The Ides of March

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the "ides" happen every month in the ancient roman calendar. they're on the 15th in march, july and october (and maybe may?) and the 13th of all other months. caesar was assassinated on the ides of march in 44 BC. (yes, i'm a latin/ancient roman nerd and knew this date off the top of my head 😛)

as much as i enjoy spewing about ancient rome... ever heard of wikipedia? probably easier to look there than to post on SDN.
 
chessodoc said:
Whats the significance of this day, other than the date of Caesar's demise. Is the day school specific?

Thanks
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Isn't that the day the non-rolling schools make their decisions known?
 
March 15 is the day that schools can see how many schools their accepted candidates are holding slots in. May 15 is the day acceptees have to narrow down to one. Yes?
 
I thought it was Match Day.
 
VCU updates their application statuses on March 15th! Also, Duke gives out their decisions "early to mid-march." Many schools also recommend to file FAFSA before mid-March.
 
Tiare208 said:
March 15 is the day that schools can see how many schools their accepted candidates are holding slots in. May 15 is the day acceptees have to narrow down to one. Yes?
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Yes! I am 99.99999% sure this is the significance of the date in the med school app world. I heard from an admin at a school that if you have been accepted, then on this day that school can see where else you hold acceptances. If you have not been accepted, that school cannot see where you do hold acceptances.
 
HrryUpNwait said:
Yes! I am 99.99999% sure this is the significance of the date in the med school app world. I heard from an admin at a school that if you have been accepted, then on this day that school can see where else you hold acceptances. If you have not been accepted, that school cannot see where you do hold acceptances.
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Haha, I wonder if they can quickly accept and then unaccept us just to see. Ah, the paranoia. 😏
 
So what if we get an acceptance after march 15. Would schools we have been accepted to pre-March 15 know of this new acceptance?

Don't all schools you have been interviewed at see where you have been accepted?
 
for some reason I read "the idea of match" as the thread title. I need to lay off SDN.
 
HrryUpNwait said:
Yes! I am 99.99999% sure this is the significance of the date in the med school app world. I heard from an admin at a school that if you have been accepted, then on this day that school can see where else you hold acceptances. If you have not been accepted, that school cannot see where you do hold acceptances.
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Huh? That's not true at all..May 15th is the first day that schools can see where else you've been accepted..hmm, it's odd that so many people agreed with this..im also surprised that LizzyM didn't catch this..
 
anoncurious said:
Huh? That's not true at all..May 15th is the first day that schools can see where else you've been accepted..hmm, it's odd that so many people agreed with this..im also surprised that LizzyM didn't catch this..
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Why do you think it's wrong?
 
The other resident adcom member (REL? I forget his name, he works at a Florida school) recently said something to the effect of: Feb. 15th is when med schools that have accepted you can find out who else has accepted you; March 15th is the day any med school can find out where else you've been accepted, whether they accepted you or not; May 15th is when they demand that you pick one. LizzyM also had definitely mentioned that March 15th is the date adcoms find out where else you've gotten in, if they so choose.
 
ButImLETired said:
The other resident adcom member (REL? I forget his name, he works at a Florida school) recently said something to the effect of: Feb. 15th is when med schools that have accepted you can find out who else has accepted you; March 15th is the day any med school can find out where else you've been accepted, whether they accepted you or not; May 15th is when they demand that you pick one. LizzyM also had definitely mentioned that March 15th is the date adcoms find out where else you've gotten in, if they so choose.
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I don't think that I would have said that because I'm totally in the dark about what the admissions office knows & when they know it. I do know that schools must have made as many offers as they have seats by March 15.
 
LizzyM said:
I don't think that I would have said that because I'm totally in the dark about what the admissions office knows & when they know it. I do know that schools must have made as many offers as they have seats by March 15.
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Oh, I apologize! I could have sworn you'd said that adcoms found that out in mid-March. Never mind...
 
LizzyM said:
I don't think that I would have said that because I'm totally in the dark about what the admissions office knows & when they know it. I do know that schools must have made as many offers as they have seats by March 15.
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That's interesting. I thought I remembered you saying something about that some time ago because it was new information to me, and it stuck with me. Maybe it was someone else just spouting gibberish.

Ah, found what I was talking about: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=7348532&highlight=March#post7348532

I guess March 15 is only a magic date of acceptance revelation to schools that accepted you.
 
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ButImLETired said:
The other resident adcom member (REL? I forget his name, he works at a Florida school) recently said something to the effect of: Feb. 15th is when med schools that have accepted you can find out who else has accepted you; March 15th is the day any med school can find out where else you've been accepted, whether they accepted you or not; May 15th is when they demand that you pick one. LizzyM also had definitely mentioned that March 15th is the date adcoms find out where else you've gotten in, if they so choose.
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Well, that's weird..the dean of admissions at one of the schools interviewed me and we started talking about the admissions process..he distinctly told me that schools had the ability to see where else applicants are accepted on May 15th, ...

Frankly, all this mysteriousness is absurd. We pay a lot of money for our application fees, spend a lot of time on the applications and on interviews and all that, and are kept pretty much in the dark as to how admissions works.
 
anoncurious said:
Well, that's weird..the dean of admissions at one of the schools interviewed me and we started talking about the admissions process..he distinctly told me that schools had the ability to see where else applicants are accepted on May 15th, ...
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That doesn't mean that they can't see them earlier too. However, I've never seen information from AMCAS about other offers being used in the decision making process for offers/waitlists so to my admissions committee it doesn't matter. The admissions office has that information and I think that it is pretty important on May 15 as the dust settles and they know with some certainty who will matriculate and where applicants who "got away" have chosen to matriculate.
 
anoncurious said:
Frankly, all this mysteriousness is absurd. We pay a lot of money for our application fees, spend a lot of time on the applications and on interviews and all that, and are kept pretty much in the dark as to how admissions works.
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👍👍👍

"Just keep sending us essays about how much you love us and as much money as you can afford. You don't need to know why."
 
anoncurious said:
Huh? That's not true at all..May 15th is the first day that schools can see where else you've been accepted..hmm, it's odd that so many people agreed with this..im also surprised that LizzyM didn't catch this..
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May 15th is the day that acceptees have to pick 1 school- not the day the schools see where else someone has been accepted. A big part of the March 15th date is, unfortunately, used so a school can pick financial packages to offer. Most schools don't openly admit this, but I have spoked with an admin who I know and he/she has confirmed.

Example: John is accepted to Harvard, Yale and Columbia. Harvard might want to offer a good amount of money so John will pick Harvard.
OR
John is accepted to Harvard only. Harvard might want to save money because we are currently his only choice.

Maybe so many people agreed and no one "caught it" because it was right, anoncurious. Hmmm
 
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So I should hold acceptances to multiple schools until around May 15th so that I can trick the schools I really want to go to into giving me $$$?...or am I missing something?
 
sankondbest said:
So I should hold acceptances to multiple schools until around May 15th so that I can trick the schools I really want to go to into giving me $$$?...or am I missing something?
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From what I have been told, which I am assuming is accurate because of who it came from, hold those acceptances until the financial package(s) have come from the school(s) you really want to attend. March 15 is likely when they will start putting it together, so when you hear the May 15 date really becomes meaningless, except that you need to make up your mind by then. So from when the $$ situation comes in the mail until May 15 the ball is in your court, not the schools (nice change).
 
LizzyM said:
That doesn't mean that they can't see them earlier too. However, I've never seen information from AMCAS about other offers being used in the decision making process for offers/waitlists so to my admissions committee it doesn't matter.
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No - I meant to say that May 15th was the first day..at least that's what he told me. Actually, in the same discussion with the dean, he told me straight up that they look at the list to see where else the applicant has been accepted and if its clear that this school is a 'safety' or something like that (judging by where else the applicant has been accepted), the dean says he goes ahead and rejects them even if he/she was a good candidate.

HrryUpNwait said:
May 15th is the day that acceptees have to pick 1 school- not the day the schools see where else someone has been accepted. Maybe so many people agreed and no one "caught it" because it was right, anoncurious. Hmmm
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No, no one 'caught it' because no-one has any idea what is correct or not. The dean specifically told me something and apparently the people on this board are saying something else..I'd much rather have faith in what the dean said..what's your source for March 15th?
 
anoncurious said:
No - I meant to say that May 15th was the first day..at least that's what he told me. Actually, in the same discussion with the dean, he told me straight up that they look at the list to see where else the applicant has been accepted and if its clear that this school is a 'safety' or something like that (judging by where else the applicant has been accepted), the dean says he goes ahead and rejects them even if he/she was a good candidate.



No, no one 'caught it' because no-one has any idea what is correct or not. The dean specifically told me something and apparently the people on this board are saying something else..I'd much rather have faith in what the dean said..what's your source for March 15th?
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Also a dean- and not that I have a relationship with as an applicant, but as a personal friend. In fact, I found out way before the app cycle this year...
 
anoncurious said:
No - I meant to say that May 15th was the first day..at least that's what he told me. Actually, in the same discussion with the dean, he told me straight up that they look at the list to see where else the applicant has been accepted and if its clear that this school is a 'safety' or something like that (judging by where else the applicant has been accepted), the dean says he goes ahead and rejects them even if he/she was a good candidate.
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That seems highly unethical. It is also highly unlikely since I've been told by various sources that only schools that have accepted you can see where else you have been accepted. It is so to prevent exactly what you describe.
 
Slade said:
That seems highly unethical. It is also highly unlikely since I've been told by various sources that only schools that have accepted you can see where else you have been accepted. It is so to prevent exactly what you describe.
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I think that REL, who is an adcom here, did say there's a certain point where any school you applied to can see your acceptances (early March?). Also, anoncurious' comments may be frustrating, but they make sense--a school doesn't want to waste time with an applicant who doesn't want to come.
 
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scarletgirl777 said:
I think that REL, who is an adcom here, did say there's a certain point where any school you applied to can see your acceptances (early March?). Also, anoncurious' comments may be frustrating, but they make sense--a school doesn't want to waste time with an applicant who doesn't want to come.
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where does REL say this?
 
Slade said:
That seems highly unethical. It is also highly unlikely since I've been told by various sources that only schools that have accepted you can see where else you have been accepted. It is so to prevent exactly what you describe.
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What makes it unethical?
 
KeyzerSoze said:
What makes it unethical?
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for the exact same reason that an interviewer asking you where you applied to is considered a no-no

seriously, you don't see the ethical problem in giving MERIT money only to applicants that are accepted in big name schools and not giving money to deserving applicants that don't have other acceptances??
 
It makes sense. They spend 2-3 hours with you. Other schools combined may have spent 2,3,4+ times that much time. If the school is not sure about you but other schools give you the 👍, then they feel better about accepting you (or enticing you). What is wrong with that? Presumably the other person competing for the same money was rejected to the same schools (and this is the same reason they may not deserve the merit money).
 
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I have heard that schools can see where any applicant to their school was accepted and matriculated but as far as I know that information is difficult to access (lots of data entry is required) and available in the summer (after most admisison & waitlist decisions have been made).

Merit money is an enticement. It is not need based and no one deserves it but it is offered to make a school an attractive choice to someone who might otherwise choose to go elsewhere.
 
Slade said:
for the exact same reason that an interviewer asking you where you applied to is considered a no-no

seriously, you don't see the ethical problem in giving MERIT money only to applicants that are accepted in big name schools and not giving money to deserving applicants that don't have other acceptances??
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Uh... not really, no. The whole point of merit scholarships are to encourage outstanding applicants to go to your school instead of others. They're not some kind of objective reward for your good work.
 
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