Reapplying after a previous acceptance

[whattodonow11]

I applied this last cycle with 508-513, 3.8GPA . I retook the mcat in september and got a 518-520ish (97-99%). I received ~4 interview invites and have an acceptance at a top 25. I'm considering declining the acceptance because I think I can get better acceptances if I apply earlier with the better score, especially because I want to stay in my state (CA). Will top schools see my acceptances from last year and will it really count against me, especially with the mcat improvement (i did start a scribe job like 3 months ago, but that's it)?

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[aalamruad]

troll or just insane?

 

[DoctorSwagger]

You've got balls to retake at 514 nice second score btw


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[mw18]

I applied last June 2016 with 514 (92%), 3.8GPA . I retook the mcat in september and got a 520ish (99%). I received 4 interview invites and have an acceptance at a top 25. I'm considering declining the acceptance because I think I can get better acceptances if I apply earlier with the new score, especially because I want to stay in my state (california). Will top schools see my acceptances from last year and will it really count against me, especially with the mcat improvement?

Assuming you're not trolling, this is a terrible idea. Your MCAT is slightly higher, but it won't help you. You'd be DOA when they see you've been accepted before. Be happy for a top 25 acceptance, or any acceptance at all. Retaking the 514 would have given me pause, were I an adcom.

 

[piii]

How does someone who is about to make such an idiotic decision get such a high mcat score?

 

[coffeeandcodeine]

I can't recommend reapplying, and I really don't think anyone else will either. In the end, do you want to be a doctor, or do you feel the need to be a doctor at "X Top Ten School of Medicine?" If the answer is the latter, I'd consider the possibility that medicine isn't the right field for you. If it's the former -- congrats, you got into an awesome school, you're gonna be a doctor!

 

[whattodonow11]

Assuming you're not trolling, this is a terrible idea. Your MCAT is slightly higher, but it won't help you. You'd be DOA when they see you've been accepted before. Be happy for a top 25 acceptance, or any acceptance at all. Retaking the 514 would have given me pause, were I an adcom.

How so? By the time schools got my last score, it was October..... Most schools had pretty much already ignored my app by then.

 

[zerox117]

I applied this last cycle with 514 (92%), 3.8GPA . I retook the mcat in september and got a 520ish (99%). I received ~4 interview invites and have an acceptance at a top 25. I'm considering declining the acceptance because I think I can get better acceptances if I apply earlier with the better score, especially because I want to stay in my state (CA). Will top schools see my acceptances from last year and will it really count against me, especially with the mcat improvement (i did start a scribe job like 3 months ago, but that's it)?

So many people would kill to be in your shoes right now. Take the acceptance and run.

 

[gonnif]

I applied last June 2016 with 514 (92%), 3.8GPA . I retook the mcat in september and got a 520ish (99%). I received 4 interview invites and have an acceptance at a top 25. I'm considering declining the acceptance because I think I can get better acceptances if I apply earlier with the new score, especially because I want to stay in my state (california). Will top schools see my acceptances from last year and will it really count against me, especially with the mcat improvement?

Turning down an acceptance is, by far, the worst mistake that a Premed can make

Yes they will see the acceptance
Yes your previous acceptance will count against you
And it will likely mean a non-acceptance from most schools

The improvement in MCAT score will mean nothing as to:
-the judgement of someone who applies,
-and retakes the MCAT during the cycle that was a good score,
-and gets into a top 25
-and turns it down?

Why did you apply then?
why would apply to a school you didnt want to attend?
why didnt you just apply to CA in the first place if that is where you only wanted to go?
why didnt you simply not apply and retake the MCAT and then apply?

Turning down an acceptance is, by far, the worst mistake that a Premed can make

 

[efle]

have an acceptance at a top 25. I'm considering declining the acceptance because I think I can get better acceptances

this would be so, so stupid

 

[libertyyne]

troll or just insane?

Why not both?

 

[whattodonow11]

but i really want to stay in my home state (CA). wouldn't my new score pretty much override everything else? plus more clinical experience (started in january)

 

[efle]

wouldn't my new score pretty much override everything else?

ok it's a troll

 

[whattodonow11]

ok it's a troll

Um. No. I've read stories where people declined acceptances and got into better schools... My new score came out in OCTOBER. That is LATE in the cycle. By then most schools had probably ignored my app.

 

[mw18]

ok it's a troll

I agree. Let's just call it a day on this one. (Congrats on Hopkins, btw!)

 

[whattodonow11]

Turning down an acceptance is, by far, the worst mistake that a Premed can make

Yes they will see the acceptance
Yes your previous acceptance will count against you
And it will likely mean a non-acceptance from most schools

The improvement in MCAT score will mean nothing as to:
-the judgement of someone who applies,
-and retakes the MCAT during the cycle that was a good score,
-and gets into a top 25
-and turns it down?

Why did you apply then?
why would apply to a school you didnt want to attend?
why didnt you just apply to CA in the first place if that is where you only wanted to go?
why didnt you simply not apply and retake the MCAT and then apply?

Turning down an acceptance is, by far, the worst mistake that a Premed can make

I thought they couldn't see the acceptance unless they go looking for it? And most secondaries ask if you have matriculated, right? So even if my new score is a lot better, that won't matter?

 

[coffeeandcodeine]

I thought they couldn't see the acceptance unless they go looking for it? And most secondaries ask if you have matriculated, right? So even if my new score is a lot better, that won't matter?

You will still have the stigma of being a reapplicant, assuming you apply to many of the same schools. Honestly it's a huge risk, and it's not worth the small possibility that you'll get to return to CA. You can always come back for residency.

 

[efle]

Um. No. I've read stories where people declined acceptances and got into better schools... My new score came out in OCTOBER. That is LATE in the cycle. By then most schools had probably ignored my app.

bro I got into a tip-top school I wasn't complete at until the last week of October. You realize your app automatically updated to display the new score right? They saw it. You'd be reapplying with a "new" score they already knew about last time

 

[whattodonow11]

bro I got into a tip-top school I wasn't complete at until the last week of October. You realize your app automatically updated to display the new score right? They saw it. You'd be reapplying with a "new" score they already knew about last time

I do realize that it updates automatically. But even then, I can't shake the fact that I know most schools still probably put me in the "ignore" pile and that if I reapply I can get interviews to my home state. I want to be close to family.

 

[efle]

I do realize that it updates automatically. But even then, I can't shake the fact that I know most schools still probably put me in the "ignore" pile and that if I reapply I can get interviews to my home state. I want to be close to family.

That's just not how it works man. It's not like you're tossed in the dumpster after first glance and the 38 never considered. Seriously I promise they already saw the score. Especially true of the UCs that have cycles extending very late, if you got secondaries from them you were being considered and your score update just didn't cinch it like you think it would.

CA schools in general aren't the type to chase high MCATs to begin with.

 

[jcorpsmanMD]

I thought they couldn't see the acceptance unless they go looking for it? And most secondaries ask if you have matriculated, right? So even if my new score is a lot better, that won't matter?

People have told you multiple times that they will be able to see your scores and it will affect your chances at being accepted again. Proceed with caution. Also, why delay being an attending one more year? You also realize you'll be losing 200k+ by reapplying and hoping to be accepted again? Attend the school and hope that you get a residency in a California when it's all said and done. Good Luck!

 

[jcorpsmanMD]

That's just not how it works man. It's not like you're tossed in the dumpster after first glance and the 38 never considered. Seriously I promise they already saw the score. Especially true of the UCs that have cycles extending very late, if you got secondaries from them you were being considered and your score update just didn't cinch it like you think it would.

CA schools in general aren't the type to chase high MCATs to begin with.

I attest to this. Interviewed in Cali with a 503 MCAT. If you couldn't get an interview with a 514 I don't see why a 518-520 will make any difference. It's obviously not the weakness of your application.

 

[libertyyne]

1. Don't do this.
2. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Lucca]

Oh don't invoke your family as if that's what is making you consider throwing your entire medical career away.

A r r o g a n c e

Just don't do it. Take the acceptance and run.

 

[whattodonow11]

I attest to this. Interviewed in Cali with a 503 MCAT. If you couldn't get an interview with a 514 I don't see why a 518-520 will make any difference. It's obviously not the weakness of your application.

I didn't apply with a 514. I changed the range to 508-514 for privacy concerns. But even then, I get your point I guess.

That's just not how it works man. It's not like you're tossed in the dumpster after first glance and the 38 never considered. Seriously I promise they already saw the score. Especially true of the UCs that have cycles extending very late, if you got secondaries from them you were being considered and your score update just didn't cinch it like you think it would.

CA schools in general aren't the type to chase high MCATs to begin with.

Well that's kind of upsetting if they did see the new score and still ignored my app. Thanks for the feedback. I won't decline the acceptance for now. Now I wish I cancelled the invite and withdrew my app before all this happened.

 

[NonTrad16]

Just envision that you don't get another acceptance next year. Seriously think about it. All the time and effort, money, and future potential. All gone.

Then think about the fact that you could attend a top-whatever, and you'll be gone for a few years, but that you can return home.

(Your dream scenario could happen, in theory, but does that cost-benefit analysis really make sense to you? If so... go gamble. My family understands I have to move. Yours will too. It's not forever [unless you want it to be]).

 

[SoppyElk]

Not another one of these threads...

 

[efle]

I didn't apply with a 514. I changed the range to 508-514 for privacy concerns. But even then, I get your point I guess.


Well that's kind of upsetting if they did see the new score and still ignored my app. Thanks for the feedback. I won't decline the acceptance for now. Now I wish I cancelled the invite and withdrew my app before all this happened.

Dude you said you're sitting on a top 25 admit! Any of those schools can send you back to California for residency. It sucks to be shut out of CA (I was too) but you're going to be a doctor!

 

[Cotterpin]

I do realize that it updates automatically. But even then, I can't shake the fact that I know most schools still probably put me in the "ignore" pile and that if I reapply I can get interviews to my home state. I want to be close to family.

You should try to get over this "what if" mentality. It didn't happen. You didn't get into a CA school. Things didn't work out perfectly. But on the other hand, you got into medical school! Don't throw away your chance to become a doctor on the possibility that you could have gone to a more prestigious school closer to your family. Don't get stuck in wondering what would have happened. Move forward with your life.

 

[cactusman]

So let's say you do reapply, where do you apply? Only Top 10s? Only California schools? California school + Top 10?

Now let's imagine that you get an interview. I can just imagine how these will go.

At California schools:
"Why did you turn down an acceptance before?"
"I wanted to stay in-state."
"You knew that most CA residents can't stay in-state, and you decided to give up your 97% shot at becoming a doctor just in case you could get in again? Why?"
[Answer irrelevant, you've been rejected]

At highly-ranked schools outside of CA:
"Why did you turn down an acceptance before?"
"I wanted to go to a better ranked school."
[Answer irrelevant, you've been rejected]

 

[Promethean]

Well that's kind of upsetting if they did see the new score and still ignored my app. Thanks for the feedback. I won't decline the acceptance for now. Now I wish I cancelled the invite and withdrew my app before all this happened.

So you understand, if you had delayed your app for a whole year, that would be at least a quarter of a million dollar error. See, that is one additional year that you could have worked in your career. Even if that extra year is on the front end, and even if you might have ended up working it at the lowest paying FM job you could find, you would still go into future positions with one year less of experience, and that is likely to have a cumulative effect on future salaries that would end up costing you in every subsequent year. If you go into a higher paying specialty, then the lost opportunity cost could easily reach half a million.

Family is great and it is nice to want to be near them, but the likelihood that you would have gotten a CA school is low, even if you had reapplied. Great MCAT scores are great, but they aren't guarantees. You could have gotten a perfect score and excellent ECs and still not have landed a spot at a California school. That doesn't mean that there aren't people who did get spots there whose stats weren't as good as yours. It means that there are no guarantees in this process, at all, for anyone. And that stats aren't everything.

You got a spot. How incredibly fortunate. Love the one you're with. Being away from home can be a good experience, if you choose to make the best of it. Do your best, rock your boards and rotations and land a residency back near home. Don't be mopey and depressed and do poorly in the seat that you were so lucky to get, else you may not have that option.

 

[Goro]

Do give up your seat, so that someone who really wants to be a doctor can have it. If you're not a troll, you certainly have telegraphed what your priorities are.

but i really want to stay in my home state (CA). wouldn't my new score pretty much override everything else? plus more clinical experience (started in january)

 

[Lawpy]

I applied this last cycle with 508-513, 3.8GPA . I retook the mcat in september and got a 518-520ish (97-99%). I received ~4 interview invites and have an acceptance at a top 25. I'm considering declining the acceptance because I think I can get better acceptances if I apply earlier with the better score, especially because I want to stay in my state (CA). Will top schools see my acceptances from last year and will it really count against me, especially with the mcat improvement (i did start a scribe job like 3 months ago, but that's it)?

How so? By the time schools got my last score, it was October..... Most schools had pretty much already ignored my app by then.

but i really want to stay in my home state (CA). wouldn't my new score pretty much override everything else? plus more clinical experience (started in january)

Um. No. I've read stories where people declined acceptances and got into better schools... My new score came out in OCTOBER. That is LATE in the cycle. By then most schools had probably ignored my app.

I do realize that it updates automatically. But even then, I can't shake the fact that I know most schools still probably put me in the "ignore" pile and that if I reapply I can get interviews to my home state. I want to be close to family.

I didn't apply with a 514. I changed the range to 508-514 for privacy concerns. But even then, I get your point I guess.


Well that's kind of upsetting if they did see the new score and still ignored my app. Thanks for the feedback. I won't decline the acceptance for now. Now I wish I cancelled the invite and withdrew my app before all this happened.

 

[750335]

Do it and let us know how it goes.
Will serve as a good example for future generations

 

[Goro]

At least it's not one of the usual "Accepted to DO, want to turn it down for MD"!

Not another one of these threads...

 

[Lawpy]

At least it's not one of the usual "Accepted to DO, want to turn it down for MD"!

Which is sadly common around this time. The question always is: why even apply to DO in the first place?

 

[gyngyn]

Re-applicants with strong stats are among the least desirable (esp. in CA).

 

[Lawpy]

Re-applicants with strong stats are among the least desirable (esp. in CA).

and turning down an MD acceptance is the fastest way to get permanently blackballed from all MD schools, not just CA.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Okay you do that and let us know how it works out for you.

 

[gonnif]

I thought they couldn't see the acceptance unless they go looking for it? And most secondaries ask if you have matriculated, right? So even if my new score is a lot better, that won't matter?

all acceptances are tracked on national acceptance report via AMCAS ID. AMCAS ID is how medical schools internally track your application and are linked to AMCAS. The "flag" (field in data base) that marks applicant deferred also marks this. Most systems will likely have this flag turned on. So while schools cant see if you are a previous applicant if you didnt apply there, they will likely see automatically that you were a previous acceptee

 

[gonnif]

Why not both?

no real; every year I get these and every year I go thru the same discussions.

 

[peridotthecat]

Do you want to stay in California for the next 4 years, or do you want to be a doctor? Choose one and don't look back.

 

[Pusheen]

The elusive CA MD acceptance strikes again

 

[Pusheen]

Dude you said you're sitting on a top 25 admit! Any of those schools can send you back to California for residency. It sucks to be shut out of CA (I was too) but you're going to be a doctor!

Did you not have any CA acceptances? You're from here, right?

 

[Nucleophile1]

Um. No. I've read stories where people declined acceptances and got into better schools... My new score came out in OCTOBER. That is LATE in the cycle. By then most schools had probably ignored my app.

Not true. I didn't get any of my interviews until January. Clearly, schools were still reviewing me through the fall of 2016.

 

[DrGainzzz]

I'll gladly take that 514 and acceptance of your hands.....

 

[IMakedThese]

Why do threads like this keep happening SDN?!

 

[mw18]

I actually think we should stop seeing these threads as trolling. It basically unites the forum against a common enemy (the enemy in this case: true, raw stupidity). Even if it's fake, it gets almost everyone on the same page before they go back to arguing over everything else.

 

[cactusman]

I actually think we should stop seeing these threads as trolling. It basically unites the forum against a common enemy (the enemy in this case: true, raw stupidity). Even if it's fake, it gets almost everyone on the same page before they go back to arguing over everything else.

Found OP's sock puppetmaster.

 

[peridotthecat]

Otoh, I feel I could advise you better if I knew what school you're thinking of turning down. If it's a school that waitlisted me, you should definitely reapply