Acceptance from wait list post-matriculation elsewhere

[ScarletK1901]

---

Members do not see this ad.

What are the rules regarding a wait list acceptance once you begin at another school?

For example, school A starts August 1, and you begin August 1. School B accepts you from their wait list on august 7. Can you still leave school A for school B, or are you now committed to school A?

I have called AAMC about this, and they said they do not have any rules regarding this scenario.

 

[GoodmanBrown]

If they don't have rules, I think you're free to do it. Seems like a pretty big stick to med school A though.

 

[mdeast]

What are the rules regarding a wait list acceptance once you begin at another school?

For example, school A starts August 1, and you begin August 1. School B accepts you from their wait list on august 7. Can you still leave school A for school B, or are you now committed to school A?

I have called AAMC about this, and they said they do not have any rules regarding this scenario.

I have no idea who you talked to at AAMC, but they do have guidelines for this issue. Both for medical schools and applicants.

In fact, when I was accepted off the waitlist at the school I'll be attending the Dean asked me if I had started an orientation program at another school (even though it was May). Your waitlist school isn't supposed to accept you if such a situation arises. It's unfair to your original institution to have to replace a candidate after orientation has started.

Here are the official "guidelines". Not technically "rules", but you are asked to abide by them.

For medical schools:
Guideline #9. No school make an acceptance offer, either verbal or written, to any individual who has enrolled in, or begun an orientation program immediately prior to enrollment at, a U.S. or Canadian school. Enrollment is defined as being officially matriculated as a member of the school's first-year entering class.
http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/policies/admissionofficers.htm

For medical applicants:
Guideline #10: Immediately upon enrollment in, or initiation of an orientation program immediately prior to enrollment at, a U.S. or Canadian school or program, each applicant withdraw his or her application from consideration at all other schools or programs at which he or she remains under consideration.
http://www.aamc.org/students/applying/policies/applicants.htm

 

[ThaliaNox]

Once you've matriculated at a US school, you're done.

That being said, I knew one person who had started school overseas during the summer when they got off a waitlist at a US school. They dropped out of the overseas school and went to the US school instead. Lost their first semester's tuition, though!

 

[gingko]

Once you've matriculated at a US school, you're done.

That being said, I knew one person who had started school overseas during the summer when they got off a waitlist at a US school. They dropped out of the overseas school and went to the US school instead. Lost their first semester's tuition, though!

Sounds silly but what does matriculation mean: first day of class/orientation or when you register for classes? If I register for classes does it mean that I am matriculating at the school? Or I could still drop classes and choose another school before the first day of classes/orientation???

 

[Hextra]

Attend both, study hard.

Imagine all the patients you could land with a card reading "ScarletK1901, MD, MD"

 

[Cleavername]

Attend both, study hard.

Imagine all the patients you could land with a card reading "ScarletK1901, MD, MD"

i LuLed.

 

[phantomx87]

Sounds silly but what does matriculation mean: first day of class/orientation or when you register for classes? If I register for classes does it mean that I am matriculating at the school? Or I could still drop classes and choose another school before the first day of classes/orientation???

Matriculation is the very first day you show up. Once you attend that first minute of orientation (after you respond "here" with the roll call), you are considered to have matriculated at said school.

 

[sojourne]

A related question: How do people handle financial aid application in a situation like this to avoid financial penalties?

Here is the scenario:

Someone is admitted to School A and is on the wait list for School B. School B is the preferred school for him. School A's orientation begins on 8/2 say. The student decides to give School B till 8/1 to make him an offer. Let's also assume that both schools are Direct Loan schools.

1. If he applies for loans at School A, will it transfer to School B without any penalties? (I am quite confused about this. The money comes from the Federal Government but School A is the one actually providing the loan.)

2. If it will not, is there a better way to handle this? The other danger is money not coming in time for School A, if he waited too long.

Thanks.

 

[gravitywave]

A related question: How do people handle financial aid application in a situation like this to avoid financial penalties?

Here is the scenario:

Someone is admitted to School A and is on the wait list for School B. School B is the preferred school for him. School A's orientation begins on 8/2 say. The student decides to give School B till 8/1 to make him an offer. Let's also assume that both schools are Direct Loan schools.

1. If he applies for loans at School A, will it transfer to School B without any penalties? (I am quite confused about this. The money comes from the Federal Government but School A is the one actually providing the loan.)

2. If it will not, is there a better way to handle this? The other danger is money not coming in time for School A, if he waited too long.

Thanks.

1. No. Loans are for the program they were disbursed to. in practice however, no school would charge you any significant amount (maybe the origination fee?) for dropping out before classes start. it would be messy but the loans would eventually be cancelled. if it's after classes have started, see the posts above regarding AAMC traffic rules.

2. School B should have provided you with a financial aid package before you committed to them. if they haven't, it's your ass if you make the leap.

 

[MCsoundt]

man how much would it suck if some med schools had a day of orientation in early june, but didn't start till early august, just so that they can consider you "matriculated" and avoid having to worry about losing you to one of your waitlist schools.

 

[sojourne]

Let me restate the scenario:

1. He has no plans of violating the AAMC guidelines. His self-imposed cutoff date for School B is a couple of days before the start of orientation at School A

2. He has not received an offer from School B yet

3. He has not applied for loans at School A yet.

How can he handle things such that

(a) he is not late in getting the money for School A if that's where he ends up going?

(b) he doesn't lose any money (in penalties and the like) if he ends up going to School B?

 

[gravitywave]

Let me restate the scenario:

1. He has no plans of violating the AAMC guidelines. His self-imposed cutoff date for School B is a couple of days before the start of orientation at School A

2. He has not received an offer from School B yet

3. He has not applied for loans at School A yet.

How can he handle things such that

(a) he is not late in getting the money for School A if that's where he ends up going?

(b) he doesn't lose any money (in penalties and the like) if he ends up going to School B?

there are no perfect answers for this scenario, i don't think. He should take all the proper actions in a timely fashion for attending school A. Sign the MPN's, put down security deposit on an apartment, etc. NOT doing these things with the hope that it will make things easier in the event of latebreaking waitlist movement seems foolhardy to me.

if he doesn't complete his paperwork and get everything lined up for the loans, then he runs the risk of not having any money for ramen the first month he's in classes. my experience with financial aid offices is that things move more slowly than you expect, and that the people working there have very little sympathy for students who do everything at the last minute.

if he withdraws before classes start, the most he's out would be the origination fees on the loans, and maybe not even that (?) he should check the school's tuition refund policy, but i've never heard of a place that wouldn't give a 100% refund to someone who withdrew before the start of classes. the loans get cancelled and the new school certifies new ones. then of course there's the unwinding of apartment leases, furniture, moving costs, blah blah. the stories people hear about are the miracles where So-and-so's longtime first choice called them on the celly as they were driving to orientation at their chosen acceptance. what we don't all hear about is what a pain in the ass it is for the first month or so once So-and-so decided to make the switch. it's the costs associated with moving to another city on very short notice that will hurt, and i honestly don't see any way around that.

 

[sojourne]

Thanks gravitywave.

He mailed School B to ask whether they could tell him what his chances were. They said that they couldn't but added that "We generally select alternates from the list up through the first day of class." [Some schools tell some wait listees that they should realistically forget about this year at their schools.]

He likes School B better. It is also cheaper being instate. Thus, it seems worth hanging on to. Of course, it simply may not work out.

Do you think emailing School A and asking for advice is a good idea? Or, is this a stupid thing to do? He is not doing anything wrong -- this is how the system works. His self-imposed cutoff date for School B is a couple of days before the start of orientation at School A. If there is no offer by that date, he will forget School B. He is quite happy to go to School A. School B will be somewhat better.

Can he apply for a loan at School A after the start of orientation? If necessary, his parents can loan him the money for tuition and other expenses until the loan comes through.

It is so nice to have a resource like sdn. Once he is all settled down, I plan on posting in more detail how much I have appreciated sdn along with some things I wish I had known earlier -- these latter would have saved us all quite some anxiety.

Thanks again guys and gals.

 

[pennstate4life]

Attend both, study hard.

Imagine all the patients you could land with a card reading "ScarletK1901, MD, MD"

Come on mods I made a similar comment w/ going to DO school twice. Remember? The legendary DODO bird joke? I am so mad now 😡

 

[gravitywave]

Do you think emailing School A and asking for advice is a good idea? Or, is this a stupid thing to do? He is not doing anything wrong -- this is how the system works. His self-imposed cutoff date for School B is a couple of days before the start of orientation at School A. If there is no offer by that date, he will forget School B. He is quite happy to go to School A. School B will be somewhat better.

Financial aid people are, in my experience, quite willing to discuss specifics about how their process works. I wouldn't be afraid to call them up to ask "what-if" questions. The student in this scenario should also have a complete financial aid file with School B, so that they can process his information and put together a package for him as soon as possible in the event he is accepted. some schools make a commitment to do this within the timeframe given to take/decline the waitlist acceptance, so as to make the student's decision easier. not everywhere does this though, as i understand it.

Can he apply for a loan at School A after the start of orientation? If necessary, his parents can loan him the money for tuition and other expenses until the loan comes through.

it depends on how School A does things. by now the student should have applied for and been awarded any aid at School A that he's going to get. if the student isn't going to sign for any loans until the day before orientation, he'd better make double sure that he's not giving any aid up by doing so (missing deadlines or whatever). i know that financial aid has to be formally accepted before they can disburse it, so one could simply put the stops on that way. on the other hand, i wouldn't be surprised if there were schools out there that didn't allow registration until the bill has been paid.

 

[sojourne]

School A's financial aid office was very helpful. They asked him to go ahead and apply for loans, saying that is should be easy to cancel them if necessary. They also suggested that he should go ahead and apply for loans at School B also, even though he hasn't received an admission form them. He feels odd contacting School B's financial aid office wanting to apply for loans before getting admitted.

 

[swamprat]

Out of curiosity, because this actually happened to my pcp way back when, he started at do school and got accepted off waitlist at md school a week into classes.. he chose to stay with do. Now, what if that happened today, do schools aren't guided by aamc so you could technically make the switch or vice versa rite?

 

[amine2086]

Out of curiosity, because this actually happened to my pcp way back when, he started at do school and got accepted off waitlist at md school a week into classes.. he chose to stay with do. Now, what if that happened today, do schools aren't guided by aamc so you could technically make the switch or vice versa rite?

The AAMC guidelines only applies to U.S. MD schools (in other words AAMC member schools). I think you are free to accept an MD offer after starting at a DO school or a foreign school.