I've been accepted to one med school, and I'm on several waitlists at schools that I would prefer to attend. As May 15 gets closer, I'm wondering how long it would make sense to stay on these waitlists? As long as I'm committed to staying on the waitlists I won't be finding an apartment/roommates at the school I'm currently accepted at. At what point during the summer will this become a problem? For instance, if I wait it out until early/ mid July and don't get in off a waitlist (or even if i do..) that means I only have 2/3 weeks to find a place and roommates before school starts - is this reasonable? 😕
How long to stay on the waitlist before finalizing plans elsewhere?
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Same problem here. I'm moving in June and just hoping I get WL news before then.
I guess you should just ask yourself: even if you found a roommate/house at the school you're admitted to, is there a school you're WL'ed at that you want to attend so badly that you would re-move the day before class to go there? It's a possibility. Then you'll know how long you should stay on the list.
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As long as you want, knowing that you risk having trouble finding a place to live if you wait until the last minute.
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from your MDapps, it shows you are on 7 waitlists. Figure out which of those schools you would go to over the school you were accepted to, and withdraw from those you wouldn't. Let's say you'd go to any of those 7 over Drexel: then don't make any commitments with housing, as probability suggests you will get off multiple WLs (unless you are terribly unlucky)
Personally, I would probably stay on the whole time if there was a school I really, really wanted to go to. You'll be scrambling for housing if you don't get in though, but it's not that hard to find a place in philly. Also, 2-3 weeks is PLENTY of time.
👍 I would rank the schools, and perhaps research housing options at your higher ranked choices so that if it does happen w/ 2-3 weeks left you can move forward quickly. But yea until you get the green light, you have to just sit tight 🙁
Only withdraw from schools you would not go to over your current acceptance(s) and don't even bother withdrawing from the other schools. If you get an acceptance really late then figure it out then. That's how I would do it, at least. Personally, I would withdraw from NYMC, GWU ($$), Penn State (loss of funding and in the middle of nowhere), and maybe even Temple ($$) unless you really preferred it over Drexel.
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Meh. For OOS Temple's tuition is a little less than 10K more than Drexel, and if the entire point is to avoid having to rush to make plans to live elsewhere, why bother withdrawing from a school's WL where you could live in the exact same place anyway? I absolutely agree with the first thing you said, though. Definitely withdraw from places that you wouldn't prefer over Drexel anyway. OP, do you live close enough to RWJ that, if you got off the WL and couldn't find a place in time, you could drive there from where you live now (I assume with parents) until you found a place closer to school?
Good luck, OP! I hope at least one of the schools where you're WLed shows you some love.
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Good point about Temple, but 10k/year is still not chump change, IMO, unless OP really felt that he/she would be much happier there I would withdraw, but that's me.
Edit: With regard to RWJ, if you're in-state it would be worth it to even find a hotel to stay in for a few weeks until you found a place because of the tuition disparity between public and private, albeit not as great as it once was, is still significant.
Thank you all so much for the advice! I hate the uncertainty but feel much better about it being reasonable to do if I do get some waitlist love after reading the replies. I'll start prioritizing and inquiring about when movement might occur and hold tight in the meantime 🙂 thanks again!
Do any of the schools offerr on-campus housing? I know that my school does and allows to students to sign leases on a month-to-month (or 3 months or something similar). Schools that have situations like this would allow you to easily find housing on-campus that will tide you over until you find a nicer or better place to live off-campus. This is also helpful if you aren't familiar with the area. It would help for smooth transition to medical school, while also finding out where the majority of students live. Also, this would alleviate some of the worry about finding housing.
Also, it's also been my experience that if you want to live in a major apartment complex that you'll need to looking into it a couple months in advance. But if you are looking to move into a smaller apartment complex, local houses, or townhomes that in many cases you won't have a problem finding a place and signing to the lease that week to be able to move in. The only factor comes in that different times of the seasons will have different availability of options, which may benefit you or work against you.
eh it could be worse. you could have zero acceptances and all waitlists. So far that's my situation.
But honestly, I understand completely. Its a frustrating process. There's a reason for my sig on here.
This process is the most complicated, frustrating, demoralizing process one can go through. I am glad its almost over regardless of my faith.
Good luck with everything. Hang in there, stay strong, and cross your fingers to hope for the best. If by end of june or early July no news, then settle for Drexel
But right now its too early to give up hope. Most waitlist movement occurs mid may when everyone to end of June or july as I stated earlier. 🙂
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eh it could be worse. you could have zero acceptances and all waitlists. So far that's my situation.
But honestly, I understand completely. Its a frustrating process. There's a reason for my sig on here.
This process is the most complicated, frustrating, demoralizing process one can go through. I am glad its almost over regardless of my faith.
Good luck with everything. Hang in there, stay strong, and cross your fingers to hope for the best. If by end of june or early July no news, then settle for Drexel
But right now its too early to give up hope. Most waitlist movement occurs mid may when everyone to end of June or july as I stated earlier. 🙂
Hang in there! 🙂
so i'm sort of in this situation as well. i have acceptances to schools which is good but they begin earlier than the school i'm waitlisted at and of course the one i'm waitlisted at i would give a kidney to be accepted to right now haha. but what i'm doing is getting an extended stay hotel. i havent actually called about this yet to get pricing and such and ask what happens if i need to leave (due to my potential acceptance off the waitlist) but i just cant find it in my heart to f someone over and pretend to be a permenant. worse comes to worse if i have to stay at the school cuz i dont get off the waitlist i'll just take anything i find. maybe a one bedroom or something. i feel like we are not the only ones in this position and for at least the first month of school people in your class will still be looking for roommates.
so for my opinion, stay on all of the waitlists (i dont know what they are) but just stay on them. find a long term hotel in philly (if you're accepted to drexel) and if you get off a waitlist and decide hey i would rather be there than here, cancel your hotel and get a new one in the new city while you look for housing between classes. you are going to get off at least the first day of class. i'm sure that first day people willlll be looking for last minute roommates! THAT COULD BE YOU! this is just my attitude towards the whole thing. but in my situation i see no reason to get a permenant place at the school i'm accepted to and take my name off the waitilist at the school i am dying for just to save myself a housing headache.
so for my opinion, stay on all of the waitlists (i dont know what they are) but just stay on them. find a long term hotel in philly (if you're accepted to drexel) and if you get off a waitlist and decide hey i would rather be there than here, cancel your hotel and get a new one in the new city while you look for housing between classes. you are going to get off at least the first day of class. i'm sure that first day people willlll be looking for last minute roommates! THAT COULD BE YOU! this is just my attitude towards the whole thing. but in my situation i see no reason to get a permenant place at the school i'm accepted to and take my name off the waitilist at the school i am dying for just to save myself a housing headache.
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