reapplicant with prior acceptance?

[carlyMD]

I have read all the threads that say "don't do it," but has anyone turned down an acceptance, reapplied, and got in the second time? I am about to reapply, the damage has already been done. I dont need to hear not to do it. It was not just because I wanted a better school.

Thanks in Advance

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[Caesar]

I have read all the threads that say "don't do it," but has anyone turned down an acceptance, reapplied, and got in the second time? I am about to reapply, the damage has already been done. I dont need to hear not to do it. It was not just because I wanted a better school.

Thanks in Advance

Pretty sure it has been done, but it is definitely uncommon. I would prepare one hell of a reason why you turned it down. Far be it from me to tell you not to apply, but I'd apply broadly expecting an uphill battle.

 

[135892]

Just have a darn good reason

 

[gplex86]

How would the other schools even know?

 

[TheRealMD]

How would the other schools even know?

On secondary applications, they sometimes ask if you have previously applied and been accepted to any medical school in the US.

It's not really a kiss of death. The REAL kiss of death is applying, getting in somewhere, matriculating, actually going to school for any amount of time, then dropping out to apply somewhere else. They are very fickle about people who don't value to spot their were given.

Again, the last paragraph only applies if you actually went to class at X med school. Dropping all acceptances any time before that is really just your typical overhype from SDN. Just don't expect to get into the same place again if you don't get in anywhere else.

 

[87138]

I have read all the threads that say "don't do it," but has anyone turned down an acceptance, reapplied, and got in the second time? I am about to reapply, the damage has already been done. I dont need to hear not to do it. It was not just because I wanted a better school.

Thanks in Advance

Which of your schools did you get accepted to?

 

[Character]

they wont know, unless its the same school

 

[fireflygirl]

My good friend did this a few years ago - she matriculated from Duke and the only school she got into was UMDNJ. Once she had been accepted she realised that she wasn't ready for medical school and was in fact burned out. So she withdrew her acceptance during the early summer and found a job for two years doing medical consulting work. She then retook her MCAT and applied and is an MS-IV now at UMich. She had some resistance from a few schools who didn't bother to interview her, but since she had a fairly strong BCPM, a 34 MCAT, and a good PS that candidly explained her situation, and strong recs - she did get into 2 schools, one of them being her top choice. So it's doable but like others said, you'll definately get some resistance, but if you can show some solid stats and have really done something valuable during the time off and shown that development and maturity to adcoms, I think you may find a few schools that'll "forgive and forget".

 

[Mobius1985]

How would the other schools even know?

AMCAS knows and has the previous acceptance in their records.

 

[LikeClockWork]

Just have a darn good reason

Second this, though I'd bet there are more than a few "good reasons" to not matriculate. I just hope you don't say that you wanted to smoke pot and eat cheetoes for a while.

 

[carlyMD]

Second this, though I'd bet there are more than a few "good reasons" to not matriculate. I just hope you don't say that you wanted to smoke pot and eat cheetoes for a while.

Haha, damn. That was my reason

I have been getting my masters degree in bioethics in the mean time, along with volunteering and working at a psych hospital as a student nursing assistant. So it has been two cycles since I applied.

One more question... should this be something I address in my personal statement? I thought I should so that I could explain myself prior to interviews, so in theory I would get invited to more interviews, but have been told by some not to focus on this.

Also, I know that med schools can see this - but do they have to look or is it just written all over my app?? I am applying to a lot of different schools this time around.

 

[carlyMD]

On secondary applications, they sometimes ask if you have previously applied and been accepted to any medical school in the US.

It's not really a kiss of death. The REAL kiss of death is applying, getting in somewhere, matriculating, actually going to school for any amount of time, then dropping out to apply somewhere else. They are very fickle about people who don't value to spot their were given.

Again, the last paragraph only applies if you actually went to class at X med school. Dropping all acceptances any time before that is really just your typical overhype from SDN. Just don't expect to get into the same place again if you don't get in anywhere else.

I like your answer best because it sounds the most promising

can you tell me how you know?

 

[flip26]

I like your answer best because it sounds the most promising

can you tell me how you know?

Someone else can correct me if I am wrong, but you are asked either on AMCAS or on secondaries if you have ever "matriculated" at a med school...even for a single day...and then dropped out. Regardless, there would be a record with AMCAS noting that you matriculated and dropped out - just not sure if this information is disseminated to med schools.

Some schools reportedly ask if you have ever declined an acceptance in a prior cycle...this is asked for on a secondary...and evidently some schools have a policy about not accepting people who have done this, or not even accepting reapplicants, but I doubt if there are many schools that really do this...

Here's an idea: how about NOT applying to places where you would not attend (family reasons, whatever), and dropping acceptances as soon as you get them (or better yet, withdrawing your app from consideration at a school after the interview), or declining a spot on the waitlist at such a school?

 

[carlyMD]

Just to clarify, I did not matriculate. I withdrew before the deadline of May 15 or whatever it is. So I was not doing a disservice to anyone anymore than holding multiple acceptances would do. Once again, the schools was not the reason that I withdrew.

Does anyone know for sure what schools know and how they find out?

 

[flip26]

Just to clarify, I did not matriculate. I withdrew before the deadline of May 15 or whatever it is. So I was not doing a disservice to anyone anymore than holding multiple acceptances would do. Once again, the schools was not the reason that I withdrew.

Does anyone know for sure what schools know and how they find out?

Schools know through AMCAS if you have acceptances or not after some date but prior to May 15.

The real question would be is this information retained and disseminated the following cycle year for a reapplicant? I doubt it...but some schools DO ask about it in their secondaries...

 

[carlyMD]

http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/datacollection.htm

According to this schools do not know until after May 15th, but I guess the questions is then whether I would be on this list anyways that gets sent out. Or if this information remains somewhere where schools automatically, or can. get it.

I emailed amcas and am awaiting a reply.

 

[flip26]

http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/datacollection.htm

According to this schools do not know until after May 15th, but I guess the questions is then whether I would be on this list anyways that gets sent out. Or if this information remains somewhere where schools automatically, or can. get it.

I emailed amcas and am awaiting a reply.

Where exactly do you see this? I think they actually know prior to May 15 - I think there is some other date that matters to med schools, some reporting date for AMCAS purposes...

 

[carlyMD]

AMCAS: "We also circulate the names of applicants accepted to each school to every other school after all deadlines have passed but before classes have begun. We do that upon authorization by each school, in order to facilitate an orderly process for schools to resolve cases of applicants with multiple acceptances."

I am assuming that all deadlines passed means the May 15th to resolve multiple acceptances. Otherwise the last sentence does not make any sense. They circulate to make sure that no one is holding multiple acceptances past the deadline to hold only one acceptance, which is May 15th.

Where are you getting your information? I suppose I will just hope that AMCAS responds to my inquiry for clarification.

 

[flip26]

AMCAS: "We also circulate the names of applicants accepted to each school to every other school after all deadlines have passed but before classes have begun. We do that upon authorization by each school, in order to facilitate an orderly process for schools to resolve cases of applicants with multiple acceptances."

I am assuming that all deadlines passed means the May 15th to resolve multiple acceptances. Otherwise the last sentence does not make any sense. They circulate to make sure that no one is holding multiple acceptances past the deadline to hold only one acceptance, which is May 15th.

Where are you getting your information? I suppose I will just hope that AMCAS responds to my inquiry for clarification.

Anecdotes on SDN - people report that schools know where applicants have been accepted prior to May 15 - they say that School A says "I see where you were accepted at X, Y, and Z." So, a pretty worthless source, really...

But I think there is another "deadline" for med schools - it may be around March 1 or so - but by some date, med schools are required to have offered acceptances to at least enough applicants to fill their class.

Regardless, I don't think you should worry about it. I would not mention it anywhere in the app UNLESS you are required to disclose it, and evidently there are some med schools that will ask for this information in the secondary.

Make sure your MCAT has not expired (you said in a post that you turned down an acceptance a few cycles ago...MCATs expire in the eyes of med schools...)

 

[carlyMD]

Thanks for the advice flip26, I will just play dumb as much as possible

This is the last cycle that my MCAT will be good for, so it is an all or nothing this time around...

 

[flip26]

Thanks for the advice flip26, I will just play dumb as much as possible

This is the last cycle that my MCAT will be good for, so it is an all or nothing this time around...

On a recent thread some posters reported that for many med schools the MCAT has a 3 year shelf life that is tied to the date of matriculation, not simply the cycle - i.e., if you matriculate to Med School Z in August, 2009, your MCAT must have been taken no earlier than August, 2006...

Again, this is from the SDN peanut gallery, but I would want to be pretty darn sure about this...I hope this is not the case for you.