Is it possible to defer my dental school acceptance?

[drbozo]

Hi everyone,
I have been accepted to dental school this cycle and have already committed. I currently have a job with a lot of growth potential and am lowkey thinking of taking a gap year to see where it goes. Is it possible to defer my acceptance to the next cycle or would I have to reapply? Thanks.

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[Ryxndek]

You can't defer an acceptance without a good reason, usually, it's health-related and must be approved by the school beforehand, or other misc. reasons but it's not very common. Not sure why you applied to dental school if you were satisfied with your current job?

You'd have to reapply, if you decline your seat you'll most likely be blacklisted from being able to apply again to the school in which you placed a deposit. Think wisely about your decision as there's no guarantee you'll get another acceptance if you reapply for the next cycle. You have the golden ticket, are you going to cash it in?

 

[macsak]

Hi everyone,
I have been accepted to dental school this cycle and have already committed. I currently have a job with a lot of growth potential and am lowkey thinking of taking a gap year to see where it goes. Is it possible to defer my acceptance to the next cycle or would I have to reapply? Thanks.

anything is possible...

 

[artist2022]

Hi everyone,
I have been accepted to dental school this cycle and have already committed. I currently have a job with a lot of growth potential and am lowkey thinking of taking a gap year to see where it goes. Is it possible to defer my acceptance to the next cycle or would I have to reapply? Thanks.

The only people that can answer your question are at the school you committed to. They may or may not grant you a deferment. If they don't grant you one, then yes you'd need to reapply and also there's a question on there that asks if you were previously accepted to schools and why you didn't go. This may just lead to more questioning down the line (ex. drbozo was accepted in 2023 but did not start, why should we take a chance that they'll actually start in 2024?). Ultimately your choice, but there are many things you should keep in mind.

 

[doc toothache]

Ambivalence is not a trait in high demand for ds. With limited number of seats, schools want to minimize their attrition rates.

 

[Lemillion]

Good to ask your dental school directly and see what they say. Probably on a case by case basis. Their big thing would be if you got cold feet halfway through dental school and quit. We had a few of those during DS and it never went over well with administration/faculty. It makes them look bad when they have to report to their higher ups.

 

[JohnWickDentist]

You can't defer an acceptance without a good reason, usually, it's health-related and must be approved by the school beforehand, or other misc. reasons but it's not very common. Not sure why you applied to dental school if you were satisfied with your current job?

You'd have to reapply, if you decline your seat you'll most likely be blacklisted from being able to apply again to the school in which you placed a deposit. Think wisely about your decision as there's no guarantee you'll get another acceptance if you reapply for the next cycle. You have the golden ticket, are you going to cash it in?

That last sentence was fire 😂

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Each school has its policy on deferrals. Some outright say, "no deferrals, no exceptions." Some will want a pound of flesh and a commitment that you aren't just using this extra year to apply to another dental school or -- worse -- apply to medical school. Some will only with a doctor's note or a validation that you just won a significant international scholarship (Rhodes, Fulbright) that you absolutely cannot get out of (for whatever reason).

What I don't think the policies cover would be someone who is currently employed and thinks he/she is fast-tracked within the company so he/she wants to stay employed and see how it goes before starting dental school.