Jump to content

Average number of schools to apply to?


Recommended Posts

Hey everyone,

 

I was wondering what others' thought of a good number of schools to apply to. CASPA says the average is 7, which is the number of schools I have picked out as of now. Is there any number most people recommend?

 

Haw many are you applying to?

 

Thanks for your help!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7-8 is average. 12 gives the greatest statistical acceptance rate, higher than that does nothing for your odds.

 

The key is to apply where you are competitive, where you'd like to go, and how many you can afford to apply to.

 

The cost isn't just CASPA applications, but the cost to travel for interviews and the cost to move.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7-8 is average. 12 gives the greatest statistical acceptance rate, higher than that does nothing for your odds.

 

The key is to apply where you are competitive, where you'd like to go, and how many you can afford to apply to.

 

The cost isn't just CASPA applications, but the cost to travel for interviews and the cost to move.

 

And supplementals!  

 

But yea, if you aren't going to be able to afford to fly (sometimes last minute) to an interview....save yourself the heartbreak and don't apply because you'll kick yourself later if you have to turn down interviews.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 is a good number. I would say 2 safety schools, 3 schools with a good chance of getting in, and 2 reach schools. That should cover everything. If you're weak in a few areas of your app, consider a few more of the safety schools. Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I applied to 4, mostly because I wanted to live in certain areas and only applied to schools that would be a good fit for me and that I actually wanted to go to. I also didn't want to go to an overly expensive school, so that limited my options a bit too. Don't just blindly apply to 7 because you think that's best, instead, really spend time researching the schools you're applying to and make sure you're spending your time and money wisely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I applied to 8 and got accepted to one, Duke. Didn't even get an interview at a "safety" school I applied to. Just apply to schools you would be happy attending. I'm convinced there's really no way to "work the system."

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderator

really depends on one's stats. if you are a paramedic/nurse/resp therapist with a great gpa and gre score, lots of volunteer and community service, solid LORs, etc you can probably apply to 3 and get into all of them.

if you have a weak gpa, minimal experience, avg gre, etc you better apply to a bunch as you might not get into any. I know someone who applied to 35. depends how much you want it, where you are willing to move, how much money you have for apps and supplementals, travel,. etc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I applied to 8 and got accepted to one, Duke. Didn't even get an interview at a "safety" school I applied to. Just apply to schools you would be happy attending. I'm convinced there's really no way to "work the system."

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Seriously.  Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason.  I had a similar experience - got interviews and acceptances at higher 'ranked' programs than my 'safety' programs.  Every school looks for something different and sometimes it's a matter of your app being seen on a day when the reviewer is in a good mood.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Applied to 6 schools, have received 4 interview invites.  Accepted at one, turned down one interview, and two more interviews to go.  Have not heard from two schools which I had considered "safety schools."  My best advice is to be honest with yourself when you apply.  How do your stats compare to the school's average? Also, does their mission line up with your own personal and professional goals?  Address your goals and mission in your personal statement and schools will see that you are the applicant for them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest GoyaHoya69

I applied to 30 schools! Spent a lot of money but at least I know I have all my options open.

Ho-ly crap. And I thought I applied to too many schools.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It would definitely pertain to how strong your stats are. I would look through the "Accepted Stats" page and find people who have similar stats to yours, see how many schools they applied to, how many interviews they got, and their acceptances.

 

I applied to 10 schools, and I'm finding now that I did not need to apply to that many. If you're strong academically (3.6+) and have a decent amount of healthcare experience, I would apply sparingly to areas you can envision living in after graduation, around 4-6 schools.

 

If you've suffered academically, but have thousands of hours of medical experience, I would apply broadly (10+) catering to schools that favor experience and upward trends in grades. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I applied to 10. As for the "there's places I'd prefer to live" , I didn't subscribe to that thought process. I applied to schools that I felt competitive at all over the country because being a PA is more important than where I live while in school. You don't have time to really enjoy/hate the location you're at anyways. Location, provided no family conflicts, should be a lesser motivation.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I applied to 10. As for the "there's places I'd prefer to live" , I didn't subscribe to that thought process. I applied to schools that I felt competitive at all over the country because being a PA is more important than where I live while in school. You don't have time to really enjoy/hate the location you're at anyways. Location, provided no family conflicts, should be a lesser motivation.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The only thing I would say for considering location - is consider where your clinicals will be and if you'd want to stay in the area after graduation.  Not a requirement but you'll make local connections for jobs and if you have no intention of staying after you graduate you're missing an opportunity to network.

 

I also personally find that I do have time to love or hate where I am...living in the middle of an incredibly small town or huge bustling city would have left me feeling like all I had was school for 2 years.  Not a great or healthy mindset, for me personally.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I applied to 30 programs. I have received 15+ interviews thus far. I got accepted to the program I will be attending after the second interview, so I turned down all the rest. I was willing to go anywhere. I would say if you have the money, and are truly willing to go anywhere, then go ahead and apply to as many as possible. It certaintly can't hurt.That is just my opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Applied to about 7.  Did 2 interviews and got accepted to both, so turned down my other interview invites.  I got accepted to Wake Forest but didn't get an interview invite to one of my really deep back up schools.  Who knows????

Don't apply to a school where you're not going to like the location, costs more than you can afford, has a low PANCE pass rate, and has a teaching style that doesn't fit you're learning style. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If money isn't a huge problem, also apply to one or two dream schools (duke, Cornell for example) my friend got accepted into Cornell after receiving zero interviews at the 11 others he applied to. He applied to Cornell as "why the hell not" and assumed they wouldn't give him an invite.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If money is an issue, you need to apply to more schools, not fewer. If you don't go wide you might end up paying 30K more for your education than you needed to because your only option was an expensive school. Worse still, you might not get in anywhere and lose 95K in future salary because you had to wait another year. CASPA and secondary app fees are really quite miniscule in the grand scheme of things.

 

Like others here, I've also found that adcoms are unpredictable. Who knows what those kooks will do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to the Physician Assistant Forum! This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn More