Med schools extended deadline

[gogetter898]

if applications turned in later arent given the same full consideration, why are some med schools extending their deadlines this cycle - notably some even to february? wouldnt they theoretically have enough solid applicants to fill their class from the apps they have received

would there even be any point in turning in a secondary this late in december?

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[southernhope1]

I have that same question....Yale, for example, delayed until December but I've seen folks say that it's only a money grab. But that feels cynical even to my own cynical self.

 

[Goro]

if applications turned in later arent given the same full consideration, why are some med schools extending their deadlines this cycle - notably some even to february? wouldnt they theoretically have enough solid applicants to fill their class from the apps they have received

would there even be any point in turning in a secondary this late in december?

Don't know why they're extending their deadlines, apps are this this cycle and it's quite competitive. I assume that it is COVID related, but I feel that an app at this time is not worth sending in, unless you're a superstar.

 

[KnightDoc]

It is simple, they cant get through the workload with reduced office staff, difficulty doing much of it remotely, and the increase in application. The idea that schools would simply say “we have enough to fill a class” misses both the mission of medical schools (to train physicians) and the philosophy to fulfill that mission (by putting together the best class possible).

But this doesn't answer the question. Schools don't have to say they have enough to fill a class merely to keep the deadline where it was, especially if they are struggling to get through the workload they already have, with increased apps and reduced office staff.

Under these circumstances, what is extending the deadline, other than a money grab? If schools can't get through what they already have, what is the motivation to extend the deadline and attract even more work, other than money? If it's to fulfill their mission, why wasn't the deadline extended in other years, when they had less apps and more capacity to review them??????? Were they really less interested in curating the best possible class then???

I don't have decades of experience like you and the other experts, but it sure looks to me like a cynical play on everyone's anxiety (particularly those with few or no IIs), as though the superstars with an actual chance to break through with a December complete date somehow haven't already applied! I'd believe it was to fulfill their mission if they offered a money back guarantee to everyone applying between the original deadline and the extended one who didn't receive an II.

 

[zeddd78893]

Say it with me:

THEY WANT MONEEEYYYYYYYYYY



/s but not rlly

 

[gogetter898]

do people submitting secondaries in december ever get in? wouldnt extending the deadline draw more later applicants?

 

[southernhope1]

i honestly want to believe that schools are doing this because they realize the difficulties that many had in taking the MCAT, getting applications verified, shadowing, you name it....

Or (and this would be for the senior people here) are there always colleges that extend their deadlines and issue secondaries into December?

 

[gogetter898]

i saw on the ucsf thread that they just sent some secondary invites today on dec 1 - why would they send out invites if they weren't going to review files thoroughly and consider these applicants given even if it is late?

 

[KnightDoc]

i saw on the ucsf thread that they just sent some secondary invites today on dec 1 - why would they send out invites if they weren't going to review files thoroughly and consider these applicants given even if it is late?

A school being behind in reviewing primaries and first sending secondaries now is very different from a school that is already overwhelmed with applications extending the primary deadline to attract even more applications.

One is an example of being behind in the year of COVID. The other looks a lot like a money grab, on the theory that any applicant they would actually be interested in would have already applied months ago, and that those who would respond to such an extension are likely people striking out elsewhere, in the hope that it isn't a money grab and that they are actually actively looking for applicants who are striking out elsewhere. How many people with 10 IIs would be motivated to throw in a late application as compared to those with less than 3?

 

[disulfidebond23]

I'm curious about this, too. There are a few schools that got my primary in July (verified in June), but I didn't submit the secondaries. Now I've gotten a few extended deadline email. Isn't it pointless to submit now?