How to choose which medical schools to apply to (LizzyM Score)

When choosing what medical schools to apply to, you should place schools into 2 categories: schools that match your statistics and schools that are a little out of your reach. Not only will this help you save money, but it will also help you save tons of time. I'm not saying don't apply to your dream school or whatever but you should limit schools that are out of your reach (You must be somewhat realistic). Each school can cost up to $200 with the primary and secondary applications so being wise is extremely important. Furthermore, each school has relatively different topics for their essays so I would recommend picking a few schools and putting the maximum effort in than picking many schools and not putting a lot of effort into it. Furthermore, you should also consider whether you would like to go into a DO program or an MD program because there are differences. If you read up on it and you don't think that it matters to you that much, I would recommend you applying to both programs just in case. I applied to 25 schools but some people have applied to 40+!

One great website to help you see what schools you should apply to is LizzyM. On this site, you will put in your GPA and your MCAT score and it will give you a LizzyM score. If your GPA is really good but your MCAT score is average, it will appropriately compensate and vice versa which is why I really like it. Furthermore, after, the websites developers have already assigned a LizzyM score to every single medical school out there. They will give you schools that are in the range of your LizzyM score and I suggest that you apply to those.

A lot of people worry about the location of the medical school and how big the city they are located in is. This worry should come in AFTER you have been accepted. Medical school admissions is an EXTREMELY tough process so being picky during this process is probably not the best choice because you never know where you might end up! I know people that applied to 40+ programs and got rejected from all of them so if you get into a school, know that it is a privilege not given to many. Additionally, a lot of students will take a gap year and do masters programs so if you're directly, applying from undergrad, do not be discouraged! However, if you believe you do not have a strong enough GPA, MCAT, or things that make you stand out, I would recommend applying to a masters program and applying to 5 - 10 schools that are within your range. This is because if you do get rejected by all of your medical schools, you will still have a chance at a masters program which will definitely help your chances!

At the end of the day, statistics are not the deciding factor 100% of the time. Schools will accept people with stats lower than their average but you have to weight the benefits to the drawbacks of taking the time and money to apply. I applied to many schools that were within my range and some that were not. The first rejection you get will always sting but you have to stay strong and committed! In a future blog post, I will talk about the benefits and drawbacks of applying Early Decision so stay tuned!

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