The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) recommends researching schools several months before submitting your AMCAS application. In a perfect world, we like our clients to start by February or March at the latest.
You've likely thought about your top picks—but you need to apply to many more than those. The biggest mistake you can make when applying to medical schools is not applying to enough of them. We recommend applying to between 25 and 35 schools. The second biggest mistake is wasting your attention and money on long applications for only shot-in-the-dark schools. You should apply to one or two of those and a slew of target schools where your GPA and MCAT numbers are at or above the average of accepted students.
We're often asked: "How on earth am I going to find 25 to 30 schools that I like?”
Our answer: It's not about like. It's about where you can get in. There are only 155 accredited allopathic medical schools in the U.S. Having so few options makes this much more competitive than the undergraduate process. But it's not all bad news. Because while campus vibes and research and clinical opportunities will vary, all medical schools MUST teach you the same thing. Going anywhere is going towards your goal of becoming a physician. Did you get into one school of 30? Congratulations, almost-doc!
This doesn't mean that you shouldn’t push hard on your application to your favorite school. Every year, our clients go to top-ranked programs and ones known for their desired area of interest. We're just advising you not to get into your head that there's only one to five schools for you. Many clients are laser-focused on school rankings; that can take some reprogramming to correct. Because of overall low acceptance rates, there is no such thing as a "safety" allopathic medical school. Yes, attending an upper-tier school could land you incredible research, residency, and career opportunities. But schools that aren't your first choice can also lead to first-choice experiences. (And frankly, residency is kind of what matters most.)