As this new cycle begins, I want to give some encouragement and advice to dismissed students.
I was officially dismissed from my original American medical school. I applied to medical school again and got into to another medical school (American, not Caribbean). Before applying, I scoured SDN looking for information on other students in my position, and almost all advice was negative and sometimes downright hostile. I only found a single example of a dismissed student gaining admission to another school on the forum (though I may have missed others). I have actual experience now and I would like to share some of mine so there is more information for dismissed students.
Admission to another school after a dismissal is possible, but it is context-dependent. Admission to another school is also very unlikely. However, anyone telling you that it is impossible is incorrect.
I must be clear, however. Admission after dismissal for severe academic or severe professionalism issues is even more unlikely. By severe academic issues, I mean situations such as repeating a basic science year and failing again on your second attempt, or failing USMLE Step 1 after several attempts. By severe professionalism issues, I mean situations such as falsifying documentation or academic honesty such as cheating on an exam. If you were dismissed for reasons such as these, I must unfortunately agree with the SDN consensus that your chances of admission to another school are very poor. In this situation, I think applying to others schools will be a lot of wasted effort and money and you will be more heartbroken in the end.
However, you can still have a good life. You can still be happy. I thought I would never get back in to medical school. It was really hard, and I did despair. I learned not to, but I had to take time to mourn the loss and to work to move on, staying busy with other things. Despite the despair, I found ways to enjoy my life and I eventually learned not be despondent. So you shouldn’t despair either. Even if you will never be a doctor and have to bear the burden of student debt, life can still be really amazing and worth living. One failure doesn’t define you, whether it was that school was too hard academically and even if you did something you knew was wrong that got you kicked out. You can accept there are things you might not be capable of and you can forgive yourself for making bad decisions. You will be OK as long as you keep working hard. You will be happy again.
If you believe that your situation is different from the typical dismissed student, as I did, here are some factors to be considered.
How competitive was your application to medical school the first time? If you had difficulty gaining admission to medical school the first time, applying to many schools for multiple cycles before gaining only one admission to a lower ranked school, then I believe your chances of readmission are poorer. However, if you had multiple admission offers in your first cycle and some to highly ranked schools, I believe your chances of readmission are higher.
Was the reason you were dismissed out-of-character for you, or is there a pattern? If you have a pattern of similar issues before, during, and after school, I believe your chances are poorer. If it seems more like an aberration for your normal behavior or considering your past achievements, I think your chances are better.
Are there compelling extenuating circumstances? If very unlikely circumstances came together to hammer you at the same time, and it seems unlikely such a confluence of events will reoccur, then as long as you can present a true and compelling narrative, then I think you will have a better chance.
Ultimately, the only way you will know for sure is to try. I think that for most dismissed students, sadly, trying will be fruitless. However, if you truly think your situation is different and choose to reapply, then here is what I think you should know.
Many schools do not consider students who have matriculated to another school, period. This is often listed on their website. It is pointless to apply to these schools and a waste of money. Many schools will consider a student who withdrew but not one who was dismissed. In this situation, you should contact the school and ask.
It is worthwhile to email the admissions officer of any school you are interested in to inquire if they will actually consider your application or reject you automatically. A fair number of schools actually do consider previously dismissed students.
This should go without saying, but do not lie on your AMCAS/AACOMAS about your previous medical school attendance. If you are caught doing this, it will severely damage your chances of readmission, likely permanently. You must answer honestly and clearly the sections where it asks about your academic, disciplinary, and criminal history. Any information your omit may be revealed at a later time resulting in retraction of an offer, or if your lie goes uncovered long enough, another expulsion after wasted effort and money.
Someone may reply to this thread saying that my application would have been dead on arrival at his school, which is undoubtedly true, but his school is not the only school in the country. There are options for people whose circumstances are unusual.
I wish all the applicants the very best of luck this cycle, and to students who have been dismissed or are facing dismissal, I know your situation is hard. I have been there. Have some faith and keep working hard. Life will be great as long as you keep trying whether or not you’re a doctor.
