This document has two supplements: Schools To Which XU Students Should Apply Based on State of Residence and Selecting the Schools to Which You Apply.
This handout is intended to assist students from Xavier University choose the medical, dental, etc. schools to which they will apply.
If you are applying to schools in California: It is especially difficult to get into California schools because the state has one of the highest ratios of applicants to positions available. Therefore, for all practical purposes, all medical schools in California should be treated as "Big Name" schools in terms of the kinds of grades and MCAT scores you need to get admitted. As a result, California residents should make certain they a) apply to at least ten schools and b) apply to at least four schools outside of California. We suggest the U of Washington as one of the four since it frequently takes California residents.
If you are from Louisiana: You should DEFINITELY apply to LSU-Shreveport!!!! Why? Because it is getting more and more difficult to get into medical school and LSU-N.O. is not going to accept all of the applicants from Xavier who have good grades!! There are simply too many of you. Therefore, if you want to go to medical school, some of you must go to Shreveport. For your information, Shreveport isn't as bad as those of us from New Orleans think. It is similar in size and character to Jackson or Birmingham, and the medical school there has a great deal to offer. The school is relatively new and the buildings are PLUSH (it was built to get North Louisiana votes to build the Superdome), and its emergency room is recognized nationally (better known than that at LSU-N.O., for example).
If you think you might be interested in LSU-Shreveport: I would suggest visiting the school. You can make contact with the Director of Multicultural Affairs, Mrs. Shirley Roberson to make arrangements to visit. Go to http://www.lsuhscshreveport.edu/MulticulturalAffairs/MulticulturalAffairsHome.aspx for contact information. In addition, if you are interested in Shreveport, I would suggest you try to do summer research there. It would give you an advantage when it comes time to apply.
If you are from Mississippi: From our point of view, the University of Mississippi Medical School seems to be an excellent choice for Mississippi residents. A number of XU students have enrolled and are doing well there. However, the number of good premeds from Mississippi at XU is now so large that it is unlikely that all will get into the U of Mississippi Medical School. Therefore, Mississippi residents should make certain that they apply to other schools in the region who might give them special consideration such as U South Alabama (if you are from the Gulf Coast), U of Tennessee-Memphis, and UAB (if you have good grades and good MCAT scores).. If you really want to go to the U of Mississippi, we would strongly suggest you participate in their summer program. It is good and doing well in it would definitely help you gain acceptance there.
If you are from Texas: Don't forget that most of the schools in Texas do not participate in AMCAS but rather in their own centralized service for medical and dental schools. Additional information about the Texas Medical/Dental School Application Service and the schools it serves is available at http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas. We advise you to use the web-based application and to submit your application by June 1 because Texas schools generally interview VERY early (starting in September). The web-based application is available beginning May 1. A P.S. for Texas residents: As you are aware, "minority" for most of Texas probably means Mexican-American rather than African-American.
