DPT-Multiple Acceptances

[hamletginger]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I have been accepted at one of my top choices and need to put a deposit down in a couple of weeks, but am still waiting on 1-2 other programs that I might consider.

If I do go ahead and put a deposit down, will that negatively impact my getting an interview or being accepted at the other school(s)?

Is it wrong to put a deposit down and then withdraw if I do indeed decide to go to another school? Is that really frowned upon even if I do it in a timely manner?

With interviews and acceptances staggered, it makes it somewhat difficult to make a decision this early in the cycle. But I was told to apply and interview ASAP.

 

[Corks]

depends, where did you get in? 😉

 

[PTHopeful12]

Hi Hamletginger,

First, Congrats on getting accepted!! Second, I am in the same position. I heard from a director of a program that if you put a deposit down that other schools are able to see that. When I contacted PTCAS about the situation they said they do not give out that information to anyone, so it should not impact any decisions by other schools.
I guess the schools are just playing their own game and want their serious applicants to put their deposit down and stick with it.
I hope if anyone has any other info on this they will comment. Good Luck with your decisions! Hope I could help.

 

[Litlwarrior08]

Found this in the Program Manual for admissions (not student directions)

Shared Acceptance Reports in Spring 2012
[FONT=Calibri,Calibri][FONT=Calibri,Calibri]All PTCAS programs agree to share information with each other regarding actions OFFERS MADE and OFFERS ACCEPTED. Institutions have access to their applicants' acceptance status at other institutions if the following conditions are met:
1. The institution has reported its own final admission decision for the applicant to PTCAS, and
2. The institution shares the applicant with another PTCAS institution in which an offer of admission was made or an offer of admission was accepted.
OFFERS MADE AND OFFERS ACCEPTED REPORTS
Beginning in ..March 2012, [FONT=Calibri,Calibri][FONT=Calibri,Calibri]PTCAS reports the number of "Offers Made" and "Offers Accepted", but does not report the identity of the competing institutions. Participating programs do not know at that time how many applications an applicant has submitted, whether the applicant was denied admission to another PT program, or any other admission actions. ..[FONT=Cambria,Cambria][FONT=Cambria,Cambria]2011-12 PTCAS Program Manual ..[FONT=Calibri,Calibri][FONT=Calibri,Calibri]80
The admission decision reports are not available until the close of the application cycle after students enroll in the fall. Following the close of the application cycle, PTCAS provides reports with additional information regarding the PTCAS applicant pool.
..

 

[DancerFutureDPT]

I love how political it is. It's so systematic. I wonder what the benefit for the PT schools is? I guess maybe knowing what other schools they're competing with is valuable (i.e. I know NU and UIC often have a lot of overlap in applicants and offers, just based on my own knowledge of students at those institutions)...I don't know what other purpose that information would serve though...maybe if XYZ school realizes that 90% of their entering class only got offers from the XYZ school, they may decide to increase their admissions standards? hmmm.

Thanks LilWarrior for that info! I never knew all that.

 

[thekman]

Yeah, great info! I'm surprised about that too.

I'd imagine that they take this information into account when calculating matriculation yields, which trickles down to the number of yearly acceptances and the entire application process. It's also useful for admissions directors, as they try to differentiate their program from others in the region.

 

[rangardrum]

Hmm, this is news to me. It looks like the sharing doesn't happen until March though, right? I'd think most schools have had to make decisions before then.

I'd imagine the schools are used to getting people to withdraw after they put deposits down already. The schools that force you to make decisions early are likely very used to it.

 

[PTisfun]

Knowing what schools applicants end up going to is very important for a PT school. It helps the school determine what applicants think are 'peer institutions.' Knowing your 'peer institutions' is helpful to schools for lots of things, like deadlines and admission standards, prerequisites, cost, etc, etc. And schools usually consider lots of things when trying to determine peer institutions, but applicants play a role.
And yes, schools absolutely know you will put deposits down for more than one school, and rescind your acceptance. You typically lose your deposit money, and schools are trying to minimize this practice by raising the deposit amount. But schools already know.. I mean not about a specific student, but about the practice. So it should not affect your interview. In my experience though, a friendly reminder.....do not tell the faculty person you are interviewing with at School B that you have been accepted and put a deposit down at School A already. 🙂

 

[hamletginger]

Would it ever make sense to ask school B what their time frame is for interviews and decisions, mentioning that you have an acceptance at school A, and ask them what they suggest?

 

[hamletginger]

If you were applying to an in-state competitor, would you ever mention an acceptance at the competitor, when asking about their time frame for decisions? They can assume that if you are living in CA, if you are applying to one CA school you are most likely applying to others. A downside can be that they think you might have a deposit down at the competitor. But, they probably will not care, because it is not their money and they will go after the students they want.

 

[PTisfun]

Would it ever make sense to ask school B what their time frame is for interviews and decisions, mentioning that you have an acceptance at school A, and ask them what they suggest?

When you interview, the school should tell you the schedule of notifying. Most of the PTCAS schools have been putting it in there pretty quickly after interviews (at least that is what PTCAS is telling schools). Like within a week.

 

[jblil]

When you interview, the school should tell you the schedule of notifying. Most of the PTCAS schools have been putting it in there pretty quickly after interviews (at least that is what PTCAS is telling schools). Like within a week.

For those who have interviewed and who subsequently got an offer, how much time do the schools give you before you have to commit (i.e., put a deposit down)? If you get an offer today, do they want you to make a deposit within a couple of weeks, a couple of months, etc?

 

[rangardrum]

For those who have interviewed and who subsequently got an offer, how much time do the schools give you before you have to commit (i.e., put a deposit down)? If you get an offer today, do they want you to make a deposit within a couple of weeks, a couple of months, etc?

This will vary from school to school. It might be worth asking for an extension of the deposit deadline if it will help make a difference in your decision.

 

[shredgnar]

On average, about how long does it take to hear back from rolling admissions schools after your application has been mailed out? I guess it varies from school to school?

 

[Litlwarrior08]

It varies.......I recieved some emails w/in a week of PTCAS mailing. Think this was standard just to report to me they received the appl. Others took about a month to let me know/ or invite me to complete the 2ndry materials: grad school app, transcripts, free .... then there is another review....invites-if qualified or choosen to interview, (none of these yet) others put me on hold due to AU for more prereqs, or they were interviewing apps w/. higher stats. Good Luck

 

[Litlwarrior08]

Hmm, this is news to me. It looks like the sharing doesn't happen until March though, right? I'd think most schools have had to make decisions before then.


Schools have till they fill their classes to decide. i have seen some postings on this forum where an applicant was accepted the week before classes started.
The data is also used for the PTCAS end of cycle report........ours will be in the OCT 1012 report. I also think this sharing during the spring is new for PTCAS. I would love to see info on specific schools; how many offers, how many accepted, how many withdrew / pulled out after paying the deposit, etc. Must be a logistical nighmare when applicants pull out after committment and offers have to go to others who accepted elsewhere............ but then we know not to give up until all those we have applied to have started classes.😉

 

[rangardrum]

Yeah, it would be interesting to see that additional data on a school-by-school basis.

 

[Corks]

I think the biggest question is, do you pay the $1000 at one school for a deposit, even tho it isn't your top choice (due to financial reasons), only for security purposes?

EDIT: thanks thekman 😉

 

[thekman]

I have been accepted at one of my top choices and need to put a deposit down in a couple of weeks, but am still waiting on 1-2 other programs that I might consider...

Is it wrong to put a deposit down and then withdraw if I do indeed decide to go to another school? Is that really frowned upon even if I do it in a timely manner?

I would put the deposit down. I spoke with an admissions director at a prestigious DPT program, and they urged me to accept the first offer that I received. This admissions process is such a crapshoot and you never know what'll happen. Although $500-$1,000 is a lot of money now, it is definitely worth the security of having a seat somewhere.