Looking back on it: Early Decision

[jsnuka]

Do you think early decision makes much of a difference in the medical school admissions process?

Why or why not?

With rolling admissions and getting your application in early (AMCAS in June) and secondary applications ASAYGT (as soon as you get them) , what purpose does early decision serve in today's medical school application process?

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[Strongbow]

It saves money and time.

 

[Captain Fantastic]

EDP favors the school. They can lock in a seat and not have to worry about filling it from the waitlist. If you're a lucky applicant and get accepted EDP you've saved some money. If you're unlucky you start applying to other schools LATE in the game. It's a gamble, no doubt.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

EDP is a scam designed to jew you out of financial aid, avoid it at all cost.

very few schools have merit aid though

 

[Nasrudin]

EDP is a scam designed to jew you out of financial aid, avoid it at all cost.

Your language is offensive!

 

[mintendo]

EDP favors the school. They can lock in a seat and not have to worry about filling it from the waitlist. If you're a lucky applicant and get accepted EDP you've saved some money. If you're unlucky you start applying to other schools LATE in the game. It's a gamble, no doubt.

Right on

I would've saved close to 3k had I applied EDP to my top choice. But if I were to do it again I think I would've applied to the same schools and no EDP.

 

[jsnuka]

That is what I mean mintendo.

If you get EVERYTHING in and done early, what purpose does Early Decision serve?

I do not know if there is any way to research it, but I think the only way EDP works FOR the applicant is if s/he is applying to a school that otherwise does not let you know of their admission decision before March 15th of the application cycle.

Otherwise, it makes more sense to apply EARLY and let the chips fall where they may.

 

[ltrain]

That is what I mean mintendo.

If you get EVERYTHING in and done early, what purpose does Early Decision serve?

I do not know if there is any way to research it, but I think the only way EDP works FOR the applicant is if s/he is applying to a school that otherwise does not let you know of their admission decision before March 15th of the application cycle.

Otherwise, it makes more sense to apply EARLY and let the chips fall where they may.

Well it serves a purpose if you know that you definitely want to attend a specific school. Some schools receive upwards of 10,000 applications and, regardless of your stats and how early you get your stuff in, an application might get lost in the shuffle. If you apply EDP, you're letting that school know that they're your #1 and your app will be sure to be well-reviewed.

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

Your language is offensive!

whoa, did he just disappear? are the sdn mods going gestapo on us?

 

[sirus_virus]

Your language is offensive!

I appologize. My point was that EDP is a sytematic scam(knowingly or unknowingly). I have never heard of any EDP candidiate recieving any signifiicnat finnancial aid by way of scholarships. I will not recomend it.

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

I appologize. My point was that EDP is a sytematic scam(knowingly or unknowingly). I have never heard of any EDP candidiate recieving any signifiicnat finnancial aid by way of scholarships. I will not recomend it.

this might be true in some cases, but it can't be in all. there are schools that only offer need-based aid, using standard formulas. weill cornell is the only one i know of myself, but they do edp.

 

[Nasrudin]

I appologize. My point was that EDP is a sytematic scam(knowingly or unknowingly). I have never heard of any EDP candidiate recieving any signifiicnat finnancial aid by way of scholarships. I will not recomend it.

Cool. Just reminds me of hearing the N-word on those construction crews I worked on back home in the south. I think your point would be better served by not implying that being Jewish is synonymous with being deceitful.

 

[mintendo]

That is what I mean mintendo.

If you get EVERYTHING in and done early, what purpose does Early Decision serve?

I do not know if there is any way to research it, but I think the only way EDP works FOR the applicant is if s/he is applying to a school that otherwise does not let you know of their admission decision before March 15th of the application cycle.

Otherwise, it makes more sense to apply EARLY and let the chips fall where they may.

Well, I've heard that EDP applicants have a slightly higher acceptance rate. Another huge advantage is you save money on secondaries and travelling.

 

[oxeye]

I appologize. My point was that EDP is a sytematic scam(knowingly or unknowingly). I have never heard of any EDP candidiate recieving any signifiicnat finnancial aid by way of scholarships. I will not recomend it.

I have an EDP acceptance AND a merit scholarship that covers first year tuition (which is the most this school gives for merit scholarships). It happens.

 

[oxeye]

To the OP - I don't think EDP is worth the risk in most cases. I applied that way because it was the only school I could attend for family reasons. I had a good chance of being accepted through the regular application process and I figured I might as well try to to minimize my wait time for a decision.

 

[JohnMadden]

If you're not accepted EDP, are you behind in the regular admissions process?

 

[oxeye]

If you're not accepted EDP, are you behind in the regular admissions process?

Yes - you are notified of a decision through the EDP process by October 1st. You still have time to apply to additional schools at this point, but it is very late in the process by this date.

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

I have an EDP acceptance AND a merit scholarship that covers first year tuition (which is the most this school gives for merit scholarships). It happens.

yeah, but who wants to go to hollywood upstairs? it's not like you had a lot of competition or anything. it's edp at a top 20 that takes cajones.

 

[eekonomics]

Yes - you are notified of a decision through the EDP process by October 1st. You still have time to apply to additional schools at this point, but it is very late in the process by this date.

Yes. But you can still put in secondaries and see where you get interviews, and cancel them if you get accepted.

 

[oxeye]

yeah, but who wants to go to hollywood upstairs? it's not like you had a lot of competition or anything. it's edp at a top 20 that takes cajones.

I wouldn't recommend applying EDP to a top 20 to ANYONE. There are too many near "perfect" applicants who don't get into any top 20s through the normal process to take that risk.

And have you ever seen the facilities at HUMC? They are incredible.

Yes. But you can still put in secondaries and see where you get interviews, and cancel them if you get accepted.

While under the EDP contract? No, you can't. You can ONLY submit the primary and the secondary to the one school. After you are released from EDP if you are not accepted, then you can submit primaries to additional schools who will then send you secondaries (if you pass their screening).

 

[Yup]

I applied and have been accepted via EDP - it is really advantageous if you are sure a particular school is your top choice. Saves time, money, and the mental anxiety of waiting for a decision.

On the other hand, its very risky. You are definitely behind if you are not accepted.

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

yeah, i'm remembering now why it didn't seem like a good idea at the time.


and everyone knows that humc wouldn't be nearly so tough to get into if it were in a less desirable location. it's the nyu of the west coast.

 

[jsnuka]

What is HUMC? I am a bit lost on that acronym.

 

[gujuDoc]

Do you think early decision makes much of a difference in the medical school admissions process?

Why or why not?

With rolling admissions and getting your application in early (AMCAS in June) and secondary applications ASAYGT (as soon as you get them) , what purpose does early decision serve in today's medical school application process?

Early Decision is for people who know they meet the criteria for a given school (more often then not state schools) and know they wouldn't want to waste money on other schools because they'd be happy attending that school and getting the process over with as soon as possible. Those who I knew that applied EDP at our institution were people who had family, significant others, or other such compelling reasons as to why they didn't want to leave the state much less the city causing them to apply EDP. At least that is true of the majority of the cases though not all of them. In doing so, most of them who got good news saved both time and money in the process. They didn't need to spend extra time writing more essays, taking time to travel to other schools and interview there, etc. They also didn't have to spend more money on secondary fees, travel and lodging expenses, and so forth. EDP is meant for those who know that the EDP school they are applying to is their top choice and if they got in they'd go there and know without a doubt they don't want to see what else is out there.

 

[jsnuka]

To the OP - I don't think EDP is worth the risk in most cases. I applied that way because it was the only school I could attend for family reasons. I had a good chance of being accepted through the regular application process and I figured I might as well try to to minimize my wait time for a decision.

OK, I can understand your particular situation. Are there any other cases when you would think that applying Early Decision is worth it?

 

[gujuDoc]

What is HUMC? I am a bit lost on that acronym.

It is an inside joke. Here on SDN we often have two inside jokes:

One is Hogwarts school of medicine

The other is Hollywood Upstairs Medical College.

 

[mintendo]

What is HUMC? I am a bit lost on that acronym.

hollywood upstairs medical college - the most prestigous medical institution in the world.

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

hollywood upstairs medical college - the most prestigous medical institution in the world.

ugh. i'm tellin ya, its reputation among pre-meds is purely based on location.

 

[gujuDoc]

I appologize. My point was that EDP is a sytematic scam(knowingly or unknowingly). I have never heard of any EDP candidiate recieving any signifiicnat finnancial aid by way of scholarships. I will not recomend it.

That's probably because not all schools do EDP and most of the top tiers especially don't do such and those are the schools that are mostly giving scholarships along with other private institutions. Most of the schools that do EDP more often then not tend to be schools that are state funded schools which have very little money offered even to people who enter the program via regular decision. They don't tend ot be schools that throw out a lot of scholarships even to some of their top applicants because they simply don't have the funds to do so.

The majority of the people at my institution that have applied EDP have had success rates because generally they make the criteria stricter for EDP applications. You can't just apply to EDP with average stats. They require a 3.7 and 30 at the minimum for EDP whereas the minimum to apply regular decision is a 3.0 and 24 though most people who have one of those two scores low will compensate with a higher score in the other dept. i.e. 3.2 and 37 MCAT or 3.8 GPA and 27 MCAT.

My point is that there are more stringent requirements for EDP even if there is some wiggle room i.e. a 3.7 and 28 instead of the required 30 on the MCAT. But even so, they are people who are competitive by the state school standards and people who would most likely get in the regular decision way anyhow. However, as I mentioned earlier, they are people who have chosen to apply EDP because of reasons that more often then not do with family in the area whether in the form of a spouse/significant other and/or children or parents and/or siblings.

 

[gujuDoc]

ugh. i'm tellin ya, its reputation among pre-meds is purely based on location.

Nah I think Hogwarts would win out in my competition of HUMC or HSM!!

 

[jsnuka]

It is an inside joke. Here on SDN we often have two inside jokes:

One is Hogwarts school of medicine

The other is Hollywood Upstairs Medical College.

OK, I have gotten the Hogwarts one, but I thought that Stewart's School Of Medicine gets the most NIH dollars?

De facto, it is the BEST medical school in the WORLD!!!!!!!

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

Nah I think Hogwarts would win out in my competition of HUMC or HSM!!

OK, I have gotten the Hogwarts one, but I thought that Stewart's School Of Medicine gets the most NIH dollars?

De facto, it is the BEST medical school in the WORLD!!!!!!!

okay, you people are obviously just slaves to the rankings.

nowadays everything is ranking or location. whatever happened to choosing a school based on "fit"?

 

[oxeye]

OK, I can understand your particular situation. Are there any other cases when you would think that applying Early Decision is worth it?

Hmmm, I honestly don't think it's really worth it in many other cases - the only think you will buy yourself is a little less waiting time before a decision.

Maybe it would be worth it if you really think your acceptance at that school is a pretty sure thing (which is dangerous thing to speculate about) and it is absolutely your first choice.

 

[oxeye]

okay, you people are obviously just slaves to the rankings.

nowadays everything is ranking or location. whatever happened to choosing a school based on "fit"?

My decision was based on location and being able to say I went to the same medical school as Dr. Nick!! Talk about prestige!!!

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

My decision was based on location and being able to say I went to the same medical school as Dr. Nick!! Talk about prestige!!!

you know, i just can't argue with this. the prosecution rests.