Limit for applying to Top 25 schools

[tb123]

I was wondering what people thought a good threshold was for applying to some of the top schools in the states. I'm in 3rd year and got a 37Q, although I would rather stay in Canada due to cost, is it worth it to apply to some of the better schools in the states (Ivies, other top 25). I have some minor research work, very good ECs and shadowing. My GPA will be be 3.9+ after this year. Thanks

[drake19]

I don't think there is a limit but obviously you will have to do all those secondaries, pay all those secondary fees, and travel to all those schools. You are going to rack up a nice bill before going into more debt at a U.S. med school.

 

 

I think schools have a list of where you applied to because during my interview last year at Chicago Medical School...my interviewer noted that I only applied to one school....I have heard the same from others who applied to Wayne State University.

 

Applying to 25 schools is a little over the top...I only applied to one.

 

 

I was wondering what people thought a good threshold was for applying to some of the top schools in the states. I'm in 3rd year and got a 37Q, although I would rather stay in Canada due to cost, is it worth it to apply to some of the better schools in the states (Ivies, other top 25). I have some minor research work, very good ECs and shadowing. My GPA will be be 3.9+ after this year. Thanks

[moo]

I echo the others here. When I applied almost 10 years ago almost everyone had GPAs of 3.7 and above and 32+ MCAT at Northwestern. Keep in mind, average grades were lower then because of lower grade inflation. Nowadays, (after doing my MPH, graduating this May), I see that grade inflation is rampant in schools and a high GPA isn't that impressive. (I got a 4.0 in my MPH while working 30+ hours a week; it was a joke. Whereas in undergrad math and physics I struggled to maintain a 3.8 while doing 24 hours of work a week.). It was not about grades. We all had done something that was unique. For me, it was my working 24 hours a week for three years at a psychiatric hospital as a nurse's aid (significant clinical experience). For others, it was doing peace corps, or research, or teaching abroad, or running a marathon or something to show that you weren't a book nerd.

 

That said, a high GPA and MCAT will open doors for you. If you apply, you'll probably get into a top 25 school.