is this stupid?

[Newquagmire]

---

Members do not see this ad.

it's probably one of those "if you have to ask, you already know the answer" questions...

how bad of an idea is it to reapply if one has already been accepted?

 

[tofurious]

Re-apply to better places than the ones that accepted you?

Do you think your chances are better the second time around? Along that line, do you think the schools that accepted you would appreciate the fact that you would rather spend another year applying than committing to them?

 

[Gfunk6]

Extremely bad. Unless you have an extremely compelling reason (and no, "I wanted to get into a more competitive school," is not compelling), go to the school.

 

[ninebillion]

Newquagmire, I'm assuming you're still not sure about Baylor. Houston can be a happening place, and there's so much more room here to spread out and enjoy a not-so-crowded, easy-on-the-wallet lifestyle. Sure there's the heat to deal with, but that's only for 9 months out of the year... 🙂 If you have questions about life and research in the TMC, feel free to PM me. You've been given a great opportunity, but only you can decide if you want to plunge into the risky business of reapplying. Good luck, whatever your decision.

 

[Ryan]

in a word....YES! Schools usually count it AGAINST you if you do this...besides what will you improve so dramatically in the next year that will make your disired school want to interview you more?

 

[Neuronix]

how bad of an idea is it to reapply if one has already been accepted?

A terrible one. All the schools will know next year and they will be really pissed.

Why didn't you go to NYU?

 

[lynnier79]

it may be OK is you have a super-urgent-personal-emergency reason:

for example, you had a family emergency that requires you to live closer to home than you initially thought (death of a parent, sickness, etc) but you would have to be upfront about this with all the schools that you just applied to, and to the ones that you are now applying to.

or if you had a baby, etc.

but if you want to get into a "better" school you should be aware that this looks BAD. there are so many of us who just want to get into school, and the programs know that. they dont look kindly on people trying to work up the ladder.

 

[Nuel]

Why not just defer your admission?

 

[surge]

While I agree that it's not the right thing to do on multiple levels, there seems nothing more important than to go into the program and your school wholeheartedly. It's an amazing feeling being absolutely thrilled about going to a particular place, and not having that seems to be one of the worst things to me. But take it with a grain of salt, because I'm just big on gut feeling.
Realize it's a huge mess, and you are choosing the lesser of two evils. Which one is bigger for you is your call.
If you do decide to do it, I know of a guy at UTSW who did it, in case you would like to talk to someone who's been through it (he was accepted to CWRU, I believe, and then deferred to go to Cambrige for a year, reapplied that year, got into UTSW, and has just finished his first year there). I don't really know any details of his experience, but I could get you in touch with him if you wanted.
Then again, I might be biased, cause it'd be great to have you here next year.
Good luck, man.

 

[Newquagmire]

hmm, well it's not like i'm really expecting to "go up the ladder" or anything; i have no doubt the competition becomes more rigorous with each year. truth be told, i'd be happy if i had the same option i did this year (minus the other choice).

it comes down to this: i think i made the wrong choice when decision-time came. i guess we all make mistakes we have to live with, but i'm not sure this is one of them. i'm also unsure this is a valid reason to reapply.

i actually asked the school i declined if they would allow me to withdraw my withdrawal so to speak, but apparently it was too late for that (which is another factor in the reapplying question; it's a problem next year if the same school does count it against me).

like with the interview rescheduling fiasco, baylor is again being jerky about deferral too. but that's an entirely different question...

thanks for the replies, all.

 

[jeonsied]

Remember that where you go is not the only determining factor in how succesful you will become. What you do with what you have will be more important. I am not sure how schools will look at re-applying in particular when you had great choices to pick from, but what am I sure is that that is one big risk you are taking especially if you would be doing it to get in somewhere you withdrew. Maybe you should contact that school of interest and ask them what they think about what you are considering doing get a vibe on what they think about that. Also, if you picked Baylor over another school initially, that was your gut feeling, there was something about it that attracted you more, something more important to you. Maybe you should trust that. Baylor is a great school, I know students there and people who have been in their SMART Program and all I have ever heard is great news. Everyone I know has good things to say about the school, its administration, hospital and the city if Houston. I personally have been in Houston and it was really nice, especially the Rice University area with the shops and restaurants. To finish, think very carefully about re-applying, remember that your ultimate goal is to be a physician-scientist and you will definitely accomplish that and more and Baylor.

 

[Habari]

i would ask the director of the other program if he would allow you to defer and enter next years class. if not, ask about reapplying next year. at the very least i would talk to them about how you feel - they might be more accomodating than you think. doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[Newquagmire]

i would ask the director of the other program if he would allow you to defer and enter next years class. if not, ask about reapplying next year. at the very least i would talk to them about how you feel - they might be more accomodating than you think. doesn't hurt to ask.

i did that too =) what can i say, i was feeling a little desperate. ( 😕 )

pending deferral decision in the immediate future, i'm planning on asking about reapplying...

it's kinda funny, b/c my immediate gut feeling was not for baylor. here's a big thumbs down for thinking with my head for the first time ever 👎

NQ

 

[Treg]

Hi Newquagmire,

I am kind of in a similar situation. I have deferred admission to a Canadian school for one year, to finish my PhD. I retook the MCAT in April with the hopes of getting the kind of score that will be really competitive at US schools (I am a US citizen). Anyway, I am planning on applying this cycle, with my Canadian school as a back up (I am less than thrilled about that school). The good thing is, they have an open deferral policy, and they also will not know about my reapplications. I know, a little deceitful on my part, but oh well this is my life we are talking about.

I have learned a ton about what I want from med school from this cycle of interviewing and visiting schools. I have no regrets and am eager for the coming cycle to begin. Lucky for me, I know that i will be in med school next year, no matter what, which really takes the pressure off. Anyway, good luck in whatever you decide. I know that there is a girl on the boards, Stanfordgirl, who had a bunch of acceptances but still went ahead and reapplied this year, to be closer to her fiance (I think). In fact, I think she is going Stanford-MSTP, but I could be wrong. You may want to PM her to find out her perspective.

🙂
Treg