Response to acceptance: two week max?

[begoood95]

A little confused and would like some clarity after reading some threads!

So, say you hold 2 acceptances in October, but then your dream school offers an invitation; of course, you're going to want to take that chance and go for the interview, even with the two acceptances. Question is, many schools (all?) state that the maximum response time to their offer of acceptance is two weeks. What happens if that interview is over two weeks from your initial offers of acceptance?

Obviously, it'd be unwise to throw the acceptances away, so what do you do, place a deposit? Am I correct in thinking that you can hold as many acceptances as you want until mid-May? Thanks for the help!

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[Mad Jack]

You take the acceptance, then withdraw it once you get a better offer. It sucks you have to pay any acceptance fees along the way, but it's a pretty standard occurrence so don't worry about schools getting their panties in a bunch over it.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

For MD schools, you can hold multiple acceptances all the way until about April or May (I forget the traffic rule date for this). You deposit at each, and in many cases, your deposit is returned when you later decline.

Some students will hold onto multiple acceptances all the way until the last day in hopes that one or more schools will offer merit to protect yield.

 

[begoood95]

You take the acceptance, then withdraw it once you get a better offer. It sucks you have to pay any acceptance fees along the way, but it's a pretty standard occurrence so don't worry about schools getting their panties in a bunch over it.

For MD schools, you can hold multiple acceptances all the way until about April or May (I forget the traffic rule date for this). You deposit at each, and in many cases, your deposit is returned when you later decline.

Some students will hold onto multiple acceptances all the way until the last day in hopes that one or more schools will offer merit to protect yield.

Ah, okay. So we're literally saying, "Yes, thank you for the acceptance I'll take one, here's $100," then at the end saying "psych!" to all but one. Okay.

I cannot imagine how someone without expendable cash could afford this. I mean, it's doable, but now having gone through only the first two legs (primaries then secondaries) there is an obvious advantage to wealthier individuals! Not complaining, just noting. This ought to change.

 

[Mad Jack]

Ah, okay. So we're literally saying, "Yes, thank you for the acceptance I'll take one, here's $100," then at the end saying "psych!" to all but one. Okay.

I cannot imagine how someone without expendable cash could afford this. I mean, it's doable, but now having gone through only the first two legs (primaries then secondaries) there is an obvious advantage to wealthier individuals! Not complaining, just noting. This ought to change.

Hey, at least you're not on the osteopathic side. Some of the schools are known for sending out early acceptances with short timelines and high acceptance fees to applicants. A certain school asks for $2,000 within two weeks and another $2,000 a few weeks after that, and interviews people with extremely high scores and MCATs right when the cycle opens, knowing they'll take the bird in the bush and drop it when something better comes along. It's quite the racket, and, as you can see, goes both ways- school can game it or rich applicants can game it. Low-resource applicants get boned across the board.

 

[begoood95]

Hey, at least you're not on the osteopathic side. Some of the schools are known for sending out early acceptances with short timelines and high acceptance fees to applicants. A certain school asks for $2,000 within two weeks and another $2,000 a few weeks after that, and interviews people with extremely high scores and MCATs right when the cycle opens, knowing they'll take the bird in the bush and drop it when something better comes along. It's quite the racket, and, as you can see, goes both ways- school can game it or rich applicants can game it. Low-resource applicants get boned across the board.

Wow. Of course, I'm less concerned with schools gaming rich folk (who must themselves first be willing, albeit pressured by neuroticism) than I am with low-resource applicants getting hurt across the board like you said

Being a physician is a privilege, but it appears that you must also have some privilege beforehand.

 

[Mad Jack]

Wow. Of course, I'm less concerned with schools gaming rich folk (who must themselves first be willing, albeit pressured by neuroticism) than I am with low-resource applicants getting hurt across the board like you said

Being a physician is a privilege, but it appears that you must also have some privilege beforehand.

Well, poor people also bear the brunt of it. I mean, I'm by no means rich, but I lost several thousand dollars to deposits because I would rather go to school close to home, and I happened to be accepted in the order of the farthest school first, then geographically closer and closer lol. It's a terrible process, there should be a fixed deposit date that must be adhered to by all schools, but that would make life difficult for some adcoms.

 

[xochitl]

Well, poor people also bear the brunt of it. I mean, I'm by no means rich, but I lost several thousand dollars to deposits because I would rather go to school close to home, and I happened to be accepted in the order of the farthest school first, then geographically closer and closer lol. It's a terrible process, there should be a fixed deposit date that must be adhered to by all schools, but that would make life difficult for some adcoms.

If it is truly a "deposit" do they not give it back after you withdraw your acceptance?

 

[Mad Jack]

If it is truly a "deposit" do they not give it back after you withdraw your acceptance?

A deposit implies that it is money to be lost if you decide to cancel the agreement. That's how deposits on cars, houses, or anything else work.

 

[Orthopedics101]

A deposit implies that it is money to be lost if you decide to cancel the agreement. That's how deposits on cars, houses, or anything else work.

I was under the impression that the deposit was refundable up until April 30th?

 

[Mad Jack]

I was under the impression that the deposit was refundable up until April 30th?

I thought that was the recommended timeline, but that schools were free to set their own deposit standards and timeline at their discretion and that not all schools were in-line with the recommendations.

 

[xochitl]

A deposit implies that it is money to be lost if you decide to cancel the agreement. That's how deposits on cars, houses, or anything else work.

hmm well hopefully Im in a position to lose money like this

 

[PreMedMissteps]

there is an obvious advantage to wealthier individuals! Not complaining, just noting. This ought to change.

Wealthier people will always have an advantage in all aspects of life.

The deposits for MD schools aren't usually that high....like maybe $75-100. So it may mean having a few schools holding $300 of your money, but you should get $200 back when you finally decide.

If you have, say 10 acceptance, you might not want to deposit at them all. Maybe just keep 3 or 4....maybe the best instate, and maybe a reach or two, and maybe a mid-tier. The strategy is to get a merit offer from some or all.

 

[DBC03]

Wealthier people will always have an advantage in all aspects of life.

The deposits for MD schools aren't usually that high....like maybe $75-100. So it may mean having a few schools holding $300 of your money, but you should get $200 back when you finally decide.

If you have, say 10 acceptance, you might not want to deposit at them all. Maybe just keep 3 or 4....maybe the best instate, and maybe a reach or two, and maybe a mid-tier. The strategy is to get a merit offer from some or all.

And I'm over here just thinking, "please just send me ONE II, please pretty please"

 

[begoood95]

Wealthier people will always have an advantage in all aspects of life.

The deposits for MD schools aren't usually that high....like maybe $75-100. So it may mean having a few schools holding $300 of your money, but you should get $200 back when you finally decide.

If you have, say 10 acceptance, you might not want to deposit at them all. Maybe just keep 3 or 4....maybe the best instate, and maybe a reach or two, and maybe a mid-tier. The strategy is to get a merit offer from some or all.

So, "the strategy is to get a merit offer from some or all." That would mean playing your cards right, because, (correct me if I'm wrong) after a certain date, medical schools can see where you hold acceptances. You accept the "best" you can and like you said maybe a mid-tier so as to get merit—and they'll give merit because you're enticing them to? (So a sort of, "look, I have four acceptances here to a range of schools; I like you and you like me, so what will you offer?")

 

[DBC03]

So, "the strategy is to get a merit offer from some or all." That would mean playing your cards right, because, (correct me if I'm wrong) after a certain date, medical schools can see where you hold acceptances. You accept the "best" you can an like you said maybe a mid-tier so as to get merit—and they'll give merit because you're enticing them to? (So a sort of, "look, I have four acceptances here to a range of schools; I like you and you like me, so what will you offer?")

This is one of the reasons I think it is better to be pound wise and penny foolish with applications (to turn that saying on its head). Better to spend a few hundred up front and save thousands in the end than to skimp now and owe more later.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

So, "the strategy is to get a merit offer from some or all." That would mean playing your cards right, because, (correct me if I'm wrong) after a certain date, medical schools can see where you hold acceptances. You accept the "best" you can and like you said maybe a mid-tier so as to get merit—and they'll give merit because you're enticing them to? (So a sort of, "look, I have four acceptances here to a range of schools; I like you and you like me, so what will you offer?")

Yes, I think sometime around Feb, schools can see that have accepted you can see that you're holding multiple acceptances. Then, if they want to protect yield, they might offer some merit.

A student I know almost declined two of her 3 acceptances, but told her to hold on, and keep them....and sure enough, her #1 choice offered her free tuition....and now she's a MS2 there.

Instead of taking on $200k of debt, she'll probably only have about $80-100k. That's a huge difference.

I know that some people think, "hmmm, I need to decline to give others a chance." Schools have already over-accepted, and yes, eventually you'll be declining and if necessary the school will go to WL. But, don't pass up an opportunity to get some possible merit if you're holding multiple acceptances.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

I was under the impression that the deposit was refundable up until April 30th?

From what I've seen, that is true for MD schools, but not for DO schools. I don't know if that's 100%, but that's what I've seen. MD deposits are refundable. DO deposits are not. There may be exceptions.