Reapplying despite having an acceptance?

[deleted877060]

I am thankful to have one MD acceptance already and I would absolutely be happy to go to this school if I do not get accepted anywhere else. However, this got me thinking -- hypothetically, one can still reapply next year if they don't get into a program they want, right? With the added experience with applications from their first cycle, won't a person be more poised to get into a "top school" as a reapplicant?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[theconfusedapplicant]

From what I've read on this site and others, doing that would be a terrible idea for multiple reasons.

1) Medical schools can find out that you're a reapplicant and you shouldn't use the same personal statement and essays that you used in a previous cycle. This means you'll have to truly reinvent or better yourself over the course of a year. Reapplicants also have lower chances of admission.
2) Schools will be able to see that you were previously accepted to another school. They'll very heavily question your reasoning for doing so and it most likely won't look good.
3) The medical school application process is a crapshoot. You're not guaranteed anything and you might be screwing up your future because of your greed.

I probably missed a few things but those are the main reasons that come to my head. I'm not an adcom or anything but theoretically I think it would be possible. Likely? No. Possible? Yes.

 

[Moko]

hypothetically, one can still reapply next year if they don't get into a program they want, right?

Hypothetically, one would be an idiot to do this.

 

[Dr. Basketball]

Deleted, haha I didn't finish reading the post before I responded. Best of luck!

 

[KnightDoc]

I am thankful to have one MD acceptance already and I would absolutely be happy to go to this school if I do not get accepted anywhere else. However, this got me thinking -- hypothetically, one can still reapply next year if they don't get into a program they want, right? With the added experience with applications from their first cycle, won't a person be more poised to get into a "top school" as a reapplicant?

I haven't applied yet, so what I'm about to say is just coming from what I've learned on SDN. Hopefully, an adcom will weigh in with something more authoritative.

That said, my understanding is exactly the opposite of your theory. Rather than being more poised to get into a top school, a reapplicant who turned down a prior acceptance is actually more poised to be blacklisted. You would have wasted at least one adcom's time during a prior cycle by having them review your app and then interview you. You then received an A and turned it down in order to reapply.

Shame on you. Now, which adcom would be motivated to give you a chance to maybe do this again, which would be shame on them? Given the intense competition for spots, it would difficult to make a argument to even offer you an interview after that. Most if not all schools ask if you were ever accepted at or attended med school. That's how they find out. If you lie and are caught, that's just another strike.

Bottom line, conventional wisdom is to not apply anywhere you would not be happy attending, and never turn down an A in order to roll the dice in a future cycle. This most often comes up with DO vs. MD. In nearly two years, I've not yet seen someone ask about turning down a MD acceptance at a school they would be happy to attend in order to try for a future upgrade.

I guess anything is possible, if for instance, a life event causes you to need a deferral and the school refuses, but such situations would be far and few between and extremely risky. You'd have to weigh how important the possibility of an upgrade is against the greater possibility that you'd have to find another career. No particular med school is worth that risk to anyone who really wants to be a MD.

 

[deleted877060]

But what are your motives for possibly wanting to reapply? No judgements, just asking out of my own curiosity.

I won't reapply, but I feel like I can rewrite my activities, essays and PS much better than what I submitted this cycle, and I feel more confident and knowledgeable about this whole process after having gone through it once. So I just think reapplicants might be in a better position to get more acceptances than first-time applicants.

 

[deleted877060]

Hypothetically, one would be an idiot to do this.

View attachment 323750

Would they be an idiot to try to get into a better-ranked school so they can have more options and prestige come match time?

 

[HopeP]

Precisely immature behavior, OP should take the gap year to boost maturity.

 

[KnightDoc]

I won't reapply, but I feel like I can rewrite my activities, essays and PS much better than what I submitted this cycle, and I feel more confident and knowledgeable about this whole process after having gone through it once. So I just think reapplicants might be in a better position to get more acceptances than first-time applicants.

And you're probably right with respect to practice making perfect. The problem is that adcoms would resent being used like this as candidates make a few practice runs until they are happy with the results. It's unlikely any school, from Harvard on down, would encourage it by rewarding it with an II, let alone an A. Reapplicants with no As in prior cycles have it hard enough. Reapplicants who turned down prior As are most likely SOL, although I'd love it if an adcom could confirm. @LizzyM? @gyngyn? Anyone else???

 

[deleted877060]

Precisely immature behavior, OP should take the gap year to boost maturity.

Ah man, I was gonna persistently apply to the T20s until I get an acceptance!
(It's a joke guys don't worry)

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

I am thankful to have one MD acceptance already and I would absolutely be happy to go to this school if I do not get accepted anywhere else. However, this got me thinking -- hypothetically, one can still reapply next year if they don't get into a program they want, right? With the added experience with applications from their first cycle, won't a person be more poised to get into a "top school" as a reapplicant?

same strategy for residency match also?

 

[Lifeblood_20]

same strategy for residency match also?

I mean, if someone matches family medicine, they should decline because they are more prepared to match ortho next year, right???

 

[borrawin95]

I understand your logic since one can do this for undergraduate colleges, some graduate programs, and jobs.

However, medical schools force you to lay EVERYTHING out (criminal record, academic record at any & all institution, reapplication status, etc.). They will know that you were accepted to another medical school and they will raise a huge red flag on your file. It isn’t recommended.

 

[deleted877060]

I understand your logic since one can do this for undergraduate colleges, some graduate programs, and jobs.

However, medical schools force you to lay EVERYTHING out (criminal record, academic record at any & all institution, reapplication status, etc.). They will know that you were accepted to another medical school and they will raise a huge red flag on your file. It isn’t recommended.

Would they really know you have gotten accepted in the last cycle though? Can't you just not mention it if they don't ask?

 

[deleted877060]

From what I've read on this site and others, doing that would be a terrible idea for multiple reasons.

1) Medical schools can find out that you're a reapplicant and you shouldn't use the same personal statement and essays that you used in a previous cycle. This means you'll have to truly reinvent or better yourself over the course of a year. Reapplicants also have lower chances of admission.
2) Schools will be able to see that you were previously accepted to another school. They'll very heavily question your reasoning for doing so and it most likely won't look good.
3) The medical school application process is a crapshoot. You're not guaranteed anything and you might be screwing up your future because of your greed.

I probably missed a few things but those are the main reasons that come to my head. I'm not an adcom or anything but theoretically I think it would be possible. Likely? No. Possible? Yes.

Do med schools really have access to all that information? Not even all schools ask if you are a reapplicant.

 

[LizzyM]

Even if they don't know that you hold an application, looking items on your second attempt that predate what would have been your first attempt, a school might think that you should have had an offer in your first attempt and if you are a reapplicant, it is because you are in some way flawed, perhaps with regard to interview behaviors. So, some schools will take a pass making the assumption that you are not a great prospect.

 

[theconfusedapplicant]

Would they really know you have gotten accepted in the last cycle though? Can't you just not mention it if they don't ask?

They'll know. Most require you to specify it on your secondary app. And at some point during the cycle (around February or March?) they get access to your AAMC/AMCAS history and will see that you had an acceptance.

 

[deleted877060]

They'll know. Most require you to specify it on your secondary app. And at some point during the cycle (around February or March?) they get access to your AAMC/AMCAS history and will see that you had an acceptance.

But by February/March a lot of acceptances have gone out though and you can hypothetically already gotten an offer from them before they see.

 

[candbgirl]

Would they be an idiot to try to get into a better-ranked school so they can have more options and prestige come match time?

If you didn’t get in the first time what makes you think you’d be accepted in the next cycle? You should never have applied to that school if you were unsure about attending it. It’s sort of a well known view on SDN that you don’t apply to a school you wouldn’t be happy attending if it is your only acceptance. Because it just might be.
So congratulations on the acceptance. You’re going to be a doctor.

 

[HopeP]

Do med schools really have access to all that information? Not even all schools ask if you are a reapplicant.

As soon as gene diagram is not a private information, it would be require to submit to ensure genes are not changed.

 

[deleted877060]

Even if they don't know that you hold an application, looking items on your second attempt that predate what would have been your first attempt, a school might think that you should have had an offer in your first attempt and if you are a reapplicant, it is because you are in some way flawed, perhaps with regard to interview behaviors. So, some schools will take a pass making the assumption that you are not a great prospect.

By that logic then reapplicants would never be able to get in anywhere, but plenty of reapplicants get into their top choices.

 

[theconfusedapplicant]

But by February/March a lot of acceptances have gone out though and you can hypothetically already gotten an offer from them before they see.

I don't know the specifics. Maybe if the school doesn't ask you if you got an acceptance AND you get accepted before March you might be okay? I might be wrong about the timing too. But would you really wanna bet on that? They can rescind your acceptance for any reason they deem necessary. I'd imagine that if they find out someone got multiple acceptances in a previous cycle and didn't disclose this then it would definitely cause them to reconsider.

 

[deleted889094]

Lol, every year

 

[deleted889094]

A bird in the hand, everyone

 

[deleted877060]

If you didn’t get in the first time what makes you think you’d be accepted in the next cycle? You should never have applied to that school if you were unsure about attending it. It’s sort of a well known view on SDN that you don’t apply to a school you wouldn’t be happy attending if it is your only acceptance. Because it just might be.
So congratulations on the acceptance. You’re going to be a doctor.

Med school admissions is pretty much a random process. Theoretically one can roll the dice many times to get the desired outcome.
And I'm just pushing back on the arguments; I am not serious about reapplying myself

 

[GoPenguinsGo]

Hypothetically, one would be an idiot to do this.

View attachment 323750

I love your avatar.

 

[GoPenguinsGo]

Would they be an idiot to try to get into a better-ranked school so they can have more options and prestige come match time?

Sooooo do you want to be a doctor or do you want to attend a fancy medical school?

edit: I know this is hypothetical, and you aren't considering doing it. But in a hypothetical scenario where somebody were considering it, I'd ask them the above.

 

[Moko]

Would they be an idiot to try to get into a better-ranked school so they can have more options and prestige come match time?

I'm of the mind that medical school prestige matters somewhat for residency if your goal is to match at a prestigious program (not all subscribe to this opinion). However, there are many more important factors that will determine where you match: your likeability, interviews, clinical grades, publications, LORs, Step scores, etc. Your medical school's prestige is at most a feather in the cap, and will not be the determining factor in whether you can match into a competitive specialty.

When an applicant applies again to medical schools, there is no guarantee that they will do as well as their first cycle (they may only get into lower-ranked schools, or not at all). And even if they get into a higher-ranked school, there is no guarantee that they will 'match better'.

So, when an applicant is willing to turn down an acceptance (read: an almost guaranteed path to becoming a physician, and at least one additional year of attending salary) to chance things again, what does that say about their risk tolerance and judgment? Are they someone who takes unnecessary risks? Are they pursuing medicine for the right reasons? Do they lack common sense? These are the types of questions that they will face behind closed doors. Some adcom members won't mind and will consider their application as-is, whereas others will consider these answers as part of their evaluation.

Would they really know you have gotten accepted in the last cycle though? Can't you just not mention it if they don't ask?

You'll be surprised by what some applicants volunteer out freely during interviews...

I love your avatar.

Woof, so do I

 

[KnightDoc]

They'll know. Most require you to specify it on your secondary app. And at some point during the cycle (around February or March?) they get access to your AAMC/AMCAS history and will see that you had an acceptance.

Why do you think this? My understanding is that such historical information is NOT available, and the only thing schools can see, after 4/30, is which of their WL or As have selected PTE or CTE elsewhere in the current cycle. I don't think historical information is ever available, except, of course, at any school to which you previously applied. This is why schools that care about such things ask.

That said, OP is incorrect in assuming that anything goes after an A is received, since getting caught lying on an app is the surest way to have an A rescinded, especially in a market where there are multiple well qualified candidates for every available seat at each and every school.

Bottom line, OP's thought is interesting, but is ultimately very high risk / very low reward, where the risk is never becoming a doctor and the reward is maybe attending a higher ranked school. I can't imagine anyone who understands the risk actually doing it. JMHO.

 

[deleted877060]

Thanks for all the input, this was a fun thought experiment!

 

[theconfusedapplicant]

Why do you think this? My understanding is that such historical information is NOT available, and the only thing schools can see, after 4/30, is which of their WL or As have selected PTE or CTE elsewhere in the current cycle. I don't think historical information is ever available, except, of course, at any school to which you previously applied. This is why schools that care about such things ask.

That said, OP is incorrect in assuming that anything goes after an A is received, since getting caught lying on an app is the surest way to have an A rescinded, especially in a market where there are multiple well qualified candidates for every available seat at each and every school.

Bottom line, OP's thought is interesting, but is ultimately very high risk / very low reward, where the risk is never becoming a doctor and the reward is maybe attending a higher ranked school. I can't imagine anyone who understands the risk actually doing it. JMHO.

From what I've read and what I just googled: Old thread says other medical schools won't know you were previously accepted?

Apparently the National Acceptance Report is viewable by med schools on/around April. An adcom member (gonnif) says in that thread a bit further down that the information shows up for reapplicants:

If I am not mistaken, the National Acceptance Report is an online rolling update associated with your AMCAS ID. This is why AMCAS has three classifications of Applicant, Acceptee, and Matriculant. Indeed, the agreement with AMCAS across schools concerns status of reapplicants. Being a previous acceptee may simply be associated with your AMCAS ID for all schools. It is certainly shows up in the reapplication that deferred students must go thru the year after they are accepted.

The report is apparently associated with your AMCAS ID, so they'll be able to tell if someone was offered admission/accepted even in previous years.

 

[KnightDoc]

From what I've read and what I just googled: Old thread says other medical schools won't know you were previously accepted?

Apparently the National Acceptance Report is viewable by med schools on/around April. An adcom member (gonnif) says in that thread a bit further down that the information shows up for reapplicants:


The report is apparently associated with your AMCAS ID, so they'll be able to tell if someone was offered admission/accepted even in previous years.

This is the problem with old threads!

In response to feared possible future litigation relating to antitrust concerns, the MAR was discontinued after 2018. It no longer exists, and was replaced by the Choose Your Medical School Tool, which offers much less information to schools. Importantly, schools can no longer see where anyone in their pool has either applied or been accepted (thus addressing potential antitrust concerns) until the cycle is over (October), at which time they can see where any of their applicants have enrolled, but nothing more. Before that, as I said above, all they can see, and only after 4/30, is whether, but not where, their A or WL applicants have selected PTE or CTE elsewhere. All of this is set forth in the links below.

Application and Acceptance Protocols for Applicants

Recommendations to help ensure that all MD and MD-PhD applicants receive timely notification about the outcome of their AMCAS® application. These guidelines are not intended to supersede the policies, timelines, or discretion of individual schools or programs. Each applicant is expected to...

students-residents.aamc.org

Application and Acceptance Protocols - Admission Officers

Recommendations to help ensure that all MD and MD-PhD applicants receive timely notification about the outcome of their AMCAS® application. These guidelines are not intended to supersede the policies, timelines, or discretion of individual schools or programs. Applicants are expected to become...

students-residents.aamc.org

AMCAS® Choose Your Medical School Tool

The AAMC American Medical College Application Service® (AMCAS®) created this tool to support medical schools’ enrollment management processes and help applicants communicate their intentions about which medical schools they plan to attend. Schools will only be able to access information about...

students-residents.aamc.org

 

[theconfusedapplicant]

This is the problem with old threads!

In response to feared possible future litigation relating to antitrust concerns, the MAR was discontinued after 2018. It no longer exists, and was replaced by the Choose Your Medical School Tool, which offers much less information to schools. Importantly, schools can no longer see where anyone in their pool has either applied or been accepted (thus addressing potential antitrust concerns) until the cycle is over (October), at which time they can see where any of their applicants have enrolled, but nothing more. Before that, as I said above, all they can see, and only after 4/30, is whether, but not where, their A or WL applicants have selected PTE or CTE elsewhere. All of this is set forth in the links below.

Application and Acceptance Protocols for Applicants

Recommendations to help ensure that all MD and MD-PhD applicants receive timely notification about the outcome of their AMCAS® application. These guidelines are not intended to supersede the policies, timelines, or discretion of individual schools or programs. Each applicant is expected to...

students-residents.aamc.org

Application and Acceptance Protocols - Admission Officers

Recommendations to help ensure that all MD and MD-PhD applicants receive timely notification about the outcome of their AMCAS® application. These guidelines are not intended to supersede the policies, timelines, or discretion of individual schools or programs. Applicants are expected to become...

students-residents.aamc.org

AMCAS® Choose Your Medical School Tool

The AAMC American Medical College Application Service® (AMCAS®) created this tool to support medical schools’ enrollment management processes and help applicants communicate their intentions about which medical schools they plan to attend. Schools will only be able to access information about...

students-residents.aamc.org

I'm gonna be honest I'm not invested enough to do more research about it (or click on those links lol) but I'll take your word for it! I guess it's definitely possible then? Unless there's something we just don't know about that schools have access to about us. I personally wouldn't risk anything though, I'm sure if they found out on their own they might consider rescinding your acceptance. I remember reading a story somewhat recently about a resident who got kicked out of her residency and applied to a new one without disclosing the fact that she got kicked out from her other one. They found out later and kicked her out as well. I know that getting kicked out is different from just not accepting a school's offer and that not disclosing something that isn't specifically asked for isn't technically disingenuous, but yeah, I'd be too afraid to risk it.

 

[KnightDoc]

I'm gonna be honest I'm not invested enough to do more research about it (or click on those links lol) but I'll take your word for it! I guess it's definitely possible then? Unless there's something we just don't know about that schools have access to about us. I personally wouldn't risk anything though, I'm sure if they found out on their own they might consider rescinding your acceptance. I remember reading a story somewhat recently about a resident who got kicked out of her residency and applied to a new one without disclosing the fact that she got kicked out from her other one. They found out later and kicked her out as well. I know that getting kicked out is different from just not accepting a school's offer and that not disclosing something that isn't specifically asked for isn't technically disingenuous, but yeah, I'd be too afraid to risk it.

I 1,000,000% agree with you. It's possible, but it involves lying (most schools do ask, specifically because they do care and no longer have independent access to the info), comes with no guarantee of success, and hardly seems worth the risk. You're right -- pretty much every school would rescind an A if they caught you in a flat out lie, versus an innocent mistake. Omitting a previous A when asked is anything but an innocent mistake.

 

[LaughingGas10]

I'm gonna be honest I'm not invested enough to do more research about it (or click on those links lol) but I'll take your word for it! I guess it's definitely possible then? Unless there's something we just don't know about that schools have access to about us. I personally wouldn't risk anything though, I'm sure if they found out on their own they might consider rescinding your acceptance. I remember reading a story somewhat recently about a resident who got kicked out of her residency and applied to a new one without disclosing the fact that she got kicked out from her other one. They found out later and kicked her out as well. I know that getting kicked out is different from just not accepting a school's offer and that not disclosing something that isn't specifically asked for isn't technically disingenuous, but yeah, I'd be too afraid to risk it.

Several residents do apply to other specialties during their first year of residency and routinely are accepted in other specialties.

 

[theconfusedapplicant]

Several residents do apply to other specialties during their first year of residency and routinely are accepted in other specialties.

I think the resident I was referring to got dismissed for a certain (possibly pretty bad) reason - I forgot though, it's been a while since I've read it and I can't seem to find the article right now. I also have no experience/knowledge about it so I'll phrase this as a question: if you get kicked out of your residency and you apply to another residency, wouldn't they at some point ask you or expect you to mention that you were in a different residency previously? I'd assume if you were caught lying and said no that they'd kick you out from your new program as well.

 

[r2med]

Just curious - unlike UG, is there no transfer application process for med school? And if not, why not?

 

[LizzyM]

By that logic then reapplicants would never be able to get in anywhere, but plenty of reapplicants get into their top choices.

The logic is that applicants who were not good enough on their first attempt but improved their application will get into their top choice on a second attempt. Conversely, those who were good enough to get an offer the first time but who choose to reapply may be labeled as flawed for having had a strong application one to two years ago (based on graduation date, MCAT date, experiences in first 3 years of college, etc) yet be reapplying. "What's wrong with this one??"

 

[r2med]

If you didn’t get in the first time what makes you think you’d be accepted in the next cycle? You should never have applied to that school if you were unsure about attending it. It’s sort of a well known view on SDN that you don’t apply to a school you wouldn’t be happy attending if it is your only acceptance. Because it just might be.
So congratulations on the acceptance. You’re going to be a doctor.

We HAVE to apply to a bunch of schools even ones we may not attend because that is how crazy the med school admission process is. Example - apply to all state schools etc is what I have seen people in SDN suggest. Unlike UG, there is no "safety" medical schools.

 

[LizzyM]

Just curious - unlike UG, is there no transfer application process for med school? And if not, why not?

Many people drop out of college making room for others to take their spots. There is also some churn as students swap among schools. Dropping out of medical school is almost unheard of and schools base class size on the number of slots available for clinical training as an M3/M4. They can't accept transfer students because there is no room for them.

 

[r2med]

Many people drop out of college making room for others to take their spots. There is also some churn as students swap among schools. Dropping out of medical school is almost unheard of and schools base class size on the number of slots available for clinical training as an M3/M4. They can't accept transfer students because there is no room for them.

Makes sense.

 

[7thAndLASTPoopoftheDay]

those who were good enough to get an offer the first time but who choose to reapply may be labeled as flawed for having had a strong application one to two years ago

I think this might be me. Current reapplicant with 3.7/520, very good undergrad school. Do you have any advice for someone in this situation? How can I recover from this?
Don't know what I did wrong last year. My advisor basically said my essays were bad. Since then I added lots of clinical and research hours + new experiences, painstakingly rewrote every essay w/feedback, and applied to a lot more schools. Might have a pub if the research gods are merciful and my manuscript gets approved. I feel lucky to have one II.
What should I do if I don't get in again this cycle? Not sure what else I can really improve.

 

[deleted889094]

I think this might be me. Current reapplicant with 3.7/520, very good undergrad school. Do you have any advice for someone in this situation? How can I recover from this?
Don't know what I did wrong last year. My advisor basically said my essays were bad. Since then I added lots of clinical and research hours + new experiences, painstakingly rewrote every essay w/feedback, and applied to a lot more schools. Might have a pub if the research gods are merciful and my manuscript gets approved. I feel lucky to have one II.
What should I do if I don't get in again this cycle? Not sure what else I can really improve.

What's your school list?

 

[7thAndLASTPoopoftheDay]

What's your school list?

DM'd it to you

 

[deleted889094]

DM'd it to you

It seems mostly fine. Maybe a little top heavy. There are some schools you probably just gave donations to, but you have a decent amount of good ones. I'd say wait it out. I didn't get the II for my current school until end of Feb.