Another waitlist predicament

[mudphudwannabe]

Hi everyone -- I know there have been a lot of these kinds of posts lately, but I can't get in to see an advisor until possibly next week, so I thought I would see what you think. Heres the deal -- I interviewed at 6 schools and now I've been accepted at Medical College of Wisconsin (my backup school), and waitlisted at University of Wisconsin (my undergrad school, "just a little bit down the list"), Mayo (towards the top of this list), and Duke (only for the med school, not MSTP, no clue of ranking). MCoW has the April 15 deadline since they start June 1. A few questions:

1) How firm is the April 15 deadline? I guess nothing is really holding me to that, but is it really looked down upon to withdraw from a school after the deadline? I don't want to mess things up for them especially since they only have 4 spots, but they also are not my first choice. My med school interview there was the only one where I actually felt like there are lots of people in the med school who do not value research.

2) Duke was formerly my first choice, but I'm not sure now since I'm not in the running for the MSTP. Does it make sense to go there and do an MD/PhD anyway, with all the loans necessary for the MD, when I could go somewhere else for free? I think they are the best fit for me. I liked their students about the best, and I like that their MD program is already research oriented. However, I think the UW or Mayo would also work out well. Any thoughts? Of course, I'm waitlisted at all 3 schools, so I can't really make a decision. The explained my situation to the MSTP coordinator at the UW, and he asked if I was really under the gun to make a decision by April 15. I don't know what difference that would make -- perhaps if he thought I would be under a lot of pressure from MCoW, maybe the UW would be willing to offer me something sooner? Anyone been in a similar situation?

Another factor, unrelated to the quality of the medical schools, is that my fiance lives here in Madison, and it would suck for him to have to move, but of course he would. That's just another possible bonus for staying here. Well, thanks for your help.

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[paramus]

Hi everyone -- I know there have been a lot of these kinds of posts lately, but I can't get in to see an advisor until possibly next week, so I thought I would see what you think. Heres the deal -- I interviewed at 6 schools and now I've been accepted at Medical College of Wisconsin (my backup school), and waitlisted at University of Wisconsin (my undergrad school, "just a little bit down the list"), Mayo (towards the top of this list), and Duke (only for the med school, not MSTP, no clue of ranking). MCoW has the April 15 deadline since they start June 1. A few questions:

1) How firm is the April 15 deadline? I guess nothing is really holding me to that, but is it really looked down upon to withdraw from a school after the deadline? I don't want to mess things up for them especially since they only have 4 spots, but they also are not my first choice. My med school interview there was the only one where I actually felt like there are lots of people in the med school who do not value research.

2) Duke was formerly my first choice, but I'm not sure now since I'm not in the running for the MSTP. Does it make sense to go there and do an MD/PhD anyway, with all the loans necessary for the MD, when I could go somewhere else for free? I think they are the best fit for me. I liked their students about the best, and I like that their MD program is already research oriented. However, I think the UW or Mayo would also work out well. Any thoughts? Of course, I'm waitlisted at all 3 schools, so I can't really make a decision. The explained my situation to the MSTP coordinator at the UW, and he asked if I was really under the gun to make a decision by April 15. I don't know what difference that would make -- perhaps if he thought I would be under a lot of pressure from MCoW, maybe the UW would be willing to offer me something sooner? Anyone been in a similar situation?

Another factor, unrelated to the quality of the medical schools, is that my fiance lives here in Madison, and it would suck for him to have to move, but of course he would. That's just another possible bonus for staying here. Well, thanks for your help.

If you're coming off of a waitlist, you can withdraw whenever you please. It's not great for MCoW, but it's not your job to look out for MCoW when you don't have a whole lot of options to begin with. I'm sure they have a list of their own that they can go to if you withdraw late, and that will end up making someone somewhere very happy.

I wouldn't worry about Duke MD until it becomes an issue. Right now, you know where you're going if nothing changes. It also sounds like you are in good shape at Mayo and UW, so just try to be patient.

If it comes down to Duke MD vs. MCoW, though, you should look long and hard at your financial aid package before making a decision. Duke's financial aid is better than most according to their figures, but I still got severe sticker shock from my award letter. Having funding during the research year would help, but it's still pricey even if you take that into account.

I don't really have a good answer for that situation, and I'm beginning to think it doesn't exist. As long as you don't feel that MCoW will impede your future goals in any way, that's probably the right choice. You just have to feed yourself a lot of talk about how you will do well wherever you go - or get someone else to feed it to you. It's probably true; the problem is getting yourself to believe it.

But, to repeat, all is not lost - least of all when you're high on a wait list!