This is my 3rd time applying, and I have posted on SDN before that I have received over 100 allopathic rejections before receiving any acceptance (my first was an osteopathic acceptance in November). After making 4 waitlists, I sent in LOIs to all 4 schools and stated that if accepted I will 100% go there. Well yesterday, I called the admissions office at my second choice and found out I was accepted. When I got home, I had an acceptance at my first choice in the mailbox! I want to be an honest person but I can't fulfill my promise to each school. How should I tell my second choice no, and am I in any trouble here?
Good problem, but I need input!
- Thread starter bige11
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I can't really picture a med school trying to force a student to attend. It's a funny thought, though.
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Hahaha you goofed a little 😛
Not adding any input to this thread, but I remember reading on CC about undergrad colleges having "black lists" for people who did this.
Not adding any input to this thread, but I remember reading on CC about undergrad colleges having "black lists" for people who did this.
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You sent four letters of intent stating your 100% earnest commitment to attend all four schools if accepted.
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Wow.
Glad there's so much honesty in those being accepted to this profession.
*facepalm*
The doctor of tomorrow; the panderers of today!
Glad there's so much honesty in those being accepted to this profession.
*facepalm*
The doctor of tomorrow; the panderers of today!
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You're going to be fine. Accept the offer at 1st choice, call 2nd choice and explain to the Dean how he is better off with you going to the other school. Who wants a student who would say anything to get in, true or not. Feel some shame, than go celebrate.
He/She doesn't really care where you go, or if they take 5 people or 6 off the wait list to fill the class.
He/She doesn't really care where you go, or if they take 5 people or 6 off the wait list to fill the class.
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well, it's too damn late for that.
It's not too late. I meant it. I was fine with withdrawing acceptances to all of the other schools immediately. This isn't helpful and I just did exactly what I was told by advisors. Making fun or demeaning me isn't helpful and isn't the purpose of sdn. I know what a jam I'm in..... Hate the happiest day of life has turned to this....
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If you are an honest guy, then it should follow that you do the honest thing.
Call the schools and tell the truth about your LOI's/ clarify what you meant.
Otherwise, if you let this slide then I hope it does not haunt you for the rest of your life that you got into medical school, and became a doctor perhaps through dishonest means.
Call the schools and tell the truth about your LOI's/ clarify what you meant.
Otherwise, if you let this slide then I hope it does not haunt you for the rest of your life that you got into medical school, and became a doctor perhaps through dishonest means.
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i would like to say congratulations but you have tainted your acceptances with lies.
no you are probably not in trouble with any of the schools but think about the consequences of your actions. the adcoms of the schools will think less of letters of intent from future genuinely interested applicants. AND just think about the impact on yourself just as a human being. if you have to lie its not worth it to go into a profession like this. if youre going to do something, do it right.
please reflect on your actions and be open to growth you wretched, wretched, wretched, wretched, wretched, wretched, wretched, wretched person.
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lol! im just messin with ya
please dont take what i said above too seriously. theres no reason for you to be so nervous around me.
well, maybe you should reflect. but yeah gl class of 2015er
you do good ok? just be a good person.
edit: you did lie. its just logic. "i will attend school x. i will attend school y." but you will attend only school x or school y. hence u lied to one of them. the fact that u dont recognize this suggests to me you want to remain ignorant to this fact just to justify your morality. update: you MUST reflect tonight on who you are and who you want to be and how you will become that person.
please dont take what i said above too seriously. theres no reason for you to be so nervous around me.
well, maybe you should reflect. but yeah gl class of 2015er
you do good ok? just be a good person.
edit: you did lie. its just logic. "i will attend school x. i will attend school y." but you will attend only school x or school y. hence u lied to one of them. the fact that u dont recognize this suggests to me you want to remain ignorant to this fact just to justify your morality. update: you MUST reflect tonight on who you are and who you want to be and how you will become that person.
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Bige11 if you analyze the nature of your comments, you do lie. Maybe you did so unintentionally, but you do end up lying.
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OP, I'd just email the 2nd choice school and simply say that you'd like to withdraw your acceptance. I don't think I believe the hoopla that schools will forever remember you on some horrible black list of death. (But I'm not on an admissions committee either, so maybe I'm completely wrong.) Maybe the adcom will be annoyed, but they probably have more important things to do than hold a grudge against you.
And congrats on your acceptances!
And congrats on your acceptances!
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You didn't have any md acceptances to withdraw from when you wrote those letters. What are you talking about?
You can either:
1. Keep lying.
2. Tell the truth to whatever school you have to withdraw from.
3. Say nothing. Just withdraw with no explanation.
I think the most practical (not necessarily best) option is probably #3. Does that help? You're still screwing the admissions staff a bit because the reason the LOIs work is because theycan be sure that the student in question WILL attend, rather than endlessly going down the waitlist.
Sorry, to be clearer I didn't say I was accepted and would withdraw my acceptances, I said once accepted I would remove myself from all other waitlists. That would have been an out right lie! They can see that anyways and besides being dishonest would have been just stupid....
I also said that I would attend the school for sure...
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so what about the 100% part
I put that in my first choice letter after looking lol..... I'm still freaking out about getting in. It's been a very long road!
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Ok...so you said the 100% going to attend thing in only 1 letter then? Cuz, if that's the case I don't see why you're freaking out so much. If in the other letters you've written, you didn't say you would definitely attend if accepted then I don't understand your problem.
Well, isnt it implicit? If I am not in anywhere and I say I will withdraw from all wait lists then isn't it natural to assume i am saying I will definitely go there? I don't know, my head is spinning. I just don't wanna screw up anything!
dude. just withdraw from one of the schools (and your other two waitlists!) and get over it! something tells me this happens to schools pretty often. was it the nicest thing you could have done? no, probably not. however, at the end of the day, i doubt they care that much. both those spots will be filled, one by you, and one by someone else that will be excited for that acceptance.
just try to act more professional in the future. things will be fine.
just try to act more professional in the future. things will be fine.
Well, apparently not.
You probably won't get into too much trouble, unless you have the misfortune of applying to one of the other schools for residency and having someone remember you. (It doesn't happen often, but it happens.) Who it actually hurts more are the future premeds from your school, since it can cast doubt on the judgement of your advisors/LOR writers.
When it comes to applying to residency down the road, remember this situation and absolutely do not lie to schools/programs (again). The residency world is even smaller than the med school admissions world (and they all know each other, too), and applicants who do this definitely get blacklisted for fellowships or attending positions.
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It could be implicit, but it you want to get into the minutia of it all, it's not as bad as saying I will definitely attend if accepted. So technically you didn't lie if you left it up to them to read between the lines.
In any case, this is why you don't send LOI's to multiple schools. I understand how you're feeling, I'm a reapplicant too, and as tempting as it is to do it, I just didn't want to risk it and in the end it worked out for me.
I'm sure you're not the first person to ever have this happen to them. You said you got the acceptances on the same day? If so, you could accept the offer to your first choice. Then call the other school, tell them that you were planning to withdraw your app from them but was accepted before you could do so. That is if you really want to get it off your chest and tell them. You could just say nothing and withdraw, but i don't know if there will be or are any future consequences to that.
Thank you for the last few posts. I have already with drawn from the 2 schools I haven't been accepted to yet and will send a nice letter to the dean of admissions at the school I am going to turn down. I think it does deserve an explanation, the admissions department has been so nice. Thanks for the help.
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you worry too much. call the school, say "i'm sorry, i won't be able to attend your school as I thought I would be"
that's it. one of two things will happen:
1. the person at the admissions office will be annoyed with you for a few moments before forgetting about your existence entirely
2. the person at the admissions office will hire a witch doctor to make a voodoo doll of you and then proceed to stick pins into it.
so you committed a faux pas. not a big deal.
that's it. one of two things will happen:
1. the person at the admissions office will be annoyed with you for a few moments before forgetting about your existence entirely
2. the person at the admissions office will hire a witch doctor to make a voodoo doll of you and then proceed to stick pins into it.
so you committed a faux pas. not a big deal.
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Well I was in a similar predicament, but honestly this whole process is such a crap shoot and everything is so random, you do anything that you can just to try and get into school.
Just send a nice letter saying that you are withdrawing your application and that even though you really liked their school you are attending another one.
Just send a nice letter saying that you are withdrawing your application and that even though you really liked their school you are attending another one.
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It seems like you don't have a lot of options except to withdraw from your second choice (I guess you could make up a reason, $ or tell them the truth?)... but I don't think anyone will hold a grudge in the long run.
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This whole thread is, like... ridiculous...
Congratulations, OP. I think people are just messin' with ya.
(But if they rescind your acceptances or one of the schools kidnaps you and locks you in the cellar under the anatomy lab, do let us know.)
Congratulations, OP. I think people are just messin' with ya.
(But if they rescind your acceptances or one of the schools kidnaps you and locks you in the cellar under the anatomy lab, do let us know.)
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This is perhaps the most absurd thread in a while. There seem to be a lot of whiny and jealous undergrads griping in this thread. Stop giving this guy a hard time. I know lots of people that send in LOI to multiple schools saying they will go there if accepted. For this reason, these types of statements have little to no influence on admissions decisions. The OP got accepted on his/her own merit and not because of some LOI statement. Additionally, I bet not a single person on the adcom is going to lose sleep over this situation. This happens all the time and is part of the job. Lastly, the med school admissions process is grueling, cut-throat, and demoralizing. The OP got accepted to his first choice so CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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+1 I second that congrats to the OP and I agree 100% lpmarcus010. I bet a lot of posters who are saying that this was wrong probably haven't gone through the application cycle themselves. Wait until they see....
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Wow, you people are harsh.
Don't worry about it too much, seriously. They're not going to blacklist you. Let them know circumstances have changed and for a variety of reasons you will not be able to attend their medical school anymore. Or don't even say that and just simply withdraw. They will just take your name off the list of accepted and take the next guy in the waitlist.
It sucks that you're in this position, but good luck and congratulations on your acceptance!
Don't worry about it too much, seriously. They're not going to blacklist you. Let them know circumstances have changed and for a variety of reasons you will not be able to attend their medical school anymore. Or don't even say that and just simply withdraw. They will just take your name off the list of accepted and take the next guy in the waitlist.
It sucks that you're in this position, but good luck and congratulations on your acceptance!
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Agree with this statement. I think other people on this board are just jelly you got into medical school. Congrats!
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It sounds like you are going to be stuck attending both medical schools. I really feel for you. That is going to be a lot of hard work and a whole lot of debt paying double tuition.
lot of people making a mtn out of a molehill here IMO. yes it was a mistake to 100% commit to going somewhere if you were accepted. but if they wanted you that badly they could've accepted you months ago. end result: they accept the next guy in line. their class will still be full. this is not the end of the world.
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👍It's not that it's going to cause a huge problem when the OP turns down one of the acceptances, it's just that he abused the "power" of sending a letter of intent. Whether or not those letters got him the two acceptances or not, it was dishonest to imply to 4 different schools that they were his/her top choice, and the problem is one of ethics, whether consequences exist or not.
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It's not that it's going to cause a huge problem when the OP turns down one of the acceptances, it's just that he abused the "power" of sending a letter of intent. Whether or not those letters got him the two acceptances or not, it was dishonest to imply to 4 different schools that they were his/her top choice, and the problem is one of ethics, whether consequences exist or not.
I would have said the same thing a year ago, but this year during interviews when they asked me "Will you go to this school if we accept you?", you can sure as hell bet that I said yes. I was in no position to risk an acceptance b/c it wasn't my top choice and it was "unethical". Those who said it wasn't their top choice, well --> rejection. They have plenty of applicants who would kill to get into their school, if they don't think you're 100% dedicated in going there, they'll accept the next applicant down the line.
If you want to increase your chances of getting into schools, you will write LOIs to the the ones you are waitlisted at. Everyone does it.
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It's not a big deal. I'm sure he happens to (no offense) desperate medical students all the time. Withdraw from your second school and let someone else take the seat. Call them and apologize. 'Nuff said.
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If an interviewer asked if you would immediately withdraw all other applications upon receiving an acceptances, I would think that question is ridiculously unfair. During the interview season, especially if it's still a fall/winter interview, I can't imagine anyone realistically being able to say that, regardless of how financial aid turns out, they would immediately withdraw all other apps upon getting a specific acceptance. That question seems almost inappropriate to me. However, if the interviewer asked the question the way you put it, I would interpret it as asking if I would attend the school in general, i.e. would I feel comfortable and happy attending the school, and I would of course say yes. (given that I've done enough research beforehand to justify paying the application fees, paying to fly out and stay for the interview, taking the time to do all of that, etc...)
A serious interview question of "So you'll attend here if we accept you, right?" just seems like BS to me. If I were an interviewer, I'd think an applicant naive if they had no doubt in their mind that they could honestly answer yes at that point.
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Trust me, unless you're an all star applicant with a 3.9+ GPA and a 35+ MCAT you may find that geting into a school is more difficult than you think. The majority of applicants do not get into an MD school the first time they apply.
It sounds like BS to me as well, but it was still asked at every one of my interviews (and I interviewed in October, December, and January).
Look guys I'm not trying to argue, I'm trying to give you the heads up that this isn't going to be a walk in the park. Saying things like "They wouldn't ask a question like that" will only bite you in the butt whenever that question is asked to you during an interview. Just like "illegal" questions, they're not supposed to ask you those, but check the bizarre interview threads and you'll realize that they are asked more often than you think.
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The obvious answer is to just say yes, but I really don't know how I would want to answer that question right now...
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I think the obvious correct, honest, and noble course of action is to withdraw from all schools and try again next year. That'll teach you to lie you lying liar.
In all seriousness you should just explain yourself to your #2 school, they'll understand. If they don't, they aren't human and you'll know that you dodged a bullet from that school anyway.
In all seriousness you should just explain yourself to your #2 school, they'll understand. If they don't, they aren't human and you'll know that you dodged a bullet from that school anyway.
