Accepted but reapplying - is this crazy?

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Mizoodles

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I've been accepted to several quality schools and have several interviews at "dream" schools coming up that I'm hoping I also get accepted at. However, I'm considering reapplying so that I can use my last season of eligibility in division 1 track and cross country - I am a national qualifier as well as all-conference in both sports, with hopes of doing very well if I decide to continue running (all-American aspirations??)

I was hoping schools could offer deferment for this, but it doesn't look like this is an "acceptable" reason. So I'm stuck with either going to med school this next year or re-applying. Is re-applying that crazy in this situation?
 
Mizoodles said:
I've been accepted to several quality schools and have several interviews at "dream" schools coming up that I'm hoping I also get accepted at. However, I'm considering reapplying so that I can use my last season of eligibility in division 1 track and cross country - I am a national qualifier as well as all-conference in both sports, with hopes of doing very well if I decide to continue running (all-American aspirations??)

I was hoping schools could offer deferment for this, but it doesn't look like this is an "acceptable" reason. So I'm stuck with either going to med school this next year or re-applying. Is re-applying that crazy in this situation?
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What is more important to you?? Ask yourself that
 
These activities are just hobbies, aren't they? They could still be hobbies of your's when you're a doctor. Being a doctor is what you really want, isn't it? It's not crazy but it's not a smart decision, either. What if things don't go your way the next cycle? Unlikely, I know, but still - what if you're not as lucky due to factors beyond your control? It won't be worth it at that point, right?
 
If you want to get into medical school, you should matriculate. You should've withdrawn your app before getting acceptances. If schools are leery of giving you a deferral as an accepted student, what makes you think they'll cut you slack as a reapplicant that was previously ACCEPTED?
 
Mizoodles said:
I've been accepted to several quality schools and have several interviews at "dream" schools coming up that I'm hoping I also get accepted at. However, I'm considering reapplying so that I can use my last season of eligibility in division 1 track and cross country - I am a national qualifier as well as all-conference in both sports, with hopes of doing very well if I decide to continue running (all-American aspirations??)

I was hoping schools could offer deferment for this, but it doesn't look like this is an "acceptable" reason. So I'm stuck with either going to med school this next year or re-applying. Is re-applying that crazy in this situation?
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:eyebrow:

:wow:
+pity+
:troll: <-- This seems like a distinct possibility.
 
ask for a deferment anyway. no harm in asking. if they say "nah, bruh." then go to med school
 
No, I am not "trolling" on this issue. The way many others have put it, I have the rest of my life to pursue my professional career. I only have the next year or so to continue running (my passion!) at the collegiate level.

As far as withdrawing my application long ago, I did not know I would be confronted with this issue until early September. I was injured and red-shirted this season - therefore leaving me with another season of eligibility that I could use if I stick around..
 
Mizoodles said:
No, I am not "trolling" on this issue. The way many others have put it, I have the rest of my life to pursue my professional career. I only have the next year or so to continue running (my passion!) at the collegiate level.

As far as withdrawing my application long ago, I did not know I would be confronted with this issue until early September. I was injured and red-shirted this season - therefore leaving me with another season of eligibility that I could use if I stick around..
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You may have the rest of your life to pursue a career, but that career most likely will not be medicine if you choose to deny acceptances and reapply next year.

It is a huge risk that is not worth taking if you are at all serious about medicine.
 
This thread..."I'm awesome at track AND applying for med school, BOO YA! How would you handle this dilemma if God liked you as much as he likes me?"

Go to med school.
 
Hey unlike everyone on here, I understand your situation. I am at school on a full-scholarship for gymnastics. I was injured at the end of my freshmen year, and had to stop doing gymnastics entirely because my knees just couldn't stay healthy. If I had the chance to compete again, I would turn down my acceptance and reapply and compete. You are right, you do have the rest of your life to work on your professional career. And yes, you only have one more year to compete track on the college level. Whoever said it was just a hobby has no idea what he is talking about. No one knows how hard it is to be an athlete and a good student. They don't understand how much time goes into it and how you can't study all day like the typical premed.

I say you should ask for the deferment anyway. All they can do is say no. Explain your situation and your passion. Turn it into a good thing about how you want to finish what you started and how you can contribute so much to your team by being there an extra year.
 
I had a similar situation, I deferred my undergraduate education after being accepted at my school, so I could play junior hockey and try to be recruited/play at a Div I level. I wrote to my school explaining the situation, and was granted a deferral twice. Obviously being an incoming undergraduate, they were much more flexible.

I would write to them, or try to talk to the Dean in person to be granted a deferral. It can't hurt. If not, you are going to have to make a decision. From someone with an athletic background, it is not easy to give up playing the sport you love competitively. I'm on my last year of playing competitive hockey, and it is tough to acknowledge it coming to a close. But in my mind, your education is probably the right choice, and unless granted the deferral, I wouldn't risk it giving up an acceptance(s). Maybe one school will give you the opportunity, and you make your choice that way as well.

To all those mocking the OP, maybe you've never played a sport before or have been passionate about one, and know what it is like when it is all over. You don't understand how incredibly tough it is to give up, so cut the guy a little slack.

Sometimes this board can be the pits.
 
denco88 said:
I say you should ask for the deferment anyway. All they can do is say no. Explain your situation and your passion. Turn it into a good thing about how you want to finish what you started and how you can contribute so much to your team by being there an extra year.
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Well that's all well and good, but supposedly turning down all acceptances and reapplying the following year is a big, black mark on your application. You may totally F your chances of ever getting into medical school again. Is that worth it? It's also one less year of physician salary, which is also nothing to sneeze at.

Like cliff said, apply for a -deferment- if you want, do not turn down all your acceptances. If they say no, you need to go or you might as well actually shoot yourself in the foot.
 
Ursa said:
This thread..."I'm awesome at track AND applying for med school, BOO YA! How would you handle this dilemma if God liked you as much as he likes me?"

Go to med school.
Click to expand...

This is your new "thing" isn't it? This is at least the fourth time I've seen you post this summary format in the last few days.
 
tommyjohnmd said:
to all those mocking the op, maybe you've never played a sport before or have been passionate about one, and know what it is like when it is all over. You don't understand how incredibly tough it is to give up, so cut the guy a little slack.
.
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+1
 
TommyJohnMD said:
I had a similar situation, I deferred my undergraduate education after being accepted at my school, so I could play junior hockey and try to be recruited/play at a Div I level. I wrote to my school explaining the situation, and was granted a deferral twice. Obviously being an incoming undergraduate, they were much more flexible.

I would write to them, or try to talk to the Dean in person to be granted a deferral. It can't hurt. If not, you are going to have to make a decision. From someone with an athletic background, it is not easy to give up playing the sport you love competitively. I'm on my last year of playing competitive hockey, and it is tough to acknowledge it coming to a close. But in my mind, your education is probably the right choice, and unless granted the deferral, I wouldn't risk it giving up an acceptance(s). Maybe one school will give you the opportunity, and you make your choice that way as well.

To all those mocking the OP, maybe you've never played a sport before or have been passionate about one, and know what it is like when it is all over. You don't understand how incredibly tough it is to give up, so cut the guy a little slack.

Sometimes this board can be the pits.
Click to expand...
Yes, my reaction a la emoticons was not entirely fair, but you have to realize the implications the OP's decision to apply and withdraw may have on her future. If she is unlucky enough to not receive a deferment, turning down all those acceptances and reapplying is going to look *really* bad to adcoms. To them, I can only imagine it seems more like "this girl isn't serious about going to medical school and shouldn't have applied yet" compared to what it may feel like to her: "I absolutely love running competitively (in college) and don't want to miss a minute of it." When you already have a good record, going to school for another year can be risky if you happen to damage your application by not keeping your grades up.

Personally, I do know what it's like to have a sport that I love and be unable to continue it for xyz reasons. But I know if I were still playing that I'd give it up in a heartbeat if I got into medical school and had to choose between the two. Sometimes you have to suck it up and do the difficult thing.
 
As a fellow D1 T&F athlete I understand where you are coming from. I finished my last season in May and I miss every second of it. I would ask for a deferrment and tell them its because of two reasons: a) Further pursue your passion b) gain more experience in the professional world/medical field. A health care administrator I know once said that he likes doctors who took time off between UG and med school because when most people are maturing and learning how to be good people, doctors are learning how to be doctors. They never learn how to work well with others and are not pleasent to be around as a result. Now I realize thats a generalization but TIFWIW.

BTW what event do you run? Sounds like distance but are you a 5k/10k guy or more 800/1500/5k?
 
TommyJohnMD said:
I had a similar situation, I deferred my undergraduate education after being accepted at my school, so I could play junior hockey and try to be recruited/play at a Div I level. I wrote to my school explaining the situation, and was granted a deferral twice. Obviously being an incoming undergraduate, they were much more flexible.

I would write to them, or try to talk to the Dean in person to be granted a deferral. It can't hurt. If not, you are going to have to make a decision. From someone with an athletic background, it is not easy to give up playing the sport you love competitively. I'm on my last year of playing competitive hockey, and it is tough to acknowledge it coming to a close. But in my mind, your education is probably the right choice, and unless granted the deferral, I wouldn't risk it giving up an acceptance(s). Maybe one school will give you the opportunity, and you make your choice that way as well.

To all those mocking the OP, maybe you've never played a sport before or have been passionate about one, and know what it is like when it is all over. You don't understand how incredibly tough it is to give up, so cut the guy a little slack.

Sometimes this board can be the pits.
Click to expand...

Did you just compare applying for undergrad to applying for med school?

Geekchick921 said:
This is your new "thing" isn't it? This is at least the fourth time I've seen you post this summary format in the last few days.
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Yes this is my new "thing"

tabascosauce said:
your knees and ankles are going to betray you

go with the sure thing. 👍
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I like this
 
courtnes said:
Yes, my reaction a la emoticons was not entirely fair, but you have to realize the implications the OP's decision to apply and withdraw may have on her future. If she is unlucky enough to not receive a deferment, turning down all those acceptances and reapplying is going to look *really* bad to adcoms. To them, I can only imagine it seems more like "this girl isn't serious about going to medical school and shouldn't have applied yet" compared to what it may feel like to her: "I absolutely love running competitively (in college) and don't want to miss a minute of it."
Click to expand...

This. It's understandable that OP wants to pursue his/her passion, but reapplying after receiving acceptances IS NOT OK. It's not about whether the people giving advice here know what it means to be passionate about a sport; it's about the fact that everyone knows the consequences of turning down acceptance offers and reapplying. Doing so would be a rash decision that would end OP's dreams of ever becoming a doctor.
 
Honestly, I think that the dean of the type of school you might want to go to would be sympathetic to your situation. The rest of your life is medicine once you start med school and it truly is important to accomplish other goals before you matriculate. You're aspirations are very sincere and demonstrate motivation, persistance, and work ethic; all important qualities in becoming a physician. Ask for the deferral before you re-apply; I think the med schools would go for it.
 
courtnes said:
Yes, my reaction a la emoticons was not entirely fair, but you have to realize the implications the OP's decision to apply and withdraw may have on her future. If she is unlucky enough to not receive a deferment, turning down all those acceptances and reapplying is going to look *really* bad to adcoms. To them, I can only imagine it seems more like "this girl isn't serious about going to medical school and shouldn't have applied yet" compared to what it may feel like to her: "I absolutely love running competitively (in college) and don't want to miss a minute of it." When you already have a good record, going to school for another year can be risky if you happen to damage your application by not keeping your grades up.

Personally, I do know what it's like to have a sport that I love and be unable to continue it for xyz reasons. But I know if I were still playing that I'd give it up in a heartbeat if I got into medical school and had to choose between the two. Sometimes you have to suck it up and do the difficult thing.
Click to expand...
This. This is the real issue.

The reason that this may not be a good enough reason to defer is because it was completely foreseeable. OP; YOU knew that you had another year of eligibility. But you applied anyway.

I am not diminishing how you feel about sports because I COMPLETELY understand. I even understand that athletically, things could have changed for you in the last six months that have made your opportunities change in your sport. But you should have been thinking big picture way before applying. WAY before.

And I really think that an adcom will be thinking the same thing. Reapplying will probably not go well. Ask every school you get in to for a deferral. If one of them says yes....pick that school. If not....you went through all of this to get into medical school; why wouldn't you go when the alternative may be to NEVER go?
 
CougarMD said:
This. This is the real issue.

The reason that this may not be a good enough reason to defer is because it was completely foreseeable. OP; YOU knew that you had another year of eligibility. But you applied anyway.

I am not diminishing how you feel about sports because I COMPLETELY understand. I even understand that athletically, things could have changed for you in the last six months that have made your opportunities change in your sport. But you should have been thinking big picture way before applying. WAY before.

And I really think that an adcom will be thinking the same thing. Reapplying will probably not go well. Ask every school you get in to for a deferral. If one of them says yes....pick that school. If not....you went through all of this to get into medical school; why wouldn't you go when the alternative may be to NEVER go?
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You didn't read what he said.. He said he didn't know. He applied and then got hurt this year. Therefore this is the year he gets a redshirt, and he would be able to get an extra year next year because of that.
 
denco88 said:
You didn't read what he said.. He said he didn't know. He applied and then got hurt this year. Therefore this is the year he gets a redshirt, and he would be able to get an extra year next year because of that.
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You're right, I'm sorry; I saw another poster talking about being injured too and I thought it was the same person and didn't realize it was the OP.

The part about schools saying no to deferring still stands. In general, they don't want you to be miserable any more than you do. If they are saying no to this situation when they would say yes to a lot of other situations....that has to mean something.
 
denco88 said:
You didn't read what he said.. He said he didn't know. He applied and then got hurt this year. Therefore this is the year he gets a redshirt, and he would be able to get an extra year next year because of that.
Click to expand...

He might have known early enough to withdraw before an acceptance offer was made.
 
In the real world, you can't always have everything you want. Sometimes life sucks. If you withdraw from the schools you've been accepted at, you for sure will not be accepted at those schools again when you re-apply. Will you be accepted at other schools? No one knows for sure, but your chances are worse than they were this year.

Sorry you got hurt. That sucks. However, your "problem" of having to go to medical school really isn't that bad. Did you consider what would happen if you blew your shot at medical school, then were re-injured next year?
 
Ursa said:
Did you just compare applying for undergrad to applying for med school
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obviously you are ******ed and failed your verbal section on the MCAT because you have zero reading comprehension skills

All I did was bring up the point about writing a deferment letter to explain the OP's reasoning as to why he/she wanted an extra year. I explicitly stated that it was a different situation.
 
207_not_sure_if_serious.jpg
 
I can see where you're coming from, but personally if I were in your shoes I would not defer for personal reasons like wanting to be All American and all that. The only reason I would defer is if my school wanted/needed me to stay and I was going to take them to a division title or something.

That being said, ask for a deferment and show the schools your commitment to your team. If you decide to stay, that could make a great personal statement about sacrificing your career to help your team (if that's the way you see it).
 
bigtruckguy3500 said:
I can see where you're coming from, but personally if I were in your shoes I would not defer for personal reasons like wanting to be All American and all that. The only reason I would defer is if my school wanted/needed me to stay and I was going to take them to a division title or something.

That being said, ask for a deferment and show the schools your commitment to your team. If you decide to stay, that could make a great personal statement about sacrificing your career to help your team (if that's the way you see it).
Click to expand...


Or complete lack of judgment.

OP, I get that you're passionate about sports, but the fact of the matter is you're an adult now (no longer a kid). Sometimes you have to make tough choices; this is one of them. That's just a part of growing up. Take the acceptance while you have it or chances are you're going to be pursuing another career this time about 2 yrs from now when no school is willing to take you b/c you've demonstrated a lack of commitment [to medicine].
 
I think all of this debate is useless until you send the letters for deferment. Yes, it might now be the listed reasons for deferring, but I think it is worth a shot.
 
denco88 said:
I think all of this debate is useless until you send the letters for deferment. Yes, it might now be the listed reasons for deferring, but I think it is worth a shot.
Click to expand...
It sounds like everyone here is behind the OP asking for the deferment and going from there. But there's a possibility that it may not be granted and then the OP would have a tough choice to make.

Have we beaten this dead horse enough?
 
cliffhuxtableDO said:
ask for a deferment anyway. no harm in asking. if they say "nah, bruh." then go to med school
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I would discuss the situation with the schools that have accepted you and ask for a deferment. It's far less risky than reapplying after holding acceptances. You have reasonable reasons for asking for the deferment, I would expect at least one school to offer you one.
 
OP- Like others said, I would try to get a deferral from your accepted schools (meeting in person if possible). I bet you would be able to get one if you explain your situation. It's ok to be passionate about things outside of medicine. It's not "holding on" or "not wanting to grow up"- you are simply pursuing something else that is very important to you. You sound like a good applicant and waiting an extra year will not completely ruin your chances. Just be sincere in showing your love of the sport and of medicine and you will be fine. You could pursue a masters during the time or something. Take some time to make your decision- hopefully you will get a deferral and it won't matter.
 
TommyJohnMD said:
obviously you are ******ed and failed your verbal section on the MCAT because you have zero reading comprehension skills

All I did was bring up the point about writing a deferment letter to explain the OP's reasoning as to why he/she wanted an extra year. I explicitly stated that it was a different situation.
Click to expand...

obviously. but thank goodness the schools that I interviewed at had a "pity" interview for ******ed students...i dont know what I would have done if they werent so understanding of my mental slowness. also, thank goodness at least one of those schools so far has an acceptance reserved for ******ed students! :laugh::laugh:

Geekchick921 said:
LOL at "failed the MCAT". 🙄
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I know I was cracking up too! It always makes me chuckle when people say "fail the MCAT"...its usually something I hear from my non-medical friends who know nothing about med school/MCAT stuff.
 
Last edited:
AH3 said:
You sound like a good applicant and waiting an extra year will not completely ruin your chances. Just be sincere in showing your love of the sport and of medicine and you will be fine. You could pursue a masters during the time or something. Take some time to make your decision- hopefully you will get a deferral and it won't matter.
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Not true. All applicants are required to indicate on their AMCAS whether they've ever been accepted to a US Medical School. So they'll know that you've been accepted and then didn't end up matriculating and from what I hear this is a HUGE black mark on your record that is nearly impossible to remove. Once the OP received their first acceptance, in the eyes of medical schools he/she had the opportunity to pursue their dream. Not taking advantage of that acceptance, for whatever reason, would and should raise doubt in the adcom's minds about the applicants seriousness in pursuing medicine.

I would say try your hardest to get the deferral (I'd be willing to bet at least one school would offer one) and if you don't get it suck it up and go to medical school unless an extra year of sports is worth throwing away an entire career as a doctor. Cost benefit analysis always works.
 
You are not special, don't expect the schools to be waiting for your return. Anyone can easily take your place if you refuse your admission.

That's like refusing some good job position and going "Oh, it's okay. I will just reapply for said position at a later time."
 
How about some advice from someone that has already done this?

I was accepted into med school and then an opportunity came up. I actually deferred two years and ended up in Spain playing semi-pro soccer. Wouldn't trade the experience for anything, and it was actually surprisingly painless.

When the opportunity presented itself, I called the dean of admissions directly and explained the situation to him. I explained that it was very important to me, but that I wanted to attend med school at his instituion. He was actually very understanding and said that he could give me two years deferment, provided that I re-apply, but only to that institution. He basically guaranteed me a spot in two years time given that I fulfill my end of the bargain.

While living in Spain I redid my application (a pain in the ass), sent it in, had my spot.

If this is really important to you, I would speak with the dean of admissions and see how accomodating he is. It may be easier than you think.

Good luck
 
I say ask for the deferment and if you dont get it do what you want....

If you go to med school and end up being miserable because you didnt do track you may second guess that the rest of your life

But my guess would be that if you got accepted at several places ONE of them would be fine with you waiting a year.
 
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