Canadian to US MD need help with taking Acceptance or Reapplication

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maqlubainmybelly

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Hi all,

I just made this account because I am in desparate need of help or advice, anything I can get!

I am a Canadian applicant who was recently taken off the waitlist and accepted by a US MD school for the 2020-2021 cycle. The issue is I was under the wrong impression that their tuition for Canadians was considered Out of State (OOS) at around ~75k USD. They recently clarified to me the mistake and let me know that as a Canadian I am still considered International and so the yearly tuition is a whopping $100k USD... Talking with the school's financial advisor we came to a 4-year cost of $450k USD for tuition and living expenses, or $562k CAD. This is simply not feasible for me or my family, and no line of credit or loan I can get from a Canadian bank comes close to what I would be paying over 4 years + residency. I did as much calling and research as I could and I found some possible private student loans in the US, but they require US-resident cosigners and there is no family for me in the US that we could possibly ask to do this.

My family and myself are simply not in a position to accept this offer, but I've read that reapplying through AMCAS after an acceptance is a "death sentence" that ADCOMs will immediately see. Is there anyone who knows what I can do? There are other US MD schools that consider Canadians as OOS and have tuitions in the 60-70k USD range, which is the only thing we would be able to afford.

I'm really hoping for any advice, help, or guidance any of you could give me. I would appreciatey anything at all more than you could ever know.

TL;DR: It is not possible for me to afford the school I was accepted to as a Canadian/International applicant, is it possible to reapply to schools in the next cycle or withdrawing the acceptance now a death sentence?

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Is it possible to defer the acceptance by a year? That way maybe you can gather enough money during this gap year.
But 450K is simply ridiculous, and it doesn’t even include the interest for student loan.

I don’t think it would be a death sentence because you had a valid reason to withdraw. And if you are to reapply I would suggest not to apply to expensive schools for int’ students, such as SUNY Upstate, UIC, Colorado and schools that require 4 years tuition up front, such as WashU, SLU.
You can also apply to DO schools.

PS, I do know someone who had to withdraw their A at WashU because she couldn’t afford to pay 4 years tuition up front…so you are not alone.
 
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Is it possible to defer the acceptance by a year? That way maybe you can gather enough money during this gap year.
But 450K is simply ridiculous, and it doesn’t even include the interest for student loan.

I don’t think it would be a death sentence because you had a valid reason to withdraw. And if you are to reapply I would suggest not to apply to expensive schools for int’ students, such as SUNY Upstate, UIC, Colorado and schools that require 4 years tuition up front, such as WashU, SLU.
You can also apply to DO schools.

PS, I do know someone who had to withdraw their A at WashU because she couldn’t afford to pay 4 years tuition up front…so you are not alone.
I talked with them I can get a deferral but I wouldn’t be able to save enough in a year to make any sort of significant difference (maybe ~30k CAD which is nothing). But friend you are a life saver, thank you so much for responding. I am really beyond appreciative of your kindness. Do you know what happened to your friend or would I be able to PM you about it or maybe get in contact with her?

I would LOVE to reapply to US MD and even try DO (actually I would love to go DO) for the first time but I am scared now that they will see the previous acceptance. What do you think? If I give good justification is still a red flag on my application? :(
 
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I talked with them I can get a deferral but I wouldn’t be able to save enough in a year to make any sort of significant difference (maybe ~30k CAD which is nothing). But friend you are a life saver, thank you so much for responding. I am really beyond appreciative of your kindness. Do you know what happened to your friend or would I be able to PM you about it or maybe get in contact with her?

I would LOVE to reapply to US MD and even try DO (actually I would love to go DO) for the first time but I am scared now that they will see the previous acceptance. What do you think? If I give good justification is still a red flag on my application? :(
I just know she went to another med school that’s a lot cheaper (stony brook I think?). She got multiple acceptances. Sorry I’m not in contact with her anymore.

I don’t know if other med schools will even see you withdraw tbh, because I assume you haven’t “committed to enroll”? they would just know you applied in previous cycles. I personally don’t think it really matters.
if you withdraw after the school started that would be a different story…
And if you are really worried maybe you can call some medical schools that you want to apply and ask them if they care.

Also AMCAS and AACOMAS are totally separate so DO schools won’t see it for sure!!! And they are usually a lot cheaper.

I am sorry this is happening to you. I could only imagine the amount of frustration you are feeling. I wish the schools are cheaper for int’ students… But If you could get accepted by UIC, you have a good chance getting accepted by other schools! And you could save a lot of money!
 
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I just know she went to another med school that’s a lot cheaper (stony brook I think?). She got multiple acceptances. Sorry I’m not in contact with her anymore.

I don’t know if other med schools will even see you withdraw tbh, because I assume you haven’t “committed to enroll”? they would know you applied in previous cycles. I personally don’t think it really matters.
if you withdraw after the school started that would be a different story…
And if you are really worried maybe you can call some medical schools that you want to apply and if they care.

Also AMCAS and AACOMAS are totally separate so DO schools won’t see it for sure!!! And they are usually a lot cheaper.

I am sorry this is happening to you. I could only imagine the amount of frustration you are feeling. I wish the schools are cheaper for int’ students… But If you could get accepted by UIC, you have a good chance getting accepted by other schools! And you could save a lot of money!
Thank you so much my friend. So she did get in again, that’s awesome!!! Unfortunately during the elation of being accepted I clicked “commit to enroll” while on the phone with the admissions advisor. I think I will make some calls tomorrow like you suggested and I will also apply to DO!

My stats are:
MCAT: 510
cGPA: 3.8
sGPA: 3.79
Lots of ECs (mostly volunteer and shadowing not a lot of research)

I literally just can’t afford the school but you have given me some hope of reapplying. I am seriously so grateful for your help and guidance, especially that you gave me some of your time the same day I posted. I wish I could do something for you (can I give you a commendation or some sorts on this website?). It is frustrating but you have made it a lot less so!
 
Thank you so much my friend. So she did get in again, that’s awesome!!! Unfortunately during the elation of being accepted I clicked “commit to enroll” while on the phone with the admissions advisor. I think I will make some calls tomorrow like you suggested and I will also apply to DO!

My stats are:
MCAT: 510
cGPA: 3.8
sGPA: 3.79
Lots of ECs (mostly volunteer and shadowing not a lot of research)

I literally just can’t afford the school but you have given me some hope of reapplying. I am seriously so grateful for your help and guidance, especially that you gave me some of your time the same day I posted. I wish I could do something for you (can I give you a commendation or some sorts on this website?). It is frustrating but you have made it a lot less so!
The girl I was talking about got multiple acceptances in one cycle so she didn’t actually reapply. But I knew having to withdraw from WashU was a blow to her.

Yes I believe it’s possible! Like I said if you are not convinced maybe call some schools! But since this cycle already started, maybe you need to wait another year to maximize your chances. I applied late last cycle and it hurt my chances. Unless you only apply to DOs this year.

You are very welcome! I’m a fellow int’ student this year so I totally get your feelings! It’s already very hard to get in any school these days. I didn’t even apply to UIC. That price tag was simply astonishing… There are apparently rich applicants out there who can afford it and I’m sure they can pay it off at some point after they graduate. It’s okay if we are not one of them. Just accept the reality and make lemonade!!
 
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The girl I was talking about got multiple acceptances in one cycle so she didn’t actually reapply. But I knew having to withdraw from WashU was a blow to her.

Yes I believe it’s possible! Like I said if you are not convinced maybe call some schools! But since this cycle already started, maybe you need to wait another year to maximize your chances. I applied late last cycle and it hurt my chances. Unless you only apply to DOs this year.

You are very welcome! I’m a fellow int’ student this year so I totally get your feelings! It’s already very hard to get in any school these days. I didn’t even apply to UIC. That price tag was simply astonishing… There are apparently rich applicants out there who can afford it and I’m sure they can pay it off at some point after they graduate. It’s okay if we are not one of them. Just accept the reality and make lemonade!!
Thank you my friend, I am wishing you the best for this app cycle and your future - you are going to be fantastic in whatever you do.

To anyone else who reads this or has similar concerns, I also seem to have found an answer provided by @jackandjones1993 in another thread (Do schools know if you declined a medical school acceptance from last cycle?). Schools will no longer know through AMCAS if you declined an acceptance in the previous cycle and you will not be "blacklisted"! As someone in a financial predicament after the stresses and woes of COVID-19, this is great news to hear.
 
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