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atpptn said:
Hello! This going to be a long post because I want to thoroughly explain my reasons for thinking about doing something that I know pretty much always receives a “don’t, you’re being dumb” response 🙂

I’ve received a decision from all the schools that I applied to, and it looks like I’ll be attending my state school which is T50-60 school. When I first started my premed journey, I heard that medical school prestige doesn’t really matter because Step 1 is one of the biggest deciding factors when it comes to residency. As such, I was fine with attending a lower-ranked school which is why I put it on my school list. Now that Step 1 is P/F, I’ve been seeing people say that school prestige will start to matter more. The dilemma that I’m having is whether it would be a waste to continue on with this acceptance even though I’m confident that my application can be improved upon.

Here's some additional context: I’m a URM that graduated from a T10 university. Even though these factors should’ve given me a boost, several things held me back. I have a low GPA (3.3s/3.4c) due to a medical condition that was explained in my primary. My clinical hours were low due to the pandemic; out of the 150ish hours of clinical experience that I had, 50% was from volunteering at an urgent care and the other 50% was from virtual shadowing. My lack of substantiative clinical hours in turn affected my personal statement because, though my “seed” story was unique/strong, I didn’t have any clinical experience to tie everything together. My MCAT score is decent (511) but not good enough to compensate for my GPA. I also studied for it while I was a full-time student that was attending classes, studying for final exams, working a part-time job, leading a club, and doing research.

Now, I have 500+ hours at a dual-role clinical job where I have a mix of direct and indirect patient encounters. I have plenty of clinical stories that I could easily incorporate into my personal statement and activity section essays. I have at least one definitive research publication and presentation. I’ve graduated from school and I have a job that isn’t too demanding, so I’d be able to dedicate more time to studying for the MCAT. I’ve also seen that there’s a moderate correlation between SAT and MCAT scores. I was able to get a 98-percentile score as a high schooler that didn’t have a proper study regime, so I feel like there’s some potential there.

Since the school’s CTE deadline is in June/July, let’s say that I re-took the MCAT before that deadline and got a 520 or so. Would it be reasonable to decline the acceptance and reapply? Or is the value of medical school prestige in relation to residency/fellowships/overall advantage not important enough for me to even consider doing this?

I’d very much appreciate any help that I can get with this! Thank you!!

TL;DR – I got an acceptance to a mid-tier (?) school with a rushed application, but now I’m concerned that in the future I'll regret that I didn't put my best foot forward during the application process. I’ve already improved on some of the aspects that I know held me back but if I also managed to get a ~520 on the MCAT before the school’s CTE deadline, would it be worth it to decline the acceptance so that I can reapply?
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Please do yourself the favor of taking your offer!
 
What everyone else said.

The highest determinant for success is the individual. Apply yourself and excel, you will get to your destination.

When I've look at applications for residency, the perceived prestige of the school the applicant has attended has minimal impact.
 
atpptn said:
Hello! This going to be a long post because I want to thoroughly explain my reasons for thinking about doing something that I know pretty much always receives a “don’t, you’re being dumb” response 🙂
Click to expand...

I didn't read past this. You've answered your own question before even asking it.

Don't be dumb 🙂
 
You have an acceptance and that's something many people can't say after having a rough or dry cycle. Take your MD acceptance and go. Regardless of it step 1 is pass/fail, there's still step 2 and 3 to get an impressive score. Literally why put yourself through another cycle of stress and uncertainty to go to a "better school" when you've reached one of the biggest goals ever??
 
URM from a T10 with very very very similar GPA as you, 518 MCAT (there is no correlation with SAT scores btw, but you do you). Unique life story that made an interviewer give me a long "WOW" a couple weeks ago.

I have received many interviews, split between low-tier and mid-tier schools. Take your A at a mid-tier and move on.
 
atpptn said:
TL;DR – I got an acceptance to a mid-tier (?) school with a rushed application, but now I’m concerned that in the future I'll regret that I didn't put my best foot forward during the application process. I’ve already improved on some of the aspects that I know held me back but if I also managed to get a ~520 on the MCAT before the school’s CTE deadline, would it be worth it to decline the acceptance so that I can reapply?
Click to expand...
This thread gave me enteritis.
 
I didn't expect to get this many replies, but the unanimous verdict definitely makes it easier for me to convince myself that I'm making a decision I won't regret. I'm really thankful to those of you who took the time to read my little mini-essay and write a thoughtful response even though you may have viewed this to be a silly question!
 
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