Applying Early Decision to undergraduate can be a strategic move to help improve your chances of admission, especially for highly competitive and selective schools. For example, for the class of 2025, Duke University admitted 16.7% of students who applied Early Decision, whereas a record-low 4.3% of applicants were accepted during the regular decision round.
Students who are applying to medical school have a tough decision: should they apply early decision? … [+]
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However, do students applying to medical schools see the same advantages? Aspiring doctors will often apply to 17 or more schools, with each application costing $100 or more. Therefore, they might be interested in exploring an Early Decision Program (EDP) to help increase their odds of acceptance. Similar to applying Early Decision to undergraduate school, students can choose one medical school to apply to early. However, unlike for undergrad, pre-med students applying through an EDP have to wait until they are rejected before they can begin to apply to other schools.
Although it might sound enticing to learn early whether or not your application to medical school was accepted, some drawbacks might make you reconsider this route.
What Is An Early Decision Program?
Combined, more than 100 allopathic and osteopathic medical schools have an EDP. Even for stellar candidates with top grades and a high MCAT score, it can be risky to apply to an EDP. Under this program, students can only apply to one EDP-participating medical school until they receive a decision. If accepted, the student must attend that school.
Advantages To Applying Early
1. Reduce Time And Stress
One benefit of applying early is that the student only has to apply to one school, thus reducing the time and stress of submitting applications to more than a dozen schools. This approach allows them to solely put their focus and energy on one school. Decisions from the college are released by October 1, reducing the drawn-out stress of the process.
2. Demonstrate Interest
It can also show a student’s enthusiasm for that particular school and demonstrate a strong interest in the program, which is something colleges like to see. However, for average candidates, the chance of gaining a spot is not significantly improved.
3. More Cost-Efficient
Another positive of EDPs are the cost. Applying to one medical school is significantly less than the cost of applying to 16 or more. However, if the student is financially able to shoulder the cost, it might be worthwhile. It gives them a better chance of being accepted, and the cost of applying is a small fraction of the total cost of being a doctor. While money is always a factor, in some ways, the money spent on applications is just the beginning.
Disadvantages To Applying Early
1. Must Be Fully Committed
When applying early, students have to be fully committed to attending that school. The EDP rules dictate that if accepted, the student must attend.
2. Application Must Be Outstanding
Only a small number of seats in the admission class are reserved for early decision applicants. According to the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges), your application has to be superb to stand out, and if it isn’t, you shouldn’t consider applying early.
3. Must Wait To Apply To Other Schools
If you are not accepted, that means that you have to enter into the admission cycle later than most other students. EDP rules state that you may not apply to any other medical school until you are officially rejected. Notifications of acceptance or rejection of the aspiring allopathic student’s applications are sent by October 1. While this is enough time to apply to other schools (deadlines are often between November 1 and December 15), it can put you at a serious disadvantage. Many of the interview spots or even admission spots might have already been taken.
When applying to allopathic schools, the applications for TMDSAS and AMCAS open on May 1 and May 30, respectively, and often will have deadlines in October or later. This is different from undergraduate applications, which are often open in the fall and are due in the winter. Medical schools also are unique from college admissions because they will offer rolling admissions and will review the applications as they receive them. While it might seem like you have more time for medical school, applying earlier in the cycle can work to your advantage.
Once you have submitted your application, it must be verified and processed by AMCAS and TMDSAS before it is sent to the schools. The later in the application season, the more applications that are in the queue to be verified. This process can take just two weeks at the beginning of the application season but might take six weeks in July and August. This can significantly slow down your application process.
According to TMDSAS, only 10% of applicants who submitted their application after August 1 were interviewed in 2018. Applying later in the cycle means you are competing against more students for fewer spots. Therefore, it is to your advantage to apply earlier in the cycle rather than closer to the deadline.
Unless you are a strong applicant, your chances of gaining a seat at an allopathic medical school this cycle might be slim, and it might be better for you to wait until the following cycle to apply.
4. Acceptance Rate Is Not Higher
Applicants through an EDP don’t tend to see higher acceptance rates. Medical school admissions can be extremely unpredictable, and even those who are highly qualified don’t get into every school they apply to. Students can be rejected by a school they thought they were highly competitive for, but still get accepted into a school with extremely low admission rates. For this reason, applying to a broad range of schools is often a good idea, because it allows students to account for the seeming randomness of medical school admissions. This strategy can help students increase the statistical odds that they find a place at a medical school the following year.
Is EDP Recommended?
If you are an extremely strong candidate, with top scores, recommendations, extracurricular activities and volunteer work, and you have one particular school that you are committed to attending, only then should you consider applying through an EDP. In this case, it may save you money on other applications and the stress of having to write dozens of secondary essays and multiple interviews.
Another positive is the decisions are often released in the fall of the applicant’s senior year, so while other candidates are still stressed about their application status, EDP students can be confident in their place for the following year.
However, due to the extreme risk of an EDP, it is likely not a good idea for the majority of medical school applicants. It might be a smart strategy for students who have a clear favorite medical school and are seriously considering a gap year. Because applicants must wait to apply to other medical schools until late in the application season, they will be at a disadvantage because many of the interview spots will already be taken by equally competitive students. If a student is rejected for their EDP school, it might be wiser to take a gap year (or two) and reapply at the start of the next admission cycle.
Even if you have a high chance of admission, EDP is still unpredictable, so it is recommended that you exercise caution when considering this option.
