Rolling Admins vs. Non-rolling Admins?

[NismoZ32]

Can someone please explain the differences between rolling and non-rolling admissions and any pros and cons of each from our standpoint as an applicant?

I always thought rolling admissions was what some Caribbean schools (and maybe some US?) had where you could start in January as well as August.

Thanks in advance.

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[MoosePilot]

Rolling = students are accepted starting at some point soon after interviews begin and acceptances continue until the class is filled. Pros: You can find out you're accepted very early and save money on the rest of the process. If you're motivated and disciplined, you gain an advantage over the slackers. Con: You have to have your stuff in relatively early or you suffer a disadvantage. August MCATers may have a disadvantage.

Non-rolling = students are all accepted in one big block after the deadline for all materials to be in. Pros: No rush to submit secondary as long as you beat the deadline, it doesn't matter when you get an interview. Con: You won't know if you're accepted until much later, so you may have to go to a bunch of interviews you wouldn't want to. Slackers aren't penalized, so you have more people to compete with on equal footing.

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

I'd say that most US schools are rolling. A small number of schools have non-rolling admissions. From my knowledge, a lot of the non-rolling schools are the top or prestigious schools who want to wait and select a class as whole rather than pick people individually as the season goes along.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Nearly all US schools start in August or September (there is one or two that start in July). Rolling has nothing to do with the start date, just the date of acceptance, as described above by Moosepilot.