Deny Acceptance and Reapply. Chances?

[374702]

Hey guys - first post. first of all, sorry if I sound like arrogant or entitled, i really dont mean it. I just figure this is the best place to go for advice. it will probably sound bad but here goes.

I was accepted to a good school (west coast, usually top 10) and may get accepted to a couple more once march comes. not holding my breath though - my pre-med advisor has talked to a few schools that have turned me down and i guess i was really bad at my interviews. i have really good stats, but my extracurriculars are probably some of the worst that med schools see, period. i have done a lot of cool stuff this year and, if i do deny, will do some cool stuff for the next two years before reapplying (my plan would be to reapply for entering class 2013 or 2014). i just feel like i have the chance to go somewhere that i really want to if i try again.

so - will schools that interviewed me and denied me, or other schools that didn't even interview me - give me another shot knowing i got 1 or more good acceptances, or will they just assume i dont want to be a doctor?

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[sustentacular]

Hold your hand out to me palm down so I can slap it..

BAD! That's a BAD PREMED!

 

[Catalystik]

What's wrong with a school that's "usually top ten"?

It will probably depend on how you spin the reason for declining the acceptance.

 

[gettheleadout]

You applied to a school that isn't "somewhere [you] really want to [go]" why?

If you decline your only acceptance and reapply you may* have a black mark on your record (i.e. this applicant wants to be a doctor but only from certain schools? and we can't even trust them to apply to those schools only?

Just go to the good school you got in at. You'll be fine and become a doctor.

*This is the consensus on SDN, but I can't recall if LizzyM or Cat have ever confirmed this. Cat?

 

[2050vlsb]

I don't really understand ... you've not only been accepted to a school, but to one that's potentially ranked very well, and you're willing to go through the application process again? Do you feel you'll have a significantly better experience/education at one of the schools than this one?

There was an earlier thread similar to this, and I believe the OP after denying an acceptance and reapplying did end up getting several offers .. not sure of the school stats, but it does happen. I just don't know why, if you were accepted even if with the flaws you claim your application has, you'd go through it again.

 

[WeAreNotRobots]

Hey guys - first post. first of all, sorry if I sound like arrogant or entitled, i really dont mean it. I just figure this is the best place to go for advice. it will probably sound bad but here goes.

I was accepted to a good school (west coast, usually top 10) and may get accepted to a couple more once march comes. not holding my breath though - my pre-med advisor has talked to a few schools that have turned me down and i guess i was really bad at my interviews. i have really good stats, but my extracurriculars are probably some of the worst that med schools see, period. i have done a lot of cool stuff this year and, if i do deny, will do some cool stuff for the next two years before reapplying (my plan would be to reapply for entering class 2013 or 2014). i just feel like i have the chance to go somewhere that i really want to if i try again.

so - will schools that interviewed me and denied me, or other schools that didn't even interview me - give me another shot knowing i got 1 or more good acceptances, or will they just assume i dont want to be a doctor?

so you got into stanford or ucla with horrible EC's and a bad interview, but you think you can get into someplace better? you do sound arrogant AND entitled. no need to apologize. do whatever you want.

 

[wanderer]

Jeez, just stick with your acceptance. The way you're coming across sounds worse than just plainly wanting to reapply.

 

[JustMeditate]

My question is this: If you aren't willing to go to this school, why did you apply to it?

In all honesty, if your interviews and EC's were as bad as you claim, you probably lucked out this cycle. Every cycle there are those 20 people with bad stats, or bad interviews, or bad EC's that miraculously got in any way. If you got lucky this time, chances are that you won't get lucky again. And if you haven't gotten into your choice school this round, what makes you think you will next round? Even if you spend two years strengthening your app, won't your MCAT expire around that time, leaving you to study AGAIN for several months, years after the pre-reqs were taken? I doubt you'd get as good a score as you claimed to have this time around.

If I were you, I'd take what I got. But if you really can't stand this school, sure, reapply. It is your life. But in the future, I wouldn't apply to any schools I was unwilling to go to. That is honestly a waste of money.

 

[doremi2010]

.

 

[Pons Asinorum]

...i was really bad at my interviews...

I hope you know this will be a really hard impression to change, regardless of what you do over the next two years. People always seem to wonder on these threads how someone with "great stats" falls through the cracks. Rhettoric7, you are about to meet the cracks if you head down the path of denying acceptance to reapply.

 

[bmcd]

Well after the slap in the face the original poster got, I'm a little afraid to pose my question, but here it goes.

I'm in a somewhat similar situation. I applied fairly (honestly, very) late in this application cycle and got two interviews that I went on recently. One of which went pretty well, so I might get an acceptance there. The other, I'm not as sure about.

Here's where I am at this point though. I have overloaded myself with classes, work/research, volunteering, etc.. and although I'm managing.. I'm burning out and NOW a year off sounds great. Plus, I just found out from my PI that he would definitely keep me on during that year. In the chance that I do get accepted to that one place, will that really leave a black mark on my potential, future application? How will the schools know? Other than the one that accepted me? Could I avoid that problem by contacting the schools to withdraw before I hear back about their final decision?

Thanks for the input!

 

[Catalystik]

bmcd, I will reply on the new thread you just created.

 

[Norskyboy]

Ya, you do sound pretty entitled... What do you wish to accomplish by going to a better school than the one you've been accepted to? Chances are, it will likely have very little impact on your residency and general quality of life!

 

[BarcaBest23]

T-R-O-L-L

Anyone smart enough to get into a top 10 now would not put med school off for 2-3 years to do "cool stuff" in hopes of getting into a top 5. Plus was OPs first post.

Second person in similar situation, you can probably defer for a year if you get accepted just have a reasonable excuse and not just that you are "burnt out".

 

[sector9]

Ya, you do sound pretty entitled... What do you wish to accomplish by going to a better school than the one you've been accepted to? Chances are, it will likely have very little impact on your residency and general quality of life!

This thread is a year old from an OP with exactly one post... I doubt that the OP will read your response.

 

[TriagePreMed]

T-R-O-L-L

Anyone smart enough to get into a top 10 now would not put med school off for 2-3 years to do "cool stuff" in hopes of getting into a top 5. Plus was OPs first post.

And we have a winner!