take acceptance or reapply?

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tinery

tinery

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I got accepted early as a sophomore to a state med school. It's not a great med school (ie most people to whom I mention it haven't heard of it, it advertises on the sides of public transportation etc. etc.) but people always say that it doesn't matter where you go to med school as long as you do well on USMLE. Besides I don't really want to pay more $$ than I have to.

I took the acceptance (it was binding so i couldn't apply to other schools or take MCAT) and ever since I've been debating whether or not that was the best choice.

I graduated a year early (now in what would have been my senior year) with 3.9 from an ivy. I've gotten a 31 on a practice MCAT, and I'm confident that if I were to prepare for the real thing I could do well.

Am I selling myself short by going to a school with no reputation?
 
I don't think there's a right or wrong answer here, it's all about your priorities and, to an extent, your risk tolerance. It sounds like going to a school with some reputation is important to you though, and if you don't think you'd be happy otherwise, then it's probably worth applying out.

I think a 3.9 from an ivy leaves you well-positioned to get into some pretty selective schools. Of course, that's assuming you have the essential ECs and stuff. It would also help if you could manage to get an MCAT in the mid 30s.

Could you make your decision to apply out after taking the MCAT? If so, I'd go ahead and prepare for it and see what happens.
 
Is this school by any chance SUNY-Upstate? Ivies don't usually have linked early acceptance programs but SUNY has one that lets people from any college apply. IMO, it doesn't have "no reputation" but you do sound like you have a very competitive GPA and could come up with a good MCAT.
 
tinery said:
I got accepted early as a sophomore to a state med school. It's not a great med school (ie most people to whom I mention it haven't heard of it, it advertises on the sides of public transportation etc. etc.) but people always say that it doesn't matter where you go to med school as long as you do well on USMLE. Besides I don't really want to pay more $$ than I have to.

I took the acceptance (it was binding so i couldn't apply to other schools or take MCAT) and ever since I've been debating whether or not that was the best choice.

I graduated a year early (now in what would have been my senior year) with 3.9 from an ivy. I've gotten a 31 on a practice MCAT, and I'm confident that if I were to prepare for the real thing I could do well.

Am I selling myself short by going to a school with no reputation?
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IMO, no you are not selling yourself short. Congrats on the GPA but did you only do one practice test? That's EXTREMELY good for a first try. I personally would take the acceptance because if you decide to go through the app cycle, you might, albeit a very small chance (with your stats), get rejected. Also, have you done shadowing, volunteer and/or research? In the end, the choice is yours. People with stellar stats because they don't demonstrate legitimate interest and compassion that is the sole foundation of medicine. But you are so lucky!
 
Er, my hunch is that when you are actually a doctor you're going to have far more important things to worry about than whether the rare patient who actually asks is impressed with where you got your degree.
 
morning said:
Er, my hunch is that when you are actually a doctor you're going to have far more important things to worry about than whether the rare patient who actually asks is impressed with where you got your degree.
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Agreed.

Make your residency count.
 
morning said:
Er, my hunch is that when you are actually a doctor you're going to have far more important things to worry about than whether the rare patient who actually asks is impressed with where you got your degree.
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good point. i kinda wish i didn't go to an ivy and jump-start my indebtedness.

i've done tons of research and have been tempted to reapply as MD/PhD but since I want to practice and not do research for a living it'd probably be a waste of nih funding.
 
tinery said:
good point. i kinda wish i didn't go to an ivy and jump-start my indebtedness.

i've done tons of research and have been tempted to reapply as MD/PhD but since I want to practice and not do research for a living it'd probably be a waste of nih funding.
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MD/PhD can practice AND do research. In fact, all doctors can. You'd probably get paid more and find it easier to apply for faculty positions with a PhD.
 
I'd hold the acceptance rather than have it taken away by taking the MCAT. You have great stats, but it doesn't guarantee that you'll get in somewhere else and it would suck to end up with no acceptances. And I don't really feel like there's any med school that's not respected. :shrug: my opinion.
 
I'd say study for the MCAT, dominate, and go to a school that gives you a huge merit based scholarship.
 
Go with the sure thing.

No one cares where you go to med school as long as you're competent.
 
tinery said:
I got accepted early as a sophomore to a state med school. It's not a great med school (ie most people to whom I mention it haven't heard of it, it advertises on the sides of public transportation etc. etc.) but people always say that it doesn't matter where you go to med school as long as you do well on USMLE. Besides I don't really want to pay more $$ than I have to.

I took the acceptance (it was binding so i couldn't apply to other schools or take MCAT) and ever since I've been debating whether or not that was the best choice.

I graduated a year early (now in what would have been my senior year) with 3.9 from an ivy. I've gotten a 31 on a practice MCAT, and I'm confident that if I were to prepare for the real thing I could do well.

Am I selling myself short by going to a school with no reputation?
Click to expand...

It depends on the school. Our state school has a 98% acceptance rate to first-choice matches for residency, which means that most graduates do residencies at Hopkins/Vanderbilt/Berkeley/Ivy type schools. Does that mean you should choose it over Harvard Med School? Not necessarily. Given the choice, I would, but that's ONLY because I'm a non-trad who would rather pay $20,000 a year and stay local (where I've established my life already) than pay 3-4 times that and move elsewhere. I'm also ready to start a family and not gunning for a "top" residency.

If my own kid had a choice between a top med school and our highly prized state school, I'd work around the clock to make sure money wasn't the deciding factor. Given your stats, it sounds like (if you score 35+ on the MCAT) you're young and the sky is your limit. My instinct was initially to scoff at your early acceptance, but I understand your concerns.

If you go to this state school (and if it's the one I think it is), you probably have a great shot at whatever residency you want, assuming your GPA and USMLE scores are top-notch. But you may be selling yourself short, if you have a 3.9 from an Ivy and already scored a 31 on a practice MCAT...and you can deal with the price tag attached to a top med school. I'm sure you'll get where you want to be, regardless of what you decide. You sound like you're bright and very motivated, and you'll succeed whether you choose to matriculate here this year, or elsewhere next year.

Good luck in whatever you decide, and congrats on your achievements!
 
bannie22 said:
maybe her state is carribean?

i dunno. isnt carribean part of the united states?

i only heard of those schools not taking a mcat score.
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There are a bunch of early acceptance programs that don't require MCAT scores.
 
riverjib said:
It depends on the school. Our state school has a 98% acceptance rate to first-choice matches for residency, which means that most graduates do residencies at Hopkins/Vanderbilt/Berkeley/Ivy type schools. Does that mean you should choose it over Harvard Med School? Not necessarily. Given the choice, I would, but that's ONLY because I'm a non-trad who would rather pay $20,000 a year and stay local (where I've established my life already) than pay 3-4 times that and move elsewhere. I'm also ready to start a family and not gunning for a "top" residency.

If my own kid had a choice between a top med school and our highly prized state school, I'd work around the clock to make sure money wasn't the deciding factor. Given your stats, it sounds like (if you score 35+ on the MCAT) you're young and the sky is your limit. My instinct was initially to scoff at your early acceptance, but I understand your concerns.

If you go to this state school (and if it's the one I think it is), you probably have a great shot at whatever residency you want, assuming your GPA and USMLE scores are top-notch. But you may be selling yourself short, if you have a 3.9 from an Ivy and already scored a 31 on a practice MCAT...and you can deal with the price tag attached to a top med school. I'm sure you'll get where you want to be, regardless of what you decide. You sound like you're bright and very motivated, and you'll succeed whether you choose to matriculate here this year, or elsewhere next year.

Good luck in whatever you decide, and congrats on your achievements!
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Is your state school UCSF?😛
 
bannie22 said:
SDN

Turning down an acceptance looks bad, and you will be quizzed on it.
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X2, I swear I read that somewhere else in sdn. Some said that it shows that you are only looking for the name of the school, not really looking forward to the medical education itself.
 
bannie22 said:
SDN

Turning down an acceptance looks bad, and you will be quizzed on it.
Click to expand...

Haha, come on. People on SDN say stuff that's not true all the time. Just thinking logically you should be able to figure out there's a million reasons to turn down an acceptance and reapply somewhere else. It's not going to look bad.
 
TheProwler said:
I'd say it's true. It's pretty weird to reject an acceptance. If you didn't want to go there, why did you apply?
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Maybe you applied and then later on in the cycle realized there was something more pressing somewhere else that you needed to take care of. Maybe you realized you didn't wanna move away from your family. Maybe you realized the schools mission statement REALLY didn't fit you. I'm just saying, there's a lot of reason.
 
JoshUNCW said:
Maybe you applied and then later on in the cycle realized there was something more pressing somewhere else that you needed to take care of. Maybe you realized you didn't wanna move away from your family. Maybe you realized the schools mission statement REALLY didn't fit you. I'm just saying, there's a lot of reason.
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I would say that the OP's reason is not a good reason, but it's really not my business because he/she is not depriving anyone of a seat. No medical school enrolls a partial class. Some extremely delighted person will get the seat the OP gave up.
 
JoshUNCW said:
Maybe you applied and then later on in the cycle realized there was something more pressing somewhere else that you needed to take care of. Maybe you realized you didn't wanna move away from your family. Maybe you realized the schools mission statement REALLY didn't fit you. I'm just saying, there's a lot of reason.
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Well, the OP wouldn't be turning down the school for those reasons. I don't think being fickle is as admissible with medical schools as with colleges.

longhorn09 said:
X2, I swear I read that somewhere else in sdn. Some said that it shows that you are only looking for the name of the school, not really looking forward to the medical education itself.
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I agree. I think they ask this on AMCAS. Can anyone who applied this year confirm?
 
schrizto said:
Well, the OP wouldn't be turning down the school for those reasons. I don't think being fickle is as admissible with medical schools as with colleges.



I agree. I think they ask this on AMCAS. Can anyone who applied this year confirm?
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They ask if you've applied to or be accepted by med school before. I forget which one.
 
schrizto said:
Well, the OP wouldn't be turning down the school for those reasons. I don't think being fickle is as admissible with medical schools as with colleges.



I agree. I think they ask this on AMCAS. Can anyone who applied this year confirm?
Click to expand...

longhorn09 said:
They ask if you've applied to or be accepted by med school before. I forget which one.
Click to expand...

It asks you for "Previous Matriculation" and "Explanation of Reapplication."
 
Of course, if you got accepted at a Caribbean school, none of the AMCAS schools will know about it ;p
 
JoshUNCW said:
Maybe you applied and then later on in the cycle realized there was something more pressing somewhere else that you needed to take care of. Maybe you realized you didn't wanna move away from your family. Maybe you realized the schools mission statement REALLY didn't fit you. I'm just saying, there's a lot of reason.
Click to expand...

IMO, these are things you should have thought about before applying. Participating in another application cycle after already having an acceptance will look like you're overly focused on prestige.
 
JJMrK said:
IMO, these are things you should have thought about before applying. Participating in another application cycle after already having an acceptance will look like you're overly focused on prestige.
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Well put. After I wrote what I did earlier, I considered all the students who applied for programs like this one, and would have been thrilled to get accepted. I don't know much about early admissions (to college or to med school), but from what I can recollect, those who applied for early admissions to colleges were basically bound to that school if they were accepted. These programs are not designed as a "test run" for applicants who want to prove to themselves that they're competitive...they're designed for people who are ready to matriculate as early as possible.

I don't know the consequences of rescinding a med school acceptance, but it's definitely fair for med schools to consider an applicant who does so to be less serious. Many, if not most, would be thrilled to receive a single acceptance after 3-4 grueling years of undergrad AND studying for the MCAT. Those who rescind initial offers for admission probably should be held to higher standards, and their reasons for re-applying should come into question.
 
Morsetlis said:
MD/PhD can practice AND do research. In fact, all doctors can. You'd probably get paid more and find it easier to apply for faculty positions with a PhD.
Click to expand...

This is NOT true. You get paid less with the PhD, because instead of doing procedures all the time and making money for the hospital, you are using research funding and being paid a little more than a postdoc

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=265062
 
JoshUNCW said:
Maybe you applied and then later on in the cycle realized there was something more pressing somewhere else that you needed to take care of. Maybe you realized you didn't wanna move away from your family. Maybe you realized the schools mission statement REALLY didn't fit you. I'm just saying, there's a lot of reason.
Click to expand...
Maybe you didn't think these things out in advance, and you just threw your application at the wall to see what would stick. Short of a family emergency, I can't really think of a good reason to reject an acceptance. I probably would hold it against an applicant if I knew they had done that.
 
tinery said:
I got accepted early as a sophomore to a state med school. It's not a great med school (ie most people to whom I mention it haven't heard of it, it advertises on the sides of public transportation etc. etc.) but people always say that it doesn't matter where you go to med school as long as you do well on USMLE. Besides I don't really want to pay more $$ than I have to.

I took the acceptance (it was binding so i couldn't apply to other schools or take MCAT) and ever since I've been debating whether or not that was the best choice.

I graduated a year early (now in what would have been my senior year) with 3.9 from an ivy. I've gotten a 31 on a practice MCAT, and I'm confident that if I were to prepare for the real thing I could do well.

Am I selling myself short by going to a school with no reputation?
Click to expand...

So you haven't taken the MCAT and don't have to? Are you crazy? Take the acceptance you got and NEVER LOOK BACK.

Second, I assume you will enter med school this fall. If you decide to turn it down, then you will have to go through the misery of prepping for the MCAT for 2 to 3 months, taking it, getting all of your LORs, etc., in the hopes of getting accepted for Fall 2011. Again, are you crazy?

Oh, and looking at your other posts, the school in question is evidently SUNY Upstate, right? How do you figure it is a school with "no reputation?" You aren't selling yourself short, but you are selling the school short...

Finally - it appears that you are a Cornell student or recent grad. Cornell's pre med committee is notorious for sending out letters VERY LATE...it would be highly suspect for you to not use the committee, but you need to read up on how late they send out their letters...why anyone with an acceptance in hand would want to deal with all the bullspit involved in taking the MCAT, filling out AMCAS, waiting on LORs and committee letters, spending tons of money on apps and interviews, and submitting themselves unnecessarily to the nightmare of med school apps, is beyond me.
 
haha, seriously? is there a state med school out there with a really bad reputation & it's not even on probation? if it really is SUNY Upstate, like everyone's saying, let's be real.

just go. i doubt u'll care later on. i guess the grass is always greener on the other side. u got in early w/o the mcat and many other ppl had to do postbacs & master's programs to get in...and let's not forget about reapplicants who didn't get in anywhere. in my opinion, u got it good.

u were extremely blessed, or lucky (however u wanna look at it), to get this acceptance. just go with it. the stress of applying the traditional way is NOT worth it. even with ur amazing GPA, it can be stressful, expensive, and tiring as hell. just go now...whooo!!! class of 2014! congrats 🙂
 
Mast Cell said:
haha, seriously? is there a state med school out there with a really bad reputation & it's not even on probation? if it really is SUNY Upstate, like everyone's saying, let's be real.

just go. i doubt u'll care later on. i guess the grass is always greener on the other side. u got in early w/o the mcat and many other ppl had to do postbacs & master's programs to get in...and let's not forget about reapplicants who didn't get in anywhere. in my opinion, u got it good.

u were extremely blessed, or lucky (however u wanna look at it), to get this acceptance. just go with it. the stress of applying the traditional way is NOT worth it. even with ur amazing GPA, it can be stressful, expensive, and tiring as hell. just go now...whooo!!! class of 2014! congrats 🙂
Click to expand...

u know what? i guess i take that back. i still think u should go but maybe to u, it really is worth it to reapply. but u really need to ask urself why. do u seriously believe that u won't get a great education at that school & get into the residency u want?
 
I completely agree with a lot of what you all are saying. It probably WOULD be insane of me to drop my seat at Upstate because then I'd have to jump through all the hoops of traditional application that the early admission let me avoid.

After thinking about it this for the past year I've gone back and forth, but am fairly certain I'll just take the acceptance. As for my reasons why I wouldn't (not in order of importance), here they are, plus my rationale for why I should ignore them and take the acceptance.

1. Sure, SUNY Upstate has a reputation among med students but if you mention it to anyone else, you get a lot of "ooooh okaaaay that's nice."
-School name doesn't matter, school names that would matter would cost a lot. Like people have said, the quality of education is the same.
2. Upstate New York is horrible. Ithaca is cold, snowy, rainy, boring, small, isolated, just crap. The sun does not shine here. The sad thing is that for fun we go to Syracuse, meaning that if we want to escape Ithaca, Syracuse is an escape, even though it has the same/worse weather. So...how do you escape Syracuse?
-Med school is for studying? It doesn't matter if the town you're in sucks?
3. Syracuse is pretty far from home (~5hrs) and far from EVERYTHING.
-again I should be studying in med school anyway
4. I've been told I'd be a great candidate for MD/PhD
-I like bench research, until I hate it when experiments fail and I donno if I want to deal with the stress of 4 years of "is this going to work? can i publish this?"

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses, I've been asking all non-medical people what they thought and get a mix of answers. My parents of course would think I'm crazy if I didn't take it, my business major friends think I should reapply to top schools.

I guess for me, the "prestige" of a top school isn't worth the extra hassle, money and year of my life.

UGHHH I HATE THE COLD! What I need to do is get a residency in California
 
Last edited:
You made the mistake of applying EDP.

So you just have to deal with the consequeneces!

Just think it through carefully, and make the decision that your heart tells you.

That way you will have no regrets.
 
bannie22 said:
You made the mistake of applying EDP.

So you just have to deal with the consequeneces!

Just think it through carefully, and make the decision that your heart tells you.

That way you will have no regrets.
Click to expand...

The OP didn't apply ED, she applied to an early assurance program.
 
there is a section on the application which will ask you if yuo have ever been accepted to a medical school and why you did not go (i can't remember if it's on primary or secondaries). Anyway that information will be out there and schools will wonder why you didn't take it. and will probably not want to take the risk with you.

Why did you apply if you were not sure you would go? If I were you, i would save myself a year of stress which may or may not end up in an acceptance, and go be a rock star at said state school.
 
I totally understand your dilemma. What I don't understand is why you are still debating and asking for advice AFTER you already accepted your position at downstate.

The way I look at it, you have a 3.9 form an ivy and are capable of scoring a very nice mcat score.... say a 33+. You would probably get into a top 25 program, all other things considered of course.

However, you already accepted your offer at Downstate. You can't just turn your back on this admission.... it seems too fickle and in IMO medical schools will question your motivation. My best advice is to take your acceptance and make the most of it. I think you will enjoy your time at Downstate if you give it a chance.

The decision has already been made, just do your best with what you have.

edit: I think it is worth the mcat and application (mainly because I think you have the luxury of having a nice application with a 3.9 ivy gpa... you probably have your $h!t together...) ONLY if you think you will be truly miserable and will utterly regret getting your medical education from Downstate. From your posts, this does not seem to be the case. You'll do just fine at SUNY.
 
My comments are bolded.
tinery said:
2. Upstate New York is horrible. Ithaca is cold, snowy, rainy, boring, small, isolated, just crap. The sun does not shine here. The sad thing is that for fun we go to Syracuse, meaning that if we want to escape Ithaca, Syracuse is an escape, even though it has the same/worse weather. So...how do you escape Syracuse? With the money you'll save on tuition, you can afford the $700 for an all-inclusive week in Mexico over Thansgiving, winter, and spring breaks to thaw yourself out.

3. Syracuse is pretty far from home (~5hrs) and far from EVERYTHING.
Five hours is far from home?


I guess for me, the "prestige" of a top school isn't worth the extra hassle, money and year of my life. In my book, this is true. It is even more true if it takes you two cycles to get an acceptance like one recent SDN poster who put himself in the identical position for the same reason.
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In psychology there's the theory of cognitive dissonance that says whatever school you go to, you'll find reasons to like it. If you make friends you can have fun with, you'll love Upstate New York despite the weather.
 
My tour guide at HMS had early assurance at Tufts, turned it down, reapplied and got into several schools. I have seen another student on mdapps who turned down U.Connecticut and is also in several good school.

OP, your concerns are valid, and I don't think medical schools will punish you for not accepting. There are many reasons to turn down and admission, maybe you realized that the school was not a great fit for your, academically and location-wise. Plus, medical schools are not having a hard time finding students, so I don't think that it matters much. What are your ECs like? Because if it is average to solid, then I think you will do well in the next cycle. With two months of studying maybe you can boost that score to >35 and maybe 40 in the real thing. Then you will be looking at merit based scholarships and possibly a full-tuition even in your state school.
 
bannie22 said:
maybe her state is carribean?

i dunno. isnt carribean part of the united states?

i only heard of those schools not taking a mcat score.
Click to expand...

Nope, that is why people that graduate from there are called IMGs. Time to brush up your geography.
 
riverjib said:
It depends on the school. Our state school has a 98% acceptance rate to first-choice matches for residency, which means that most graduates do residencies at Hopkins/Vanderbilt/Berkeley/Ivy type schools. Does that mean you should choose it over Harvard Med School? Not necessarily. Given the choice, I would, but that's ONLY because I'm a non-trad who would rather pay $20,000 a year and stay local (where I've established my life already) than pay 3-4 times that and move elsewhere. I'm also ready to start a family and not gunning for a "top" residency.

If my own kid had a choice between a top med school and our highly prized state school, I'd work around the clock to make sure money wasn't the deciding factor. Given your stats, it sounds like (if you score 35+ on the MCAT) you're young and the sky is your limit. My instinct was initially to scoff at your early acceptance, but I understand your concerns.

If you go to this state school (and if it's the one I think it is), you probably have a great shot at whatever residency you want, assuming your GPA and USMLE scores are top-notch. But you may be selling yourself short, if you have a 3.9 from an Ivy and already scored a 31 on a practice MCAT...and you can deal with the price tag attached to a top med school. I'm sure you'll get where you want to be, regardless of what you decide. You sound like you're bright and very motivated, and you'll succeed whether you choose to matriculate here this year, or elsewhere next year.

Good luck in whatever you decide, and congrats on your achievements!
Click to expand...

So, the thing about "first choice" for residencies is that it's only first among the places you were allowed to rank. If I apply to top residency programs, but am never interviewed, I am not allowed to rank any of them first. I wouldn't think Berkeley has a top residency program though. They are being held-back a bit by their non-existence 🙂

Anyway, didn't mean to jump on that comment, just wanted to clear that up.
 
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