why are secondary apps so expensive?

[dr kevin40]

I always wondered about that myself, and when i was searching for something else today, i came upon the answer...posted by a previous user!

"I think the steps you left out include mandatory week-long conferences for the office staff taking place in Hawaii, Can Cun, Paris, and Amsterdam with such themes as:
"How to Answer Applicants' Questions Without Disclosing Any Real Information"
"The Art of Stuffing Envelopes",
"2001 Ways of Discouraging Applicants From Contacting You",
"Affixing The Stamp",
"Filing Systems: An Introduction to the Alphabet",
"Creative Writing 101: The Rejection Letter",
"2001-02 List of Justifications for Increasing the Application Fee",
"Coffee: How to Pour it Without Spilling",
"Admissions Office Recorded Messages-Another Creative Strategy",
"The Admissions Process In Two Easy Steps: 1) Cash Check 2) Mail Rejection",

and finally the ever so essential "Bored on the Job? Too Much to File?....101 Disappearing Magic Acts".

I sleep a little better at night knowing my money is going towards the betterment of office personnel across the country. "

--courtesy of bigdirt.

that was really funny!

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[Airborne]

I've got a secondary app cost story....

When was applying several years ago, I indicated Mayo on my initial AMCAS application.

Shortly thereafter, I got a letter from Mayo with a small note indicating I would need to send them $75 to have my initial application assessed as well as a envelope to send it back in (not stamped, mind you). Excited, since this was my first response, I quickly mailed the check for $75, and within 1 week, got my rejection notice! No secondary, just "send us 75 bucks so we can tell you to go away".

Oh well, guess they have to fund that subsidized tuition somehow.

Airborne.

 

[gramcracker]

Because they can be. And they know we'll pay them.

 

[agent]

Originally posted by Airborne
I've got a secondary app cost story....

When was applying several years ago, I indicated Mayo on my initial AMCAS application.

Shortly thereafter, I got a letter from Mayo with a small note indicating I would need to send them $75 to have my initial application assessed as well as a envelope to send it back in (not stamped, mind you). Excited, since this was my first response, I quickly mailed the check for $75, and within 1 week, got my rejection notice! No secondary, just "send us 75 bucks so we can tell you to go away".

wow.. they even made you self address the envelope with postage..

thats just wrong

 

[CyclinE]

sometimes I think that adcoms interview the people who are smart enough *not* to send their money in. Haha

 

[finney]

how much do you think the surgeon who is interviewing you
makes an hour?

 

[SolidGold]

I think that Boston University is the most guilty school for ripping us off. They don't even have a secondary application yet they have a $100 fee. For what? To read our AMCAS? And they are one of those schools that accepts a good amount of people outside of their state so they have tons of people applying there. Say 8000 people apply there, thats $800,000 from us just so they can read our AMCAS and letters of recommendations. Plus think of they money that they save because there is no secondary...no money on paper and envelopes and postage, except for that puny letter that they send so that they can ask for our $100 bucks.

Sorry for the rant...Im frustrated too that a person with meager financial resources has to shell out all this dough to apply.

 

[dr kevin40]

I think its also very tough to obtain an AMCAS fee waiver form. I know someone who tried, and her family had small resources (and I mean less than 15K/yr) and they still wouldn't give it to her! no joke

 

[Street Philosopher]

Originally posted by CyclinE
sometimes I think that adcoms interview the people who are smart enough *not* to send their money in. Haha

yeah, pass the bong dude.

 

[Spiderman [RNA Ladder 2003]]

Secondary fees are a way to limit the number of applicants. Notice that school ask to send them a check or MO. So you would have to have cash in order to apply. They do not accept credit cards. If there were not secondary fees, all the applicants would apply to a tons of school and that will have a huge impact on adcom's work load.
I think that charging $100 for a fee is just too much. It does not cost schools that much to process your application. I think they should charge the application only if a person went through intial screening or something. Of course that will never happen becayse everyone is money-hungry nowadays.

 

[chopsuey]

you could use a credit card for the on-line ones....and about half of mine were on-line AND allowed for credit card payments.

 

[SolidGold]

Now you get to also pay interest on those fees too

 

[bradwilkins]

one word EXTORTION