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[OrthopedicNeurosurgeon99]

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[KnightDoc]

I got offered a 75% tuition scholarship by a school today but was told I only have 48 hrs to accept and if I do accept then it is binding and I would be CTE'd there. I feel like that's against traffic laws trying to make me verbally commit before 4/30, right? I'm currently on 3 WLs that I like better than this school but 1) there is no guarantee I get off those WL and 2) even if I do they probably won't offer me this much aid. Should I just take the money and go to this school even though I'm meh about them and they are like my 3-4th choice? It's a mid tier and the total COA would be about 150k after 4 years. Compared to my WL schools that I really liked (one would be 250k and the other would be 360k)

Well, there are no "traffic laws," so they can do what they want. So can you.

It's not up to us to tell you whether 75% tuition should turn a meh into a wow for you. They are clearly trying to use money to coerce you. It's totally up to you whether or not to play. The system will not allow you to CTE before 4/30, so there's that, but, if you act unethically by making the commitment and later reneging, that could blow up in your face if the school later vindictively reports you to your new school. They WILL know where you matriculate after the cycle ends in October.

It's a nice problem most of us would love to have. Either allow yourself to be bought, or tell them no thanks, you want to keep your options open and don't enjoy being coerced.

 

[Deltasidearm]

I wouldn't count on getting any scholarships after getting in off the waitlist.

Ask yourself if you would still attend the other schools if given no aid over this one.

Personally, I would take the guaranteed money and run with it. Especially given the calmness that you get once you know where you're going and can safely plan for housing and such.

 

[OrthopedicNeurosurgeon99]

Very good points thank you both so much. I think I will have to take the aid and run with it.

 

[drgoldenboy]

So, either you:

1) take the scholarship and go to a mid-tier school for 150k COA, for sure.
2) don't take the scholarship, don't get off the WL at a presumably t-20 school (right?), and pay full COA (~320k COA).
3) don't take the scholarship, don't commit, and get into a t-20 school you really like but pay full COA (~320k COA).

Choose option 1.

 

[drgoldenboy]

Yes, I also don't think you should count on getting scholarships after getting off of WL as well.

 

[JimKimSlim]

I got offered a 75% tuition scholarship by a school today but was told I only have 48 hrs to accept and if I do accept then it is binding and I would be CTE'd there. I feel like that's against traffic laws trying to make me verbally commit before 4/30, right? I'm currently on 3 WLs that I like better than this school but 1) there is no guarantee I get off those WL and 2) even if I do they probably won't offer me this much aid. Should I just take the money and go to this school even though I'm meh about them and they are like my 3-4th choice? It's a mid tier and the total COA would be about 150k after 4 years. Compared to my WL schools that I really liked (one would be 250k and the other would be 360k)

I always tell people to go to a school that will be a great fit for you. WL does not mean A, so if that school is your only offer right now AND giving decent scholarship then I’d say take the money and run...

 

[OrthopedicNeurosurgeon99]

So, either you:

1) take the scholarship and go to a mid-tier school for 150k COA, for sure.
2) don't take the scholarship, don't get off the WL at a presumably t-20 school (right?), and pay full COA (~320k COA).
3) don't take the scholarship, don't commit, and get into a t-20 school you really like but pay full COA (~320k COA).

Choose option 1.

Well when you put it like that...🤣

 

[drgoldenboy]

Well when you put it like that...🤣

Well, what do I know, I'm in the same boat you are; however, I think in this case taking the cheapest sure thing is the right choice because you might lose it and also might not get into the schools. If you were into the schools that you like more we'd have a different conversation.

Look at the loan calculator on AMCAS and then you'll get a sense of what your loan burden will be after residency. Then, look at a calculator that helps you understand what your theoretical take home income would be after your taxes. Then, try to make a budget that includes mortgage, health insurance, car payments, etc, and you'll see that the decreased loan burden will be a no brainer.

 

[drgoldenboy]

Well, what do I know, I'm in the same boat you are; however, I think in this case taking the cheapest sure thing is the right choice because you might lose it and also might not get into the schools. If you were into the schools that you like more we'd have a different conversation.

Look at the loan calculator on AMCAS and then you'll get a sense of what your loan burden will be after residency. Then, look at a calculator that helps you understand what your theoretical take home income would be after your taxes. Then, try to make a budget that includes mortgage, health insurance, car payments, etc, and you'll see that the decreased loan burden will be a no brainer.

The debt from medical school is ball and chain, IMO.

 

[mr-dookie]

id be curious to see what schools you are deciding from but at this point I would take the scholly. congrats man/ma'am/awesome person

 

[Catalystik]

I got offered a 75% tuition scholarship by a school today but was told I only have 48 hrs to accept and if I do accept then it is binding and I would be CTE'd there. I feel like that's against traffic laws trying to make me verbally commit before 4/30, right? I'm currently on 3 WLs that I like better than this school but 1) there is no guarantee I get off those WL and 2) even if I do they probably won't offer me this much aid. Should I just take the money and go to this school even though I'm meh about them and they are like my 3-4th choice? It's a mid tier and the total COA would be about 150k after 4 years. Compared to my WL schools that I really liked (one would be 250k and the other would be 360k)

Learn to love the school that obviously values you.

 

[proudofmykids]

@OrthopedicNeurosurgeon99

You don’t really give enough info.
1. Have you already called them and spoken to a Director nicely explaining and requesting more time to make your a better informed decision decision? If not I suggest you do!

2. Is the 75% aid, Financial need based, or Merit? If financial, it increases chances of a higher ranked school also offering you money.

3. Maybe share the list of WL schools, and your stats, people can comment on likelihood of them making an offer with an Acceptance.

4. You can call your WL schools, explaining your situation and ask the chance of getting an Acceptance and offer (assuming you wouldn’t turn down the first offer if no aid came from a WL school.

 

[LunaOri]

If you don't get accepted off the WL at another school, you will be going to school #1 WITHOUT the scholarship, and that will not feel good! Take the scholarship and learn to love the school.

 

[Banco]

Love these sleazy "you have 48 hours to decide" games that schools play.

 

[YCAGA]

Love these sleazy "you have 48 hours to decide" games that schools play.

48 hours seems too short but you have to look at it from their perspective—5-7 days seems reasonable. They can’t offer 20 people scholarships when they actually have 5 to give out. They have to offer 5 and wait for people to accept or decline. Scholarships are a way they attract specific demographics of people, so they can’t have their scholarship offers tied up for weeks or months on someone who might not even go to their school.

 

[KnightDoc]

48 hours seems too short but you have to look at it from their perspective—5-7 days seems reasonable. They can’t offer 20 people scholarships when they actually have 5 to give out. They have to offer 5 and wait for people to accept or decline. Scholarships are a way they attract specific demographics of people, so they can’t have their scholarship offers tied up for weeks or months on someone who might not even go to their school.

I respectfully disagree. They don't "have to offer" 5, 10, 20, or any for that matter. It is an intentional decision to create an exploding offer, designed to pressure someone to make a decision prior to a universally agreed upon deadline (4/30), in order to game the system and gain an unfair advantage over peer schools.

Yes, they absolutely can have their offers outstanding for weeks or months, with people who do not even go to their school. Many reputable schools do just that. Every year. They all somehow find a way to redistribute money when it later becomes available, and still seat very awesome classes. Every. Single. Year.

 

[YCAGA]

I respectfully disagree. They don't "have to offer" 5, 10, 20, or any for that matter. It is an intentional decision to create an exploding offer, designed to pressure someone to make a decision prior to a universally agreed upon deadline (4/30), in order to game the system and gain an unfair advantage over peer schools.

Yes, they absolutely can have their offers outstanding for weeks or months, with people who do not even go to their school. Many reputable schools do just that. Every year. They all somehow find a way to redistribute money when it later becomes available, and still seat very awesome classes. Every. Single. Year.

I’m confused. Are you saying they don’t have a set amount of scholarship money to spend each application cycle?

 

[KnightDoc]

I’m confused. Are you saying they don’t have a set amount of scholarship money to spend each application cycle?

No. I'm saying that the amount is totally within their discretion to increase, decrease, or totally eliminate.

I'm also saying that it's unethical to give someone an exploding offer that expires before a deadline commonly agreed to by all of your peers. You have 5 scholarships, you offer 5 scholarships. If they are unclaimed after 4/30, you either redistribute them, or you keep them. You don't force people to make early decisions to ensure that all the money is spent by an arbitrary deadline.

If you want to offer 20, increase your budget and do so. Most schools just do not pull this crap with their accepted applicants. It's not necessary, and is nothing more than gaming the system to pull attractive candidates away from other schools, not by being better, but by eliminating their ability to have all the information at their disposal by an artificially accelerated deadline.

 

[YCAGA]

No. I'm saying that the amount is totally within their discretion to increase, decrease, or totally eliminate.

I'm also saying that it's unethical to give someone an exploding offer that expires before a deadline commonly agreed to by all of your peers. You have 5 scholarships, you offer 5 scholarships. If they are unclaimed after 4/30, you either redistribute them, or you keep them. You don't force people to make early decisions to ensure that all the money is spent by an arbitrary deadline.

If you want to offer 20, increase your budget and do so. Most schools just do not pull this crap with their accepted applicants. It's not necessary, and is nothing more than gaming the system to pull attractive candidates away from other schools, not by being better, but by eliminating their ability to have all the information at their disposal by an artificially accelerated deadline.

You honestly just don’t know what you’re talking about :/ not sure why you are so confident about this when it doesn’t make sense and also is demonstrably false if you’ve worked in admissions.

 

[KnightDoc]

You honestly just don’t know what you’re talking about :/ not sure why you are so confident about this when it doesn’t make sense and also is demonstrably false if you’ve worked in admissions.

Fine. I don't know what I'm talking about. Please name all of the ethical schools that require scholarship recipients to make a CTE selection before anyone else in their incoming class is required to do so.

So far, one has been posted on SDN -- OP's school. Literally hundreds of other folks on SDN have reported receiving generous and not so generous grants, both need-based and merit, from a wide variety of schools. Maybe I don't know what I am talking about, since I have not yet applied and never worked in admissions, but I haven't seen a single other post in 2+ years here on SDN where a school required a 48 hour turnaround, and a verbal CTE commitment, prior to 4/30, in order to receive a scholarship.

What am I missing?

 

[YCAGA]

Fine. I don't know what I'm talking about. Please name all of the ethical schools that require scholarship recipients to make a CTE selection before anyone else in their incoming class is required to do so.

So far, one has been posted on SDN -- OP's school. Literally hundreds of other folks on SDN have reported receiving generous and not so generous grants, both need-based and merit, from a wide variety of schools. Maybe I don't know what I am talking about, since I have not yet applied and never worked in admissions, but I haven't seen a single other post in 2+ years here on SDN where a school required a 48 hour turnaround, and a verbal CTE commitment, prior to 4/30, in order to receive a scholarship.

What am I missing?

You’re missing that your entire corpus of evidence is from SDN…there is a whole wide world out there that isn’t posted about on forums lol

 

[proudofmykids]

@OrthopedicNeurosurgeon99 what happened when you called the school Director to ask for more time?

 

[KnightDoc]

You’re missing that your entire corpus of evidence is from SDN…there is a whole wide world out there that isn’t posted about on forums lol

Fair enough. So, please, name names.

Which schools do not abide by the "protocols," and require their scholarship recipients to make commitments before the rest of the class, before 4/30, and before their CTE deadline?

I wonder whether other schools would enforce those commitments, under those circumstances, and not allow candidates to remain on their WLs? I wonder whether other schools would facilitate people later breaking commitments made under such duress, for the sole purpose of pulling people away from other schools' WLs prematurely? I wonder what happens in the real world, outside my limited SDN purview??? 🙂

As you so astutely pointed out, I am nothing but an overconfident, under informed, inexperienced guppy in these shark infested waters, but even I would be shocked if the vast majority of schools that honor the letter and spirit of the so-called rules would allow aggressive schools, such as the one OP is dealing with, to game the system and poach the most attractive WL candidates with impunity as part of a rush to distribute scholarship money before it burns a figurative hole in the institution's pocket. Maybe they would even undermine this effort without posting on SDN? 😎

 

[OrthopedicNeurosurgeon99]

@OrthopedicNeurosurgeon99 what happened when you called the school Director to ask for more time?

I have not done that yet. I emailed the other schools that im WL at explaining my situation as you suggested earlier, but none have gotten back to me and the deadline is tonight. I will probably call and ask for more time on the decision this afternoon but I doubt they will oblige.