Withdrawing Before Interviews?

[neuronotes]

Hi, I was just wondering a little about the protocol for withdrawing an application from a specific program in ERAS before getting interview invites.

On ERAS recently, I clicked the box "I would like to notify the program I am withdrawing myself" on a few schools that I have not received any interview invites from. Is there something else I should do to let them know I am no longer applying to their program? Do I send the program coordinator an email or should this be enough?

Thanks in advance!

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[turkeyjerky]

I'd say that's enough--you don't really owe these people anything. If they don't register your withdrawal and send you an invitation to interview anyway, just email them then.

 

[mlw03]

May I ask why you did that? You paid your application fee. Why not wait and see, and if offered an interview, then decline?

 

[neuronotes]

May I ask why you did that? You paid your application fee. Why not wait and see, and if offered an interview, then decline?

I did that because I think I underestimated my competitiveness when I initially applied, but since have gotten around 14 interviews so far. So I withdrew myself from some of the programs that I haven't heard from yet that I would not want to go to as much as the ones on my interview list. I don't have enough time/money to interview at more than 14 places.

I feel that if I'm going to decline any interview that they may offer me anyway, why not just withdraw before they offer me an interview? I really don't like writing those awkward emails where I would decline an interview or cancel one.

 

[alwaysaangel]

I did that because I think I underestimated my competitiveness when I initially applied, but since have gotten around 14 interviews so far. So I withdrew myself from some of the programs that I haven't heard from yet that I would not want to go to as much as the ones on my interview list. I don't have enough time/money to interview at more than 14 places.

I feel that if I'm going to decline any interview that they may offer me anyway, why not just withdraw before they offer me an interview? I really don't like writing those awkward emails where I would decline an interview or cancel one.

Yup. Save them the time of reviewing your application.

When I applied last year I checked that box for 10 programs or so. I got 1 interview from one of them about a month later, and at that time I just informed them that I appreciated they're consideration but would be unable to attend.

But if you know you won't go - better to withdraw now and not waste the program's time.

 

[LMarie_MD2b]

Yup. Save them the time of reviewing your application.

When I applied last year I checked that box for 10 programs or so. I got 1 interview from one of them about a month later, and at that time I just informed them that I appreciated they're consideration but would be unable to attend.

But if you know you won't go - better to withdraw now and not waste the program's time.

I had to do the same thing to a handful of programs this year, after filling up my two months of interviewing time with 15 interviews. I hadn't gotten invites from these programs, and would not be traveling nearby for any interviews I had received so far, so I figured I'd let them focus on applicants who were dying to interview there.

I've also had to turn down a couple of invitations because of impossible scheduling--some pathology programs only have a total of 5 or 6 interview days!!

But, like my husband says, this is a good problem to have.

 

[mcl]

When we download your withdrawal notification from the ERAS Post Office, your application automatically goes into the inactive file so we'd have to search for you (or select the "view all files" option) to see your application at all. You just sort of disappear from the radar. If we do manage to view your application, we'll see that the "Withdrawn by Applicant" tag is checked and the options for scheduling are deactivated and highlighted in red. It's pretty hard to miss.

I'd surmise that if someone received an interview invitation after withdrawing from a program's consideration, the application was probably already printed and well into the review process by the time the withdrawal notifivation came through the post office.

 

[mlw03]

I feel that if I'm going to decline any interview that they may offer me anyway, why not just withdraw before they offer me an interview? I really don't like writing those awkward emails where I would decline an interview or cancel one.

Sure, that makes sense. I remember thinking that I paid for the application, so may as well find out if they were going to grant me an interview or not. Probably a bit rude, but I immediately decline the offers, allowing other candidates the date.