UK Scholarship Update: Now or Wait Until Later?

[NapoleonBonaparte]

I was nominated for the Marshall Scholarship final round and am waiting to hear back from the Rhodes final. Should I update schools now with the news of being a finalist or do I wait and see if I win then update all at once (whether I lose or not)? Essentially, is it better to update often and ASAP (so update them once with the finalist news now and then update later IF I win) or is it better to update infrequently but later with bigger news all at once (so don't update now about the finalist and wait until end of this month to see if I win but risk just telling them I just got finalist 4 weeks late)? On one hand, I don't want to spam them, but on the other hand, each passing week in this month seems crucial and I want to send any updates in ASAP before they pass over my application. Thanks.

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[and 99 others]

I was nominated for the Marshall Scholarship final round and am waiting to hear back from the Rhodes final. Should I update schools now with the news of being a finalist or do I wait and see if I win then update all at once (whether I lose or not)? Essentially, is it better to update often and ASAP (so update them once with the finalist news now and then update later IF I win) or is it better to update infrequently but later with bigger news all at once (so don't update now about the finalist and wait until end of this month to see if I win but risk just telling them I just got finalist 4 weeks late)? On one hand, I don't want to spam them, but on the other hand, each passing week in this month seems crucial and I want to send any updates in ASAP before they pass over my application. Thanks.

Doesn't rhodes tell you at the end of the interview day?

Anyways, I would wait till you hear back. The turnaround time isn't too long for those scholarships post interview so if you did end up winning, it won't make a difference time-frame-wise and you'll just have something more compelling to report

 

[NapoleonBonaparte]

Yes indeed both the Marshall and the Rhodes announce winners on the spot. Marshall interview is Nov. 6 (next Wednesday) while Rhodes is Nov. 22-23. So waiting for Marshall results definitely doable and sensible I guess. But the Rhodes is a month away (while finalist announcement is like later this week/early next week). Granted, I probably don't need to worry about this until after I get chosen, but in general I'm just not sure how to do updates. Stanford for instance said that they only look at stuff 2-weeks post interview (I had late September interview there) and after that there's a very good chance adcoms don't get to see updates. So in that case wouldn't it be better to send any small update ASAP letting them know that I am a finalist and potentially awaiting even better news as a heads up?

 

[and 99 others]

Yes indeed both the Marshall and the Rhodes announce winners on the spot. Marshall interview is Nov. 6 (next Wednesday) while Rhodes is Nov. 22-23. So waiting for Marshall results definitely doable and sensible I guess. But the Rhodes is a month away (while finalist announcement is like later this week/early next week). Granted, I probably don't need to worry about this until after I get chosen, but in general I'm just not sure how to do updates. Stanford for instance said that they only look at stuff 2-weeks post interview (I had late September interview there) and after that there's a very good chance adcoms don't get to see updates. So in that case wouldn't it be better to send any small update ASAP letting them know that I am a finalist and potentially awaiting even better news as a heads up?

Oh I thought you were already a finalist for rhodes. Damn that's super short notice then.

In that case, I'd at least wait until you hear back for rhodes finals (if you feel confident). And insofar as schools like Stanford that have specific expectations, obviously abide by how they operate and give them as much of an update as you have within those 2 weeks

 

[NapoleonBonaparte]

Ah so you would recommend send one announcement for combined Rhodes and Marshall finalist then (hopefully) each announcement for Marshall and Rhodes wins (so max 3 if I win both lol....) correct?

Also for a school like Stanford, should I just give up on sending an update. They made it pretty clear that anything after 2 weeks post interview they likely won't look at and I'm more than 4 weeks out from my interview, meaning that my window has passed. Has that ship simply sailed even for something like the Rhodes or Marshall?

 

[and 99 others]

Ah so you would recommend send one announcement for combined Rhodes and Marshall finalist then (hopefully) each announcement for Marshall and Rhodes wins (so max 3 if I win both lol....) correct?

Also for a school like Stanford, should I just give up on sending an update. They made it pretty clear that anything after 2 weeks post interview they likely won't look at and I'm more than 4 weeks out from my interview, meaning that my window has passed. Has that ship simply sailed even for something like the Rhodes or Marshall?

In general I'd say just send one once everything is finalized. Frankly if you sent 2 I don't think it would make a big difference.

When it comes to Stanford, you have nothing to lose by just sending it. Worst case, they ignore it

 

[NapoleonBonaparte]

Yes boss. I will spam them like I hit those MOABs on Call of Duty

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

Wait, I'm confused. Winning either of these scholarships would result in you taking time off to study in the UK, correct? Are you planning to postpone your entrance to medical school if accepted?

 

[mdphd_applicant]

Wait, I'm confused. Winning either of these scholarships would result in you taking time off to study in the UK, correct? Are you planning to postpone your entrance to medical school if accepted?

Fellow nominee for Marshall and Rhodes here. The answer is 100% yes.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

Fellow nominee for Marshall and Rhodes here. The answer is 100% yes.

I mean, I would too. The reason I ask is that I'm not actually sure if updating immediately is in your best interest in this situation - obviously they are both incredible honors, but depending on the length of time you might need to postpone, I'm not sure it would make a school more eager to accept you than someone else who is ready to enroll this coming fall. My understanding is that the Rhodes requires at least two years of study, and I don't know many med schools that allow applicants to defer an acceptance that long. I could be entirely wrong though, an adcom can probably give a better perspective here.

 

[and 99 others]

I mean, I would too. The reason I ask is that I'm not actually sure if updating immediately is in your best interest in this situation - obviously they are both incredible honors, but depending on the length of time you might need to postpone, I'm not sure it would make a school more eager to accept you than someone else who is ready to enroll this coming fall. My understanding is that the Rhodes requires at least two years of study, and I don't know many med schools that allow applicants to defer an acceptance that long. I could be entirely wrong though, an adcom can probably give a better perspective here.

You can do a rhodes for one year and honestly I think most schools would be willing to defer for 2 years to have their grad be a rhode scholar. It looks good for the school too

 

[mdphd_applicant]

I mean, I would too. The reason I ask is that I'm not actually sure if updating immediately is in your best interest in this situation - obviously they are both incredible honors, but depending on the length of time you might need to postpone, I'm not sure it would make a school more eager to accept you than someone else who is ready to enroll this coming fall. My understanding is that the Rhodes requires at least two years of study, and I don't know many med schools that allow applicants to defer an acceptance that long. I could be entirely wrong though, an adcom can probably give a better perspective here.

I was told by our fellowships office that med schools are going to always be happy to have a Rhodes scholar in the class. And TBH I will 100% switch schools to pursue this once in a lifetime oppurtunity if I'm lucky enough to be chosen.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

You can do a rhodes for one year and honestly I think most schools would be willing to defer for 2 years to have their grad be a rhode scholar. It looks good for the school too

I was told by our fellowships office that med schools are going to always be happy to have a Rhodes scholar in the class. And TBH I will 100% switch schools to pursue this once in a lifetime oppurtunity if I'm lucky enough to be chosen.

that may certainly be the case! I'll defer to those who have more experience with this than I.

 

[and 99 others]

I hope you get them OP! You should be really proud of yourself for getting this far!

 

[NapoleonBonaparte]

Thank you everyone for the advice. Clearly this game of knowing when and when not to update is a head scratcher for all of us... hopefully we all find a way

 

[theKingLT]

This not something I would recommend sending an update for. Adcoms are focused on filling the coming year's class. I'm assuming you already have a strong app given the competitiveness of the Marshall and rhodes scholarships, so adding this is unlikely to make a significant positive difference while it could very well get you rejected at some schools. Wait until after you're accepted to request a deferral

 

[NapoleonBonaparte]

What is the purpose of updating after I get accepted? That’s not really an update though. Would I really get punished for getting some award?

 

[frog301]

This not something I would recommend sending an update for. Adcoms are focused on filling the coming year's class. I'm assuming you already have a strong app given the competitiveness of the Marshall and rhodes scholarships, so adding this is unlikely to make a significant positive difference while it could very well get you rejected at some schools. Wait until after you're accepted to request a deferral

Don't agree with this statement at all. I think it's a very substantial update as most above posters have stated and I think it significantly increases the merit of OP's application. Personally, I would update the schools if notified of the scholarship award and request a deferral if they give you an acceptance but if not then no need to relay this.

 

[theKingLT]

What is the purpose of updating after I get accepted? That’s not really an update though. Would I really get punished for getting some award?

It's not an update to help you get in. If you want this award on your application then go do it and apply again in 2 years.

I'm not an expert on the inner workings of adcoms but last year I was given this advice by an adcom member (for a similar international scholarship) and it worked out well. Plenty of acceptances and merit scholarships, and plenty of schools granting deferral AFTER acceptance. Idk exactly how it would have gone had I requested a deferral prior to acceptance but i can almost guarantee no merit scholarships and probably would have lost some acceptances as well. One of the T20's that I was accepted to with a big merit scholarship did in fact reject my deferral request for the reason i stated above. They liked me enough to give me a merit scholarship, but then turned down my deferral knowing full well I would go to a different school if they did so. How do you think it would've gone requesting the deferral before even being accepted, much less considered for one of the merit scholarships of which they can only give out a limited number a year? How do you think it would go if you're hoping to get off a waitlist, something specifically designed to fill late season drops in the coming year's class?

I'll say it again because it's important, they're focused on filling the incoming class, not the one that's 1 or 2 years down the line. Keep your deferral aspirations in the dark until you're accepted and ideally after merit scholarship decisions

 

[NapoleonBonaparte]

Sorry to revive this discussion. I ended up winning the Marshall and now am in the final round for Rhodes. Is the consensus on whether this actually hurts or helps my MD application still uncertain? Would you recommend I take the risk of getting turned down and still update schools? Or do I need to somehow predict which schools will look favorably upon this award and which won't?

 

[theKingLT]

Sorry to revive this discussion. I ended up winning the Marshall and now am in the final round for Rhodes. Is the consensus on whether this actually hurts or helps my MD application still uncertain? Would you recommend I take the risk of getting turned down and still update schools? Or do I need to somehow predict which schools will look favorably upon this award and which won't?

First off congrats!
I've given my .02 based on personal experience and the advice an adcom gave me in my similar case. If you would like more advice I'd recommend tagging some adcoms on here as the opinion of one adcom is not universal.

As far as trying to decide which schools would or wouldnt favor such an update, I dont know how successful you would be. The school that I mentioned earlier that rejected my deferral request has traditionally been open to deferrals according to past posts on this site so I dont think it's something easy to predict.