Applying ED to Med School while doing masters at PCOM

[airjavaid]

I am planning on doing the one year certificate program in biomedical science at PCOM (GA campus) starting this fall 2012 and will, God willing, finish spring of 2013. I want to apply ED to Mercer now for a slot in the fall class of 2013. I was wondering, even though I will finish my program before Mercer begins its classes, applying ED means that Mercer will not be able to see my transcript until after I finish at least my first semester at PCOM. Should I continue to apply anyway? Should I apply regular decision (even though I think ED will give me an edge)? Or should I wait and apply during the summer of 2013 after I am completely finished with the PCOM program, which mean delaying medical school by an extra year?

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[NickNaylor]

If you haven't talked to Mercer about applying ED, I would strongly recommend that you do so. Ask to speak with the dean or assistant dean of admissions and see what they think about your prospects. You don't want to apply ED if there isn't a very good chance of you getting in as you'll effectively be screwed if you get rejected from Mercer and decide to apply the regular route.

ED shouldn't be seen as a way of increasing your chances or otherwise making up for a weak app. If you aren't a strong applicant to begin with, ED isn't necessarily going to help you. This is why it's critical to try and talk to someone at the school beforehand.

 

[penguinism]

You should call Mercer and see if they do any sort of ED application counseling. They might be able to tell you whether or not you have a realistic shot of getting accepted ED. However, if this service is not available at Mercer, I think you'd be better off applying normally. It's risky to apply ED because if you're not accepted, you're late applying to other schools.

How are your current grades and MCAT scores?