Premeds Worrying About School Selection

“Hey yall, So I'm applying this cycle, and unfortunately submitted my secondaries very late. I'm really set on going to a T10 or T20 since I'm interested in a competitive specialty, and my stats are pretty solid. Knowing how late I submitted, I only applied to top heavy schools since I know its frowned upon to reapply if you have an acceptance, and I would rather reapply and give myself a shot at T20s with an extra year rather than save a year and go to my state school. My question is”

“Hey everyone! I’m applying MD next cycle and would appreciate some honest feedback on my competitiveness and school list, especially for T20/T30 schools. 3.94 + 518 + early grad from large state school so 1 gap year? Asian ORM. Clinical Experience ~3,000 hours paid clinical ~300 hours clinical volunteering Research ~2,000+ hours research w/2 pubs and 10 posters in 7 conferences Volunteering ~350 hours nonclinical volunteering Leadership/Teaching/Hobbies ~ 500 hours starting a club ~ 150 TA hours”

“I am looking at my school list and there's a good amount of targets based on LM but it's super top-heavy based on admit. Do I trust LM? * This is retrospective I'm not building my school list right now submitted by /u/ZenDarKritic55 [link] [comments]”

“basically just the title. my partner is applying and is finishing up their application and i was wondering if anybody has ever gotten in submitting on october 1st? (3.6/507/no clinical hours) submitted by /u/AdEmotional7301 [link] [comments]”

“Hey everyone, looking for an objective assessment of my application profile and target school list. Quick Stats & Demographics: - Demographics: Dual Black & Native American (URM) | WI Resident - GPA Trajectory: Early 1.3 slump -> 3.60 cumulative GPA | 3.80 sGPA (BSN Degree) | 4.0 Post-Bacc (Med School Pre-Reqs) - MCAT: 515 (Official) Extracurricular Highlights: - Clinical Experience: 4,000+ total hours as Licensed RN/LPN/MA (2,000+ hours as a CVICU RN) - Athletics: Top-100 World Ranke”

“title! how many tmdsas interviews would be considered on the “safe” side to be likely to match at a school? i know it’s not necessarily guaranteed regardless of how many interviews someone has submitted by /u/Silver-Ad-7578 [link] [comments]”

“Got my first interview at EVMS as an instate VA resident yesterday!! stats are 3.85 GPA 513 MCAT 1700 clinical hours, 400 volunteering hours, 200 shadowing, 100 research no pubs. It's a 30 minute virtual zoom call. I want to know what questions they may ask during the interview so I know what to expect. Any ideas and tips to prepare? submitted by /u/Relevant_Heron965 [link] [comments]”

“VA Resident, ORM, LGBTQ+ cGPA: 3.86, sGPA: 3.71 MCAT: 515 (131/127/126/131) Clinical: (1600 total completed so far) 1300 Volunteer EMS, 300 Paid EMS (1400 Paid in Gap Year Planned) Shadowing: 150 Non-Clinical Volunteering: 750 Research: (1650 total) 1 Global Health Lab (800 hours) with 1 pub (3rd author, big journal) and 1 submitted (2nd author), Field Work (420 Hours), Wet Lab (430 Hours) Leadership: Student Govt, Cultural Club President, Co-Founded 501c3, lots of EMS leadership Teaching: Taugh”

“I've submitted 15 schools so far since mid august, and i have 7 more im planning to rush through before the month ends (then I have 5 non-time-sensitive ones). Is it worth applying to 3 more in early october to get a nice and even 30 or should i not bother? submitted by /u/ZenDarKritic55 [link] [comments]”

“does anyone know which schools average mcats... also does VCU? i am seeing online that it does, but nothing comes up on their website submitted by /u/One-Difficulty9658 [link] [comments]”

“For context: 508 MCAT (128/126/127/127), 3.91 GPA, ORM First Gen Rural (environmentally disadvantaged status), 4000+ clinical, 500+ volunteer, 200+ shadowing, 800+ non clinical paid. Trad-ish applicant, graduated in 3 years, but applied normal. MA resident. I applied and got verified 8/20, submitted 30 MD’s all on 8/22-8/24 same day, and the 14 DO’s about 7/20 and some end of Aug/beginning of sept. Currently have 5 DO ii’s (Nyitcom, unecom, lecom SH, lecom B, marian). I recently recieved my MD l”

“Stats/ECs: cGPA: 4.0 MCAT: 522 Clinical: 300 hours Research: 500 hours + 1 middle-author mid impact publication Nonclinical volunteering: 120 hours Underserved Tutoring: 50 hours Leadership: 400 hours Decent hobbies/work experience ORM male, trad applicant School list: Emory University School of Medicine Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine Perelman School of Medicine at Penn University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health USF Health Morsani College of Medicine - ties Case Weste”

“Do you guys think a 3.8x and a 516 mcat are good enough to only apply MD? I’m a FL resident and wasian. Thanks for any advice. submitted by /u/Ashamed_Ad9405 [link] [comments]”

“I just want to ask for some guidance and advice. - How many actual letters do I need to apply (SLOE and normal letters) - i heard 2 Away Rotations (SLOE) are the way to go so what else do you fill your rotations with? Just fun stuff or things you want to see and experience? - what are some important timelines to keep track of? - do i need letters of req or what exactly do i need for my VSLO applications. - if I have Letters outside of EM for my non SLOE does specialty matter? Surgical vs Medical”

“So i have seven letters total, im going to list pros and possible cons. Please help me narrow down do schools that have a max of 3 or 5 🙏🙏 Dean of an established local MD school - I have a service company and i did work on his house, i come to find out he’s the dean latter on and he wanted to write me a letter - can only speak about work ethic and ig me being a solid person -i think it’s a flex cuz he’s dean idk… ⁠2) under grad PI - did research with him for 3 years (no pubs) prof for 2 course”

“Hello, I'm now a resident but when I was a premed years back, I remember TMDSAS schools taking very few SES disadvantaged students ~10% and many of these came straight from JAMP. I recently checked MSAR and noticed that TMDSAS schools have substantially increased SES disadvantaged matriculants, some as much as 20-30%. I'm noticing the trend especially from 2024. Wondering if it has something to do with the change in regards to not being allowed to use race in admission during that time a”

“Hi everyone, for context I am a reapplicant (applied to 32 MD schools last cycle, 0 ii) and wanted to ask for advice on which DO schools to apply to this cycle. I applied to 35 MD schools this cycle (no ii so far) and wanted to add about 5-6 DO. So far my list is: PCOM, MSUCOM, CCOM, and Rowan. Are there any other schools you think I should add? I will list my stats/activities below. GPA: 3.99 MCAT: 516 FL resident Clinical hours: 800, split through palliative care volunteering/employment, clini”

“Hi everyone! Looked at my school list today and realized that it was way too top-heavy, so kind of freaking out! Please help me figure out some last addition schools! Stats: 523 (131/132/130/130), 4.0 1.2k clinical hours as MA 100 hours as hospice volunteer 350 hours wet lab thesis 300 other research hours split between two dry labs 400 hours volunteering at church 70 hours volunteering at garden giving free food 550 hours LGBTQ+ student org executive board member Current school list: Mayo NYU G”

“just curious, was considering adding University of Colorado and Cincy as I didn't realize they could be a reach but sorta in the ballpark for me, and otherwise was bogged down by secondaries (done now). However I know that being in September it's a little late so im wondering if it would be diminishing returns/waste of money. I have average stats, service heavy app submitted by /u/Medcup [link] [comments]”

“I submitted all my MD and DO apps and was wondering if I should add a few more DO schools just to be extra safe because this cycle has proven to me that there is no way I'm doing all this all over again next year. I only chose competitive DO's since my MCAT is high, but should I choose some lower ones to account for my GPA? Feel free to also tell me that I'm being paranoid and that 50 schools is enough. Stats: 514 MCAT, 3.56 GPA, unique research, service-heavy, CA resident School Lis”

“Applying next cycle as a NY resident (PA affiliation with work). I have FAP and really don't want to apply more than once. I know I can also apply DO and cut this list in half, but I'm scared that speciality matching would come to bite me down the road. Stats : second gap year 3.62 gpa / 513 mcat 2,000 hr clinical hours 2,300 hr research hours CRC - 1 pub, two others on the way President of premed club (with decent impact I feel) 100 hr shadowing 200 hr mentoring high schoolers (two stud”

“hey guys. im a good applicant but not exceptional and breathtaking by any means. so im very anxious about my school list. the photo shows all the schools i already submitted for. im thinking of some very last minute adds to send a primary to TODAY. im thinking 3-5 , im lowk getting burnt out with secondaries so i want to be done w it quick while not shooting myself in the foot. please lmk which ones are actually worth my time. my goal is to maximize chance of acceptance, i rlly dont wanna reappl”

“Going into my last year of college, planning on a gap year because I want to volunteer at a program. Background: T20 3.96 GPA, 524 MCAT, CA ORM Research: 1000+ hours in a chemistry wet lab (projected 1200 by graduation), manuscript in progress, 1 presentation and 1 poster (upcoming); received 3+ school-level grants One second author publication involving coding/statistical analysis as a separate project (240 hours) Clinical (volunteer): Projected 1000 hours as a MA by application --> took pat”

“I have a couple of secondaries that specifically ask me to explain potential "deficiencies" in my application. My biggest weak point is my MCAT, where I scored a 506 with a sub 50th percentile C/P (130 on CARS though). If I was to give an honest explanation for this, it's that for most of my study time, I lived in an abusive household where I was rarely allowed more than an hour of uninterrupted study time. During that time, my mom, brother, and I were also secretly planning to mov”

“I’ve submitted my primary to about 30 DO schools, but my parents rlly want me to apply for the rest (18 more, i think theres only 48 total). Do you think that 48 DO schools would be too much? I also applied to 35 MD schools so I’m not sure if i’ll be able to balance all of those secondaries with pre-writing my secondaries for MD schools 😭 I’m having a hard time imagining managing 48 DO schools on top of my MD applications. For reference, my stats are 3.5 cgpa/3.2sgpa and 508 mcat submitte”

“hello! my refund from my school just processed and i'm thinking about adding a few schools to my list. i havent had any IIs yet and im fearing that my list is too top heavy. i was wondering which schools would be a good fit for me. thank you for your help! :D cGPA: 3.92, sGPA: 3.91, 524 MCAT, trad applicant at t10 ORM, low SES, NJ resident with strong NYC ties volunteer 911 emt (~800 hrs) and ift emt (~100 hrs) 800 hrs spread across two different chem labs. one accepted conference abstract 4”

“Like everyone from Anasesthesia to Radiology bills under the same umbrella submitted by /u/YogurtclosetOpen3567 [link] [comments]”

“Hey guys, I am looking to apply to DO schools in the next two years or so. I have been out of school for 6 years working in a completely different field, but I was pre-health during undergrad. My GPA was a 3.8, still have to take MCAT I have no volunteer or research hours. I have 1 shadowing opportunity lined up. It will be hard because I am working full time to support myself. Any advice on what I can do to build my application over the next few years? If anyone else was non-trad please share y”

“Have most people who submitted secondaries end of July heard back from tmdsas schools? submitted by /u/lowkey_observant [link] [comments]”

“Hey guys, I finished all my secondaries (31 MD, 5 DO), but I am paranoid and thinking of adding a few more schools: West Virginia SOM, UNECOM, VCOM…do any of you know if it’s too late in the cycle to add these schools? I don’t want to waste money if I have no shot. Any advice will be appreciated!! submitted by /u/Minimum_Win7988 [link] [comments]”

“Applying upcoming cycle. I have a 3.98 in math and computer science and 523 mcat. I have about 400 clinical hours as an MA in a cardiology clinic, 200 volunteering at a food bank, 500 research hours with a poster over two years, some leadership positions in clubs, and tutoring experience for computer science. My ECs are definitely lacking, and my stats are the main things carrying me. Which schools can I apply to with these? Admit.org gave some interesting suggestions haha submitted by &#3”

“I'm a reapp, app is still not verified, and want some help solidifying my school list before I start writing specific secondaries (currently drafting topics instead of tailoring to schools). It's very preliminary rn and I only have like 10 schools so suggestions would be great! I'm more research heavy and less service oriented, so cutting out service schools would be good as well ORM, NC resident 3.73 sGPA, 3.82 GPA, 507 (130/125/124/128) --> 515 (126/127/132/130) I'm a bit wo”

“Hey all, I’m a reapplicant that’s almost finished with my secondaries (applied 36 MD schools) and was wondering whether it would be productive to add some extra MD programs before I call it. Don’t want to apply DO since I’d be willing to apply another cycle while my MCAT is valid. Stats: VA resident 3.88 cGPA/3.82 sGPA 516 MCAT (single attempt 01/2025) Not URM, privileged background Biology Major at a liberal arts school OIE: Switched to premed track in junior year after becoming interested in m”

“Hi all — I could really use some help with building my school list for non-state schools. Some background, I am a low-stat non-trad, with decent ECs (heavy research & clinical experience). Non-trad, ORM, MI resident - 505 MCAT - 3.5 cGPA - 10-15 publications, 1 patent pending - 7500 clinical hours - 6000 research hours - 350 free clinic volunteering, 100 community volunteering - president of 2 school clubs, including founding a charity Outside of state schools, I was considering the followin”

“Which medical institutions do you guys think foster the most collaborative and supportive student cultures? I feel like Sidney Kimmel/Jefferson has a welcoming, warm vibe on the admissions page for secondaries. They even have an option to request their own fee waiver if you don't have FAP by demonstrating financial need. submitted by /u/ANTEUS_1 [link] [comments]”

“I'm a reapplicant currently working on secondaries. I got two IIs last cycle. I was wondering if I need to change the secondary answers for the schools I interviewed at last cycle or if it's okay to keep them more or less the same (i.e. just cleaning up some wording if applicable, but keeping them largely intact). If they should be changed, does this also pertain to answers that are pretty stagnant (life story, career goals, etc.)? Thanks! submitted by /u/kasanari [link] &#32”

“I have close to their average stats and high clinical, research, and leadership hours but only 250 volunteering hours (love having to work my way through school bc my parents are poor 🤠). My app is rural focused too and they're both in large cities. Should I bother? The main reason I applied was bc they're very similar to my gpa/mcat submitted by /u/Random-Nothing-9775 [link] [comments]”

“Hey everyone, could someone who has already gone through the process or is currently doing so send their college list so I can get an idea of where to start? I want to apply to schools with strong premed programs as well as many bsmd programs submitted by /u/Fun_Repeat_11 [link] [comments]”

“Looking at my options and was wondering this, does anyone know from experience or even just knowing? 😭 submitted by /u/jujuk545 [link] [comments]”

“cGPA: 3.44 Postbacc: 4.0 MCAT: 515 State Residence: WA, ties to CA Research: 500 hrs Clinical (paid): 200 hrs Shadowing : 60 hrs Non-Clinical (volunteering): 50 hrs- homeless shelter 200 hrs - free MCAT tutoring + mentoring for low-income 10 hrs - local youth mentor Tutoring/Teaching(paid): 3360 hrs Other non-clinical work(paid): 12,000 hrs Leadership: Club President 150 hrs Current School list: Weill Cornel University of Pittsburgh Case Western UCLA Albert Einstein UCSD USC Brown University Uni”

“https://preview.redd.it/w0zp3mqbdfjh1.png?width=1213&format=png&auto=webp&s=02958797552c6c657c42b74403ae327a3ad615c3 Only applied to 8 schools because I felt that I had a good chance of getting into my in-state schools and didn't want to spend too much applying to OOS schools if i did not have a chance. Is there any schools that are worth adding to my list? I've been thinking about adding JHU and Mayo Clinic. I only really want to go out of state for medical school if it make”

“This is probably a dumb question lol. I was wondering can I shadow my own doctor? Is that not recommended or is it in any way iffy to an admissions office. (Incoming freshmen) submitted by /u/Ok-Combination165 [link] [comments]”

“school list help already submitted primary but could probably add a few more schools. i'm at 23 schools, i think i have the bandwidth to do up to 30, got secondaries for 22 schools back so far. i didn't apply to any texas or DO schools and i probably won't because extra application and i don't have a lot of extra time. demographics: VA resident, ORM gap years: 1 (in it rn, graduated undergrad in 3 years so my 4th year is a gap year) MCAT: 512 (going to school full time and workin”

“Have any non us based applicants, MD, gotten interview invites? I’ve spoken to quite a few people and literally absolutely no one has. Even though, based on Admit data, that their secondaries were submitted earlier. I can’t find much online, do schools put aside international applicants, including Canadians, for review later in the cycle? Thanks! submitted by /u/ag451gams [link] [comments]”

“Was pleasantly surprised by the MCAT score I got back today (should've done way worse I was slacking near the end) so I don't have to toss my app in the garbage! I was really considering going to an HBCU for med school but I am concerned by the fact they are all private schools. I'm fortunate to live in a state with many good public school options. Does anyone know if any give out good aid, specifically need based aid? My family is low income. submitted by /u/elkin58 [lin”

“I'm wondering if i should add more schools. I've literally only submitted 6/23 secondaries so far because I got verified in August and didn't pre-write everything, but I'm already starting to get paranoid about my chances at getting into one of these and wondering if I should add more (and where). I also see that a lot of people apply to 30+ so I'm just worried I'm not going about this in the right way. Demographics: Wisconsin resident, 22F MCAT: 517 GPA: 3.76 HOURS Resea”

“Hi, im a junior in florida and i really think i have a pretty good base resume right now. I don't have many people to compare my resume to and honestly ive just been trying to find prestigious things to throw in there and make it feel more rounded out. I know im kind of late to the scene but im pretty confident in getting work done and i know i have it in me to get to a t20. I just wanted to come here to ask if my resume right now and what i plan for it to be by February will help me get int”

“Hi all, I just had a quick question. Is it bad or viewed as a red flag if in two of the secondary essays I have written and submitted to the same school, one being the generic plans essay and the other mission fit essay, I have written with similar verbiage in one sentence? The example being, if in the plans essay I discuss my teaching assistant experience and "to navigate their journeys inside and outside the classroom" while in the mission fit, "navigating their personal and aca”

“I’m applying to both MD and DO schools this cycle, and I’m a little confused about how people navigate the different timelines. Some DO schools seem to be interviewing and potentially offering acceptances pretty early in the cycle, but then only give you around 30 days to put down a deposit to hold your seat. Meanwhile, MD interviews and decisions can extend much later into the cycle. How do applicants usually handle this if they’re accepted to a DO school early but are still waiting to hear fro”

“I know there's always the talk about the service heavy schools that really want to see a lot of non clinical volunteering, but are there any schools that really love to see like 1500+ hours of clinical volunteering. submitted by /u/Existing_Ad7163 [link] [comments]”

just a confused premed!! submitted by /u/misopastelover [link] [comments]

“average stat in state ppl who applied TMDSAS and were accepted in previous cycles, when were the bulk of your interview offers? i've got a 515/3.97 with a somewhat checklist-y application, but good hours in all categories. i saw a comment on a post earlier today with some guy who'd already gotten 5(!!) II's in texas and feeling somewhat disillusioned, especially since TMDSAS interviews were up and running since july. hit me with it. submitted by /u/ComplexFamiliar2937 [li”

“Is it too late to add schools at this point? I was verified back in June and have submitted around 24 secondary's. I have like 5 other schools I could potentially apply to but not sure if its worth it or not since I keep seeing from past years that August is already late. submitted by /u/xrpx98 [link] [comments]”

“wondering if applying DO after interview season for MD is fine like Nov-Dec? main thing is my low clinical hours when submitting primary but talked about new MA job in secondaries when they ask if anything else to add or gap year or other stories. applied to like 45 MD schools within my stats range and 2 or 3 pts below or above mcat. submitted primary day after it opened. lmk if anyone has any questions that i didnt mention stats: 3.74/514 CA resident, ORM activities (when submitting md) researc”

“(I rarely post on reddit so I hope I'm doing this right? Sorry for the formatting...) TL;DR: Sorta late to the premed route and I'm not sure when to apply. Graduated in 3 years w/good GPA, meaningful research experience, but only just getting started on clinical hours and MCAT. I have a plan, but I don't know what goals/timeline to set. Is it reasonable to apply next cycle or give it another year? (stats section: 3.96 gpa, ~1300 research hours/1 presentation/maybe name on a pub?, ~20”

“I'm feeling like I didn't apply to enough, should I add loma linda and roseman? only ones in my median i didnt add. Is it too late? submitted by /u/2363ar [link] [comments]”

“Applying next cycle (2027), so I have time to build this out properly. Planning to apply MD/PhD as well, but this post is specifically about my MD-only list. I'll be applying to all the Texas MD schools since I'm in-state. I mainly need help picking OOS schools, ideally ones that read holistically, since I'm a pretty extreme splitter (research >> stats). Stats cGPA/sGPA: 3.60 | MCAT: 513 Semester trend: 3.48 → 3.26 → 3.04 → 3.10 → 3.74 → 3.63 → 4.0 → 4.0 Majors: Computer Scienc”

“applying 36 including canada and usa. but only 20 of the schools require supplementals submitted by /u/Sad_Insurance_4454 [link] [comments]”

“I have 1300 hours of clinical volunteering and 350 hours of direct service (Crisis Text Line, Refugees, and Red Cross Blood Drives). Would that be okay for service heavy schools like Rush, Georgetown, VCU, etc? submitted by /u/Ecstatic-Stick8607 [link] [comments]”