Postponing Admission

[bluedusk]

What's the general trend about postponing admission for a year or two? Do most medical schools (MD and DO) allow that? Has anyone had experience postponing admission?

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[kb1900]

It seems very school dependent. Some schools don't want u to start classes at all if you don't feel 1000% ready/committed to being there. Other schools may need a very specific, highly productive reasoning for your deferral of admission by a year.

 

[james11]

watch out, people on SDN will generally rail against you for hinting towards wanting a deferral... in my opinion it can't hurt to ask about it, some schools are definitely willing to consider it (I think)

 

[wysdoc]

What's the general trend about postponing admission for a year or two? Do most medical schools (MD and DO) allow that? Has anyone had experience postponing admission?

You can look up on MSAR which schools will or will not consider deferral of admission. Also, have you considered postponing your application cycle until you are ready to enter medical school?

 

[wysdoc]

Just a couple of thoughts:

1) After being accepted to medical school and seeking a deferral is the more common path. Actively applying to medical school while considering postponing any possible acceptance is a very uncommon path. Medical schools are trying to fill their class this cycle and not heavily considering deferring students who havent been accepted yet.
2) Most schools have policies for deferring either on their websites or in the student handbook, which should also be found on the website. While it seems unrealistic, schools have to assume that applicants are familiar with student handbooks, which usually have policies for applicants, acceptee, pre-matriculation, etc. Why? Part of a schools accreditation process calls for both detailed policies be enunciated and then adhered to. Deferrals are usually narrowly defined to a limited set of circumstances and opportunities.

I agree with your points, that deferrals are usually on a case-by-case basis and for circumstances that arise after a person has gained admission. I have seen one or two SDN posters, though, who may be on their 2nd or 3rd try at applying but ask which schools allow deferral before they even get in. These posters really confuse me!

 

[LizzyM]

Apply in the year before you intend to matriculate. Do not apply with the intention of asking for a deferral. Some schools will be very happy to have you defer if they have over filled the class and are hoping to get some applicants to turn them down.

I can see asking for a deferral in very narrow circumstances, some quite tragic, others fortuitous, that could not be foreseen.

 

[aldol16]

There are two common reasons for deferral that medical schools don't really mind: 1) they overfilled their class and provide you with additional scholarship money if you defer for a year (in your situation, this would be the best case scenario, wouldn't it?) and 2) you win some sort of prestigious international scholarship that requires you to take a year or two to study somewhere else (commonly the Rhodes, Gates, Marshall, etc.). Every school likes to say they have Rhodes scholars, etc. in their class.

 

[james11]

What if you got in and decided you wanted to take a year off for travel. You couldn't apply during that year bc youd be out of the country for interviews, say. I assume most schools would say no to such a request but would any of them rescind your admission just for asking? In other words, is "No" the worst case scenario in which case it doesn't hurt to ask even for frivolous reasons?

 

[Ismet]

What if you got in and decided you wanted to take a year off for travel. You couldn't apply during that year bc youd be out of the country for interviews, say. I assume most schools would say no to such a request but would any of them rescind your admission just for asking? In other words, is "No" the worst case scenario in which case it doesn't hurt to ask even for frivolous reasons?

Why would you even risk it? Every year there are a number of applicants who are studying abroad and come back for interviews, you just have to be strategic about scheduling them so your interviews fall within a block of time.

There are two common reasons for deferral that medical schools don't really mind: 1) they overfilled their class and provide you with additional scholarship money if you defer for a year (in your situation, this would be the best case scenario, wouldn't it?) and 2) you win some sort of prestigious international scholarship that requires you to take a year or two to study somewhere else (commonly the Rhodes, Gates, Marshall, etc.). Every school likes to say they have Rhodes scholars, etc. in their class.

Just to add, many schools would be okay with a deferment for certain personal/family issues. I've seen deferments for pregnant students who are due around the time of matriculation...considerably easier to start MS1 with a 1 year old rather than a newborn.

 

[LizzyM]

Why would you even risk it? Every year there are a number of applicants who are studying abroad and come back for interviews, you just have to be strategic about scheduling them so your interviews fall within a block of time.



Just to add, many schools would be okay with a deferment for certain personal/family issues. I've seen deferments for pregnant students who are due around the time of matriculation...considerably easier to start MS1 with a 1 year old rather than a newborn.

Precisely! Very serious illnesses, life threatening injuries, pregnancies would be reasonable reasons as well as prestigious fellowships.
If you want to travel, you can do so but say, "I will be back for interviews in October and early January." Then schools know that it they are highly motivated to interview you that they'll need to do it on your schedule.

 

[james11]

Why would you even risk it?

So, just to confirm, you are saying that there is a chance schools would rescind an acceptance for asking for a deferral?

That seems very surprising to me given that, for a student with multiple acceptances, schools are literally competing to secure him/her. It even seems like it should be somehow illegal or wrong, since asking for a deferral doesn't constitute a breach of academic or ethical standards (which schools include language forbidding in their acceptance letters.) Would be curious what others think.

 

[Ho0v-man]

I deferred a year. It was financial stuff that I really couldn't get around. The school was totally understanding.

I imagine if I wanted to go "find myself" or some nonsense it wouldn't have been too easy.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[sallyhasanidea]

I deferred a year. It was financial stuff that I really couldn't get around. The school was totally understanding.

I imagine if I wanted to go "find myself" or some nonsense it wouldn't have been too easy.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Can you elaborate what exactly happened? Can you PM if you don't want to post?

 

[ThoracicGuy]

So, just to confirm, you are saying that there is a chance schools would rescind an acceptance for asking for a deferral?

That seems very surprising to me given that, for a student with multiple acceptances, schools are literally competing to secure him/her. It even seems like it should be somehow illegal or wrong, since asking for a deferral doesn't constitute a breach of academic or ethical standards (which schools include language forbidding in their acceptance letters.) Would be curious what others think.

It's not that they would rescind your acceptance, more they would deny your request for deferral.

 

[james11]

It's not that they would rescind your acceptance, more they would deny your request for deferral.

Got it, and that's what I thought, and in that case you wouldn't have much to lose from asking for a frivolous deferral because if they so no you're right back where you started. @Ismet 's post implied otherwise.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

Got it, and that's what I thought, and in that case you wouldn't have much to lose from asking for a frivolous deferral because if they so no you're right back where you started. @Ismet 's post implied otherwise.

Just don't count on getting a deferral. If you want to do that, why not just apply the next year?

 

[Ismet]

So, just to confirm, you are saying that there is a chance schools would rescind an acceptance for asking for a deferral?

That seems very surprising to me given that, for a student with multiple acceptances, schools are literally competing to secure him/her. It even seems like it should be somehow illegal or wrong, since asking for a deferral doesn't constitute a breach of academic or ethical standards (which schools include language forbidding in their acceptance letters.) Would be curious what others think.

Got it, and that's what I thought, and in that case you wouldn't have much to lose from asking for a frivolous deferral because if they so no you're right back where you started. @Ismet 's post implied otherwise.

Never heard of an acceptance being rescinded for asking for a deferral, and I agree that would be quite extreme and unlikely, but the sample size on this one is probably too small to be absolutely sure. I'm sure there are schools that will just say no, some schools that will say yes, but perhaps there are schools out there who may find it pretty disingenuous for someone to apply knowing they're going to want a deferral to go travel and find themselves, effectively taking an interview spot from someone else for that year. Depending on the school and how flexible/receptive they are to deferrals, I may or may not risk it. Completely different scenario if something comes up partway through the admissions cycle.

I have heard of someone having their acceptance rescinded after getting a deferral for research, then ditching the research and just traveling/bumming around for a year. N=1 anecdotal maybe-there's-more-to-the-story yadda yadda. Obviously the much bigger issue there is lying rather than the travel itself, but if you are accepted to a school with a pretty strict deferral policy, I would proceed with more caution. Better yet, if you want to take a year off just do it and apply the following year.