Re-applying after matriculating

[DrMcNeo]

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What do you guys think of reapplying after attending med school for a year? I'm thinking about dropping out, doing research for two years, take the mcat again during the first year, and then reapplying during the second year. Work or volunteer as an EMT during the weekends.

Am I crazy?

 

[NotAsking4Much]

You're either trolling or clearly out of your mind.

 

[DrMcNeo]

being very serious. I only finished first semester, took second semester off due to personal reasons.


Would I have a chance at top-mid tier schools if I reapplied? I can explain my situation in interviews or in my personal statement re-applicant portion.


Stats from first round of application was 39 MCAT 3.6 GPA, took MCAT in January 2008. So if I reapply next summer (after getting research exp/volunteering this year), I'm guessing I'll also have to retake the MCAT next March/April.

 

[NotAsking4Much]

Short answer is no.

Unless you have a very compelling reason: your spouse was at XYZ school so you wanted to transfer (even then I heard it's a crapshoot).

 

[DrMcNeo]

why not though? Would they toss out my application after they find out in my secondary or during interview that I went for a semester of med school?

 

[ILikeDrugs]

Why do you want to drop out and reapply?

 

[Kuune]

To me, it would seem like you weren't committed enough, or didn't appreciate med school enough. There are thousands of people trying to get into med school, and having someone in med school drop out and expect to get back in is pretty unreasonable. Again, unless you have a really, really, really good reason that you can't control at all, don't do it. Think of it like this. If you had no chance of getting into med school again, would you still go forward with this plan? If the answer is no, stay in school.

 

[DrMcNeo]

Why do you want to drop out and reapply?

Biggest reasons are I'm already a year behind, didn't really like the school when I applied but it was the only one I got into. So I ended up matriculating. Really don't like the school and the environment. I had several waitlists but didn't manage to get off of them.

I feel like I would be able to get into a better school with some more EC's, and don't mind taking the 2 years off to get some research and life experience.

I didn't finish my year because my grandmother, whom I'm very close to, was diagnosed with a terminal illness so I flew back to India for 3 months.

 

[mmmcdowe]

You are asked in your primary if you have ever been accepted or matriculated to medical school.

 

[DrMcNeo]

You are asked in your primary if you have ever been accepted or matriculated to medical school.

would schools filter out people that have matriculated/been accepted before?

 

[oNichole]

Sounds like a lot of trouble for no good reason. You're a year behind, you don't like the school, you want to go somewhere better... Just work out your issues with the school and get on with things. I know this is different, but I left a very prestigious undergrad because I didn't like it. I moved back home to go to CC and applied to a state school last fall. I didn't get accepted. A lot has changed and now getting back into a university will be much harder than I anticipated. Don't give up on something you worked hard for. It may be much harder than you think to get it back.

 

[SpaceDementia]

I anticipate schools would question your commitment to medicine and ability to endure the training. It's likely more precarious than having been accepted and not matriculated. (As mentioned, either would be disclosed on the AMCAS.)

I wouldn't do it, but if you're considering it then you should seek advice from as many informed people as you can, ideally by contacting a few admissions offices/directors. Nothing would be worse than to not become a physician altogether.

 

[silverhorse84]

Would they toss out my application after they find out in my secondary or during interview that I went for a semester of med school?

In a nut shell, yes.

Also, medical school experience can really vary between classes. So if you didn't like the school with the classmates you matriculated with, a new class and new people may make the experience wildly different for you - hopefully for the better.

 

[sustentacular]

Biggest reasons are I'm already a year behind, didn't really like the school when I applied but it was the only one I got into. So I ended up matriculating. Really don't like the school and the environment. I had several waitlists but didn't manage to get off of them.

I feel like I would be able to get into a better school with some more EC's, and don't mind taking the 2 years off to get some research and life experience.

I didn't finish my year because my grandmother, whom I'm very close to, was diagnosed with a terminal illness so I flew back to India for 3 months.

Could you re-enroll at your previous medical school? If you can get back in and stay for a semester/year you may have a better shot at transferring (which I hear is difficult in itself) to another school rather than trying to apply again.

 

[DrMcNeo]

yea I can stay, but transferring is probably just as hard if not harder, so I figured it might be better to not waste the money on another year of tuition

 

[jenkim]

This maks no sense, your in med school and you want to drop out bc you don't like the school that much?

Your gonna risk an excellen career bc you don't 'like the shcool that much'

Are you serious or a troll? that is foolish, anywhere you go med school will be rough - why would a med school take a kid who had the opportunity but dropped out bc 'he didnt lke the school that mch' That would lead them to believe your uncommitted

 

[morning]

The comment about the "top-mid tier school" he wants to get into leads me to believe that DrMcNeo (my, what an optimistic name) is dissatisfied with the ranking - or lack thereof - of his current institution.

 

[DrMcNeo]

This maks no sense, your in med school and you want to drop out bc you don't like the school that much?

Your gonna risk an excellen career bc you don't 'like the shcool that much'

Are you serious or a troll? that is foolish, anywhere you go med school will be rough - why would a med school take a kid who had the opportunity but dropped out bc 'he didnt lke the school that mch' That would lead them to believe your uncommitted

Yea, I'm also a year behind, and some part of me just feels if I have to be an M1 again, I'd much rather be somewhere else even if means taking 2 years off doing research and volunteering as an EMT, which I wouldn't mind at all. It would be a good break from school.

Also, the tuition/cost of living is sky high at my current school.

I was waitlisted at 2 top tier schools when I applied, should I contact the admissions offices there?

 

[ThaliaNox]

I don't think your reasons for wanting a new school would fly for a transfer, much less an entirely new application. I would suggest getting through your second year with new classmates, as someone suggested, and then once you're in your third year, everything will be different. I hear that preclinical versus clinical years are night and day, and I believe it.

 

[Bacchus]

Its extremely difficult to transfer. Without having a legitimate reason your chance is essentially zero. Stay where you are and get through it.

 

[DrMcNeo]

What about just straightup reapplying? I didn't even think about transferring actually

 

[phoenixsuns]

Nobody on this board is going to tell you what you want to hear. Your reasons won't fly with other schools. They'll think you ran into some personal problems and decided to just quit, and then changes your minds. As much money as we are spending on med school, the schools are spending almost twice as much. Each student is an investment, and your track record would make you a poor investment

 

[mybubbles14]

What about just straightup reapplying? I didn't even think about transferring actually

you're not listening...

This isn't undergrad where you can just drop out and reapply to a "better" school as it seems you're so desperately concerned about. You might stand a chance reapplying at a Caribbean school, but I think your reasons are way too weak for another allopathic school to take you seriously. People have a hard enough time reapplying after being accepted at a school let alone after matriculating. It just doesn't look good at all and like you are more committed to name recognition than being a physician. There are so many applicants that desperately want to get into medical school right now you seem very unappreciative of the opportunity that you were given. Just stay at the school, do your best and try to get into a "top-tier" residency program. 🙄

 

[jenkim]

What about just straightup reapplying? I didn't even think about transferring actually

Furthermore, if your reasons for dropping out are bc you 'didn't like the school that much' then the odds are any new school you apply to, even if they buy that excuse, would just think 'hey, why would we waste are time on this person when if it ends up that he doesn't like our school that much, he'll just drop out' Thus, they would not even waste there time on you, and instead would take someone who is actually committed

 

[Brown8472]

What do you guys think of reapplying after attending med school for a year? I'm thinking about dropping out, doing research for two years, take the mcat again during the first year, and then reapplying during the second year. Work or volunteer as an EMT during the weekends.

Am I crazy?

Dude, I really don't care about you! From the vibe I am getting from you, you should not have been admitted in the first place (The adcom wasted their time on you). I would be scared to see a friend/family member receive any kind of treatment from someone who has no passion/commitment to the profession. I would strongly advise anyone from ever letting you operate on them if you make it through.

If you want to do research, great! The med schools offer research options to those who are interested. You can always do both if you wish.

If you are serious about dropping out, please do and do it fast unless you are complete troll.

I really don't appreciate people who have no regard about what it takes to decide on other people's health needs. What a beast! I hope you are not at my school.

:troll:
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[Sesom]

Wow you did it! you made it in! you're going to be a doctor! And you're dropping out ...... ??¿ I guess you don't need to be smart to get in...

 

[DrMcNeo]

Not liking the school is only part of the reason though. I just don't know if I'll be able to find a west coast residency in a competitive field after graduating from a east coast school that's not top/mid-tier

 

[Sammich117]

There's also the matter of retaking the MCAT - It'd be really hard to get a 39 again, and it wouldn't look good to have both withdrawn and gone down in score.

 

[fahimaz7]

Such a good troll.

 

[sustentacular]

Dude, I really don't care about you! From the vibe I am getting from you, you should not have been admitted in the first place (The adcom wasted their time on you). I would be scared to see a friend/family member receive any kind of treatment from someone who has no passion/commitment to the profession. I would strongly advise anyone from ever letting you operate on them if you make it through.

This is pretty overkill. Someone can still be a good doctor even if it isn't the only thing they've ever wanted to do.

 

[moto_za]

To the OP: I was in a similar situation as you. I would recommend you to contact individual schools about your situation and see what they say. I contacted a particular school I was interested in going since I was in almost the exact situation as you. Below is the response I received after emailing them that I am planning on withdrawing and reapplying to med school:

Dear XXXX,

Should you withdraw from your current medical school and apply to the XXXX College of Medicine you would need to list your current medical school on your AMCAS application. Our Admissions Committee would need a full explanation from you as to why you withdrew from medical school. We will give you every consideration based on all of your credentials. The fact that you were enrolled in a med school and then withdrew would not be held against you in any way. As long as there is sufficient explanation and confirmation that you left in good standing and there were no issues.

 

[thesauce]

Not liking the school is only part of the reason though. I just don't know if I'll be able to find a west coast residency in a competitive field after graduating from a east coast school that's not top/mid-tier

I agree with others on here-this is not a good idea.

From a financial perspective, you lose out on at least 2 years of an attending's salary, which is going to be far more than the tuition difference between any 2 schools. You also dropped the second semester of med school (for whatever reason) which is not going to look good to adcoms when you reapply.

The difference in prestige between most schools is negligible in the residency selection process. Unless you're headed to Harvard/Yale/Hopkins, it's probably not going to make a difference. Yes, if you do well from a middle-tier school, you can match in a competitive specialty at a competitive west-coast school.

 

[DrMcNeo]

To the OP: I was in a similar situation as you. I would recommend you to contact individual schools about your situation and see what they say. I contacted a particular school I was interested in going since I was in almost the exact situation as you. Below is the response I received after emailing them that I am planning on withdrawing and reapplying to med school:

Dear XXXX,

Should you withdraw from your current medical school and apply to the XXXX College of Medicine you would need to list your current medical school on your AMCAS application. Our Admissions Committee would need a full explanation from you as to why you withdrew from medical school. We will give you every consideration based on all of your credentials. The fact that you were enrolled in a med school and then withdrew would not be held against you in any way. As long as there is sufficient explanation and confirmation that you left in good standing and there were no issues.

so basically ask my current school to send them a transcript with the secondary?

 

[Bacchus]

You fail to see the point... you have to retake the MCAT. Getting a 39 again is highly unlikely. You also are at the whims of the application process. What if you don't get in?

This isn't deciding on whether or not to keep eating your vanilla ice cream or putting in the freezer to grab some chocolate...its your life and future career.

Man up, lose the entitlement ("This school isn't good enough :cry:") and continue at the same school.

 

[Kuune]

To the OP: I was in a similar situation as you. I would recommend you to contact individual schools about your situation and see what they say. I contacted a particular school I was interested in going since I was in almost the exact situation as you. Below is the response I received after emailing them that I am planning on withdrawing and reapplying to med school:

Dear XXXX,

Should you withdraw from your current medical school and apply to the XXXX College of Medicine you would need to list your current medical school on your AMCAS application. Our Admissions Committee would need a full explanation from you as to why you withdrew from medical school. We will give you every consideration based on all of your credentials. The fact that you were enrolled in a med school and then withdrew would not be held against you in any way. As long as there is sufficient explanation and confirmation that you left in good standing and there were no issues.

Emphasis on GOOD STANDING and NO ISSUES. From your previous posts, that does not seem to be the case.

 

[EpicBearMan]

What do you guys think of reapplying after attending med school for a year? I'm thinking about dropping out, doing research for two years, take the mcat again during the first year, and then reapplying during the second year. Work or volunteer as an EMT during the weekends.

Am I crazy?

 

[Neurocentric]

So, let me get this straight.. you got into medical school.. and you want to drop out because it isn't "good enough"?

Wow.

First off, all the medical schools in the country will give you a wonderful education. Second, you GOT IN. I don't understand what the damn problem is. Most would KILL to be in your position.

I am sorry that you had to drop out of your second semester because of family issues. That's incredibly unfortunate. But given that fact, I doubt that it would qualify under the "good standing" that was quoted in a letter someone received about changing schools. You'd need to re-take the MCAT, reapply, and see what happens, and honestly, I feel that is way too much of a gamble.

Having to retake MS1 would probably suck, but either way you'd have to do it at another school on the off chance you got in, so I say suck it up, retake your first year, and then continue your matriculation. Otherwise, if you don't listen to the myriad of people saying to thank your lucky stars you were admitted to medical school, you'll probably be sitting at home next year with no acceptance letters realizing you just ruined the wonderful thing you had. Beggars can't be choosers.