How many med schools should you apply to?⁣⁣⁣

How many med schools should you apply to?⁣⁣⁣

There’s no magic number, but I will break down my own stats! ⁣⁣⁣

I applied to 18 total MD and DO programs. ⁣I submitted 12 secondaries and received 5 total interviews at both MD & DO programs. ⁣I ended up attending only 2 interviews, because once I got into one of my top choices I cancelled my other interviews.⁣⁣⁣

If I could do it again I would: ⁣⁣⁣

  • Apply only to programs I would submit a secondary for (that would have saved around $500). ⁣⁣⁣
  • I would make my breakdown:⁣⁣⁣
    • 5 safety apps (programs whose stats are lower than mine)⁣⁣⁣
  • 7 normal apps (programs whose stats fit mine)⁣⁣⁣
  • 4 reach apps (programs whose stats are higher than mine). I applied to too many reach programs. I only received 1 interview at a reach program.⁣⁣⁣

With all of that in mind, consider your OWN application. If you think you are a strong applicant maybe you can apply to fewer total schools or more reach programs. I chose to apply to so many programs because I wanted to avoid applying twice.⁣⁣

And of course, you should apply to any dream programs you have regardless of stats!! The cost of an application isn’t worth giving up on a dream!