schools do not make good physicians, physicians make good schools.)

 

[Echinoidea]

I applied to 11, all DO. This may be casting a wide net but I have some issues in my academic past that I'm paranoid about. And I still do not know my MCAT score. The way I look at it is that if I get 10 rejections and 1 acceptance, I'm going to be damn glad I applied to 11 schools.

 

[drchris33]

When I applied for med school last year, I really didn't care what type of school I got into. I applied to 13 MD schools and 6 DO schools. I got a finanicial assistance for allopathic, so I got like 10 free apps to MD schools. But by researching it more, I really did want to go to DO school. I am really into OPP (OMM, OMT). I received 0 MD interviews and only 2 DO interviews. I was waitlisted at one school and accepted to one school (UHS). My MCAT was a little below par, so that is one of the reasons I am sure that I didn't get an interview from an allopathic school.

What I did to pick my schools was I got the list off of Yahoo of all the med schools in the US. Then I painstakingly went through all of the schools and wrote down info about them off the websites (gpa, mcat scores, pre-rec classes, instate vs out-of-state, etc). Then I made a top 10 list. Well I guess a top 13 list. I then did the same for the DO schools. I based my decision on my perception if I would be accepted to those schools, plus the location to my home town (although some were a bit far away).

My advice to you is pick the schools that you think will best suit you and your situation

-C