Applying to medical school is a big decision and comes with many strategic choices along the way. Applicants must weigh how many schools to apply to, which ones, and whether or not they should apply using the early decision option.
While each of these choices can affect an applicant’s admission success, choosing whether to apply early decision or not can disproportionately make a difference. Consider the following before deciding what strategy aligns best with your medical school goals.
Ways to Apply Early
The first key information to know is the difference between regular decision, early assurance and early decision. Most applicants apply to 20 to 30 medical schools through the regular decision option, which doesn’t restrict when or how many medical schools you can apply to.
Early Assurance
Early assurance programs typically accept applications during an undergraduate’s freshman or sophomore year for a spot in their partner medical school’s class. Only select schools offer this conditional guarantee, and often, students must be invited to apply to such a program.
[Read: What Are Your Chances of Getting Into Med School?]
Similar to direct B.S.-M.D. programs, these programs are highly competitive and each school reserves only a few spots for its top-performing undergraduates. If a student is granted a coveted early assurance spot in medical school, the offer is typically considered binding.
Early Decision
Early decision, however, is an alternative application strategy. Under this program, students may apply to only one medical school by the deadline of Aug. 1 and will hear back about their acceptance by Oct. 1. If denied acceptance, they are then eligible to apply to other schools.
An important note about terminology: While there are early action deadlines for undergraduate programs, there is no similar application type for medical school.
[How to Decide Where to Apply to Medical School]
Timeline
As the medical school admissions cycle operates under rolling admissions, the application timeline is crucial. Generally, the earlier you submit your primary and secondary applications, the better.
Both regular and early decision applications open for primary application submission through AMCAS in late May or early June. However, early decision applicants may submit only one primary application by Aug. 1. Only after a rejection from their early decision school by Oct. 1 are early decision applicants able to submit their AMCAS primary application to other schools.
Meanwhile, other applicants who applied through the regular decision pathway may already be receiving interview invites as early as September and October. While it’s still possible to gain medical school admission when applying later in the cycle, the delayed timing is a significant disadvantage.
[Read: Why It’s Hard to Get Into Medical School Despite Doctor Shortages.]
Trade-offs
Often, the most stressful part of applying to medical school is the long waiting periods of uncertainty. Applying through the early decision route can lead to an acceptance as early as Oct. 1, while other applicants may be left waiting to hear back from schools as late as May, nearly a year after the primary application opens.
Applying early to one school may increase your chance of admission to that particular school. However, if you’re not accepted, submitting your primary applications to other medical schools in October will put you at a significant disadvantage.
In the world of rolling admissions, those who submit their primary applications first will have their applications reviewed and considered for interview invitations first, while there are still available seats.
Ultimately, the risk of applying late in the cycle is typically not worth the marginal advantage of applying early decision to one school. Early decision is often best suited for students who are planning to take a gap year, given the high likelihood that they may need to reapply.
If pursuing early decision, consider applying to a school where you have strong ties and where your MCAT score is at or above the school’s average for matriculated students.
While some may believe that applying early decision to a dream school may bolster their chances despite a weak or average application, doing so will incur more harm than benefit. Having a strong application and applying early to a well-balanced school list is the best path to medical school acceptance.
If you’re unsure whether applying early decision is right for you, consider working with a private counselor to evaluate your application along with your personal values and goals.
More from U.S. News
A Guide to Accelerated, 3-Year Medical School Programs
The Medical School Admissions Cycle: A Month-by-Month Guide
How to Attend Medical School for Free
3 Things to Consider Before You Apply Early Decision to Medical School originally appeared on usnews.com
