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Updated for 2009-2010 admissions.
The http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/policies/applicants.htm AAMC guidelines for holding acceptances dictates:
9) By May 15 of the matriculation year (April 15 for schools whose first day of class is on or before July 30), April 30 for MD-PhD programs, each applicant who has received an offer of acceptance from more than one school or program choose the specific school or program at which the applicant prefers to enroll and withdraw his or her application, by written correspondence delivered by regular or electronic methods, from all other schools or programs from which acceptance offers have been received.
So you can hold as many acceptances as you want until April 30th. This means sometimes you fill out official paperwork accepting their acceptance and send in a refundable deposit (refundable until April 15th-30th). There should be no pressure to tell them you are definitely coming or drop your acceptances to other programs. Some schools will want final decisions by April 15th, citing the acceptance procedures for programs beginning before July 30th.
There are three classes of programs to look out for.
A) A few non-MSTPs that are trying to "trap" applicants into their program by requiring a very early commitment, before many programs have decided. You should not feel intimidated by such schools. Let them know that they are violating the student acceptance procedures, and that you need more time if you are considering their program further.
B) Some schools that want you to hold only their acceptance by April 15. The funny thing is that some of these schools do not even begin by July 30. However, they justify their position by saying that if you do an optional rotation, you will begin before July 30, which sort of allows them to ask you for a decision. Either that or they just don't care to explain it to you, they just want you to ONLY hold their acceptance. Others actually have mandatory summer programs that begin very early.
Unless you run into a program that does start very early, requests for deadline extensions are almost always granted. Don't be afraid to ask for an extension if you need to hear from other programs, go to second looks, or just sort things out before you can move down to only one acceptance.
C) Some schools that fairly want you to hold one acceptance by April 30. What can be unfair is that these schools often feel entitled to just let you hang in there about acceptances until early April and then have second looks in late April because they just don't want to get done any sooner and feel that they can. If you are pressured by program B, program C will likely tell you to tell to program B that "the AAMC gives you until April 30th." In this case, program B will likely respond "The AAMC gives us until April 15th." Obviously it is a frustrating mess.
Note that if you come off the waitlist at a program after one of these deadlines, you still have the option to go there. You typically have about 2 weeks to hold onto a new acceptance in order to make a decision if you obtain an acceptance from a waitlist after a single acceptance deadline. After April 30th many people will jump from spot to spot as those who hang on to the last minute drop their other acceptances.
In summary, you have until April 30th to decide, except in rare circumstances. If you need more time after a program's "deadline", find an excuse and ask for more time. Almost always, your wish will be granted. Congratulations on having more than one acceptance!
The http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/policies/applicants.htm AAMC guidelines for holding acceptances dictates:
9) By May 15 of the matriculation year (April 15 for schools whose first day of class is on or before July 30), April 30 for MD-PhD programs, each applicant who has received an offer of acceptance from more than one school or program choose the specific school or program at which the applicant prefers to enroll and withdraw his or her application, by written correspondence delivered by regular or electronic methods, from all other schools or programs from which acceptance offers have been received.
So you can hold as many acceptances as you want until April 30th. This means sometimes you fill out official paperwork accepting their acceptance and send in a refundable deposit (refundable until April 15th-30th). There should be no pressure to tell them you are definitely coming or drop your acceptances to other programs. Some schools will want final decisions by April 15th, citing the acceptance procedures for programs beginning before July 30th.
There are three classes of programs to look out for.
A) A few non-MSTPs that are trying to "trap" applicants into their program by requiring a very early commitment, before many programs have decided. You should not feel intimidated by such schools. Let them know that they are violating the student acceptance procedures, and that you need more time if you are considering their program further.
B) Some schools that want you to hold only their acceptance by April 15. The funny thing is that some of these schools do not even begin by July 30. However, they justify their position by saying that if you do an optional rotation, you will begin before July 30, which sort of allows them to ask you for a decision. Either that or they just don't care to explain it to you, they just want you to ONLY hold their acceptance. Others actually have mandatory summer programs that begin very early.
Unless you run into a program that does start very early, requests for deadline extensions are almost always granted. Don't be afraid to ask for an extension if you need to hear from other programs, go to second looks, or just sort things out before you can move down to only one acceptance.
C) Some schools that fairly want you to hold one acceptance by April 30. What can be unfair is that these schools often feel entitled to just let you hang in there about acceptances until early April and then have second looks in late April because they just don't want to get done any sooner and feel that they can. If you are pressured by program B, program C will likely tell you to tell to program B that "the AAMC gives you until April 30th." In this case, program B will likely respond "The AAMC gives us until April 15th." Obviously it is a frustrating mess.
Note that if you come off the waitlist at a program after one of these deadlines, you still have the option to go there. You typically have about 2 weeks to hold onto a new acceptance in order to make a decision if you obtain an acceptance from a waitlist after a single acceptance deadline. After April 30th many people will jump from spot to spot as those who hang on to the last minute drop their other acceptances.
In summary, you have until April 30th to decide, except in rare circumstances. If you need more time after a program's "deadline", find an excuse and ask for more time. Almost always, your wish will be granted. Congratulations on having more than one acceptance!
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