I have to start by saying that the first time I applied to medical school, I sadly received only one interview invite and never got pulled off the waitlist. Needless to say, I made tons of mistakes during the application cycle and didn’t really give myself a fair chance. One of them was being super clueless on how many medical schools I should apply to. The second time I applied, I made sure to leave no stone unturned and ended up earning 10 acceptances!
So in this blog post, let me help you answer exactly that question – “How many medical schools should I apply to in order to get accepted?”. Plus, I’ll share from my own experiences with what worked and what didn’t!
This post is all about finding out how many medical schools should I apply to.
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Premed Guide 101: How Many Medical Schools Should I Apply To?
So, how Many Medical Schools Should I Apply To?
The first time I applied to medical school, my school list counted mere 6 schools. I was only focusing on MD schools without even considering DO programs. Well, as you’ve already learned, it was a very sobering experience, showing me how much I didn’t know about the application process. But it also taught me how to actually come out successful. The second time, I applied to 24 MD schools and 6 DO schools and ended up with a whopping 10 acceptances! Granted, a much better school list was only one of the factors I adjusted but it was definitely an easy and powerful factor in my success.
So how many schools should you apply to? In general, I suggest applying to at least 20 medical schools. If you have weaknesses in particular areas (such as lower stats, an institutional action or others) you might want to reach a bit further, like I did, and go for up to 30 schools.
Why It’s Important To Cast a Wide Net
If you are wondering – “Why does quantity even matter if I have a great application and create a small but super well-researched school list?” The answer is in the numbers.
Based on AMCAS data, in the last application cycle (2023-2024) 52,577 premeds competed against the sought-after spots as a matriculated medical student in MD schools. On average, each of them submitted applications to 18 schools. And now the shocking result – only 2.38% of those applications received an acceptance. So of course you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket (or just a handful of medical schools in this case). You want to spread your chances to get the most out of this application cycle.
In the end, a tiny school list is one of the biggest (and very unnecessary) risks you could take when applying to medical school. Even if you are super confident in your application! So continue reading to learn what I did instead.
But, what if applying to more schools is too expensive?
I know, applying to medical school can be so expensive! And yes, for any additional school, you usually have to pay extra fees. This is for primary and secondary applications, as well as factoring in travel costs for (hopefully) lots of interview invites. In the end, this is all about perspective though since this is an investment in a potential life-long career as a doctor. If the extra few hundred dollars can decide between getting accepted or not, isn’t it totally worth it?
Also, casting a wide net can actually save you tons of money! It’s one of those factors that helps you increase your chances, so that you don’t have to re-apply again the next year. Guess how much extra money that would cost you, right? Not to mention the countless hours writing essays, sweat and tears trying to get everything ready in time and another year that keeps you from what you actually want to do – going to medical school!
Trust me, as a reapplicant myself, I even had to retake my MCAT since it had tragically expired and can’t imagine all the extra costs involved with me having to go through everything again. My advice? Make sure you are ready to apply and give it your absolute best, so that you never have to apply to medical school ever again.
MD vs. DO for Your School List
The first time I applied to medical school, I honestly didn’t even consider osteopathic schools (DO). I only focused on allopathic programs (MD). There’s obviously a difference but they also have tons of similarities. So it always makes sense to at least look into it before you finalize your list.
Why can this be important for getting accepted? Well, DO schools tend to accept students with slightly lower average stats than MD schools. So especially if you are stuck with a lower GPA or your MCAT score didn’t turn out quite as high as you hoped for, it’s definitely worth it to consider DO schools as well.
For DO schools (from accepted students):
Average GPA: 3.60
Average MCAT score: 505
For MD schools (from accepted students):
Average GPA: 3.70
Average MCAT score: 512
The second time I applied, as someone with a lower GPA of 3.3, I also included 6 DO schools into my list. I got acceptances from 4 of them. I have to say that I didn’t accept the interview invite for one of the. This is because part of their program turned out not to be a good fit for me after all. So at the end, I basically got accepted by 4 of 5 DO schools which is an 80% acceptance rate!
Check out my blog post The Pros and Cons of DO vs. MD: Is One Better? for more details on this.
Always Choose Quality Over Quantity
Quantity is just ONE of the factors to make a medical school list that actually leads to lots of interview invites. You also want to do your research and make sure your school list fits YOU. That should at least include data on accepted GPA ranges, MCAT scores and potential residency bias.
Go to my blog post How to Make a Medical School List in 7 Simple Steps for an easy-to-follow process to create a bullet-proof school list.
During my first application cycle, I applied to a public school in Alabama. Only later realized that they had a 3.6 GPA cut-off for out-of-state students. Back then I had no idea such cut-offs even existed. Which was one way to throw your money out of the window as a premed. No way I was going to repeat this mistake, so I learned about this little thing called residency bias. Also, I got super clear on such details in my second (much more successful) application cycle.
If residency bias is new to you, I show you exactly how to identify it in school during my Free Premed Workshop.
Now, if you any of these sound like you…
- You don’t know where to start and are stressed about finding the RIGHT schools for you.
- You feel overwhelmed and simply don’t have the time to research aaaaall the factors that make or break your school list.
- You still have a big, fat question mark in front of words like safe schools, residency bias, MSAR.
- You just want all the support you can get to truly maximize your chances!
Don’t worry, my ultimate guide to Build a Rock Solid School List (from RTA) can melt all the school list pressure right off your shoulders. With step-by-step video lessons, all the hidden factors nobody ever talks about and a full-blown, ready-made school list spreadsheet (aka your secret weapon) you can make this process 10x easier for yourself! Plus, you’ll save hundreds of dollars NOT unknowingly applying to the wrong schools.
Final Thoughts on How Many Medical Schools Apply To
To sum it up, I would apply to at least 20 schools in order to greatly increase your chances. But don’t stop there! Make sure to create a school list that is well-researched based on your stats, location and preferences. So yes, that means no copy-and-paste from someone with similar stats. You want to include residency bias and other factors as well! In the end, a great school list (even if a bit more expensive at first) can save you tons of money in the big picture. So you should definitely make it count.
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