Agressive Use of Scholarship $$$ As A Recruitment Tool?

[boogie]

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Has anyone ever heard of med schools offering scholarship dollars up front to entice certain candidates to matriculate? I know this happens in undergrad admissions all the time but does it happen in med school too? If so, do applicants with multiple accepts shop around to see who will offer the best deal (so-to-speak?)

 

[Katya00]

I don't know, but I'm going to try and use that to my advantage if I can. At two interviews I've had the interviewers pretty much try and sell the school to me, asking me to please consider even going to their school, saying I am an excellent candidate who will be accepted all over the place. Hopefully I can use it as leverage and get some scholarships!

 

[Indryd]

I don't know, but I'm going to try and use that to my advantage if I can. At two interviews I've had the interviewers pretty much try and sell the school to me, asking me to please consider even going to their school, saying I am an excellent candidate who will be accepted all over the place. Hopefully I can use it as leverage and get some scholarships!

Careful...I heard all that and more at JHU, and I still haven't heard from them even though people who interviewed before and after me have been both accepted and waitlisted 🙁

 

[dajimmers]

UChicago gives out some scholarships when it accepts people, and they're a rolling school. An SDNer already has a full-tuition scholarship offer there for next year.

 

[SailCrazy]

Has anyone ever heard of med schools offering scholarship dollars up front to entice certain candidates to matriculate?

Yes. Michigan said as much on interview day.

 

[tigress]

oh, to be a candidate who could contemplate such things!

 

[efex101]

Yes this does happen in medical school admissions and usually folks that are heavily recruited have their pick of various schools with full rides.

 

[JTHURMA]

I don't know, but I'm going to try and use that to my advantage if I can. At two interviews I've had the interviewers pretty much try and sell the school to me, asking me to please consider even going to their school, saying I am an excellent candidate who will be accepted all over the place. Hopefully I can use it as leverage and get some scholarships!

Now this is bold, but check this out. I already had an acceptance and a probable one on the way (ended up getting it) so I told a member of the admissions committee that nothing short of a substantial scholarship would sway me from my state schools. Mind you, this is at my interview, where I haven't even been accepted, yet. I was still told to not only expect an acceptance, but my file will definately be in high consideration for scholarship funding.

My point, don't necessarily be cocky about it, but being up front is not always that bad either. And honestly, I feel a lot of students are hoping for full-rides, and although I don't think I'll get a full-ride, I sure will be looking for whoever gives the most, and I pay the least.

 

[popolus]

Now this is bold, but check this out. I already had an acceptance and a probable one on the way (ended up getting it) so I told a member of the admissions committee that nothing short of a substantial scholarship would sway me from my state schools. Mind you, this is at my interview, where I haven't even been accepted, yet. I was still told to not only expect an acceptance, but my file will definately be in high consideration for scholarship funding.

My point, don't necessarily be cocky about it, but being up front is not always that bad either. And honestly, I feel a lot of students are hoping for full-rides, and although I don't think I'll get a full-ride, I sure will be looking for whoever gives the most, and I pay the least.

Amen! brother/sister me too have been playing them against each other, my award letter happen to fall out of my folder at my last interview....oops..

 

[bdubz]

Just last week, I got accepted at UChicago and to UT Southwestern (those have been my only interviews and I have no more scheduled as of yet). I'd be very happy to go to either of thes schools, so I'm already considering finances. So before financial aid is known, I'm looking at total first year costs of around 50K at Pritzker and 30K at UTSW. I like Pritzker a lot more than UTSW, but I don't know if I like them 20K/year more! Do you think there is some way to nudge Pritzker into offering me some scholarship money? Should I wait until after I send in my fafsa and aid application, or after I receive my aid package, or should I contact them now? I have also heard that UTSW gives out scholarship mone, but that is later on in the process. Anybody have any thoughts? Or might this be better for a different forum?

 

[snowgirl]

Just last week, I got accepted at UChicago and to UT Southwestern (those have been my only interviews and I have no more scheduled as of yet). I'd be very happy to go to either of thes schools, so I'm already considering finances. So before financial aid is known, I'm looking at total first year costs of around 50K at Pritzker and 30K at UTSW. I like Pritzker a lot more than UTSW, but I don't know if I like them 20K/year more! Do you think there is some way to nudge Pritzker into offering me some scholarship money? Should I wait until after I send in my fafsa and aid application, or after I receive my aid package, or should I contact them now? I have also heard that UTSW gives out scholarship mone, but that is later on in the process. Anybody have any thoughts? Or might this be better for a different forum?

hey bdubz,

on an unrelated note, can i ask when you heard back from UTSW and when you interviewed? i'm starting to get a little worried because i'm OOS, interview the first date available, and haven't heard back 🙁

 

[Shredder]

Has anyone ever heard of med schools offering scholarship dollars up front to entice certain candidates to matriculate? I know this happens in undergrad admissions all the time but does it happen in med school too? If so, do applicants with multiple accepts shop around to see who will offer the best deal (so-to-speak?)

ive commented on this on other thread, but...dont sell your soul. its subtle bribery. make decisions with your heart not your pocketbook. youll make up the money later easily, but regrets are something that remain. well im speaking from experience so biased

 

[MadameLULU]

Just last week, I got accepted at UChicago and to UT Southwestern (those have been my only interviews and I have no more scheduled as of yet). I'd be very happy to go to either of thes schools, so I'm already considering finances. So before financial aid is known, I'm looking at total first year costs of around 50K at Pritzker and 30K at UTSW. I like Pritzker a lot more than UTSW, but I don't know if I like them 20K/year more! Do you think there is some way to nudge Pritzker into offering me some scholarship money? Should I wait until after I send in my fafsa and aid application, or after I receive my aid package, or should I contact them now? I have also heard that UTSW gives out scholarship mone, but that is later on in the process. Anybody have any thoughts? Or might this be better for a different forum?

UTSW gives Out of state students a scholarship that makes tuition the same as in state. So, you're talking about 10K vs 50K. You CAN use fin aid as leverage, but don't contact them now, contact them when you actually receive the packets

 

[bdubz]

snowgirl, interviewed early oct, received acceptance early november. hopefully you hear from them soon!

madame lulu, well i was just looking at tuition which will be 30K for Uchicago. Though it will be a little cheaper to live in Dallas than in Chicago, but overall I think living expenses will be about the same.

Shredder, could you PM me the other threads you've posted in, the search function is disabled so I can't find them.

 

[sunnyjohn]

Where can I sign on for some of this $$$?
😛

 

[unfrozencaveman]

Does it do you any good to hold one acceptance to act as a bargaining chip to get more money from another school? I'd rather not for the sake of others, but at the same time, I need some free money. Will it do me any good?

 

[Shredder]

Does it do you any good to hold one acceptance to act as a bargaining chip to get more money from another school? I'd rather not for the sake of others, but at the same time, I need some free money. Will it do me any good?

haha...i love the way businessmen think. drive the hard bargain buddy

 

[unfrozencaveman]

haha...i love the way businessmen think. drive the hard bargain buddy

Being a corporate mofo is now in my blood I think. Terrible...

But still, is this a tactic worth using?

 

[SailCrazy]

Does it do you any good to hold one acceptance to act as a bargaining chip to get more money from another school? I'd rather not for the sake of others, but at the same time, I need some free money. Will it do me any good?

I feel the same way that you do. I would prefer not to, but I will be holding onto more than 1 acceptance until I see my financial aid packages. With the amount of money involved, you can't afford not to! 👎

 

[Shredder]

Being a corporate mofo is now in my blood I think. Terrible...

But still, is this a tactic worth using?

its a competitive world, forget about the other applicants you are holding up. you work hard for acceptances, might as well use them to your full advantage when you get the opportunity. you have to expect that others would do the same. as for the practical side, hmm dunno if it would have any effect or not...it might subconsciously affect schools even if they deny it, just like ones list of schools affects them

 

[Chinorean]

My sibling and I applied and got in to the same medical school. Do you think we could write and ask them for a scholarship to spare our parents the agony of deciding which child they love more? 😕

Because I know I would win and I don't want my sibling to feel bad

 

[bdubz]

well utsw and uchicago are way, way high on my list of schools. if the process ended now, I would be extremely happy to go to either. a scholarship from one of the two would really be a huge factor in tipping the scales towards one school or the other. not the core reasons, i already like these schools for a lot of other things, but some kind of extra aid would be like icing on the cake.

While I'm going to hold on to offers from schools I am truly interested in, I'm trying to be mindful of my peers also applying now. I got another interview offer recently and turned it down after taking a good hard look at it. With these acceptances in hand, I realized that my probability of attending that school would be super small. So hopefully someone else has a shot now 🙂

Also, rofl Chinorean.

 

[bdubz]

no help? 🙁 I guess this isn't a typical problem.

 

[johnc]

On a side note...
On average, how good does an applicant have to be before the school starts pursuing him/her instead of the other way around?

 

[QofQuimica]

On a side note...
On average, how good does an applicant have to be before the school starts pursuing him/her instead of the other way around?

The answer to this question, like all other questions surrounding the mysterious med school application process, is "I don't know." Or, if you're really lucky, it might be, "It depends." What it depends on is never made clear.

 

[SailCrazy]

My sibling and I applied and got in to the same medical school. Do you think we could write and ask them for a scholarship to spare our parents the agony of deciding which child they love more? 😕

Because I know I would win and I don't want my sibling to feel bad

If that school is the one I'm guessing it might be, would you put in a good word for me too?

Thanks! 😀

 

[SailCrazy]

But still, is this a tactic worth using?

I think that holding an acceptance to somewhere you absolutely would not attend, just to try for some financial aid leverage is not the best idea. If, however, you have two (or more) schools that you like, and finances would swing your decision one way or the other, then I think that is a perfectly legitimate path to take. I have heard of some "negotiations" with fin. aid offices. I think it probably does happen.

 

[Chinorean]

If that school is the one I'm guessing it might be, would you put in a good word for me too?

Thanks! 😀

😱 You're psychic!

And, you can definitely use other school's scholarships/financial aid packages as a bargaining chip. You probably don't need to have more than one. And in case anyone was tempted, you definitely don't want to make one up or exaggerate! They do check.

 

[njbmd]

Has anyone ever heard of med schools offering scholarship dollars up front to entice certain candidates to matriculate? I know this happens in undergrad admissions all the time but does it happen in med school too? If so, do applicants with multiple accepts shop around to see who will offer the best deal (so-to-speak?)

Hi there,
I got a full-ride tuition scholarship and I took it. Now I owe about $40K for undergraduate, graduate and medical school total. I went took the school that offered me the most money and now, as a PGY-4 resident, I made the right decision.
njbmd 🙂