reapplication despite acceptances? any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[tengteng88]

My stats:

undergrad: Bioengineering at UCSD
sGPA >3.9
cGPA>3.9
mcat (V10,P13,B11 => 34O)

EC: involved in school organizations all 4 years of undergrad (also reaching officer positions)
jazz ensemble vocalist for university(2 years)
band lead singer (2 years - ongoing)
Volunteering: ER: hands on with patients (1 year)
Research:
Industry - Pfizer 1 year
Academia - Cancer Center >1 year (on going)
Shadowing: vascular surgeon

Since the competition is tough, I applied to near 30 schools and have so far attained 4 interviews and have been accepted to 2 schools, waitlisted at 1, and the last interview is coming up in March.

I got accepted to SLU and MCW and waitlisted at UC Irvine. Currently, I am banking on fighting like crazy for UCI but at the same time very worried about an uncertain future.

Please dont get me wrong, I am EXTREMELY grateful for my acceptances and know how reapplying is not the first thing most people would advise me to. But my main issue is personal/family and my dream is to stay in CA.

I was wondering if:

1.students who turn down an acceptance canNOT reapply to that particular school.

2.is it true that going to school far away from CA, it is extremely hard to return to CA for residencies (return to CA in general)

Thanks so much for anyone who can help!

Best of luck to everyone

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[MiniMoo]

1. There's no rule that says you can't reapply to schools you were accepted at last year -- but honestly I wouldn't do it. Your application will likely just be tossed. But all schools, not just the ones you got accepted at, will know you turned down an acceptance. You need to have a good explanation as to why.

And would you seriously reapply to SLU and MCW again next year? You obviously want to stay in CA -- enough so that you're considering giving up an acceptance. I would only apply to CA schools next cycle if you're really going to go ahead with this plan of yours.

2. The top factors in determining residency placement are board scores, LORs, and 3rd year clerkship grades. If you're looking at match lists for schools and see a class mostly matching in certain areas, it's typically because that class contained students from that area and not because they couldn't get matched elsewhere. If you don't believe me, take a look at RFU's match list. A large portion of their class usually comes from CA, and their students have absolutely no problem going back to CA for residency: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=9349232&postcount=1303

That said, you still have a chance at UCI. They typically have significant waitlist movement, from what I hear. And I'm not unsympathetic to your situation. I was in the same frame of mind last year when I applied -- for family reasons, I didn't want to go OOS, so I applied only to CA schools. I was waitlisted at UCI and UCLA and accepted at neither. Reapplying much more broadly this year, I've been accepted at several schools including SLU and MCW. I would attend either in a heartbeat if I don't get into a CA school this year, and my family is absolutely supportive.

Why the change of heart? Because I realized after having to reapply exactly how much a career in medicine means to me. I am 100% dedicated to becoming a physician and an acceptance at any medical school is such a huge privilege. Over half of all applicants don't get into a med school at all. To be given a seat in a class is really a tremendous blessing.

Unless you're the sole provider of your family or in some other situation where you absolutely cannot leave the state, then I would reapply next year, but only to CA schools. Otherwise, I would take my acceptance and be happy, because you may seriously not get another one. You have to decide how much being a doctor really means to you?

 

[tengteng88]

Thank you so much for the insight!

I will definitely look into school match lists and do much more research. If I may, would you mind sharing any other info on some stats for matching and such at schools like MCW and SLU?

Thanks again and congratulations!

 

[MiniMoo]

Thank you so much for the insight!

I will definitely look into school match lists and do much more research. If I may, would you mind sharing any other info on some stats for matching and such at schools like MCW and SLU?

Thanks again and congratulations!

I think you misunderstood my point. I was trying to say that match lists don't matter because they are influenced by individual preferences like specialty choice and desire to practice in a particular location. You will be able to match into any specialty and location, regardless of what school you attend, provided you do well on your boards and clerkships.

 

[dragonfly99]

I think it would be extremely foolish to turn down 2 perfectly good medical school acceptances. It shows a lack of focus and maturity, I think. Not only have you gotten accepted to med school, but you have two different, very solid med schools to choose from already, with the potential of having even more choices. I hope that you realize that there are similar applicants with the same or better academic and other credentials who don't have any med school acceptances at all. If you are so arrogant to think that you can get in so easily next year, you can try, but I think your chances to get accepted to either one of those schools in the future would be close to zero, if not zero. They have plenty of qualified applicants every year who would be more than happy to take an acceptance, and they certainly don't have to go begging.

It would not be hard to get back into California to do residency if you go out of state, particularly if you have prior ties to California. Attending med school in California might make it very slightly easier, but it really doesn't make much difference. Your USMLE scores, 3rd year grades and letters of recommendation will really determine what specialty you can do, and where. And you don't know how good (or bad) those are going to be yet, no matter what school you end up attending.

If you are unwilling to go to medical school out of state, then you shouldn't have applied out of state.

 

[bringindafunk]

so i'm a somewhat similar situation. Just got my first acceptance but no interviews at any Ca school or OHSU. But I got into a school back East.

I don't know your personal or family issues, so that's hard for me to judge, my main beef is that my family and friends are from California. It's kind of intimidating to move to an entirely new area without any support. If you can't leave your family, don't. But if you can leave, and might regret not taking the opportunity, go for it. You can always ask schools for time off if your personal reasons force you to come back or even transfer to USC or some school that accepts transfers back west.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck with the decision.

 

[gman33]

The application process is really a crapshoot. School can't interview all the qualified candidates. You have great stats, but CA is especially competitive.

Do everything you can in this cycle to get into one the schools that you prefer. Call people, write letters, see if you have any contacts, etc.

When this cycle is over, go to one of the schools that accepted you.
There is really no way to predict how schools will look at your app next time. Some schools will toss your app just for turning down a previous acceptance. It's crazy, but that's med school. Many things are crazy in this world.

 

[faith2]

I see this with the best intentions.....DO NOT REAPPLY TAKE YOUR ACCEPTANCE AND MOVE FORWARD!!!!!!!THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES AND NEXT YEAR YOU MAY NOT GET A SEAT

 

[Morsetlis]

I only have this to say:

u mad

 

[mspeedwagon]

As someone that has worked with many residents at Stanford, I can tell you that a lot of residents at Stanford did not get into any California schools. So, no it is not any harder to return to California after you graduate medical school than if you go to school in California.

In your situation, under no circumstance would I re-apply (unless you have a terminally ill family member that is in their last months of life or something of that magnitude, but even then I would defer). Being accepted and re-applying is frowned upon. People really need to think long and hard while applying to ask themselves if the schools they apply to are really schools that they want to go to.

Officially, to my knowledge, you can re-apply to the same school (you have no shot at the school where you turned down the previous acceptance and the rest of the schools will be frowned).

All that said, you should do what you feel most comfortable with. Are you comfortable risking an acceptance in hand for the chance of being rejected by all the CA schools next year and being in the same situation next year, or even worse with no acceptances at all?

My stats:

undergrad: Bioengineering at UCSD
sGPA >3.9
cGPA>3.9
mcat (V10,P13,B11 => 34O)

EC: involved in school organizations all 4 years of undergrad (also reaching officer positions)
jazz ensemble vocalist for university(2 years)
band lead singer (2 years - ongoing)
Volunteering: ER: hands on with patients (1 year)
Research:
Industry - Pfizer 1 year
Academia - Cancer Center >1 year (on going)
Shadowing: vascular surgeon

Since the competition is tough, I applied to near 30 schools and have so far attained 4 interviews and have been accepted to 2 schools, waitlisted at 1, and the last interview is coming up in March.

I got accepted to SLU and MCW and waitlisted at UC Irvine. Currently, I am banking on fighting like crazy for UCI but at the same time very worried about an uncertain future.

Please dont get me wrong, I am EXTREMELY grateful for my acceptances and know how reapplying is not the first thing most people would advise me to. But my main issue is personal/family and my dream is to stay in CA.

I was wondering if:

1.students who turn down an acceptance canNOT reapply to that particular school.

2.is it true that going to school far away from CA, it is extremely hard to return to CA for residencies (return to CA in general)

Thanks so much for anyone who can help!

Best of luck to everyone

 

[tengteng88]

Thank you all for your insight. It has definitely put things into perspective for me. I will continue to do more research about these schools and work hard for my chance at a UC.

 

[tengteng88]

As someone that has worked with many residents at Stanford, I can tell you that a lot of residents at Stanford did not get into any California schools. So, no it is not any harder to return to California after you graduate medical school than if you go to school in California.

In your situation, under no circumstance would I re-apply (unless you have a terminally ill family member that is in their last months of life or something of that magnitude, but even then I would defer). Being accepted and re-applying is frowned upon. People really need to think long and hard while applying to ask themselves if the schools they apply to are really schools that they want to go to.

Officially, to my knowledge, you can re-apply to the same school (you have no shot at the school where you turned down the previous acceptance and the rest of the schools will be frowned).

All that said, you should do what you feel most comfortable with. Are you comfortable risking an acceptance in hand for the chance of being rejected by all the CA schools next year and being in the same situation next year, or even worse with no acceptances at all?

It is very comforting to hear that Stanford accepts many non CA residents

 

[Food]

Here is some more food (oh I make myself laugh, har har) for thought. Don't do anything you regret...but that regret could be not going to medical school when you had the chance...

 

[Emerald84]

+1 !!!!!!!!

i think it would be extremely foolish to turn down 2 perfectly good medical school acceptances. It shows a lack of focus and maturity, i think. Not only have you gotten accepted to med school, but you have two different, very solid med schools to choose from already, with the potential of having even more choices. I hope that you realize that there are similar applicants with the same or better academic and other credentials who don't have any med school acceptances at all. If you are so arrogant to think that you can get in so easily next year, you can try, but i think your chances to get accepted to either one of those schools in the future would be close to zero, if not zero. They have plenty of qualified applicants every year who would be more than happy to take an acceptance, and they certainly don't have to go begging.

It would not be hard to get back into california to do residency if you go out of state, particularly if you have prior ties to california. Attending med school in california might make it very slightly easier, but it really doesn't make much difference. Your usmle scores, 3rd year grades and letters of recommendation will really determine what specialty you can do, and where. And you don't know how good (or bad) those are going to be yet, no matter what school you end up attending.

If you are unwilling to go to medical school out of state, then you shouldn't have applied out of state.