Premed Tip # 4 - Picking Schools Part 1

This is one step of the application process I waited way too long to do. I recommend doing this right after you find out your MCAT score. If that is not possible, I would suggest at least doing this February before you submit your primary. I waited until May before I submitted my primary to do this, which made it difficult, but I got lucky that all my schools did not have requirements I couldn't fill.

For Part 1 of this topic, I wanted to address the issue of categorizing your schools so that you have breath when you are applying to schools and really optimize your chances of an acceptance. I use the categories of Safety, In Range, and Reach to categorize my schools, but I recognize that no school that is called a safety is a guarantee in any way of acceptance.

Here is the breakdown of the categories that I used:

• Safety: Your GPA is 0.2 or more greater than their average and 2 or more points above their average MCAT score
• In Range: You are within 0.2 of their average GPA and 1 within their average MCAT
• Reach: Your GPA is less than 0.2 of their average and 2 or more below their average MCAT

When you are making your list, you should have a set goal of schools you want to apply to. You can add or subtract schools as you go, but the average number of schools that an applicant applies to is 20. 60-75% of your schools should be in range schools, and you should have approximately 15% reach and 15% safety. These are general guidelines, and you should always check what else the school looks for to truly determine if it is in range for you, reach, or safety. I made a spreadsheet with all of the medical schools and color coded/deleted schools as I determined if they were in range/safety/ reach and if I wanted to apply. I took a screenshot of a small part of the spreadsheet.

Always do what you are comfortable with. Just make sure that you do not fill your list with all far reaching schools. Part 2 will cover what else you should look for when adding schools to your list.