Does getting accepted but not going look bad?

[GellaBella]

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Hi guys,

I've got a question for those of you who have gone through an application round already, do any of the applications at any point ask you whether you were ever accepted to a veterinary school before? I'm curious whether people have ever declined acceptances to really focus on getting into one school and whether that could be held against them at all during the next application process, kind of in a "well if they really wanted this they would have accepted last year" sort of way.

Any thoughts?

 

[DVMorBust]

I believe they ask you if you've a. applied, b. been accepted, and c. enrolled...but may be fuzzy on it.

The real question is - why would you apply somewhere you didn't want to go to?

 

[athane960]

I applied a few years ago to vet school and got accepted at a few and I decided at that time that I wanted to spend a couple of years getting public health experience first and saving up money for vet school. One of the schools I was accepted the first go around was Iowa State and this go around I was invited to interview so it must not have a real impact. Just make sure you state to them why you made the decision you did and make sure it is a half way reasonable reason 🙂!!

 

[GellaBella]

I believe they ask you if you've a. applied, b. been accepted, and c. enrolled...but may be fuzzy on it.

The real question is - why would you apply somewhere you didn't want to go to?

Yeah for me, its not really that I would apply somewhere I don't want to go, more like other circumstances that might make things more complicated. See, I will be applying this fall for the first time to vet school but my fiance is also applying this fall to dental schools. We are trying to apply to places where there are vet schools and dental schools in close-ish proximity (its not too bad, there are 8 vet schools I can apply to and 11 dental schools he can apply to). However, lets say I get accepted to an out of state school (I'm from MA, so that means I would get rejected from Tufts), and he gets accepted to a MA school (very possible since there are 3 schools in boston and 1 in Conn that are all in close proximity to the Tufts campus), I would prefer for him to start dental school and me to decline and re-apply the next year, then focusing all my efforts on getting into Tufts. Or whatever school it happens to be. I'm not saying that thats the way it definitely will go, he might decide its better for me to start school first and for him to re-apply again, or we might get into schools in close enough proximity to each other that this won't be a problem at all 🙂xf🙂, but since I've never gone through the application process before, I wasn't sure if they would ask if you've ever been accepted before.

 

[athane960]

I think your reasoning sounds good. It would be a good idea that if he did attend dental school in a state with a vet school that you go with him, work for a year, establish residency, and so on and so forth. Some of the schools do ask you in the supplemental if you ever got accepted before (i forgot if they asked you in VMCAS or not). As I said, my decision was a last minute decision after I already was accepted to not attend. I explained my reason thoroughly and at the Iowa INterview (although they never specifically asked) I again explained why I had turned down their acceptance offer and applied again and the interviewers aggreed with my decision. So it may depend on the school, but I think you have a valid reason if that is the choice you want to make.

 

[Angelo84]

I think it is more of an issue if you are reapplying to schools that previously accepted you and you turned down. Even then if you have good reasons it may not matter.

 

[pupsforseeing]

There is a section of VMCAS that asks about what professional schools you have applied to in the past, if you were accepted, and if you enrolled.

 

[sumstorm]

I am not sure how I would consider that, as an adcom... and while we all want to think it never happens, what if you and the fiance split up? How do you explain throwing away the opportunity? I may be a bit biased, since the closest vet school to my husband's residence is a minimum of a 4 hour drive, and I applied as far away as an 18 hour drive. Also, have you considered how you might feel if you are rejected from the 'chosen' school for the next 4 years? Not saying it will happen, but be certain you won't resent your partner for your decision if that does happen.