I have been reading up on deposits for osteopathic schools, and I'm actually somewhat scared. I read that the deposit for TUCOM-NV is $2000, and that they expect it pretty fast. I'm on the waitlist at another school, which has monthly waitlist movement, and I really don't feel like throwing $2000 away if I'm accepted at TUCOM NV and then subsequently accepted at the other school.
I've also noted that deposits for osteopathic schools are significantly higher than for allopathic schools.
$2,000 is a little mind-blowing in my book.
No offense to you personally but if you look at the last 20-30 threads in this forum you will see several that ask questions about the large deposits that certain D.O. schools seek. If you read even some of the responses you will keep hearing the same things over and over again. Let me see if I can spit those out real quick:
1) placing a deposit down at any school that has accepted you is better than
not placing anything down if you are currently only on a waitlist or waiting for more interviews. Let me RESTATE this in another way, it is only after you are GUARANTEED a spot at a medical school (likely by putting down a deposit) can you semi-relax and further consider other offers down the road, do not take the first acceptance for granted and assume that you will get one at another or a better school later on. If you do this and end up with no place to go you have no one to blame except yourself.
2)$2000 (which I think is the largest deposit schools ask for) is a DROP IN THE BUCKET if you are going to make at least $90,000 per year as a doctor. You may think wow, $2K that is like 3 months rent, (or 10 pairs of Air Jordans, or 10 weeks of food and going out to bars or whatever), it is nothing compared to sitting on your butt for another year and not making the $90,000 or TWICE that amount that you would make if you went to med-school one-year earlier and graduated one-year earlier, and worked as a licensed Dr. one year earlier. If you can't come up with the deposit money after spending close to that amount on application and traveling to interview fees then consider how much it would suck to reapply again and have to spend that money again next year. Beg your parents for the money, borrow it from a bank, whatever, the investment of that deposit fees is pretty much priceless.
I hope this puts it in somewhat of a better perspective for you. If you listen to the people who say: "if you really don't think you will like this or that particular school then don't put the deposit", then you are really listening to people that are saying: "please be dumb enough to risk losing your seat so I can maybe take it from you."
Sorry to sound so uptight but you guys should stop thinking so short term and think of the long term impacts of this process.
P.S. I used to collect Air Jordans so I know their value and that is why I used that as an example.
P.P.S . If you have a spare $9,000 lying around, put it into a IRA account immediately (you have to split it between 2 years as there is a limit on how much you can put in per year) and assuming a 9-11% historical interest rate, when you withdraw the money when you are 59.5 years old that $9K will be close to or more than $200,000 which will pay for your entire medical education. Think about that. Good night!