Early Decision or Not?

[DrJ2B]

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Hey SDNers,

I am really interested in applying early decision to UPenn because I feel that the program is perfect for me, but I am worried that if I do not get in, my applications to other schools will be too late. My decision would be sent on October 1st. I am not allowed to apply to other schools until the decision has been rendered. I would have to send my AMCAS information then and I would still have to receive the secondaries. However, if I do not get in early, I do get shuffled off the regular admission (not sure if that is good or bad). I know UPenn is where I want to be but as I have read, the process is so arbitrary and weird more often than not. I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks. Congrats to accepted SDNers and good luck to waitlistees.

 

[specialk]

Dude, HOW are we supposed to give you any advice if you haven't said ANYTHING about your application?! What's your MCAT? GPA? EC's? Recs? Experience? If you've got a 25 and a 3.4, I would not recommend it. But if you've got a 3.9, 36, excellent recs and stuff, then it's definitely a good idea. But you don't HAVE to have stats like that to get in ED. The point is, you WON'T get in with low stats. So no one can really advise you either way without knowing your situation. Hope that helps.

 

[md_student10021]

Originally posted by DrJ2B
Hey SDNers,

I am really interested in applying early decision to UPenn because I feel that the program is perfect for me, but I am worried that if I do not get in, my applications to other schools will be too late. My decision would be sent on October 1st. I am not allowed to apply to other schools until the decision has been rendered. I would have to send my AMCAS information then and I would still have to receive the secondaries. However, if I do not get in early, I do get shuffled off the regular admission (not sure if that is good or bad). I know UPenn is where I want to be but as I have read, the process is so arbitrary and weird more often than not. I would really appreciate any advice. Thanks. Congrats to accepted SDNers and good luck to waitlistees.

Absolutely not. Unless you have a 4.0/40, and went to Penn for undergrad, and have legacy status, and you have a parent who is a department chair, and happen to be a Rhodes scholar. Then maybe.

Penn is a great school, but the truth is that many excellent applicants are shot down. Applying ED will only put you at a disadvantage at every other school to which you will apply if you are not admitted ED (which is likely, regardless of the "strength" of your application).

Best of luck.

 

[DW]

i agree in part with md_student10021. Unless you are a STELLAR applicant and/or have something very substantial working in your favor, EDP at an ultra competitive school like penn might not be a good idea. Early decision is best I feel when you've got compelling reasons to be in a particular locale and you've got an EDP friendly state school (like MCG for example). Plus, you cant be 100 percent sure as to whether Penn would be your top choice until you've gone through this process. Your view of whats your "top choice" can change greatly after going on all your interviews.

getting shuffled into regular admissions isnt "bad", but its less than optimal. basically, instead of being early with all the other schools you might be applying too, your application will be caught in the mid season crunch along with everyone else's.

I vote HELL NO. good luck with applying 😉

 

[ASDIC]

hi there,
one of my family friends was an admissions officer at the UPenn -Wharton School of business few years back. he told me that in order to be accepted to UPenn's graduate programs (including MD) you must have a very high GPA. He further elaborated that students coming with high GPAs (3.9 and above ) from non- prestigiuos schools are given serious consideration. however he maintained that, students with low GPAs are accepted only if they come from prestigious schools such as the Ivy league schools, Stanford, Duke, MIT, Johns Hopkins and CalTech. i asked him about the mcats, he said that it also applies to them as well. So if u come from a prestigious school and have not very high credentials u might be considered OR if u have very high GPA and MCAT and come from a less prestigious school, u will have a chance. Otherwise, I recommed u not to apply.
Good luck!

 

[uniqueseraph]

How are your stats compared to the accepted stats of the applicants at the school? If you're up there, go for it. As your first choice, you'd have a better chance with ED. Plus, if you want to go there, go for it! You could always get the other applications ready just in case, so you're not late either.

 

[DrJ2B]

Hey all!

I am sorry for not mentioning my circumstances. I have been so weird after the MCAT. Besides that, I am a junior at NYU. I have a 3.9 GPA (Bio major and French Minor) and I am involved in tons of activities including a frat, service clubs, college bowl (so fun). I have leadership positions in a few clubs. I have good clinical experience and am an EMT. I went to Duke's MMEP program last summer and I will be getting a letter of recommendation from that program and Dr. Armstrong(I was the top Cell Biology scholar there and one of the top Physiology Scholars). I met one of the committee people at UPenn at a medical school fair there and I told her I wanted to apply there. I followed it up recently by e-mailing the director of admissions at UPenn (she is so awesome and is willing to work with me to be a competitive applicant). I will be doing really cool research in Peru/Brazil this summer on ecology, marine biology, and biochemistry. I cannot wait to go. I just have to await my MCAT scores. I just love UPenn's program so much. It fits me so well. I have researched it for years and I have asked some students who go there. I spoke to my premed advisor and she said to go for it, but I cannot help worrying. I thank everyone for his or her advice and I hope what I said helps frame any future responses. Thanks all.

 

[Habari]

drj2b -

i really think you should apply ed. it is a risk, and because of it not many people take this option. while you have to be a solid applicant, it is not true that one has to have done something completely extraordinary. if you get a 34 or so on your mcat's, don't hesitate to apply. i don't have any anecdotal evidence about penn- but i know 2 people ed @ yale and while they were great applicants, they did not have 'rhodes scholar' on their app. 1 went to a well regarded state school [not mich or UC's].

my application this year looks much like yours - i'm coming from a similarly tiered school, and was accepted at all but 1 school i applied to. though i really appreciated the choice i had at the end, and the ability to think out my decision fully - i will be going to my first choice that i had 1 year ago. multiple accepts are great to have, but who cares - you only goto one school in the end. trust your instincts and goodluck.

 

[DrJ2B]

Hey Habari!

Thanks so much for the advice and congrats on your acceptances. Where will you be going to medical school? How did you decide it was your #1? I chose UPenn as my #1 because of its outstanding program, urban location, flexibility, and great connections to CHOP (I want to be a pediatric oncologist). Its program is perfect for me because it is a hybrid of lecture and group learning. Are these the most important factors that helped you make that decision? Thanks again for your advice and encouragement.

 

[uniqueseraph]

Originally posted by DrJ2B
Hey all!

I am sorry for not mentioning my circumstances. I have been so weird after the MCAT. Besides that, I am a junior at NYU. I have a 3.9 GPA (Bio major and French Minor) and I am involved in tons of activities including a frat, service clubs, college bowl (so fun). I have leadership positions in a few clubs. I have good clinical experience and am an EMT. I went to Duke's MMEP program last summer and I will be getting a letter of recommendation from that program and Dr. Armstrong(I was the top Cell Biology scholar there and one of the top Physiology Scholars). I met one of the committee people at UPenn at a medical school fair there and I told her I wanted to apply there. I followed it up recently by e-mailing the director of admissions at UPenn (she is so awesome and is willing to work with me to be a competitive applicant). I will be doing really cool research in Peru/Brazil this summer on ecology, marine biology, and biochemistry. I cannot wait to go. I just have to await my MCAT scores. I just love UPenn's program so much. It fits me so well. I have researched it for years and I have asked some students who go there. I spoke to my premed advisor and she said to go for it, but I cannot help worrying. I thank everyone for his or her advice and I hope what I said helps frame any future responses. Thanks all.

Well, in that case, I would say go for it!!🙂

 

[Habari]

Thanks so much for the advice and congrats on your acceptances. Where will you be going to medical school? How did you decide it was your #1? I chose UPenn as my #1 because of its outstanding program, urban location, flexibility, and great connections to CHOP (I want to be a pediatric oncologist). Its program is perfect for me because it is a hybrid of lecture and group learning. Are these the most important factors that helped you make that decision? Thanks again for your advice and encouragement.

hey -
i'll be attending cornell/rock/ski tri-institutional mstp . i chose it based on some factors that are more relevant to md/phd's - though i like the location [thinking for 8 years] and think i will get a fantastic clinical education. i liked penn med and mstp, but i've lived in the philly area for many years and wanted a change (not knocking on philly at all). your reasoning to goto penn is solid and as long as you interview well you should have a great chance.