Accepted but reapplying - is this crazy?

[Ursa]

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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.

 

[TommyJohnMD]

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!



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.

omgz u iz super cool pre-med!

the worst kind

having to reply twice to me with a really original "YOU MAD" pic really asserts yourself

 

[Venc]

People if you don't like the OP or are trying to get into med school for this cycle. Tell him to reject the acceptances and continue with his sport. There would be one more spot on those schools for you

Come on people you are going to become doctors

 

[orthomyxo]

omgz u iz super cool pre-med!

the worst kind

having to reply twice to me with a really original "YOU MAD" pic really asserts yourself

 

[BeachBlondie]

Another D1 athlete here...

I've already graduated from college. So, from my current position I can tell you that you will miss competing immensely. In a way, it's a stretch to know what the heck to do with all of the extra time on your hands, too!

I can fully understand why you'd be reticent to stop before your 4th season. But, I think your best bet would be to call an admissions member (perhaps anonymously) and ask them what their opinion would be. The fact is, while SDN can be a helpful resource, you're going to encounter a lot of misinformation from people who simply don't know. May as well go straight to the source...

 

[rhesuspieces]

omgz u iz super cool pre-med!

the worst kind

having to reply twice to me with a really original "YOU MAD" pic really asserts yourself

 

[twentyone]

I deferred to go do something arty for a year. I applied for deferment from two schools and got it from one, then went that that school a year later. I think I did have to redo the application as a formality. If I hadn't gotten the deferment, I would have just gone to med school and continued my arty pursuits in my spare time anyway.

I think schools are kinda of liberal with deferments but it has to be sooner rather than later so they can fill their classes (it can't be the week before classes start). OP I would apply for deferments from your accepted schools. If none of them grant a deferment, I think you're going to have to suck it up and go to med school anyway.

 

[fishsticks2629]

Go to med school

 

[Mizoodles]

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?

Definitely a 5k/10k guy. If I can't defer, another option would be to just keep on running on my own.. trying out road races and marathons on the side. The US Olympic marathon trials qualifying time is 2:19 🙄... For now, I'll pull whatever strings I can to make the deferment possible. Thanks for the advice everyone, it helps a lot to hear advice from others who are facing big choices in their lives right now.

 

[littlealex]

Get accepted and call school to defer.

 

[Juneilow]

I'm really worried about the number of posts that seem to insinuate that "doing something you're really passionate about for a year" = "not 'growing up'". SDN posters seem to be pretty singleminded about getting into med school, but that doesn't mean that someone who wants to take a year off is "not ready" to be a doctor.

The OP has already stated that he has his entire life to pursue his professional goals, that he does want to be a doctor. His wanting to take a year in between for something meaningful sounds entirely reasonable and something I'm sure a lot of people can relate to. The only unfortunate problem is the existence of the OP's acceptances. The fact that med schools put a black mark by your name if you get accepted and would rather apply again speaks more to their own inflexibility than any failings on the applicant's part.

So basically, the OP is unfortunately probably stuck into either enrolling or deferring. But there was nothing indicative of immaturity in his original question; on the contrary, it seems rather refreshing that he's open to pursuing diverse, high-level interests.

 

[MilkmanAl]

The OP has already stated that he has his entire life to pursue his professional goals, that he does want to be a doctor. His wanting to take a year in between for something meaningful sounds entirely reasonable and something I'm sure a lot of people can relate to.

Yes, but the question for me is why he applied in the first place if this is something he wanted to pursue. It's not like he didn't see this situation coming. Nobody jumped out from behind a corner and said, "You have one year of eligibility left! What will you do?!" as soon as he started getting med school acceptances. It's not really a matter of maturity, as you say - just really, really, really bad planning.

OP, I don't see any harm in asking for a deferral, but if they turn you down, go to med school. Personally, I wouldn't even defer, for the salary loss is pretty substantial, like Geekchick said.

 

[imer]

...

 

[Juneilow]

Yes, but the question for me is why he applied in the first place if this is something he wanted to pursue. It's not like he didn't see this situation coming. Nobody jumped out from behind a corner and said, "You have one year of eligibility left! What will you do?!" as soon as he started getting med school acceptances. It's not really a matter of maturity, as you say - just really, really, really bad planning.

OP, I don't see any harm in asking for a deferral, but if they turn you down, go to med school. Personally, I wouldn't even defer, for the salary loss is pretty substantial, like Geekchick said.

I know, but things change; he said this issue came up in early September. His choice to apply beforehand was the smartest one, and now he's just inquiring into whether dropping acceptances really looks that bad. To which the answer is, "Yes, unfortunately," not "Yes, you idiot, OMG NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MED SCHOOL RITE NAO."

 

[Mizoodles]

Yes, but the question for me is why he applied in the first place if this is something he wanted to pursue. It's not like he didn't see this situation coming. Nobody jumped out from behind a corner and said, "You have one year of eligibility left! What will you do?!" as soon as he started getting med school acceptances. It's not really a matter of maturity, as you say - just really, really, really bad planning.

OP, I don't see any harm in asking for a deferral, but if they turn you down, go to med school. Personally, I wouldn't even defer, for the salary loss is pretty substantial, like Geekchick said.

This situation was not planned to happen, as posted earlier. To go into further detail, the injury was not "discovered" until early September. I had already submitted my AMCAS and had set-up several interviews at this point.

Had it all happened just a few months earlier, we wouldn't be having this discussion at all!

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

Yes, but the question for me is why he applied in the first place if this is something he wanted to pursue. It's not like he didn't see this situation coming. Nobody jumped out from behind a corner and said, "You have one year of eligibility left! What will you do?!" as soon as he started getting med school acceptances. It's not really a matter of maturity, as you say - just really, really, really bad planning.

OP, I don't see any harm in asking for a deferral, but if they turn you down, go to med school. Personally, I wouldn't even defer, for the salary loss is pretty substantial, like Geekchick said.

Al, the OP did not see this situation coming. It had nothing to do with bad planning. An injury is not something you plan for. This situation came up after the OP applied and got injured/red-shirted for the season.

OP, I second everyone suggesting to ask for a deferment. You're not making an unreasonable request and, if you have multiple acceptances, there's a fair chance at least one school will allow you to defer.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Oh boo, I missed that post. My bad. The advice stays the same, though: probe deferral but go to school if no school is sympathetic.

 

[mdeast]

Deferment is a pretty normal thing in med school admissions. Most schools have 4-5 people do it every year for whatever specific reason they have (scholarship, personal reasons, etc.). My med school class even has someone who deferred multiple years to develop a startup company before entering med school.

It usually just involves talking to a Dean, writing a letter, and making it happen.

See where you get in, talk to the Deans when you're in the decision making phase (March-May), and you'll be fine. Maybe you'll still have these thoughts then, maybe you won't.

And for anyone out there questioning the OP's dedication to medicine...remember, that's it's completely normal (actually preferable) to have goals in life that are NOT medicine. In fact, to me, these are things in life that help you end up as a "happy" physician rather than just an "accomplished" physician. If you want to do another season....do it now while you're still young, energetic, etc. Medicine is a 40-50 year career. There's no point in rushing it, and I couldn't imagine that a medical school Dean wouldn't be sympathetic to your own personal desires. Again, deferrals are a normal part of the process...the only reasons they are typically denied is if a applicant is accepted off the waitlist (in which case deferment is usually not possible), or doesn't present a good reason for the deferral. I think intercollegiate sports is a pretty good reason (it doesn't have to be medically related), but maybe that's just me.

 

[ModerateMouse]

OP: I really like that you are passionate about something other than just med school. Keep it up and try to convince the deans/adcoms to grant you a deferral.

You'll probably be one of the few on this forum who don't turn into drug abusing, burnt out physicians 20 years down the line. 😛 👍

(myself included -- I don't have any 'strong' interests or hobbies.)

 

[Readinglevelup]

Probably won't help, but I was a goaltender when I played hockey and I could have played in the CHL at least, but I decided that medical school is more important to me. So, I stopped playing competitively to get the chance to apply to get in med school quicker. Not really the same, but yeah, that's my experience so far.

 

[Parts Unknown]

I'm really worried about the number of posts that seem to insinuate that "doing something you're really passionate about for a year" = "not 'growing up'".

Interesting, as that's not what I took from those posts at all. The insinuation I read was simply that growing up means realizing that you can't always have your cake and eat it, too. And a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. And a rolling stone gathers no tired cliches.

One word of advice to the OP: if you request a deferral (which I'm guessing you will) and one is granted, make sure you have something in writing. A verbal promise from the Dean doesn't cut it. For all you know that Dean will be caught with strippers in his office at Christmas, and his replacement won't feel so sympathetic to your plight.

Don't laugh, I've seen it happen.

 

[Geekchick921]

Interesting, as that's not what I took from those posts at all. The insinuation I read was simply that growing up means realizing that you can't always have your cake and eat it, too. And a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. And a rolling stone gathers no tired cliches.

One word of advice to the OP: if you request a deferral (which I'm guessing you will) and one is granted, make sure you have something in writing. A verbal promise from the Dean doesn't cut it. For all you know that Dean will be caught with strippers in his office at Christmas, and his replacement won't feel so sympathetic to your plight.

Don't laugh, I've seen it happen.

You've seen the Dean caught with strippers in his office at Christmas? Fantastic! 😉

 

[curlytop]

You've seen the Dean caught with strippers in his office at Christmas? Fantastic! 😉

WHAT SCHOOL IS THIS?? 😍

 

[Juneilow]

Interesting, as that's not what I took from those posts at all. The insinuation I read was simply that growing up means realizing that you can't always have your cake and eat it, too. And a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. And a rolling stone gathers no tired cliches.

My post was only directed at the posters who suggested otherwise. Of course there is something in being mature enough to prioritize. From what I've seen of the OP's later posts, that's exactly what he's going to do. Looks like there was just some confusion about the real consequences of turning down an acceptance, not a blatant show of "I'm so awesome and can just get accepted again." What I found strange was the "it's med school, be happy with what you have" mentality. No one should take an acceptance for granted, but no one should assume that one's own goals = everyone else's.

 

[Parts Unknown]

My post was only directed at the posters who suggested otherwise.

Yeah, I just didn't see those posters. Although on rare occasion I have been guilty of not thoroughly reading threads.

Looks like there was just some confusion about the real consequences of turning down an acceptance, not a blatant show of "I'm so awesome and can just get accepted again."

Hmm, never saw the OP expressing this attitude, either.

What I found strange was the "it's med school, be happy with what you have" mentality.

Perhaps there is simply some perspective in that approach you do not fully appreciate. My last year in college was, unequivocally, the best single year of my life. But it ended over 15 and a half years ago. At the time I don't think I would have traded it for the world, but now I wouldn't trade my career, my family, my home, for anything.

There are simply a lot of inherent difficulties in trying to comprehend the whole of your life when you're not even 23.

 

[JJMrK]

Tough situation, and I don't think you can be faulted for weighing your options; both of the experiences you're talking about are potentially once in a lifetime opportunities.

I'd be up front about this with the schools you've been accepted to and ask for a deferment. If you don't get one, you've got a difficult decision on your hands. Just be aware that reapplying with acceptances in hand is very risky.