Bargaining with Med Schools?

[doctorsareneat]

I've seen some people talking about 'bargaining' with med schools for scholarships- is it ok to do that?

If one school offers me a big scholarship, can I go to another school and tell them that, hoping that they would match it?

It seems so sleezy...and clever...

(and no I haven't been offered scholarships (nor am I expecting any), I'm just curious)

does anyone know the earliest that schools start giving out scholarships to accepted applicants?

Thanks, all!

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[ICCONFETTI]

on the same note as this topic, I've heard some people say that it's good to tell med schools (who haven't accepted or interviewed yet) that you already have acceptances to other schools.
I personally think this is a horrid idea, but some people have said that it might make the other schools think you're a competitive applicant if you already have acceptances.

Thoughts?

 

[babaghannough]

on the same note as this topic, I've heard some people say that it's good to tell med schools (who haven't accepted or interviewed yet) that you already have acceptances to other schools.
I personally think this is a horrid idea, but some people have said that it might make the other schools think you're a competitive applicant if you already have acceptances.

Thoughts?

i'd like to hear people's thoughts on this as well

 

[LifetimeDoc]

Manipulation is such a highly desirable attribute of a physician!

 

[lord_jeebus]

I've seen some people talking about 'bargaining' with med schools for scholarships- is it ok to do that?

If one school offers me a big scholarship, can I go to another school and tell them that, hoping that they would match it?

It seems so sleezy...and clever...

(and no I haven't been offered scholarships (nor am I expecting any), I'm just curious)

does anyone know the earliest that schools start giving out scholarships to accepted applicants?

Thanks, all!

I did it after being offered a scholarship at a school in a location I didn't like and got a nice merit scholarship at my preferred school. My school does not hate me for bargaining with them.

My e-mail correspondence with the dean of admissions, in a nutshell:

"Another school is offering me a large merit scholarship. I prefer your school but the financial difference is too great unless you can do something about the cost."

"We are happy that you are interested in our school and can offer you $X. We hope this is enough."

"See you in August."

 

[Robizzle]

I did it after being offered a scholarship at a school in a location I didn't like and got a nice merit scholarship at my preferred school. My school does not hate me for bargaining with them.

My e-mail correspondence with the dean of admissions, in a nutshell:

"Another school is offering me a large merit scholarship. I prefer your school but the financial difference is too great unless you can do something about the cost."

"We are happy that you are interested in our school and can offer you $X. We hope this is enough."

"See you in August."

Wow, that's great.

For me, I'd feel like it would end like this:

"K. Good luck at the other school."

 

[doctorsareneat]

Wow, that's great.

For me, I'd feel like it would end like this:

"K. Good luck at the other school."

agreed.

but that's awesome. congrats!

 

[babaghannough]

what about bargaining with schools when all you have is acceptances..

 

[Stolenspatulas]

I did it after being offered a scholarship at a school in a location I didn't like and got a nice merit scholarship at my preferred school. My school does not hate me for bargaining with them.

My e-mail correspondence with the dean of admissions, in a nutshell:

"Another school is offering me a large merit scholarship. I prefer your school but the financial difference is too great unless you can do something about the cost."

"We are happy that you are interested in our school and can offer you $X. We hope this is enough."

"See you in August."

do you mind telling us what the schools were? bc I bet it depends on the school thats offering the aid or merit scholarship...

 

[Darkshooter326]

I think if you are being honest, and the money is truly the deciding factor between going to one school over another, then you should 'bargain.' If the school wants you to be there, then they would probably try and accomodate you.

 

[KeyLime]

on the same note as this topic, I've heard some people say that it's good to tell med schools (who haven't accepted or interviewed yet) that you already have acceptances to other schools.
I personally think this is a horrid idea, but some people have said that it might make the other schools think you're a competitive applicant if you already have acceptances.

Thoughts?

I personally think that it is a bad idea. I recently interviewed at a school, and they asked me if I had any other acceptances. I told them that I had two other acceptances. I think that they thought that their school was my backup even though it wasn't, and they waitlisted me.

 

[Schaden Freud]

Yeah, what if you have a couple of offers but no scholarships, and then say to the more expensive school- "well, I'd love to come here, but can't justify it since I have an offer from a cheaper school. Can you make up the difference, pretty please?"
Wonder if that would fly...

what about bargaining with schools when all you have is acceptances..

 

[bigdan]

Do it.

Bargain. It works.

dc

 

[airshad8]

Yeah, what if you have a couple of offers but no scholarships, and then say to the more expensive school- "well, I'd love to come here, but can't justify it since I have an offer from a cheaper school. Can you make up the difference, pretty please?"
Wonder if that would fly...

AFTER you've been accepted, schools can't just reject you without a reason. 'Bargaining' is not a reason. You could actually take them to court if they said 'K, good luck at the other school, you're off our list.' When a school rescinds your acceptance, they have to give a legitimate reason. So, yes it's fine to tell schools about other financial packages AFTER you've been accepted. I did this for UG and it worked wonderfully.

 

[pagemmapants]

I did this. My current school's main rival offered me full tuition, whereas my school now offered <3% of the "estimated first year budget" in their purported "very generous" grant. I told the fin-aid office here about it and they upped it to 10%. 'nuff for me, I guess.

 

[BucsFan813]

Assuming you have acceptances/scholarships: It is more than appropriate to initiate a conversation relevant to your wishes to attend a particular school. You really have to learn to play the "game".

If you already have a scholarship at school X, it's okay to let school Y know that you have other acceptances. Of course, this is only beneficial if you're comparing somewhat similar schools. You're not going to convince a top 5 to give you a scholarship just because your state school gave you a good package.

The key is framing the discussion (I have a lot of training in conflict resolution and negotiation). Say something like:

"I've always dreamed about pursuing my medical education at School Y. Learning of my acceptance was one of the most exciting days of my adult life. However, the cost of attendance is is something that my family are struggling with, given my full-tuition scholarship to School X. Before I made a final decision, I wanted to learn if the institution had any other means to reduce the disparity in the cost of attendance."

These admissions people aren't stupid. They negotiate all the time to retain faculty, etc. Put the ball in their court. That being said, if you're not a high priority, be prepared to walk...

 

[doctorsareneat]

That being said, if you're not a high priority, be prepared to walk...

what does that mean?

 

[Jacks Mannequin]

I do all of my bargaining with one of these.

 

[Gabujabu]

How much of a difference does bargaining make? Is a question of like 5% of total yearly expenses, or can it be much more??? (Assuming the other school that accepts you is similarly ranked)

 

[Robizzle]

what does that mean?

It means if you're one of those people who barely got in, one of those people who actually bring the MCAT & GPA averages down, etc. etc.

 

[StritchMD2011]

I'm resurrecting an older post.

Does anyone know when one would go about doing this bargaining? I have a small scholarship offer at one school, but would like to see if my top choice (a very comprable school) would be able to match this. It would solidify my choice to go there if I received a scholarship.

Anyone know who to go about contacting for this process? Dean of admissions?