A point of diminishing returns with "acceptances" in regards to finaid leverage?

[Frazier]

I was reading a thread from several years ago that debated the usefulness of holding multiple acceptances in order to increase perceived "desirability" of an applicant. I personally feel that with the subjective nature of admissions - the previous theory makes sense... I'm sure somewhere in the history of time an applicant was able to successfully leverage himself higher up a waitlist or to a higher level of funding by instilling the [perhaps subconscious] thought: "Wow, he has a lot of acceptances" or "Wow, he is accepted to XYZ!".

We have no way of knowing on a universal scale really, so let's just assume it happens.

However, my question regards a point of diminishing returns... if an applicant already holds a set of acceptances to schools across the spectrum of our cherished US News Rankings, would another acceptance to a mid/low-tier school serve any purpose?

"Attending interviews cost money! You would be silly to waste money attending an interview at a school you aren't interested in!"

...Well, what if the school is in a nearby state? Attending the interview would cost under $100, and while the OOS tuition is so high (and their respective scholarship offerings so rare) that the potential interviewee is nearly certain they won't attend in reality, other schools aren't privy to that fact and it appears to be (from their perspective) yet another notch in the applicant's belt.

I imagine if we were talking about the difference between 0 vs 1 acceptances, or 1 vs 2, it would make an impact to some [unmeasurable] amount. But, what about 6 vs 7 acceptances, or 10 vs 11?

In your opinion, is there a point where going to essentially a "free" interview is simply not worth the effort because the actualized benefit approaches the point of negligibility?

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[sinombre]

In your opinion, is there a point where going to essentially a "free" interview is simply not worth the effort because the actualized benefit approaches the point of negligibility?

To be blunt: probably. But even with an ungodly number of acceptances in hand, I would still attend the "free" interview.

 

[annonymous819]

Not sure how this works across various schools, but at the top 10 schools I've interviewed at this was asked a few times.

The admin basically said to shove off if you try and leverage something like that, there is always an eager kid on the waitlist willing to take your spot if you aren't happy with the aid you've been offered. Having >1 acceptance is nice from a choice perspective, but may only incidentally effect your aid at schools.

I'm sure it works for the cream of the crop, but in all practicality it's a dangerous game to be playing.

 

[eefen]

If I had ~3-4 acceptances, with at least one to a school that I would love to attend, and was offered an opportunity to interview at another school close by that was low on my list, I'd probably decline. It's just not worth the hassle, IMO. Once the schools that have accepted you can see your other acceptances (as they will, in a few months), I doubt one more low-tier school would make much of a difference.

Disclaimer: I am not in admissions committee, so perhaps it would make a huge difference and the school you love would offer you a full scholarship.


But I doubt it.

 

[ValentineLissar]

Not sure how this works across various schools, but at the top 10 schools I've interviewed at this was asked a few times.

The admin basically said to shove off if you try and leverage something like that, there is always an eager kid on the waitlist willing to take your spot if you aren't happy with the aid you've been offered. Having >1 acceptance is nice from a choice perspective, but may only incidentally effect your aid at schools.

I'm sure it works for the cream of the crop, but in all practicality it's a dangerous game to be playing.

I'm a little confused about that statement. Are you saying if you ask for financial aid to attend the school, the administration would rather rescind your acceptance and give it to someone else?

 

[Fivo]

I'm a little confused about that statement. Are you saying if you ask for financial aid to attend the school, the administration would rather rescind your acceptance and give it to someone else?

No. As in, Why would we give you more money to come here as if we really want you that bad. If you don't like our aid and choose to go somewhere else, then we have 100 students on our waitlist that will gladly take your spot. So either come to our school with the aid we've given you or piss off because you're not worth the extra aid you're asking for!

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

I definitely wouldn't attend another interview just to "put a notch in my belt" in case I got accepted. I don't know if I'd go interview anywhere I wasn't really interested in. I actually personally did this after a few acceptances and declined several interviews because they were to schools I had just applied to for the hell of it. Don't waste money going to interviews for no reason.

I've said this before but I wouldn't try to play acceptances out against each other to try to get a scholarship. Yes, an acceptance means they want you but they also have people right behind you on the waitlist they'll be happy to fill your spot with.

Where I would consider doing this is if you have multiple scholarships already and you're trying to get one to match the other for a school you really want to go to. Scholarship = They really want you...enough to take money off your tuition to get you to go there. A scholarship means they really are starting to "compete" for an applicant, as they're trying to sway you to go to their school by giving you free money (in most cases). This is not the same as a need based scholarship. Those usually won't change.

Don't think of it as leverage and I would never ever give a hint of that in your correspondence. You need a good explanation for why you're trying to get more money. It can't just be "I have the same amount from another school so give me more or I won't come". However, if you really want to go to that school but another school is giving you a better offer, there's no harm in letting them know how much you want to go there but that finances do play a part in your decision. That's just a fact of life and people understand that. Again though, I wouldn't try to do this with need-based portions of decisions. Those are usually calculated according to a specific formula and have nothing to do with how much a school "wants" you.

 

[Frazier]

Thank you for the input, brethren!

 

[Doctor Strange]

Color me egotistical, but there's always a part of me that wants to know just how far I can really get. In this case, it would be how many acceptances I can rack up by the end of the cycle. >___>

 

[Supisak]

Color me egotistical, but there's always a part of me that wants to know just how far I can really get. In this case, it would be how many acceptances I can rack up by the end of the cycle. >___>

Does egotistical = premed douche? Just checking....were you going print out the acceptance emails and frame them for your dorm room wall? Kind of an I love me thing?
if you are in at your top school don't be a douche, give the interview spot to someone else

 

[mcloaf]

Does egotistical = premed douche? Just checking....were you going print out the acceptance emails and frame them for your dorm room wall? Kind of an I love me thing?
if you are in at your top school don't be a douche, give the interview spot to someone else

Chill man. He put in the work that entitles him to as many acceptances as he wants until May 15th. Let others see to themselves.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Does egotistical = premed douche? Just checking....were you going print out the acceptance emails and frame them for your dorm room wall? Kind of an I love me thing?
if you are in at your top school don't be a douche, give the interview spot to someone else

My post wasn't 100% serious. But...

If I'm invited to an interview, I am entitled to go to that interview if I so choose. Just because I've been accepted to my "top choice" doesn't mean that my mind might not change if I go somewhere else and fall in love. After all, you don't really "know" a med school until you're there and have experienced the place; at least that's my point of view. Not to mention the fact that there might be some advantages to waiting for financial aid packages and whatnot. No doubt, I'll be withdrawing acceptances from some schools sooner rather than later, but that's my prerogative.

I'd like to take my time and be completely sure before making this multi-hundred-thousand dollar decision.

But I digress... No hard feelings.

 

[JJMrK]

If you get into a cheap state school you can always tell any other adcom you are strongly considering them but the cost is prohibitive. I'd bet what matters more than how many other acceptances you're holding is how strong your application is. School X is not going to offer you more money because you got into schools A, B, and C, but they might offer someone with a 4.0 and a 40 MCAT more than the other applicant with a 3.8 and a 35.

 

[NickNaylor]

If you get into a cheap state school you can always tell any other adcom you are strongly considering them but the cost is prohibitive. I'd bet what matters more than how many other acceptances you're holding is how strong your application is. School X is not going to offer you more money because you got into schools A, B, and C, but they might offer someone with a 4.0 and a 40 MCAT more than the other applicant with a 3.8 and a 35.

This is exactly what I said to my current school and I got an increase in my scholarship when requested. I also second calvin's post 100%.

(sent from my phone)

 

[Law2Doc]

This is exactly what I said to my current school and I got an increase in my scholarship when requested. I also second calvin's post 100%.

(sent from my phone)

I think most of you are on the right track. You want to interview anywhere you might consider going, taking into account the places you've already got. Now if you already got into school X and Y, and wouldn't go to Z over either of those regardless of the money, you probably are wasting everyone's time interviewing at school Z. Once you have a pool of places you would go to if the money was right, you can pit them against each other, but I think it's bad form and probably doesn't get you anywhere to interview someplace you wouldn't go to regardless just to have more to leverage. A good program will often call your bluff if you seem like you racked up places you aren't serious about, just to bully them, anyhow.

 

[NickNaylor]

I think most of you are on the right track. You want to interview anywhere you might consider going, taking into account the places you've already got. Now if you already got into school X and Y, and wouldn't go to Z over either of those regardless of the money, you probably are wasting everyone's time interviewing at school Z. Once you have a pool of places you would go to if the money was right, you can pit them against each other, but I think it's bad form and probably doesn't get you anywhere to interview someplace you wouldn't go to regardless just to have more to leverage. A good program will often call your bluff if you seem like you racked up places you aren't serious about, just to bully them, anyhow.

I agree to some extent about "wasting" an interview slot, but in my experience it was impossible to tell what a school was like until I interviewed here. I never seriously considered my current institution until I attended the interview; I threw it on the list because it was a "peer" institution to other schools I was more interested in. But I was blown away on the interview day, ended up getting accepted, and ended up attending. If you asked me at the beginning of the cycle where I would like to go based on the schools on my list, my current school probably wouldn't have been on there.

If you "know" that you won't attend a school, then you shouldn't go to the interview. But it can be hard to "know" that until you actually visit the school, which is somewhat of a conundrum.

 

[Frazier]

After deliberating with both my own thoughts and SDN's collective wisdom in mind, I have decided to continue withdrawing from II's that do not interest me.

Cheers, men.