It's not a lot, it's pretty standard. The chances of getting into any of them are very low these days, some schools get thousands of apps for 100-200 spots, leaving an acceptance rate of 5-10%. I'd wager they WANT this to improve their "Newsweek" Ratings, shake my head, think of all the shortages of doctors are bright-eyed 23 year olds who get rejected and have to repeat the process, all to maintain exclusivity (and due to limits on how many residents/interns we can train at once).

I didn't apply to the top-tier schools. I knew my GPA would be an algorithmic non-starter, a human wouldn't even look at a GPA under 3.5 in many schools. Also, I'm a white male biological sciences major, not exactly a rare type for medical schools applicants.

Keep in mind, UChicago Bio Sciences had courses I was required to take, that had graduate students and actual medical students in them, that had the median student with an 80 average. How sadistic is that? A classroom full of brilliant students, and half of them will get C's and D's? You can guess which half I was in...

In the end, it may have been a blessing, because MD school is VERY expensive and time-consuming, and I would've been a poor doctor like family medicine or pediatrician, so I'd be financially way worse off and probably a lot more stressed if I had succeeded down that path.