How to Make a Medical School List in 7 Simple Steps

Does the idea of how to make a medical school list feel so overwhelming you’re tempted to straight-up copy-paste someone else’s list – just to avoid decision paralysis? Especially knowing that this decision will shape your future career.  

I get it! There are so many schools to choose from and the stakes are high – so where do you even start? 

I applied to 28 schools, 24 MD and 4 DO, with a GPA of 3.3, and managed to snag 10 acceptances! But just because my list worked for me doesn’t guarantee it’ll work for you. Your scores, grades, where you live, and if you’ll likely be happy at the school you end up in, all need to be considered before any school makes your list. 

Fortunately, creating your medical school list isn’t as hard as you may think! I’ve broken it down into seven easy-to-follow steps. From researching different requirements to factoring in your preferences, I’ll cover everything you need to know to help you narrow down your choices and find the best fit for you.

This post is all about how to make a medical school list.

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Learn How to Make a Medical School List in 7 Simple Steps

Step 1: Develop a Massive Spreadsheet

Now, I know, a spreadsheet might sound a bit boring, but it’s going to be your best friend in this process! This master list will help you keep track of everything in one place and make the decision-making process a whole lot easier down the line. You’ll be able to compare and contrast different schools more efficiently as well as add filters which will save you a lot of time in the long run.

Here’s what to do: Open up a new spreadsheet or use a regular notebook if you prefer, and start by making columns for things like the name of the medical school, location, average GPA and MCAT scores, tuition costs, and any other factors that are important to you. These metrics will eventually help you gauge which schools best align with your strengths and interests.

Remember, this first step is all about exploration and discovery, so enjoy the process of casting a wide net of possible medical schools. Best to even start with all of them (around 200 if you include DO schools) and narrow it down from there. Then, as you gather all the information in one place, you may opt to color-code or highlight certain schools based on your preferences, like a dream school or a safety school. 
You can use my Free School List Template to save time with setting it up, so you can move on to step two!

And if you don’t want to start from scratch, my Ultimate Guide to Build a Rock Solid School List includes a ready-made list of all MD schools with their stats, residency bias data and more to save you this BIG step in the process. 

Step 2: Access the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR)

After you’ve rounded up a long list of potential medical schools, now it’s time to collect the nitty-gritty details of their requirements to add to your spreadsheet.

Each medical school has its own admission requirements—that’s where the MSAR comes in to save the day. This handy database, compiled by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), contains valuable information about every medical school in the U.S. and Canada. 

What’s included in the MSAR?

Using the MSAR, you can access detailed profiles of medical schools, including the following information on admission requirements, acceptance rates, and more.

• General Overview: Look for general information about the school, contact details, social media links, first-year class size, and the school’s mission statement to use in your personal statement.
• Admissions Process: Find out about the school’s admissions process, including policies, application deadlines, required undergraduate pre-med coursework, premedical experience, extracurricular activities, interview process, and waitlist information.
• Acceptance Data: Check the median MCAT and GPA data for accepted applicants. Use the percentile breakdown to gauge if your scores are competitive or if the school is a reach for you.
• Demographics: Gain insight into student body demographics, such as gender, age, ethnicity, race, international students, and disadvantaged status.
• Education and Research: Learn about the school’s degree programs, academic curriculum, and research opportunities for professional development.
• Tuition, Aid, and Debt: Compare costs, including in-state and out-of-state tuition, financial aid availability, and average student debt post-graduation.
• Campus Life: Find details on housing options, student life balance, social activities, and support systems available on campus.

While the basic information on each medical school is free, many of the more detailed features require a subscription. A one-year subscription costs $28, but it’s so, so worth it! The AAMC offers a fee assistance program for eligible students, which includes complimentary access to the full range of services, including the MSAR.

Step 3: Use Residency Bias to Edit your Medical School List 

Okay, so now that you’ve taken a look at some schools and you’re feeling excited, it’s time to make some tough decisions. The next step is to weed out any schools that show a strong preference for in-state students or have a clear residency bias. It can truly make or break your chances of acceptance. 

What is Residency Bias?

Residency bias is a common practice among medical schools where they give preference to applicants from their own state. It can work in your favor if you are applying to schools within your state, but it can also be a major disadvantage if you are an out-of-state applicant.

The degree of residency bias varies from school to school. Some institutions have clear cut-offs for out-of-state applicants based on GPA or MCAT scores, while others are more welcoming to candidates from across the country.

Using the MSAR to Find Residency Bias (and Save Yourself Headaches)

Here’s what you can do: Flip through the Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) and keep an eye out for schools that explicitly mention they prefer in-state applicants. If you see any red flags like this, it’s probably best to scratch them off your list.

Remember, you want to give yourself the best shot at getting into medical school, so it’s important to be strategic about where you apply. By doing this little bit of research upfront, you’ll save yourself time and energy in the long run. 

When I first applied to medical school, I wasn’t aware of residency bias and it came back to bite me. In my initial application attempt, I applied to a school in Alabama without realizing they had a strict 3.6 GPA cut-off for out-of-state applicants. This costly oversight taught me a valuable lesson, and I wasn’t about to make the same error twice.

So, make sure to research each school’s residency bias tendencies before applying and adjust your list accordingly. Don’t make the same mistake I did – be informed and strategic in your school selection process!

Step 4: Analyze the GPA Ranges of Medical Schools

The average GPA for medical schools hovers around 3.64 for science and 3.71 overall, but most schools have specific GPA requirements. Generally, a GPA of 3.0 is the minimum for application, while many schools prefer candidates with a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

How to Narrow Down Your List Based on GPA Ranges

After my post-bacc, my GPA was sitting at a 3.3, both in science and overall. I checked out the GPA ranges of accepted students for each school. If my GPA fell within or close to the 10th percentile of accepted students at a specific school, I kept that school on my list. However, if the 10th percentile was a lofty 3.6 or higher, I knew it was time to be realistic and remove that school from my list.

Don’t Get Too Hung Up on the Numbers

But here’s the catch – each medical school has its own unique way of weighing GPA and MCAT scores during the application review process. So, remember that those average numbers are just a starting point. Schools often accept students with GPAs both above and below their averages, which means there’s still hope even if your low GPA doesn’t quite align with the averages.

So, don’t instantly rule out your dream medical school just because your GPA doesn’t match the average. Remember, admissions decisions aren’t solely based on numbers. There are so many more factors that can help you to stand out! 

Don’t want to leave anything to chance? Join my School List Course where you will be able to turn the overwhelm into a clear, step-by-step path to create the perfect school list for YOU. I’ll give you through the whole process with easy-to-follow video lessons including all the hidden factors that no one ever talks about. 

Step 5: Examine MCAT Medians

Now that you’ve got a solid list of potential medical schools in your sights, let’s talk MCAT scores. Most medical schools typically look for an average score between 508 and 513 (25th percentile), but it can vary widely depending on the institution.

With my own MCAT score of 516, my goal was to closely examine the MCAT median scores of each school on my list and pinpoint schools where my score fell at or above their median mark. By doing this, I was able to refine my selection even further. These schools became my “safe bets,” where I felt confident about being a competitive candidate. 

Step 6: Seek Insight From Your Partner, Family, or Mentor

At this point in the process of creating your medical school list, you may have narrowed down your options to around 50 schools – which is an insane amount of secondary essays and money. 

A reasonable range for your list should be about 20-30 medical schools. This amount gives you a solid mix of options without going overboard.

So, it’s highly likely you’re feeling overwhelmed with the decision-making ahead. I remember feeling the same way and reaching out to George, my husband (who was my fiance at the time), for some valuable insights. I presented him with my Excel spreadsheet and said, “Alright, which states would you really NOT want to live in?”

If you have a partner, family members, or a mentor whose opinion you value, don’t hesitate to involve them in this important decision. Your loved ones or mentor can offer you a different viewpoint based on their experiences, preferences, or knowledge that you may not have considered. So, take the time to have a conversation with them and incorporate their feedback into your decision-making process.

Step 7: Dig a Little Deeper Beyond the Surface Information

Now, hopefully, you’ve trimmed down the list to a manageable 20 to 30 schools. The next step is to roll up your sleeves and get down to the nitty-gritty.

Look at Each School’s Website Individually Vs. Just Going Off the MSAR Data 

Don’t get caught up in just looking at average GPA and MCAT scores. Dive deeper into the mission statements of each school to see which aligns best with what you’re looking for.

To finalize my list, I dove back into it and visited each school’s website, one by one. I wasn’t just casually browsing, I was on a mission. My goal was to uncover anything that might be a dealbreaker, something that would make me think twice about attending that school. On the flip side, I was also on the lookout for any standout features or programs that really caught my eye.

It may sound exhausting, but here’s where you start to get a real sense of what each school is all about. Take notes, bookmark pages, and really take the time to absorb all the information you find. This way, when it comes time to make your final decisions, you’ll have a solid foundation to work from.

Divide Your List into 3 Categories

Finally, look over your final medical school list and double-check that it includes a mix of schools, including many you feel confident you have a strong chance of acceptance and a few that are a long shot—because you never know what can happen! 

When I applied, I broke up my list into the following three groups to make sure I had a well-rounded selection of schools.

• Reach Schools where I thought my chances of acceptance were slim, but the dream of attending was too big to ignore.
• “Safe” Schools in which I used statistics like accepted students’ GPA and MCAT scores from the MSAR to gauge my chances realistically in the hopes it would increase the number of acceptances I got back. 
• State with Residency, which included schools in states where I had residency and my home state. Your residency can often increase your chances of acceptance due to state preferences in many medical school admissions.

When I applied, I received medical school interview invitations from schools in all three categories. While most of the interviews came from the last two groups, it goes to show that having a mix of Reach, Safe, and State with Residency schools is a winning strategy.

So, my advice is to focus on being realistic with categories two and three to set yourself up for success, but don’t hesitate to throw that logic out the window for category one, Reach Medical Schools. You never know what surprises may come your way if you aim high and dream big!

Final Thoughts on How to Make a Medical School List

As you wrap up your process of creating your medical school list, remember that it’s important to be thorough and strategic in your approach. By following these seven simple steps, you can make sure that you’re applying to schools that are the right fit for you and that align with your goals and preferences.

So, to sum up the steps:

1. Create a spreadsheet to stay organized
2. Research each school thoroughly using the MSAR
3. Filter out schools based on residency bias so you’re not wasting your time and money 
4. See how your GPA ranges match up 
5. Compare your MCAT scores with each school’s requirements
6. Seek insights from a loved one or a trusted person in your life
7. Dig deeper and go with your gut instinct 

Your final list of medical schools should reflect your hopes and dreams as well as your realistic situation. By following these steps and being intentional in your selection process, you’ll be well on your way to making a thoughtful decision about where to apply. Good luck on your journey to medical school!

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