Deciding which schools to pick when creating your medical school list is an extremely exciting decision yet also a bit nerve racking. There are a few core areas that are important to consider when deciding which programs to apply to:
You can find this info either on our med school map or list. Always refer to the school’s website which is within our list or map if you are unsure of certain information. You do not need an MSAR account to gain this info.
We have created a helpful ranking tool for the med school programs you’re interested in. You can access it for free here. This tool will help you to objectively rank each program according to the criteria mentioned above (tuition, chance of getting accepted, avg. MCAT score and GPA, location and class size). After ranking each program you’ll be able to see which programs you should apply to based off of each programs’ total score. The programs with the highest scores are the programs you should apply to. Further down the line when you receive acceptances, this list can then help you to see which program you should ultimately choose.
Some other things to keep in mind
How many programs to apply to
This is a decision that depends on where you stand as an applicant. There are two ends of the spectrum, an extremely competitive applicant vs. not. If you need some help figuring out how competitive you are, check out our med school predictor. To keep things simple, we recommend that every applicant apply to 15-20 programs.
The percentage of students that graduate and the match rate
These two stats will let you know how well the program teaches its students and the success of the students after they graduate. If the data is available, try to get these stats from the last couple of years.
Other Great Resources
Where to Apply? Factors to Consider when Making Your School List by the AAMC.
