Rejecting an acceptance

stevehmk · Jan 16, 2004

I had a question... I have been accepted to a medical school, but I'm wavering as to whether I really want to go there (pretty low on my wish-list). Assuming I'm not accepted any place else I was thinking about turning down my acceptance and re-applying next year. I've heard that medical schools frown upon people who turn down acceptances and re-apply and I might also run the risk of not getting in anywhere next year. However, I figure I will have another year to make myself a better candidate. Does anyone have any personal experience with such a situation or advice as to what I should do?

P.S. The person I am currently doing research with is pressuring me to stay and work for him another year and then attend medical school next year. Is that a good enough reason as to why I declined my acceptance? Thanks for your help.

TRUE · Jan 16, 2004

I don't have any personal experience, but I have heard you are completely blacklisted and will have a very difficult time (read: impossible) finding an acceptence somewhere. Perhaps you should accept the school, but defer for a year if possible?

WatchingWaiting · Jan 16, 2004

Originally posted by stevehmk
I had a question... I have been accepted to a medical school, but I'm wavering as to whether I really want to go there (pretty low on my wish-list). Assuming I'm not accepted any place else I was thinking about turning down my acceptance and re-applying next year. I've heard that medical schools frown upon people who turn down acceptances and re-apply and I might also run the risk of not getting in anywhere next year. However, I figure I will have another year to make myself a better candidate. Does anyone have any personal experience with such a situation or advice as to what I should do?

P.S. The person I am currently doing research with is pressuring me to stay and work for him another year and then attend medical school next year. Is that a good enough reason as to why I declined my acceptance? Thanks for your help.

That's a good enough reason to defer, but not to reject an acceptance. Once you get accepted, it's generally better to just take what you got. If you reapply next year, what is going to make your application more stellar and competitive than it is now? Doing another year of research is NOT going to make you a stronger candidate. Focus on any place you've been wait-listed or haven't heard from. Get a new letter of rec or send a summary of how great your research has been this year-- anything to express interest.

Frankly, you're better off just going to your last-choice med school. If you excel, you will still have your choice of residency.

Amy B · Jan 16, 2004

Take the acceptance. You may not be so lucky next year. And for goodness sake don't let someone else pressure you into staying somewhere for their sake. Come on, that is crazy!!!

Hey, its a crap shoot, you got accepted this year, but next year it may be a different story.

MeowMix · Jan 16, 2004

If you really don't want to go there, you should withdraw your application.

Think of yourself as part of a big community of premeds. The application process gets all clogged up because so many of us apply to places we know nothing about, go to interviews at schools we're not interested in, and hold on to acceptances at places we don't want to go. If we made our decisions more expeditiously instead of waffling, everything would become much more pleasant for us and for everyone else involved in the admissions process. And those secondary fees might drop a bit.

sanoge7 · Jan 16, 2004

What school might you get accepted to? which school would you rather go to?

TRUE · Jan 16, 2004

Originally posted by MeowMix
If you really don't want to go there, you should withdraw your application.

Think of yourself as part of a big community of premeds. The application process gets all clogged up because so many of us apply to places we know nothing about, go to interviews at schools we're not interested in, and hold on to acceptances at places we don't want to go. If we made our decisions more expeditiously instead of waffling, everything would become much more pleasant for us and for everyone else involved in the admissions process. And those secondary fees might drop a bit.

Don't let anyone, including this guy, make decisions for you. Take your time. You're only making this decision once and it will affect the rest of your life.

Brickhouse · Jan 16, 2004

Originally posted by MeowMix
If you really don't want to go there, you should withdraw your application.

Think of yourself as part of a big community of premeds. The application process gets all clogged up because so many of us apply to places we know nothing about, go to interviews at schools we're not interested in, and hold on to acceptances at places we don't want to go. If we made our decisions more expeditiously instead of waffling, everything would become much more pleasant for us and for everyone else involved in the admissions process. And those secondary fees might drop a bit.

Meowmix what is that picture in your avatar, a person with a headdress or a skunk? It's like one of those pictures where the image changes depending on the angle you look at it....at least for me....LOL

CalBeE · Jan 16, 2004

I think you can talk to Kwanny, he's thinking about doing the same thing...

AverageMan · Jan 16, 2004

Defering isn't an automatic thing you can do just by requesting it. Schools that allow you to take a year deferment will undoubtadly ask for a reason why. Are you really going to tell them "I'm going to try to take another shot at the ivy league, but I want to keep you in my back pocket just in case." Defering for the sole purpose of reapplying probably isn't a good idea. For now, stick it out. You don't know what's going to happen; there'll be the highest amount of activity in terms of acceptances being offered in feb-march, followed by the wait list frenzy. Don't make any decisions right now. In a few months, maybe you'll feel differently about the school you're in.

And as for the guy who says people should make their decisions about med school right away, I think we're entitled to take as much time to make our decisions as the med schools take to make theirs.

BerkeleyPremed · Jan 17, 2004

Definitely consider your options here. You can wait to see if you get into other schools because most of the acceptance/rejection activity is in february/march (as the above poster stated). In fact, you definitely want to see how those other apps went. However, if this is the ONLY school that you got into...and you feel that you might want to try your luck at other schools next year...I would seriously advise against turning down this school because you don't really know what's going to happen in next year's app cycle.

Deferment is definitely an option...so look into it. As previous posters mentioned, the school will ask for a reason as to your deferment. Honestly, I think you're better off going with the acceptance to your school right now. If you're a junior/senior in college now...there really isn't that much time left to bring up your GPA. You probably won't want to re-take the MCAT. And I seriously doubt 1 more year of research will make a world of difference in terms of admissions. Whichever path you choose, best of luck to you.

rgporter · Jan 17, 2004

Originally posted by stevehmk
I had a question... I have been accepted to a medical school, but I'm wavering as to whether I really want to go there (pretty low on my wish-list). Assuming I'm not accepted any place else I was thinking about turning down my acceptance and re-applying next year. I've heard that medical schools frown upon people who turn down acceptances and re-apply and I might also run the risk of not getting in anywhere next year. However, I figure I will have another year to make myself a better candidate. Does anyone have any personal experience with such a situation or advice as to what I should do?

P.S. The person I am currently doing research with is pressuring me to stay and work for him another year and then attend medical school next year. Is that a good enough reason as to why I declined my acceptance? Thanks for your help.

If you haven't done it don't do it. I have a very good friend who turned down an acceptance because his wife was pregnant that year. He was never able to get in anywhere again.
Alternatively, if you can spin the research right you might be able to get the school to give you a defferment.

bigbaubdi · Jan 17, 2004

Originally posted by stevehmk
I had a question... I have been accepted to a medical school, but I'm wavering as to whether I really want to go there (pretty low on my wish-list).

....P.S. The person I am currently doing research with is pressuring me to stay and work for him another year and then attend medical school next year. Is that a good enough reason as to why I declined my acceptance? Thanks for your help.

Last year, about 5.7 of accepted applicants (about 1000 people) did not matriculate into med school.

http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2003/2003summary.htm

Doing research for another year is good enough of an excuse to defer a year. However, is research experience the only thing holding you back from getting accepted into your top choices?
Unless you are a stellar applicant (great stats, ECs, LORs) who has absolutely no research experience, I don't think that doing another year of research will help you that much.

You might want to ask the schools that rejected you if they can suggest any ways to improve your application.

TRUE · Jan 17, 2004

I think you can defer the year if you really want to stay and do your research. However, I do NOT think you can defer the year and then apply again. So if you're thinking of doing the research just to get into a better school, then I think you might be out of luck. Once a school accepts you, the way I understand it is, you better be going to SOME medical school or deffering for the year but still going to that school the following year. You ***MIGHT*** be able to get out of it if the school did not offer you the necessary financial aid, but I don't know if that's an acceptable reason.

ms. a · Jan 17, 2004

I am pretty darn sure you cannot defer and reapply. The acceptance offers I have received said that the offer is null and void if the applicant is already enrolled in a US or Canadian medical school at the time of acceptance. I do not know if being deferred at a school counts as enrollment, but it's definitely something you should investigate if you are considering taking that route.

edfig99 · Jan 17, 2004

i recommend not making any decision at this time and just sit and wait. there are a few months left in the season and a lot of decisions yet to be made.

my few cents on your situation

1. an acceptance is an acceptance and to let go of one when you don't have any guaranteed options is pretty risky. having reviewed hundreds of applications, there is very little that can happen in one year that will make someone a better candidate - so waiving and reapplying can leave ya working at that lab a lot longer than one year.

2. in terms of deferment, that is a very good option, but I suggest waiting a little bit longer. Most schools have a deferment = matriculant policy, that is, if you are accepted and you defer, for all intents and purposes you are a student at that school and applying to another school will result in you not only losing your place, but potentially losing a place at almost any other medical school (this holds primarily to AMCAS participating schools). Granted, a lot of this depends on the ethics of the institution, but in general, schools will respect each others acceptances.

3. no one should ever pressure you to stay on....and if he wants you to stay, it's time to discuss money. if you are going to defer a year, you may as well start getting some money and either start paying down your debt or saving up...

good luck,
ed

bokermmk · Jan 17, 2004

How in the world would a school know you rejected an acceptance unless you told them? I cant imagine AAMC releases records to a school aside from marticulates (i.e. they dont release all acceptances). To me, your past experience with the application process is your business, not the schools to which ou are reapplying.

TRUE · Jan 17, 2004

Originally posted by bokermmk
How in the world would a school know you rejected an acceptance unless you told them? I cant imagine AAMC releases records to a school aside from marticulates (i.e. they dont release all acceptances). To me, your past experience with the application process is your business, not the schools to which ou are reapplying.

As I understand it you are quite incorrect with this. If you reject an acceptence, all medical schools take this very seriously and it gets reported to AAMC and you are blacklisted from the AAMC schools.

Brickhouse · Jan 17, 2004

Originally posted by bokermmk
How in the world would a school know you rejected an acceptance unless you told them? I cant imagine AAMC releases records to a school aside from marticulates (i.e. they dont release all acceptances). To me, your past experience with the application process is your business, not the schools to which ou are reapplying.

I dunno - I assume that to be true but I have a feeling that adcoms probably discuss things clandestinely without it being official correspondence - I think that accounts why people only get two to three acceptances max. (generally)

Rejecting an acceptance

stevehmk

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TRUE

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WatchingWaiting

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Amy B

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MeowMix

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sanoge7

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TRUE

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CalBeE

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AverageMan

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BerkeleyPremed

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rgporter

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bigbaubdi

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TRUE

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