Going on extra interviews?

[PhilzCoffeeAddict]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi everyone,

I have been fortunate in this cycle to get interviews to a number of schools. Very lucky. I have been responsible to decline interviews at schools I don't want to attend but someone mentioned to me that I should probably go to all of them and use the acceptance as scholarship/aid leverage. I would like more financial aid and scholarships, is this something that is commonly practiced? Should I attend some upcoming interviews on a chance I get accepted and use it as aid leverage? Honestly speaking, I don't THINK I would attend the schools I would be interviewing at because I was accepted at my #1 and #2. But I would love the have extra scholarship money!

 

[chaim123]

Hi everyone,

I have been fortunate in this cycle to get interviews to a number of schools. Very lucky. I have been responsible to decline interviews at schools I don't want to attend but someone mentioned to me that I should probably go to all of them and use the acceptance as scholarship/aid leverage. I would like more financial aid and scholarships, is this something that is commonly practiced? Should I attend some upcoming interviews on a chance I get accepted and use it as aid leverage? Honestly speaking, I don't THINK I would attend the schools I would be interviewing at because I was accepted at my #1 and #2. But I would love the have extra scholarship money!

People over play this ALL the time. You aren't going to have any extra scholarship leverage unless those schools are at a comparable level with your #1, gives you MUCH more financial aid, AND your #1 really wants you enough to give you extra money. Is trying to blackmail your #1 school really worth it?

 

[PhilzCoffeeAddict]

People over play this ALL the time. You aren't going to have any extra scholarship leverage unless those schools are at a comparable level with your #1, gives you MUCH more financial aid, AND your #1 really wants you enough to give you extra money. Is trying to blackmail your #1 school really worth it?

Yeah that's what I thought too, other people are just planting thoughts into my head. I think I'm going to decline the interview. Appreciate it! Would love if other people chimed in to!

 

[Siromas]

Semi-relevant thread: Negotiating Aid
Helpful guide for financing Med school: HomeSkool's Guide to Financing Your Medical Education

Unless it's cheap and convenient to travel to these interviews, I'd probably turn them down- especially since you've already gotten accepted into your top two schools.

 

[DSM_302.0]

Mmm if you can afford it, go! You never know what you might learn. And, could be worth it financially.

 

[aldol16]

Do you have disposable money to go on those interviews? IMO, there are better ways to spend your money. There's no guarantee that you'll get in, no guarantee that you'll get a substantial merit scholarship, and no guarantee that another school will match it. There's a lot of what-ifs here.

How much a school is willing to give you will depend on how much they want you over the next qualified applicant off the waitlist and how likely they think you are to go somewhere else. If you're trying to leverage some more money out of Harvard by telling them about your scholarship to state school somewhere, they're probably not going to match. It's not likely you're going to pick state school over them. But if you're picking between Harvard and Penn, you might be able to get more out of each of them.

 

[Siromas]

Do you have disposable money to go on those interviews? IMO, there are better ways to spend your money. There's no guarantee that you'll get in, no guarantee that you'll get a substantial merit scholarship, and no guarantee that another school will match it. There's a lot of what-ifs here.

How much a school is willing to give you will depend on how much they want you over the next qualified applicant off the waitlist and how likely they think you are to go somewhere else. If you're trying to leverage some more money out of Harvard by telling them about your scholarship to state school somewhere, they're probably not going to match. It's not likely you're going to pick state school over them. But if you're picking between Harvard and Penn, you might be able to get more out of each of them.

Agreed. If the schools OP is deciding whether or not to attend the interviews at are of similar tier/prestige as your #1 and #2 schools, that could potentially work in your favor when trying to negotiate aid.

 

[LoveBeingHuman:)]

You may like the school on interview day.

 

[DBC03]

A student I stayed with for an interview told me to go to all interviews, if possible - you may like the school, you may get some aid, you may get a feel for whether you would ever consider doing residency there, or it may confirm your current choice. I consider it penny wise and pound foolish to turn down interviews if there is any chance you may consider the school. But if you have a scholarship to a higher ranked school in a location you like, it might make sense to save your money. So you need to consider different perspectives. I can say, however, that a $400 trip to an interview that results in an acceptance with a scholarship is a good bet, but you also run the risk of losing that money and not getting in. Based on my conversation with the med student, she told me she had no regrets about any of her interviews since she was able to cross one school off her list for future residencies as she disliked it a lot more in person than on paper. So if you can in any way make it work, go for it. It may pay off, it might not. But the cost you pay for the interview is a drop in the bucket compared to the loans you are about to take out.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[PhilzCoffeeAddict]

I sent them the withdrawal yesterday...