Hey, I have been accepted to 1 school, and I am on the waitlist for several others. Initially, my goal was just to get accepted ANYWHERE, but now I'm realizing that the opportunities presented at different tier schools are actually quite significant. Can anybody in a similar situation offer any advice? Or can somebody tell me how bad it'll look to turn down an acceptance in order to essentially re-take the MCAT and re-apply?
Post-Acceptance Doubt?
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DON'T do it. Take the acceptance and run. Yes, it will look bad to turn down an acceptance and re-apply. Any opportunities gained by going to a "better-tier" school will be overshadowed by the fact that you are starting med school AT LEAST a year later.
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If you can answer the following question without sounding like an idiot or an entitled d-bag, go for it.
If your goal is to become a physician, why would you decline your admission to an accredited US medical school?
Let the tap dancing begin!
If you were the superstar you think you are, you wouldn't have applied with a substandard MCAT to begin with.
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Why do you think you would even do better if you retook the MCAT?
I think a lot of people would do better on the MCAT on a retake. Personally, I took mine after soph year before taking any biochem or physio and only studied one month for it. I don't know how MUCH higher I could score, but I think a point or three is in the realm of possibility.
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The "tiers" that are spoke about on SDN are becoming more and more SDN folklore. As an M4 who just finished the interview trail, I can tell you that performing well at a school that is considered "low tier" on SDN will open just as many doors for you as attending a "high tier" school and performing equally well.
No residency program can deny Step 1 scores, AOA status, publications, etc. My recommendation is to be happy you were accepted and work hard next year.
No residency program can deny Step 1 scores, AOA status, publications, etc. My recommendation is to be happy you were accepted and work hard next year.
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Because I have between a 3.7 and a 3.9 GPA at one of the top public undergrads in the country, but my MCAT was a 30, and I settled for that score instead of re-taking it...
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Bad idea.
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I have the same GPA from a top public undergrad with honors in Biochemistry, strong ECs, strong LORs, 1.5 years of research, and a 35 MCAT. And I haven't been accepted anywhere yet. My advice is to take your acceptance and be grateful.
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Take your acceptance and kick butt on your step score.
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Sounds like you should have studied harder the first time.
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This for sure. OP, overall I have weaker credentials than littefaster (no research and very weak sGPA), but am lucky to be accepted to 2 schools so far, one a top 40. This process can be such a crap shoot. Don't test it with another round. As others have said, do great wherever you go and your future prospects won't be more than MINIMALLY impacted by school reputation.
Littlefaster, can I ask if you applied late, or have had interviews at non-rolling schools and just haven't heard back yet? Otherwise I'm surprised you haven't been accepted yet; your credentials are outstanding dude.
I honestly don't think I'm a superstar, in fact I am told that I lack confidence. At the time that I received my MCAT score, I was satisfied with it because I worked hard for it. In retrospect, I realize that I sold myself short because its very common to take the MCAT more than once. I realize I should have learned from my mistakes during the first experience (ex. verbal passages were way longer on my real test than on AAMC practice tests), studied another few months, and given it a second shot. So no, I don't think I'm a superstar, but I believe hard work pays off, especially in a standardized testing situation.
And no, my goal is not just to become a physician, my goal is to become the best physician I can possibly be in a specific sub-speciality that requires landing a great residency (in order to get accepted to the specific fellowship program I am interested in). So I don't know that just any accredited US medical school will get me there-- hence why I originally started this thread because I'd like others opinions on the matter.
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Given this, what makes you think you will do significantly better on second attempt?
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I submitted my AMCAS on July 12 and had all of my secondaries done by mid to late August. So no, not even late by SDN standards.
I've had four interviews: Wisconsin, Iowa, Rosalind Franklin, and Buffalo. Ohio State interview next week.
Waitlisted at Wisconsin, Iowa, and Buffalo. Currently waiting to hear back from Rosalind Franklin...it's a crap shoot, to be sure. I'll be honored and humbled if I get in.
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You don't even have to wait to be rejected everywhere to be humbled. Surely even one rejection is a humbling experience. 🙂
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OK I'll bite-- what's this extremely narrow, specific super-sub-specialty that you're already 100% committed to that requires you to go to a top ranked school?
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Same situation. Took it at the end of sophomore year and got a 31, took it after graduating and got a 36
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sighhhhhh of relief been thinking this a long time but never had the huevos to say it.
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Even if there is a very competitive specialty you are 100% sure you will go into, no matter what your rotations are like, you should still take the acceptance you have. You can get into highly-selective residency programs if you have outstanding scores from any medical school. You have an acceptance. Take that and work to make yourself as competitive as possible for the match, just as you would have to do if you got into your dream school. The fact is, if anything, you will be a more impressive candidate from a "lower tier" school since the competition will be lower so you will, if as good as you imply you are, rise that much higher above the rest. You are not barring yourself from any program by matriculating at a "lower-tier" medical school, so don't go chasing ghosts in searching for a "better" school.
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well its done bud. Just continue on in medical school.
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My most humbling experience: interview at my alma mater (MCAT is ~3 points higher than their average matriculated) in September, expect an acceptance Oct. 15, and then silence...waitlisted in January! My ego still stings.
I agree that most can score higher.
OP, an MCAT score isn't everything though. I'm sure you can do better if you apply yourself, but you're already going to be a doctor. Rock the boards and your rotations instead.
K
kpcrew
forsooth, the medical school to which you have been accepted is most certainly beneath you and you should withdraw posthaste. had the same opportunity is bestowed upon another, the obvious course of action would most certainly be to send a personalized rejection letter to the school that has offered said acceptance. the only alternative to your current situation is to spend thousands of dollars on a mcat retake, a fresh application and interview expenses, looking towards the surety of an ivy league acceptance in the near future. anything else would be insufficient for the graduate of a top public school such as yourself.
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Going to a top 10, 20, etc. school will not guarantee that you become "the best physician you can possibly be." It's all about fit and finding a school where you can reach your full potential both academically and personally. Depending on which specialty you're interested in and where you'd like to do residency, sure, attending a specific school could help. But keep in mind that your competitiveness when applying for residency is going to be directly related to how well you do on Step 1, clinical grades, etc. There's no reason why you can't attend a lower-ranked school, kick ass, and land a great residency. Be grateful for your acceptance, take it, and run. Most applicants wish they were in your position.
I appreciate your words of wisdom. And just to clarify for multiple people that have posted, I didn't mean that I'd like to attend a top 10 school. The school I have been accepted to barely makes the top 100 cut... So I'd like to clarify that I wasn't ever implying that I'm the best applicant the world has ever known...
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this is not typical. most people go down on their second try.
the burden on proof will be on you, as prior acceptances are known to future adcoms. my understanding is that "trading up" is not generally considered an explanation for this.
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This and the OP's statement about being on the waitlist at several schools just proves that the MCAT score isn't the sole source of admission. It sounds like you had several interviews and just didn't do well enough at the interview. Maybe taking a year off to get a better MCAT will land you more interviews, but it won't help you do better during the interviews. How ****ty would you feel if you passed on this opportunity and then didn't get in anywhere next year. I generally stand by the "bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" saying, but it's your life. Go ahead and pass, do better on the MCAT, and try for your "dream" school. Just don't F it up.
So you are going to waste (yes, I mean waste) a year of your life based on an arbitrary ranking system?
Go to the school, destroy Steps and whatnot, and carry on to your residency.
It seems you have your mind made up though even if everyone here has given you basically the same advice. Good luck to you in that case.
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Go to medical school or don't go to medical school. Don't spend another few thousand and a year to take essentially another shot in the dark when you already have an acceptance.
Maybe you'll retake the MCAT and get a 32, is this going to suddenly catapult you into your dream school?
Maybe you'll retake the MCAT and get a 32, is this going to suddenly catapult you into your dream school?
Thank you. This is extremely comforting. I hope you're right. 🙂
& thanks to everyone else for their input and advice.
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i know, it's killing me! Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me...
K
kpcrew
pm & r
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Not taking the acceptance would be absolute madness.
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Maybe a little bit, but I genuinely think the OP believes they are too good for the school they are accepted to. Even though someone on this very thread spoke about having better stats and no acceptances...
Pediatric orthopedic surgery... why?
I understand you have every reason to be bitter... I did not mean to offend anyone, I was just looking for advice for my personal situation.
If you turn down this acceptance, there's no guarantee you'll get into a "better" school next year, and you might actually either only get into "worse" schools, or even not get accepted anywhere. It's a highly risky gambit.
If you're willing to take a year off to maximize your chances of getting some specific highly competitive residency, you're almost certainly better off starting med school now (which is at least a sure thing) and then taking a year off in the middle of med school to do research, add an MPH, or do whatever it is that will best appeal to those particular residency directors. Without knowing what exactly you're gunning for, we can't say for sure what your best strategy is here, but at least taking a year off to do research or whatever is pretty much guaranteed not to be an epic own-goal.
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Landing an Ortho residency spot is competitive, you're correct. But it doesn't require you to attend a Top 10 medical school to land those positions.
Plus, Peds ortho is a not an extremely competitive fellowship. So if you really want to get particular, you could go to almost any Ortho residency and feel confident that you could get your Peds fellowship.
I'm not bitter at all. Not sure where you got that impression. I just think you should be grateful you were accepted, instead of implying that you think you are too good for that particular school.
