How do I avoid paying more than one $1000 deposit?

[flatearth22]

I am currently applying to 3 DO schools and I think I have a pretty good shot of getting in (3.6/32/standard EC's) but of course this process is a crapshoot. I have one school that is my clear #1 and the others I would attend as well but I do not like them as much as my #1.

But what if one of these other schools interviews me and sends me an offer of acceptance more than 30 days before my #1 does? It would be really dumb to not send the non-refundable $1000 deposit and potentially get shut out all-together.

How do I go about getting a decision from my #1 school while not risking anything from the other schools. Sorry if this sounds convoluted but I really don't want to pay 2 or 3 $1000 deposits

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[VeeTeeHokies]

I am currently applying to 3 DO schools and I think I have a pretty good shot of getting in (3.6/32/standard EC's) but of course this process is a crapshoot. I have one school that is my clear #1 and the others I would attend as well but I do not like them as much as my #1.

But what if one of these other schools interviews me and sends me an offer of acceptance more than 30 days before my #1 does? It would be really dumb to not send the non-refundable $1000 deposit and potentially get shut out all-together.

How do I go about getting a decision from my #1 school while not risking anything from the other schools. Sorry if this sounds convoluted but I really don't want to pay 2 or 3 $1000 deposits

You can't avoid it. It's one of, if not, THE main pitfall of applying DO and I hope they do something about it soon. I was accepted to two schools before the first deadline of both schools, I chose the one I liked better of the two and paid my deposit. I had 3 more interviews after I had already paid this deposit. All 3 resulted in waitlists at schools that I ranked much higher than the school I had already sent a deposit in to. I then had to pay a 2nd deposit to said school I was already accepted at, which now put my grand total at $2000. A month or two later I was accepted at one of the schools I was placed on the waitlist at. I then had to withdraw, forfeit that two grand, and pay another $1500 deposit. It's the sad, but inevitable, flaw of applying in the DO world.

All you can do is hope that you are accepted at your top choice before the first deadlines of all three.

 

[flatearth22]

You can't avoid it. It's one of, if not, THE main pitfall of applying DO and I hope they do something about it soon. I was accepted to two schools before the first deadline of both schools, I chose the one I liked better of the two and paid my deposit. I had 3 more interviews after I had already paid this deposit. All 3 resulted in waitlists at schools that I ranked much higher than the school I had already sent a deposit in to. I then had to pay a 2nd deposit to said school I was already accepted at, which now put my grand total at $2000. A month or two later I was accepted at one of the schools I was placed on the waitlist at. I then had to withdraw, forfeit that two grand, and pay another $1500 deposit. It's the sad, but inevitable, flaw of applying in the DO world.

All you can do is hope that you are accepted at your top choice before the first deadlines of all three.

What about on my primary just applying to my #1 school. And if by say November I don't have any news then send the primary to the other 2 schools? With my stats would it be considered late (those schools average like a 3.4/26-27 or so) Would the other schools know where else I am applying and when I sent it in or is that just self-reported? My application is all done and ready to be submitted....this is my only hangup right now that is keeping me from sending it.

 

[VeeTeeHokies]

What about on my primary just applying to my #1 school. And if by say November I don't have any news then send the primary to the other 2 schools? With my stats would it be considered late (those schools average like a 3.4/26-27 or so) Would the other schools know where else I am applying and when I sent it in or is that just self-reported? My application is all done and ready to be submitted....this is my only hangup right now that is keeping me from sending it.

What would that change? Other than putting you at a very significant disadvantage from the other schools, of course. Regardless you will hear from your top choice, or you won't, by that time. If you hear from them early you will save some primary app fees, and MAYBE travel expenses for the other two interviews. If you don't hear from them by that time, you've effectively done away with any potential back ups you may have, and then you will still be waiting to hear from your top choice. Nobody is making you pay the deposits, but it's better to have that option should you need to than to wait and cut down your chances.

 

[DrLeon]

What about on my primary just applying to my #1 school. And if by say November I don't have any news then send the primary to the other 2 schools? With my stats would it be considered late (those schools average like a 3.4/26-27 or so) Would the other schools know where else I am applying and when I sent it in or is that just self-reported? My application is all done and ready to be submitted....this is my only hangup right now that is keeping me from sending it.

November would be late even for people with better stats, but not impossible. Are you sure they all require a $1000.00 deposit? My school only requires a $185.00 deposit. If you only put your number one on the primary you will have to pay the initial ACOMAS fee twice when you apply again for your backups. My advice is to apply to them all on primary early. When you receive the secondary for your #1 school (almost all the schools do auto secondaries it seems) fill that one out first and send it in to give them a head start on reviewing you. If you apply early enough, say this month, you can wait until late July or August to send in the others and not be penalized as bad as you would if you send them in November. this is a process that will take months between the initial application and interview/acceptance so start the process for all of them as early as possible. With the credentials for DO matriculants going up every year your numbers may not be as stellar as you think they are to carry that late in the cycle.

 

[randomusername]

Don't count your chickens before they hatch. Worry about this if and when it comes up; just because you think you have a good shot at getting in (I'll assume solely based on numbers), as you've said it's a crapshoot and one or more of the schools might be looking for a different type of applicant. It sucks that the D.O. deposits are so high, but in the larger scope of things, paying an extra $1000 on a deposit at a school you don't attend isn't really going to be much of a concern to you once classes start or once you're finished with school.

 

[Poliscidoc]

Apply ED?

 

[Kevin Baker]

You can try and time things. I believe almost every school (apart from the damn Touros) give you 30 days to respond and get the deposit in, and some give you all the way until Decemberish if you are in the first few batches of interviews. I applied early, scheduled all of my interviews early, and heard back from them by mid November.

From what I recall, the Touros give you 14 days to respond, AZCOM and NSUCOM give you until December 15th, and Western gives 30 days. I don't know about the other schools. But if you're timing, it might be better to schedule the harder deadline schools later.

This all assumes you apply really early (as in starting now, in by end of June/early July) and hear back quickly from schools.

 

[flatearth22]

You can try and time things. I believe almost every school (apart from the damn Touros) give you 30 days to respond and get the deposit in, and some give you all the way until Decemberish if you are in the first few batches of interviews. I applied early, scheduled all of my interviews early, and heard back from them by mid November.

From what I recall, the Touros give you 14 days to respond, AZCOM and NSUCOM give you until December 15th, and Western gives 30 days. I don't know about the other schools. But if you're timing, it might be better to schedule the harder deadline schools later.

This all assumes you apply really early (as in starting now, in by end of June/early July) and hear back quickly from schools.

One of my secondary choice schools is a Touro.

 

[flatearth22]

November would be late even for people with better stats, but not impossible. Are you sure they all require a $1000.00 deposit? My school only requires a $185.00 deposit. If you only put your number one on the primary you will have to pay the initial ACOMAS fee twice when you apply again for your backups. My advice is to apply to them all on primary early. When you receive the secondary for your #1 school (almost all the schools do auto secondaries it seems) fill that one out first and send it in to give them a head start on reviewing you. If you apply early enough, say this month, you can wait until late July or August to send in the others and not be penalized as bad as you would if you send them in November. this is a process that will take months between the initial application and interview/acceptance so start the process for all of them as early as possible. With the credentials for DO matriculants going up every year your numbers may not be as stellar as you think they are to carry that late in the cycle.

I think I will go this route. Thanks.

 

[JamesLMT]

I think I will go this route. Thanks.

Or you could just choose a later interview date then the one you are offered because it "doesn't work for you." It's what I did.

 

[kcin]

Man... you're stressing about spending 1k to lock down an acceptance when your tuition is going to be more than 30k a year (closer to 50k at some schools...). You need a little perspective.

 

[235788]

You can't avoid it. It's one of, if not, THE main pitfall of applying DO and I hope they do something about it soon. I was accepted to two schools before the first deadline of both schools, I chose the one I liked better of the two and paid my deposit. I had 3 more interviews after I had already paid this deposit. All 3 resulted in waitlists at schools that I ranked much higher than the school I had already sent a deposit in to. I then had to pay a 2nd deposit to said school I was already accepted at, which now put my grand total at $2000. A month or two later I was accepted at one of the schools I was placed on the waitlist at. I then had to withdraw, forfeit that two grand, and pay another $1500 deposit. It's the sad, but inevitable, flaw of applying in the DO world.

All you can do is hope that you are accepted at your top choice before the first deadlines of all three.

Holy crap. Axing OU and not even applying DO anymore.

 

[Scorcher31]

You can always call you number 1 program ,tell them you've been offered a spot by another program; however, you prefer there program and see how they respond. With this said I don't personally know anyone who has done this. It's risky, but if you already have another spot lined up why not.

I have had friends that have done this succesfully with pre match in residency. I also know many people that do this with regards to pay when they have multiple job interviews.

 

[Vishna]

You can always call you number 1 program ,tell them you've been offered a spot by another program; however, you prefer there program and see how they respond. With this said I don't personally know anyone who has done this. It's risky, but if you already have another spot lined up why not.

I have had friends that have done this succesfully with pre match in residency. I also know many people that do this with regards to pay when they have multiple job interviews.

I've also heard of these things but don't know anyone personally that has done it as far as med school acceptances. It seems like the principle in all three instances are the same so yeah why not?

 

[VeeTeeHokies]

I've also heard of these things but don't know anyone personally that has done it as far as med school acceptances. It seems like the principle in all three instances are the same so yeah why not?

The only difference I see is that it's 1000 people gunning for the same spot as opposed to tens or maybe a hundred, depending on the job / spot.

 

[Vishna]

Right, but it still would let them know that they really are your top choice and would love to turn down other schools for them. It might get movement on your application sooner, it might not. They have no obligation but I wouldn't see the harm in just saying "hey, you really ARE my top choice because I want to turn down this other acceptance I just got".