[RESOLVED] Time for CTE

[tyke on a bike]

Edit: I have CTE'd at my accepted school.

Original: Hello! I am beyond grateful to have been accepted off the WL at an MD school about 1.5 weeks ago. If the acceptance letter says "we are giving you until 05/14/2025 to respond to our offer of acceptance" would that mean I should CTE today (05/13/2025) to be extra safe or would CTEing tomorrow (05/14/2025) also work? I know it is risky to play with an acceptance, but the reason I ask is because I am still on the WL at my top choice (Carle Illinois) and am hoping for the very odd chance that I may get off it tomorrow. I may be grasping at straws here as Carle seems to be a top choice for others, has a very small class size of ~64, and my mcat is near their 10th percentile (so my WL position may be low). I called their admissions today about any WL insight given my situation and they gave me the standard answer that they can't share anything about the WL. Unfortunately, their CTE date seems to be 05/15/2025 for accepted students, so WL movement may start after then. I would appreciate any advice here.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[surelycalm]

I hate to say it, but I would CTE today. It's not worth risking their interpretation of "by 5/14". Will that one day really get the WL moving at Carle? It sucks that you can't safely wait for your top choice WL but just not worth the risk considering you suspect your WL position might be low.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Please message me which program gave you that ultimatum so I can check against their application timeline actions on MSAR. You should bite the bullet and commit.

 

[polymerization]

Please message me which program gave you that ultimatum so I can check against their application timeline actions on MSAR. You should bite the bullet and commit.

It's really kind of you to do this. I had no idea this was an issue and can totally see how students are stranded with little recourse so late in the game. The submit button isn't even available yet, and I'm already more anxious than I'd ever anticipated.

I cannot even imagine being on multiple waitlists and foreclosing on other potential options, especially if less competitive programs decide to force CTE very early in the WL process. I wonder if that would encourage students to refuse to negotiate with terrorists, so to speak, and decline the A in hopes of receiving more options downstream. Maybe a poor choice of words... I know they're just trying to fill a class; it's just a high-stakes decision. It sounds like your opinion is a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush, which is fair.

It may not change anything to be thorough, but it's better than doing nothing in an administrative landscape that overwhelmingly prefers doing nothing. I think that's worth recognition.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

It's really kind of you to do this. I had no idea this was an issue and can totally see how students are stranded with little recourse so late in the game. The submit button isn't even available yet, and I'm already more anxious than I'd ever anticipated.

I cannot even imagine being on multiple waitlists and foreclosing on other potential options, especially if less competitive programs decide to force CTE very early in the WL process. I wonder if that would encourage students to refuse to negotiate with terrorists, so to speak, and decline the A in hopes of receiving more options downstream. Maybe a poor choice of words... I know they're just trying to fill a class; it's just a high-stakes decision. It sounds like your opinion is a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush, which is fair.

It may not change anything to be thorough, but it's better than doing nothing in an administrative landscape that overwhelmingly prefers doing nothing. I think that's worth recognition.

Actually CTE should be available since April 30 to those who received offers before then.

Some of us who have gone through the "wars" to know why traffic rules and CYMS were set up know about some of the past challenges admissions officers get and place on applicants. I won't go over the handed-down story of an admissions offer given right when the candidate walked in for their interview (because that was well back in the pre-internet past).

There is a real power mismatch, and resistance is not a desirable trait for someone who wants to start medical school or get into a residency... etc. We can't assume what every student will do because every context is different. If it's the only offer to you, it's hard to turn it down. There's a reason why Columbia University caved to the administration's demands and why every single university I expect to do so, just as every other industry has. (Steps off of soapbox... need to continue processing the Mon Mothma memes from Andor 2 running around social media.)