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- Feb 15, 2018
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Here is my updated letter I sent to the AAVMC:
Good Morning,
I and multiple others have reached out regarding the matter of Western University’s forced deferrals, and most of us have received no follow-up. However, one of my peers on student doctor network reached out again and received an explanation of how Western was not found to have violated the April 15th deadline. It is my belief that this was in error, and key facts have been overlooked.
In your follow-up email, you stated that Western offered, not forced, deferrals. However, this was not the case. An offer of deferral would mean that students originally accepted into the class of 2023 still had a spot in the class if they chose not to defer. Western did no such thing. It is clearly stated here in their email:
“On behalf of Western University of Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, we are writing to inform you that the class entering Fall 2019 is filled and we currently are unable to confirm your seat in the Fall 2019 entering class at this time. As noted in the January 2019 offer letter, due to the large number of confirmations we have already received, we are in the unfortunate position of not being able to accept more than 108 students to our Fall 2019 entering class. As a result, we would like to offer you deferred acceptance into the Fall 2020 entering class. As a Deferred Acceptance student, should a place become vacant in the Fall 2019 entering class, you will be the ________ considered to fill the vacancy.”
This means that students were only offered deferral instead of being dropped from consideration entirely. That is not the same as a true offer of deferral.
Later in the email, Western mentions that they will be selecting students based off of when they submitted their deposit prior to the April 15th deadline. I’m curious as to how that specifically doesn’t violate the deadline. As you said, the deadline is in place to prevent students from being coerced into submitting their deposits sooner rather than later.
If Western is not found to be in violation, this sets a terrible precedent that allows schools to coerce students into submitting a deposit early using a student’s fear of being forcibly deferred. Again, students were not offered deferral vs a spot in the class of 2023. They were “offered” deferral vs being dropped from consideration entirely. This is not an offer. This is coercion.
Good Morning,
I and multiple others have reached out regarding the matter of Western University’s forced deferrals, and most of us have received no follow-up. However, one of my peers on student doctor network reached out again and received an explanation of how Western was not found to have violated the April 15th deadline. It is my belief that this was in error, and key facts have been overlooked.
In your follow-up email, you stated that Western offered, not forced, deferrals. However, this was not the case. An offer of deferral would mean that students originally accepted into the class of 2023 still had a spot in the class if they chose not to defer. Western did no such thing. It is clearly stated here in their email:
“On behalf of Western University of Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, we are writing to inform you that the class entering Fall 2019 is filled and we currently are unable to confirm your seat in the Fall 2019 entering class at this time. As noted in the January 2019 offer letter, due to the large number of confirmations we have already received, we are in the unfortunate position of not being able to accept more than 108 students to our Fall 2019 entering class. As a result, we would like to offer you deferred acceptance into the Fall 2020 entering class. As a Deferred Acceptance student, should a place become vacant in the Fall 2019 entering class, you will be the ________ considered to fill the vacancy.”
This means that students were only offered deferral instead of being dropped from consideration entirely. That is not the same as a true offer of deferral.
Later in the email, Western mentions that they will be selecting students based off of when they submitted their deposit prior to the April 15th deadline. I’m curious as to how that specifically doesn’t violate the deadline. As you said, the deadline is in place to prevent students from being coerced into submitting their deposits sooner rather than later.
If Western is not found to be in violation, this sets a terrible precedent that allows schools to coerce students into submitting a deposit early using a student’s fear of being forcibly deferred. Again, students were not offered deferral vs a spot in the class of 2023. They were “offered” deferral vs being dropped from consideration entirely. This is not an offer. This is coercion.
