Just accepted to a back-up but already had plans for this year

[TheMaverick]

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I thought that I'd been rejected from every school I applied to this year. I was able to get into a top-flight research lab for the gap year and was in the middle of preparing my re-application. Then today I got an e-mail from one of my back-up schools (which had not communicated with me at all after my interview four months ago) that I'd been accepted of the wait list.

I really wanted to do research in the lab and I was fairly confident that I'd do much better this application cycle since I'm a pretty strong applicant (three excellents, good writing skills, fair to good interviewing skills; I just applied abysmally late this past cycle). There are also some significant familial reasons for me to pursue the research opportunity.

I really need advice as to wether I should accept the offer or decline it and reapply.

 

[red doctober]

I think you should just take your acceptance and run with it. There's no guarantee in MD/PhD admissions, and think how terrible you'll feel if you apply again and don't get in anywhere. You best believe that the school that accepted you this year will not seriously consider you the next time around.

 

[FactorX]

I thought that I'd been rejected from every school I applied to this year. I was able to get into a top-flight research lab for the gap year and was in the middle of preparing my re-application. Then today I got an e-mail from one of my back-up schools (which had not communicated with me at all after my interview four months ago) that I'd been accepted of the wait list.

I really wanted to do research in the lab and I was fairly confident that I'd do much better this application cycle since I'm a pretty strong applicant (three excellents, good writing skills, fair to good interviewing skills; I just applied abysmally late this past cycle). There are also some significant familial reasons for me to pursue the research opportunity.

I really need advice as to wether I should accept the offer or decline it and reapply.

If the offer is an MSTP, just go with it (and I do hope that you don't consider any MSTP as backup). If the offer is a non-MSTP, maybe reapplying is a good option, given that you're a strong applicant with 3 excellents. I think it's more important that you're happy with the school you're about to go to without regrets or doubts, since you will be enrolled there for 8 years. If you have to go to a place and at the same time think that you could have gone to a better place, then those 8 years may be very tough for you.

 

[Neuronix]

You should accept it and get on with the rest of your life. There's no guarantee you'll do any better next year.

 

[Watson104]

Plus you'll have to check the box that you've applied to med school before and I think there's a box for having an acceptance and rejecting it. Those boxes put you in a different screening pile, and the latter says you aren't as serious about the career since you turned down a spot. Whatever improvements you make to your application will be significantly overshadowed by your previous application and rejection of an MSTP spot. It's not a road you want to go down.

I've had friends that did a similar thing for med schools - applied late "just to see what happens" and go a few interviews (3-5) and turned down their last choice school/only acceptance. The next year with an early app and even a better mcat score - 0-1 interviews. Had they applied early the first time, they likely would have had more choices, but they didn't and unfortunately, it's not something you can remedy the following year.

 

[debateg]

You should not take the offer thinking you may do better next cycle. A bird in the hand and all that. If you really need time off for family reasons, you may be able to contact the school and request deferring for a year and go do the lab thing elsewhere. They very well may refuse to let you do that, but it's very unlikely that they will withdraw their offer. I would only do that for personal reasons. If you do well at your backup school, you will do well in your future career.

 

[gbwillner]

Agree with all the above. Take what you've got now if you are serious about pursuing MD/PhD training. If you reject and try to re-apply, you will not only waste a year of your life (you will really regret that 12 years from now, when you are still in training), but probably will not improve your application.

 

[Neuronix]

PS: congratulations!

 

[TheMaverick]

Thank you all for the input. If I can resolve my familial commitments and the PI is OK with me backing out of the lab, I'll accept the offer. If not, I'll figure something out.

PS: congratulations!

Thanks!

 

[Neuronix]

If I can resolve my familial commitments

It's time to learn that you will have to be away from your family probably for the rest of your life. You may have very little control of your location for the rest of your career. If this is not appealing to you, you should strongly consider not doing MD/PhD simply for that reason.

and the PI is OK with me backing out of the lab

It doesn't matter if that PI is OK with it. You must do this for your own career.

 

[K31]

It's time to learn that you will have to be away from your family probably for the rest of your life. You may have very little control of your location for the rest of your career. If this is not appealing to you, you should strongly consider not doing MD/PhD simply for that reason.

Agreed. I moved halfway across the country for medical school, and now for residency I'm headed somewhere I never would have imagined I'd be going a year ago.

It really depends what the family situation is that you are talking about, but unless it's a spouse and kids who can't move for some reason, you should consider whether not moving is worth the hit to your career.

 

[Watson104]

It doesn't matter if that PI is OK with it. You must do this for your own career.

Agreed. It's just a job, and it's a job you can easily quit and easily be replaced by someone else. It's a job you planned to do to help you get the acceptance you just received. Just go Hey PI - I got in off the waitlist for the MSTP! So, I'm heading to med school in a month or so! Thanks for the opportunity, you're doing some fascinating work. See you around the science world!

 

[Solara]

Thank you all for the input. If I can resolve my familial commitments and the PI is OK with me backing out of the lab, I'll accept the offer. If not, I'll figure something out.



Thanks!

Echoing what Neuronix said, it doesn't matter if the PI is really against you going out of the lab, s/he will think how you will benefit him the most rather than what is best for you. You need to do what is best for you. Even if he is disappointed, you should continue with the MSTP. Phrase it in a way where this is like a once in a life time opportunity you can't turn down (it sort of is, you just have to say it is), but phrase it carefully so you leave the door open down the road incase for some reason you want to work with him in the future. Either they are an MD, PhD, or an MD/PhD, and they will understand just how difficult it can be to get into a program and how badly people want to get in, so they will be okay. I can understand how you must feel considering you must have done a lot to get that position and show a strong commitment to his lab, but a year in his/her lab will not give you as much benefit compared to enrolling in a MD/PhD program.

Take the offer while you have it. The money you'll spend for the next application cycle is not that much, but it is still a decent sum of money, and you'll have added the stress of worrying whether or not you'll get into medical school (all over again..). You'll be thinking about that while you're working in his lab. And you will feel terrible if you don't get in anywhere else. Enroll now, become an MD/PhD, and go cure cancer 😀

 

[gutonc]

Echoing what Neuronix said, it doesn't matter if the PI is really against you going out of the lab, s/he will think how you will benefit him the most rather than what is best for you. You need to do what is best for you.

And I will echo this and then say that you need to remember the bolded statement throughout your training. It's easy to get a bit of the old Stockholm Syndrome when you're in the lab and put your needs behind those of your advisor. The same will be true of advisors you have in residency and fellowship. Don't let that happen. Do what's best for you.

And at this point, taking that MSTP and running with it is likely what's best for you if this is really what you want to do.