Medical How to write a deferral after acceptance - can you defer if you already sent in a letter of intent

[Goro]

I was just recently accepted to a medical school that I really want to attend, but would like to defer a year to potentially publish a protocol paper with my current research position. My PI would like me to stay as well. Can I write a deferral letter request even if I have already submitted a letter of intent to this school? I did not specify that I would intend to matriculate THIS year, but in my letter I did say that if accepted I would matriculate at this school.

If I were to write a deferral letter, how would I frame it? And how much should I involve my PI in the process of requesting this deferral?

Do you want to be a doctor or not?

Do not do this. Deferrals are not for the betterment of your research credentials. They're for emergencies and life events.

Your dissembling logic of what you meant by the LOI is frankly dishonest.

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[Goro]

I'm not sure that's true. Your response feels very harsh. These schools specifically say:

"The most commonly accepted deferral requests include requests for additional time to complete a degree program that you are currently enrolled in, a research project and/or service activities or trips that are clinical in nature.
Any kind of unusual academic or professional growth opportunity is highly valued at the medical school level, especially if the experience will enhance your expertise or guide the direction of your medical education and special interests. Hopefully, you’ve planned to complete these activities before the scheduled start date for medical school but if there are unforeseeable changes to the timeline and/or new developments have emerged (either of which would need to be well explained), it is appropriate to ask for a deferral for these situations."

If your specific school says this, then you're in the clear.

Other schools do say otherwise.

 

[Catalystik]

In my experience, some schools love to give deferrals because they chronically over-accept, some will not give deferrals under any circumstances, and others will give them for good and various reasons. Their websites will often give some sort of policy statement on the issue, which I'm sure you've searched for by now.

Your reason is an acceptable one for many of the latter. If you did not find a policy statement, it's a reasonable idea to call anonymously and ask for guidelines. Or you could Search in the School Specific Discussion for that institution (see the stickies at the top of the PreMed-MD Forum and see if there are any posts about deferral at that school Then you'd write a letter to formally petition. You need to walk a fine line in that letter so you don't shut a door, stating that you've recently been offered a research opportunity that would result in [whatever] about {???}, the name of the PI, institution, contact info. [Then make a statement of expected personal or academic personal growth, a way in which your medical education or future career path will be positively affected, or a way in which your personal interests will be served]. You look forward to starting at [med school name] but respectfully request consideration that your matriculation date be deferred for a year so you can engage in this project. Or something like that.

Decide ahead of time how you will accept No as an answer.

 

[lord999]

I actually agree with @Goro . That's from a blog by the way, I would actually be curious about a medical school with that open a deferment policy. You should get the direct deferment policy. Most deferments are granted for circumstances that would have the applicant Withdraw rather than admit (personal tragedy, military deployment that was declared, severe medical illness). And I would agree with my colleagues advice on what to do.

By the way, speaking from an NIH Study Section perspective, a reputation for being disingenuous in writing for research pays back in a big and bad way if that gets around and you apply for an NRSA or R series later in your career. Are you really sure you want to gamble on those odds as a student? If so, please admit and convert to MD/PhD now rather than be an undergraduate researcher. Those risks are better taken when you have a real stake, you should already have an in with the paper as you can't be the first or last author.

 

[Catalystik]

I could always talk to my PI about writing remotely while I'm in med school?

Yes.

You might find this thread useful: How easy is it to defer?

 

[MusicDOc124]

I'm just going to point out that applying for med school inherently implies that if accepted, you'll start this year - hence why you applied in the given cycle. Further sending a letter of intent and in some case could be what gets someone accepted this year over someone else (as opposed to being waitlisted or just not accepted which would give you the year off you want anyway) also implies that you want to matriculate this year otherwise why would you not only have applied this year but then sent the letter of intent?