You’re Not Applying to Enough Medical Schools

Last year, a student came to us devastated. She had a 3.8 GPA, a 515 MCAT score, hundreds of clinical hours, and glowing letters of recommendation. She’d done everything “right”—except she only applied to 16 medical schools, all rejections.

Here’s the problem: According to AAMC data, applicants apply to an average of 18 schools. However, following the average yields average results, which translates to a roughly 60% rejection rate. More than half of all medical school applicants don’t get in anywhere.

You don’t have to follow conventional wisdom, which leads to average results. Applying to more schools isn’t desperate or wasteful. It’s the single best strategic move you can make.

At Med School Insiders, we’ve helped thousands of students get into medical school, and the data is crystal clear: students who apply to too few schools have dramatically lower odds of acceptance. Our clients who follow our strategic approach achieve a 97% acceptance rate.

The difference is that they’re strategic about the med schools they apply to.

In this post, we’ll show you exactly why applying to more schools is a 355-to-1 return on investment, how many schools you should actually apply to, and how to build a school list that maximizes your chances without burning you out.

The Math Behind the Myth

The biggest objection we hear at Med School Insiders about applying to more schools is the cost. Many students believe they can’t afford to apply to 30 schools, but this thinking is short-sighted and misses the bigger financial picture.

Each additional medical school application costs roughly $150, including the primary application fee and secondary fees. Ten extra schools is $1,500, and twenty extra schools is $3,000. If you’re already stretched thin financially, it’s not peanuts.

But consider what happens if you don’t get in. Reapplying means thousands in additional fees and a year of lost physician income.

The average physician salary in the US is approximately $355,000. That’s what you lose by delaying your career by one year. You’ll also spend another year paying for living expenses instead of earning a resident’s salary.

Spending $2,000 on additional applications to avoid losing $355,000 in future income represents a 355-to-1 return on investment.

And beyond the financial cost lies the emotional toll—a year of self-doubt, watching peers advance while you remain in limbo, and repeatedly explaining to family and friends why you didn’t get accepted.

The Asymmetric Risk Profile

In investment terms, applying to more medical schools represents what’s called an asymmetric risk, where the potential upside vastly outweighs the downside.

The downside of applying to additional schools is minimal. You’ll spend a few extra weeks writing secondary essays and several hundred to a few thousand dollars in application fees. That’s it. These are finite, manageable costs that you can plan for and control.

The upside can be life-changing. A single acceptance means you become a physician. Multiple acceptances mean you have choices. You can select the program that best fits your goals, negotiate financial aid packages, and find the ideal environment for your medical education.

We often hear the “quality over quantity” argument from well-meaning advisors. “Focus on fewer schools and make each application perfect,” they say. This advice misunderstands the strategy entirely.

Strategic quantity doesn’t mean submitting random applications to every medical school in the country. It means building a carefully curated list of 25-35 schools where you’re a competitive applicant, then executing high-quality applications for each one. Every school on your list should be there for a reason—whether it’s your stats alignment, the program’s focus, geographic fit, or specific opportunities they offer.

At Med School Insiders, we’ve analyzed thousands of successful applications. Students who apply to 25-35 well-researched schools don’t see a drop in quality compared to those who apply to only 16. If anything, they become more efficient at articulating their story because they’ve thought deeply about what they want from their medical education.

Why Leverage Is Your Greatest Asset

Multiple acceptances create leverage that can improve your medical school experience before it even begins.

When schools compete for you, everything changes. Financial aid packages become negotiable. Merit scholarships materialize. Schools suddenly highlight exceptional opportunities they hadn’t mentioned before. You shift from hoping to be chosen to doing the choosing.

I experienced this firsthand. By applying strategically to a robust list of schools, I received more interview invitations than I could attend. I ultimately accepted a full-ride scholarship covering living expenses at my top-choice school.

Students who apply to too few schools rarely experience this. They accept whatever financial package is initially offered, never realizing what they left on the table.

This is the problem you want to have: choosing between excellent offers from schools that genuinely want you. The stress of choosing between great options beats the anxiety of having no options every single time.

How to Build Your Strategic School List

Now that we’ve covered why applying to more schools matters, let’s talk about how to build your list.

For most applicants, we recommend applying to no fewer than 25 schools, with 25-30 being the sweet spot. Your list should follow this distribution:

• 50% Target schools: Where your stats align with the median accepted student
• 25% Safety schools: Where your stats exceed the typical accepted student
• 25% Reach schools: Where your stats fall below the median but you’re still in range

For a 25-school list, that breaks down to approximately 12 target schools, 6-7 safety schools, and 6-7 reach schools. This balance maximizes your chances while making sure you have options you’re excited about.

But remember: these percentages are starting points that should be adjusted to your unique profile, and several factors influence your school list:

1 | Academic Metrics

First, your GPA and MCAT scores form the foundation. Strong stats mean you can apply to fewer schools, while weaker metrics mean you’ll need to cast a wider net.

2 | Application Weak Spots

Second, other weak spots in your application, such as mediocre letters of recommendation, limited clinical experience, or fewer research hours, mean you should expand your list. You need to cover your bases by applying to more schools.

Students with gaps in their applications succeed by applying broadly to schools that value their strengths and seeking out mission-aligned programs where their unique background stands out.

3 | Career Goals

Third, students pursuing competitive specialties need schools with strong research programs and opportunities that are specifically tailored to their field. Those drawn to primary care can target schools that emphasize community medicine and serve underserved populations.

But this should not dictate your strategy too much. Keep in mind 70% of students change their minds about their specialty in med school.

4 | Geographic preferences

And lastly, location preferences naturally influence your choices, from the climate to urban versus rural environments to proximity to family. But geographic flexibility dramatically expands your opportunities.

Many students discover their perfect program in unexpected locations, and staying open to different regions can be the difference between acceptance and rejection.

At the end of the day, building your list requires an honest self-assessment and extensive research. Which program has the teaching environment you thrive in? Which has a mission you already try to live every day? And which program has been proven to accept students with stats and stories like yours?

Leave the guesswork for Jeopardy. Our Med School Chance Predictor analyzes your complete profile against comprehensive admissions data from US med schools to generate a data-driven list that maximizes your chances of acceptance by showing you where you’ll be a great fit. Access it for free right up here.