I'm stuck between taking an acceptance or trying again next year

[DaBeav]

So basically I applied really late in the game...as in late enough that I had to remove about 1/2 to 2/3 of the schools I intended to apply for from my AMCAS because the date had passed. At the time I wasn't comfortable with the idea of waiting it out a year so I submitted to who I could. Well now I have been accepted to 2 pretty good schools, but I'm torn because I always pictured myself going out of state...and of course the two schools are right here at home. I can't really tell if I would prefer another school where I wasn't even able to get in the running for. So do I decline my offers, sacrifice my chances at the 2 good schools, work a great job that I already have lined up as well and take my chances on where I think I would want to go? And if I try again next year, can admissions committees see that I was accepted before? ahh what a mess...

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[armybound]

it's just 4 years.

 

[Wanna_B_Scutty]

No offense, but you would have to be insane to turn down not just one but two offers of acceptance. If you reapply, you'll have to check a box stating that you have previously been given an acceptance-- and that's not good.

Choose your favorite between these schools, go, and be happy. Good luck.

 

[DaBeav]

p.s. im doing MD/PhD...just thought I would get more of a response here than in the MD/PhD forum

 

[braluk]

Let me lay it out for you before SDN jumps down your throat. TAKE THE ACCEPTANCE. Schools will know where you havebeen accepted before. Here's what will go through their minds...

"this kid doesn't care about going to become a doctor. He didnt even take the acceptance from two excellent medical schools. if hes so concerned about where to go, when instead he could be studying medicine on his way to "help people" why should we give him an acceptance now?"

You may probably be a stellar candidate, but you dont want to them to question your motives when they have hundreds of students with equally good stats and willing to kill another student for an acceptance. When it comes to medical school applicants, all of us are a dime a dozen, no matter how amazing or stellar a student you may be. take the offers and do not reapply. Its expensive to and it would be silly to wait in nervousness about your future when you have acceptances in your hand. Bird in the hand is better than two in the bush...or so the saying goes

 

[RAD11]

So basically I applied really late in the game...as in late enough that I had to remove about 1/2 to 2/3 of the schools I intended to apply for from my AMCAS because the date had passed. At the time I wasn't comfortable with the idea of waiting it out a year so I submitted to who I could. Well now I have been accepted to 2 pretty good schools, but I'm torn because I always pictured myself going out of state...and of course the two schools are right here at home. I can't really tell if I would prefer another school where I wasn't even able to get in the running for. So do I decline my offers, sacrifice my chances at the 2 good schools, work a great job that I already have lined up as well and take my chances on where I think I would want to go? And if I try again next year, can admissions committees see that I was accepted before? ahh what a mess...

If this is your only reason, it would be a mistake not to take your acceptances.

 

[braluk]

it's just 4 years.

Haha awesome signature title for your mdapps by the way

 

[armybound]

p.s. im doing MD/PhD...just thought I would get more of a response here than in the MD/PhD forum

ahh, that's a whole different ballgame. 4 years turns into what, 7?

though it is just an education. i don't know how much of a difference location will make when you're living in a laboratory or classroom.

Haha awesome signature title for your mdapps by the way

Nice list of awards

 

[Anjlprincezz]

Personally, I think if all you really want is to be a doctor, then go wherever you get in and achieve your goal. However if you really don't want to go to the schools you got into, and going to an OOS school is more important than the year you're gonna waste then reapply. Just prioritize, always helps me...

 

[spicedmanna]

So basically I applied really late in the game...as in late enough that I had to remove about 1/2 to 2/3 of the schools I intended to apply for from my AMCAS because the date had passed. At the time I wasn't comfortable with the idea of waiting it out a year so I submitted to who I could. Well now I have been accepted to 2 pretty good schools, but I'm torn because I always pictured myself going out of state...and of course the two schools are right here at home. I can't really tell if I would prefer another school where I wasn't even able to get in the running for. So do I decline my offers, sacrifice my chances at the 2 good schools, work a great job that I already have lined up as well and take my chances on where I think I would want to go? And if I try again next year, can admissions committees see that I was accepted before? ahh what a mess...

I think you should take those acceptances; you can suck it up and deal with the locality. I mean, you'll be fairly busy, anyway. If you decline them and then try to apply again next year, you will need to disclose that you have been accepted prior. That's not really a good thing. At all.

 

[DaBeav]

If this is your only reason, it would be a mistake not to take your acceptances.

Sorry I made it sound like just a location thing. It's also about getting into a better program, with more opportunities in what I am interested in.

 

[deleted103644]

I'm not certain about this, especially for MD/PhD, but I got the impression from friends who deferred that they theoretically could have applied to other schools in their year off, since after their deferral they technically had to "reapply" to their school. I very well may be mistaken, and even if it's possible, I'm not sure what schools would think of it.

 

[stoppushingit]

Sorry I made it sound like just a location thing. It's also about getting into a better program, with more opportunities in what I am interested in.

if you turned down 2 california schools, as your avatar suggests...a lot of people will want to hurt you

 

[RAD11]

Are you turning down 2 MD/PhD acceptances? I still suggest don't do it.

 

[DrVanNostran]

As someone who has been applying for four years, I encourage you to ACCEPT your offers. You never know what could happen. If you really want to go out of state, you will have your shot for residency or transferring out.

It's a golden opportunity man, don't take it for granted.

 

[Funky]

i will have to go on the bandwagon of DONT DO IT

 

[Chuckwalla]

You accept one now, worst that happens is maybe you think about going to a "better" medical school. You wait, the worst that happens is you are kicking yourself because you aren't getting accepted to any and the person whose groceries you are bagging asks you why you are kicking yourself.

 

[MadHopsMD]

if you turn it down. please dont ever come back to SDN. you dont deserve to be here

 

[The Buff]

You accept one now, worst that happens is maybe you think about going to a "better" medical school. You wait, the worst that happens is you are kicking yourself because you aren't getting accepted to any and the person whose groceries you are bagging asks you why you are kicking yourself.

Fully agree with this. Two birds in the hand are for sure worth more than some in the bush. The risks just far outweigh the rewards. I'm sure you can find things that excite/interest you at the places you have been accepted at.

 

[sejin8642]

I have a feeling that this thread will get horrible.

 

[ShoujoKakumei]

I can't imagine turning down an acceptance from anywhere, even if it was somewhere I didn't even want to go at _all_. I would spend four years at a medical school in Iraq if that's where I got accepted.

You said they're "good schools" right? So, I say take what you were lucky enough to get.. And if you're really that miserable, or really convinced you can do that much better elsewhere, transfer later.

 

[Law2Doc]

Sorry I made it sound like just a location thing. It's also about getting into a better program, with more opportunities in what I am interested in.

Agree with the others who say this is a mistake. In my opinion and from what I have observed: Someone who turned down acceptances to get into a "better" program pretty much gives himself a black mark on his credentials, and ensures he will never get accepted again by the same prior programs, as schools only want to accept people they think will actually come, and these schools were already "burned" once. Turning down an acceptance also raises questions as to your interest on becoming a physician for other schools, and questions your level of interest in any schools you are applying to (schools expect that if you applied, you are actually interested in attending -- applying to schools you would never attend is frowned upon). So your odds in subsequent years are worse, because you have eliminated several schools from the mix. And many schools give a higher degree of scrutiny to reapplicants (which you would be), requiring substantial improvements to their applications. Additionally, the credentials of applicants have increased annually, so the level of competition will likely be tighter in subsequent years -- moreso now that people are able to take the MCAT even more frequently and thus improve the chances of higher average best scores (previously people only tended to have August to retest if they flubbed April). So if you reapply, you are taking a huge gamble, and might be on a path to no acceptance at all, or at least a worse option than the "pretty good" schools you can choose from currently.
I also agree with the prior poster who suggested that for the most part, labs, libraries and wards all look the same from the inside, so where you end up probably doesn't matter as much as you think.
But do what you want -- I'm sure there are folks on here on the waitlist who will be happy to snag your spots.

 

[Law2Doc]

And if you're really that miserable, or really convinced you can do that much better elsewhere, transfer later.

Just FYI, transferring in med school is far more difficult than in college. You generally need a pretty good reason (beyond being miserable or not liking the school, i.e. spouse relocated, family health emergency or the like), schools need to have an open spot, and you often need to have completed two years and scored satisfactorilly on Step 1. I wouldn't really plan on this being an out for a bad choice. Pick wisely.

 

[ShyRem]

if you didn't want to go there, you shouldn't have applied there. If you decided you didn't like them after your interview, you should have withdrawn your application before you were accepted.

TAKE ONE OF THEM AND GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL.

 

[Instatewaiter]

I dont know what these other people are talking about. You really should let go of the acceptances and re-apply. There is no stigma assocaited with declining a an acceptance. Those schools liked you enough the first time, why wouldnt they like you the second time? Schools get turned down all the time when someone picks their cheaper instate school over an out of state school, why would your situation be any different?

While you are at it you should commit some felonies between now and next year. Those too will not change your chances, espeically if they are drug related. They may even be seen in a positive light.

 

[ExtremeUnderdog]

if you didn't want to go there, you shouldn't have applied there. If you decided you didn't like them after your interview, you should have withdrawn your application before you were accepted.

TAKE ONE OF THEM AND GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL.

I couldn't agree more. The fact that you applied, wrote secondaries, attended interviews and waited to receive acceptances BEFORE realizing/deciding that those schools were not right for you will likely make adcoms see you as immature and/or uncommitted and/or indecisive and/or... greatly diminishing your future chances.

Also, I believe as an MD/PhD candidate you are getting a full ride to those 2 schools. Is that right? In which case turning down these acceptances for some nebulous reasons can easily be construed as borderline insane by some of us here.

 

[crimsonkid85]

p.s. im doing MD/PhD...just thought I would get more of a response here than in the MD/PhD forum

if you're doing MD/PhD, do NOT under ANY circumstances go to a school that you don't feel passionate about. if you are going for straight up med school, sure, just suck it up and go to one of your two acceptances. however, a PhD program is completely different.

think about it this way. medical education is tightly monitored by accretation agencies. Therefore, this type of quality control ensures that you will receive an adequate education essentially at any medical school you go to. this is NOT TRUE for graduate school. There are no rules and no standardized tests at the end of a PhD to ensure that you received quality training other than three rickety old professors at the end of your thesis defense. therefore, it is absolutely CRITICAL that you find a department/professor who you truly believe that you will thrive under. plus, with NIH funding being cut right and left, scientists are having more and more trouble getting grants. how are you supposed to train if your lab is dying because of lack of funding? my parents are research faculty at a state medical school, and they say that labs are folding left and right because of the cuts in funding and the inability to convince NIH to fund THEM instead of, say, JHU PI's (who i believe receive the most funding). therefore, if you have to spend another year trying to get into X lab at Y medical school which you really really really want to be at, then go for it.

also, whoever said that 'labs are all the same' clearly has not done research. coming from different labs (even if it's the same area) means that given the same problem, two people will think about it differently. this clearly matters a LOT, if you're trying to become a scientist.

finally, i don't believe that medical school applicants really have an accurate idea of what it is like to do an MD/PhD. it's not just challenging academically. it's a freaking marathon mentally and physically. you're going to spend the ENTIRETY of your 20's at ONE institution. med students will be done (most) at age 26 and you will be 30! this decision is extremely difficult, and do NOT let anyone pressure you into taking a position that you don't feel strongly about. it's hard enough getting through an MD/PhD WHEN you start the process giddy with excitement. i mean, how many MD/PhD's at the schools you were interviewed at said essentially 'i'm DYING to finish asap?' and some actually drop out.

sorry for being so long-winded (and kind of incoherent). it's early and i'm kind of in a rush to the gym....

addendum: but i do agree that you shouldn't have applied to a school that you essentially can't bring yourself to go after you got accepted. that just doesn't make sense...

 

[sunnyjohn]

DaBeav,

You are gonna turn down TWO acceptances MD/Phd to TEXAS schools to roll the dice AGAIN? (I read your previous posts and mdapp profile).

I know you want to leave the state, but did you read the carnage on the Texas match thread?????

Take one of your acceptances.

 

[crimsonkid85]

DaBeav,

You are gonna turn down TWO acceptances MD/Phd to TEXAS schools to roll the dice AGAIN? (I read your previous posts and mdapp profile).

I know you want to leave the state, but did you read the carnage on the Texas match thread.

Take one of your acceptances.

wait just a second. if this is UTSW and baylor MSTP that you are turning down, then yes, you are ******ED. *frown

 

[GuzzyRon]

Dude, don't listen to all the haters on SDN telling you what you to do with your life and your chances. Here's my advice for you:

1. DECLINE BOTH ACCEPTANCES...(so that students who care less about mundane things such as school location but are more interested in becoming MDs can quickly snag your spot).

2. REAPPLY NEXT YEAR...(so that you can see for yourself what happens and prove all these playa-hating, SDN-lurking, MD-wannabes wrong once and for all).

 

[sunnyjohn]

Dude, don't listen to all the haters on SDN telling you what you to do with your life and your chances. Here's what you need to do:

1. DECLINE BOTH ACCEPTANCES...(so that students who care less about mundane things such as school location but are more interested in becoming MDs can quickly snag your spot).

2. REAPPLY NEXT YEAR...(so that you can see for yourself what happens and prove all these playa-hating, SDN-lurking, MD-wannabes wrong once and for all).

You know you're wrong for that! You just want old dude's seat !!!

 

[crimsonkid85]

Dude, don't listen to all the haters on SDN telling you what you to do with your life and your chances. Here's my advice for you:

1. DECLINE BOTH ACCEPTANCES...(so that students who care less about mundane things such as school location but are more interested in becoming MDs can quickly snag your spot).

2. REAPPLY NEXT YEAR...(so that you can see for yourself what happens and prove all these playa-hating, SDN-lurking, MD-wannabes wrong once and for all).

if the OP is applying MSTP, you won't get his spot unless you're also an MSTP applicant. MSTP reserves spots in each incoming MD class, which means that if he withdraws, someone on the MD/PhD waitlist gets in. just pointing that out...

 

[MChitty]

I have to say that I understand the location thing. The only two interviews I've received are from in-state schools--one being less than 10 miles from where I grew up!

That being said, I would take any of those in a heartbeat. I'm a little disappointed at the prospect, but given that I haven't gotten in anywhere, I feel like the schools would have to show students kicking puppies in their viewbook in order to turn down an acceptance.

 

[chad5871]

If you wouldn't go to these schools, then why did you apply? If you thought you could have done better in the next application cycle, you should have waited to apply.

Dude, take one of the acceptances. Maybe [if you got waitlisted at other schools] you'll end up getting in somewhere else, too. But you seriously shouldn't give up two acceptances and then reapply next cycle. That looks really bad.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

the Machiavelian thing to do would be to say that you didn't get accepted to any MD/PhD programs this year, and bolster your app with more research between now and application time. not very ethical though.

 

[dr1day]

I will never understand some of the people on this board. If you knew you didn't want to stay in-state, why did you apply to in-state schools? You should only apply to schools that you think you'd actually attend if accepted.

 

[ICCONFETTI]

take the acceptances.

 

[theDOCTORINATOR]

Try again next year. You dont want to be unhappy!

 

[GIGATT]

So basically I applied really late in the game...as in late enough that I had to remove about 1/2 to 2/3 of the schools I intended to apply for from my AMCAS because the date had passed. At the time I wasn't comfortable with the idea of waiting it out a year so I submitted to who I could. Well now I have been accepted to 2 pretty good schools, but I'm torn because I always pictured myself going out of state...and of course the two schools are right here at home. I can't really tell if I would prefer another school where I wasn't even able to get in the running for. So do I decline my offers, sacrifice my chances at the 2 good schools, work a great job that I already have lined up as well and take my chances on where I think I would want to go? And if I try again next year, can admissions committees see that I was accepted before? ahh what a mess...

Bird in the hand! Bird in the hand!!!! There is no guarantee that you'll get an offer next year even if you do apply early.

Its not a mess- really, you just need to keep a realistic perspective on this. Your goal was to get into medical school, which you've done, four years isn't that long... believe me! I'm an oldie with kids and i'll tell you, time flyyyys (i've currently begun celebrating anniversaries of my 28th birthday!).

You got into medical school and that's what counts. Count it a blessing and go do what you set out to do- become a Doctor!

I say: CONGRATS!

 

[foofish]

I will never understand some of the people on this board. If you knew you didn't want to stay in-state, why did you apply to in-state schools? You should only apply to schools that you think you'd actually attend if accepted.

I was thinking the exact same thing. Also, if the OP felt so strongly about where he goes to school and the "calibur" of the school (although it sounds like he's already in at some great programs), why on earth did he procrastinate and not even bother applying until he had already missed half of the deadlines?

 

[baylormed]

if the OP is applying MSTP, you won't get his spot unless you're also an MSTP applicant. MSTP reserves spots in each incoming MD class, which means that if he withdraws, someone on the MD/PhD waitlist gets in. just pointing that out...

I believe the main point still stands.

 

[braluk]

There was a good point about the MD/PhD thing about spending most of your time there, and if the institution is terrible you're probably not going to want to go. However, this still screams unorganized thought process, or lack of research before applying, ESPECIALLY with MD/PhDs, students who should be analytical by the very nature of their degrees. And in addition, the two schools he received offers to were exceptional schools, not some podunk school out in timbuktu.

 

[bacteriophage]

There was a good point about the MD/PhD thing about spending most of your time there, and if the institution is terrible you're probably not going to want to go. However, this still screams unorganized thought process, or lack of research before applying, ESPECIALLY with MD/PhDs, students who should be analytical by the very nature of their degrees. And in addition, the two schools he received offers to were exception schools.

AMEN!

 

[GoinBack2Cali?]

if you're doing MD/PhD, do NOT under ANY circumstances go to a school that you don't feel passionate about. if you are going for straight up med school, sure, just suck it up and go to one of your two acceptances. however, a PhD program is completely different.

think about it this way. medical education is tightly monitored by accretation agencies. Therefore, this type of quality control ensures that you will receive an adequate education essentially at any medical school you go to. this is NOT TRUE for graduate school. There are no rules and no standardized tests at the end of a PhD to ensure that you received quality training other than three rickety old professors at the end of your thesis defense. therefore, it is absolutely CRITICAL that you find a department/professor who you truly believe that you will thrive under. plus, with NIH funding being cut right and left, scientists are having more and more trouble getting grants. how are you supposed to train if your lab is dying because of lack of funding? my parents are research faculty at a state medical school, and they say that labs are folding left and right because of the cuts in funding and the inability to convince NIH to fund THEM instead of, say, JHU PI's (who i believe receive the most funding). therefore, if you have to spend another year trying to get into X lab at Y medical school which you really really really want to be at, then go for it.

also, whoever said that 'labs are all the same' clearly has not done research. coming from different labs (even if it's the same area) means that given the same problem, two people will think about it differently. this clearly matters a LOT, if you're trying to become a scientist.

finally, i don't believe that medical school applicants really have an accurate idea of what it is like to do an MD/PhD. it's not just challenging academically. it's a freaking marathon mentally and physically. you're going to spend the ENTIRETY of your 20's at ONE institution. med students will be done (most) at age 26 and you will be 30! this decision is extremely difficult, and do NOT let anyone pressure you into taking a position that you don't feel strongly about. it's hard enough getting through an MD/PhD WHEN you start the process giddy with excitement. i mean, how many MD/PhD's at the schools you were interviewed at said essentially 'i'm DYING to finish asap?' and some actually drop out.

sorry for being so long-winded (and kind of incoherent). it's early and i'm kind of in a rush to the gym....

addendum: but i do agree that you shouldn't have applied to a school that you essentially can't bring yourself to go after you got accepted. that just doesn't make sense...

Ditto!!!

 

[GoinBack2Cali?]

Or you could pick one of the schools you got accepted to, defer for a year. And then reapply next year. If you get into the school you want, then reject the previous offer, if not, then just take the one you have.

 

[Law2Doc]

Or you could pick one of the schools you got accepted to, defer for a year. And then reapply next year. If you get into the school you want, then reject the previous offer, if not, then just take the one you have.

With the exception of maybe one or two schools (Iowa?), schools have specific rules that prohibit you from reapplying while holding a deferral. Plus deferrals are not granted as a matter or right, so you'd need a pretty compelling reason to even get one at most schools.

 

[Darksmurf]

If you reapply, you'll have to check a box stating that you have previously been given an acceptance-- and that's not good.

This is a blatant fallacy. You have to put down if you matriculated, not if you were accepted. Reading should be a requirement for medical school. I don't know why people who know nothing continue to fulminate and shower SDN with the written version of fecal matter.

Look, you can get accepted the next year if you decline an acceptance, but it's not a wise idea. I did it. See what some real Adcom members actually said about this issue on this thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=366451

To the OP:
Is declining an acceptance stupid? Oftentimes yes, because you can't know if you will be able to get in the next year. But this is your life, and you need to evaluate things for yourself. Declining takes a big (but not insurmountable) risk. I had (to my mind) good reasons to decline the year before, and I don't know if the one you have proffered here meets that criteria (at least to me).

Deferral and the application to other schools is difficult and probably not worth your time.

Still, don't listen to any of the peanuts out there clamoring for you to just suck it up and take your acceptance. It's your life and you're got to live it. Don't substitute expediency for quality of life if it's that important to you. Just be prepared to never go to medical school (because that is indeed a plausible outcome).

To everyone else who doesn't know anything about this:
Stop spreading your bombastic opinions as though they are fact.

 

[Gut Shot]

Look, you can get accepted the next year if you decline an acceptance, but it's not a wise idea. I did it.

Perhaps I missed something, but it appeared to me that you reapplied after not being accepted.

 

[Falco2525]

dont be an idiot take the acceptance...do you know how manny people would love to be in your position

 

[vmc303]

Most of these kids have no idea what they're talking about. Pre-meds have to be some of the most utterly risk-averse weenies on the planet.

If you're a strong applicant, nobody's going to look askance at turning down an acceptance. You simply say that after visiting the school(s) and giving it much though, you decided you didn't want to attend. Perhaps you got a bad feeling from the people, the curriculum, or the campus. Perhaps you were presented with a once-in-a-lifetime, unique opportunity you wanted to pursue before jumping into an 8+ year training track, or perhaps you just wanted another year before heading back to school, or perhaps you had "issues" and had the maturity to resolve them before starting. Why would they hold any of those against you? Med school is a huge investment and commitment on your part. There's no need to act as though 'Medicine' is doing you some kind of favor, merely by letting you in somewhere and permitting you to become a physician. You worked hard to get to this point. Make a rational decision, as you would in anything else, and do what you actually want to do for once.