The Early Decision Program (EDP) is an elusive, exclusive, and may be an alluring option but there a few important things to keep in mind so let’s review! What is it exactly?
The Early Decision Program gives you the opportunity to secure acceptance from one school by October 1, while allowing time to apply to other schools if you’re not accepted.
This option can save time and money since you only apply to one program. Plus since you’re applying early it can save you a lot of stress but there is a catch (few actually)!
One School.
You apply to one school and one school only.
That decision is not to be taken lightly by any means because if accepted through the EDP you must commit to that school. The EDP is a restricted program, in that applicants are bound by program agreements including (I repeat) you apply to one school and if you get in that’s it! So basically only if you really know where you want to go and it’s your one true dream school then you can consider the EDP.
Deadline.
Since it’s called the EARLY Decision Program you can imagine the application deadline to be much sooner rather than later. In fact for the AMCAS the deadline is August 1st! This includes both the AMCAS and any secondary application a specific school may require to be in by then. That’s a lot to get in so if you’re considering the EDP for real… finish reading this post and GET TO WORK!
HIGHLY Competitive.
As if getting into med school wasn’t hard enough keep in mind that schools will only admit a small portion of their entering class through the Early Decision Program. That means only applicants with an already excellent chance of admission to a particular school should apply through EDP.
To find out specifically about Texas schools participating in the TMDSAS Early Decision Program (whose deadline is also August 1st) go here.
The good news is AMCAS EDP applicants will be notified no later than October 1st and TMDSAS EDP applicants will know by September 15th if they’ve been accepted! Does the EDP sound like the dream? Just be sure check that your ONE medical schools you’re applying to participates in the program, in fact you might want to do that first, huh? 🙂
P.S. Since our last post the University of Texas’ brand new (well still under construction) Dell Medical School just received word on accreditation and is open for applications for 2016! If your interested apply here and check out a specially curated playlist for when you apply here.