Help me turn down SLU

[IlliniEMT1]

The concept of actually turning down an acceptance is so strange to me that some part of my brain has revolted and filled me with self doubt. I want to give up their rejection so someone else has a shot, but part of me is afraid that I'll change my mind and regret it later.
Someone convince me that I should definetly go with Loyola-Stritch and let SLU go....

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[Maple]

Hey IlliniEMT1,

go with Loyola, so that I can get your spot in SLU! No..seriously...I think Loyola is better between the 2. You'd be closer to home (if that's important to you)..it has a good reputation..so does SLU, but I think Loyola has a stronger one..

Now my own probing questions...when did you interview/hear from SLU? I am waiting..it can be any day now! Also..if you don't mind posting your stats..I would really appreciate it!

Thanks and good luck with your decision!

 

[sandflea]

you can hold on to the SLU acceptance as well as the loyola one....you have until may 15 to decide, so give yourself some time to think it through if you're not 100% convinced that you may not consider attending SLU! personally i am not turning down *any* acceptance until i have a better idea of what my choices are like...might as well take all the time i'm allowed to make a final decision....

 

[Maple]

well..I too believe in making an informed decision..but keep in mind that if you are partial towards one school, then you ought to let the rest of your spots go to others who are anxiously waiting too. Just because you have until May 15th, does not not mean you have to string everyones else along until then too! If, I ever get more then one spots..I would not hold on to both for more then 1 month. Do what you would at the end of april, now, and save a bunch of people some heartache!

 

[sandflea]

sure, i agree, but at the same time, unless you are 100% positively sure that you want to attend a certain school, you may never know where you may decide to go until you have all your options in front of you, *especially* financial aid offers, which will certainly play a role in where i ultimately end up. if you can't say for sure that you may not decide to go to a particular school, then you have the right to think your decisions over. and my impression was that illiniEMT wasn't 100% sure that he/she didn't want to go to SLU, hence the hesitation to turn down the acceptance. likewise, it doesn't make sense to me to turn down an acceptance so early unless one is 100% sure that they do NOT want to attend a school...and if that's the case, why apply there in the first place?

besides, logically, if someone is considered favorably enough in an adcom's eyes that they would be among the first to benefit from someone else's pre-may 15th decline of an acceptance, theoretically this person would be the first to come off the waitlist AFTER may 15th.

 

[BlueDevil7]

I withdrew my acceptance from SLU about a week ago so I know how you're feeling. I knew that I would go to Tulane over SLU so I didn't feel right holding a spot at a school I wouldn't attend. My stance is that private schools are insanely expensive and the difference between a $29,000/year school and $33,000/year school ends up being a drop in the bucket. If you are able to rule out a school sooner rather than later, that's one more person that is into medical school and a huge weight can be lifted off their shoulders. Just my two cents.

 

[megkudos]

Originally posted by sandflea:
•you can hold on to the SLU acceptance as well as the loyola one....you have until may 15 to decide, so give yourself some time to think it through if you're not 100% convinced that you may not consider attending SLU! personally i am not turning down *any* acceptance until i have a better idea of what my choices are like...might as well take all the time i'm allowed to make a final decision....•••

If you are waiting for financial aid offers that's one thing but this post of your kind of angered me. I could see taking a while deciding between 2 schools but I think that waiting until the last possible day to decide just because you can is stupid. There's too many people out there going through a terrible time waiting to be so thoughtless.

Just my opinion.

 

[Maple]

Thank goodness I am not the only person who believes in holding on to a couple of spots..and not for long either!

Sandflea: I hear you about the financial aid packages, but unless you have an in-state acceptance, I don't think you'll see a great variation in the amount of money you get from a private school. So far.. the ones (all private) I have been to, I've gotten the sense that most of us are on our own and will need to get our fafasa in asap to figure out loans etc.. Besides, the op, does want to give up his/her spot at SLU, but just the act of giving it up seems strange as he/she obviously worked hard to get to this point. I understand that too. Even though you can only attend one school, its hard to give up an acceptance. You know...I have followed your progress (just by your posts..no stalking here! ) and you are fortunate to have been so sucessful to be holding multiple spots..and if I recall correctly, they are all very good/nicely ranked schools. At this point, I don't think you can truly realize how a person with 0 acceptances feels. I am not waitlisted at SLU..merely awaiting their decision...but I can imagine how awful the months-long waiting would be if I did have to wait until the end of may/early june! Well...sorry to ramble on and on..but I think its a touchy subject for all applicants who are still waiting for good news. Be considerate if you can..and good luck with your own decision.

 

[IlliniEMT1]

Thanks guys!
I really believe in deciding soon for the sake of other applicants. I may take a couple days to get comfortable with the idea- and then write my letter declining the acceptance at SLU. The kicker is that, going to Loyola, I can live at home, at least for a while. And as much as I dread that thought- I can save some serious $$$.

Maple- I interviewed the week of Thanksgiving and I heard back last week. I have 11V 12P 11B Q and a 3.62 GPA, 3.56 BCPM, the interview didnt go well, so I really didnt expect to get in...

 

[sandflea]

Originally posted by maple:
•At this point, I don't think you can truly realize how a person with 0 acceptances feels.•••

if you've truly been following my posts, you would be aware that i am a second-time applicant and that i have worked *extremely* hard to be successful in my second time around, for which i am immensely grateful. so not only do i know how a person with 0 acceptances in january feels, i have first-hand experience in how it feels to get in *nowhere* and have to humble yourself, face your inadequacies, and work your tail off to chase a dream. and you might be interested in hearing that since receiving an acceptance, i have started turning down interviews at schools that i am no longer as interested in since getting into one school, in the same spirit as that you have been writing about--that it is not fair for me to take someone else's interview spot if i now know that i probably will not ultimately attend. look, i've been there and i know how nerve-wracking this process is.

why have my comments provoked such anger simply because i support taking the time you need to make a decision? *nowhere* have i said that you should screw over every other applicant and flaunt your acceptances, so do not let your anxiety cloud your reading of my posts. what i DID say was that if you are not entirely sure that you may not ultimately decide to attend a school, then you are not under an obligation to turn down the acceptance UNTIL you have made your decision. an acceptance is an honor and it is foolish to turn it down UNTIL you know for sure that there is no chance that you may attend the school. there is nothing wrong with that and frankly, calling it 'thoughtless' is a bit of an exaggeration. and my interpretation of illiniEMT's original post was that he/she was NOT totally sure that he/she *might* not ultimately attend SLU (quote: 'part of me is afraid i'll change my mind and regret it later'), so i simply stated that he/she is not under immediate pressure to make a decision--you have until may 15, IF you need that much time to make a decision. if illiniEMT had said or implied that he/she was holding on to the SLU acceptance for no real reason, then of course i never would have said what i did.

good luck to all of you.

 

[Maple]

Hey sandflea,

I think you are right that this thing is getting blown off proportion. I also didn't know that you are a 2nd time applicant. I think the fact that you have gotten in this early this year, is proof that you are a hardworker and you should be rewarded for that.

I am not at all angered at your comments..if I came across that way, then I apologize. I didn't mean to paint you in a harsh light. I think we both agree that its best let a spot go if you don't really want it. You made some good points about holding on to compare schools etc. There is validity in that thinking. I think we read the op's posts in different ways. I felt that he/she felt weird about turning down spots not because he/she is interested, but because it just felt strange to be doing so. I agree with you that anybody with multiple accepts has the right to be 100% sure in their decision to accept or turn down a school. Please don't take my comments personally..I meant no harm by them. All I was saying is that if you are sure about your choices, then be considerate and turn our spots down. If you are not sure and are still looking at your options..then none of this applies.

Hope we cleared this up! and congratulations on your sucess this time. You deserve it!

 

[sandflea]

no offense taken, maple. i agree that we just read illiniEMT's post differently. i know how crazy this process is and how much it can play on our emotions. thanks for the well wishes, and keep the faith--january is still pretty early in the process, and your lucky day will arrive soon enough! one day we'll all look back on the craziness of the application process and just laugh....

good luck to you!