Gasp! Are YOU thinking of deferring?

I was granted a deferral from UC Davis a couple of years ago. It was a breeze ... basically I wanted the deferral because I was getting married. Other than that, I had no job and no plan. I told them the truth and they granted the deferral right away.

I also remembering hearing at my UCSD interview that their policy is to grant every request for a deferral ... some enormous percentage of the applicants who request deferrals never matriculate and the UCSD pple figure it's better to give prospective students the time and space they need to decide if they REALLY want to attend medical school or not.

Btw, I'm big on deferral - I also deferred undergrad. One of the best decisions I've ever made.

Good luck to you!

 

Most schools are pretty open to granting one-year deferrals. It's harder to get longer than that at some schools unless you are doing something like Peace Corps or a competitive international study scholarship.

I think the two main things about requesting a deferal is you have to show that you have a plan for what to do during your time off and you have a commitment to enroll at the school following that time off.

 

It's true that you have to promise to matriculate, but they can't really hold you to it. I withdrew from Davis about 6 months before I was supposed to start classes. On the other hand, you also have to promise not to apply to other medical schools while one school is holding a spot for you ... this, I think they take very seriously.

 

Now there is something worth deferring!

Just curious...What about deffering off the waitlist? If they accept you 1 month before class starts, can you say "Shure! but can I get a deferral?"

 

This varies by school. Some schools will not let you request a deferral is you are accepted off the waitlist. Some schools have calendar deadlines for deferral requests (like June 1) that would preclude someone who got in off the waitlist a month before school starts from requesting a deferral.

 

Hey Mr Reddly!

I actually was told by many schools that if you get in off the waitlist, it will be very hard for them to let you defer. The whole point of the waitlist is to fill the class. Many schools are very reluctant to accept a student and then have the student defer and have to call another student on the waitlist. However, I am not sure about every school's policy. A few will allow students to defer if they are accepted off the waitlist in late April/early May.

 

somebody else mentioned to me that UCLA only grants deferrals for big name scholarships like fulbright, etc.