selection

[Pebbles]

I have a question pertaining to medical school selection. I always hear about people who fill out 20-30 apps for different medical schools. Is it stupid for me to just fill out one? I want to go to University of Iowa for medical school. To give you some stats about me: I am working as a nurse on a nuero floor for the past one to one and a half years. Prior to that I worked as an assistant director of nurses for about a year. Overall I have worked for about four years as a nurse (that is LPN and RN combined.) I also work in a bioinformatics lab doing research. I am currently working really hard to publish a paper. My GPA is average, it is about a 3.6. I haven't taken the MCAT yet but have been reviewing and studying for the last three months. Also I am involved in some clubs, like a journal club and a pre-med club. What do ya think?

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[justwannabadoc]

University of Iowa could look at you in 2 ways. 1st way:
1) You love their school and obviously really want to go there since that is the only school you applied to.
2) You are very confident.

The second way:
1) You make poor decisions since everyone knows that getting into med school can be a hit-or-miss deal and yet you're applying to just one school. How can you not have a backup plan?
2) You must be arrogant. If you apply to only one school, you must think that you are going to get into that school and admissions committees may perceive it not as confidence but as arrogance.

I think there are considerably more negatives to applying to just one school versus several. Why reduce your chances? You don't have to apply to 20 schools but apply to at least 5.

[This message has been edited by justwannabadoc (edited September 15, 1999).]

 

[Paul's Boutique]

One answer: Early Decision

Early Decision is where you agree (early on: around June of the year you're applying) to apply to only one school (at first). You actually sign an agreement with that school that you'll have your AAMCAS or AACOMAS primary application sent to only that school. They then agree to interview you first before all other regular applicants (if you meet certain criteria).

Take me, for example. After visiting and researching 6 osteopathic schools, I knew that I wanted to go to Western University / COMP. (The admissions criteria for early decision are higher than for regular applicants---check with your school of interest.) Then, after sending them my AACOMAS application, they called me for an interview in the beginning of August. In about a week I had been accepted, and now have a year to sit back and 'relax' before school in August 2000.

Risky? Maybe, maybe not. I had two things going for me: 1. Confidence in my ability (and my scores: 3.6 GPA, 35R MCAT) and 2. Confidence in my choice of school (singular, actually).

Then again, aren't things worth achieving usually associated with some risk? If we always did everything too safely, we'd never walk out the front door...

In the end, you will of course have to decide what's best for you. I wanted to explain the option of Early Decision to you; see if your school offers it, talk to the admissions personnel and give 'em your stats: they should be able to tell you if you'd be a competitive ED candidate.

GOOD LUCK!!

p.s. If you go ED, interview, and aren't accepted, you're released from your agreement with that school and can apply to any/all other schools (I think all med schools have agreed to notify students, one way or the other, by Sep. 30). Yeah, you'd be a bit behind the pack; still, some people go into this not applying till Jan or Feb (?!?!!?).

Furthermore, I always wonder about the people who apply to 15, 20, even 30 schools. How can they go into an interview and honestly (and sincerely!) tell the interviewers that their school is the one they really want to go to??? It'd sound really funny to me as an interviewer....

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-PB (Western Univ./COMP '04)

"Never give in, never give in,
never, never, never, never..."
-Sir Winston Churchill, 1944

[This message has been edited by Paul's Boutique (edited September 15, 1999).]

 

[Sheon]

I thought I read somewhere that the schools aren't told where else you applied. If this is the case there is no way that Iowa can know that you applied there exclusively unless you tell them. If you can, make sure you do that.

 

[Pebbles]

Thanks you for your advice on this issue. The reason I want to apply to only one is several issues. One money, I need to go to an in state medical school because it is too expensive otherwise. Second, I have a fiance in the picture and I want it to continue to work. Third, each app is quite a bit of money. I get no help with school. Again thank you for your advice.

[This message has been edited by Pebbles (edited September 16, 1999).]

[This message has been edited by Pebbles (edited September 16, 1999).]

 

[neicebug]

I would really like to know if the colleges you apply recieve a list of all other colleges you apply to???? Thanks!