UNPRECEDENTED TACTIC TO GET INTO MY NUMBER ONE SCHOOL? WILL IT WORK

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PelicanMan

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Ok, as many of you know I love Pritzker. Now this is a hypothetical situation but may easily occur for me. My dad gave me this idea I want to know if any of you have heard of anything this crazy before? Ok what if I get accepted to UF which is my alma mater, and I get rejected from Pritzker. What my dad told me is that I could go to UF for the first year of medical school. Then apply to Pritzker as somebody who isn't a transfer. I would show them my grades from my first year of UF, the thing that makes this crazy is that I would be willing to repeat the first year of medical school at Pritzker if they addmitted me. Is this possible? Thanks guys.

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No, this isn't possible, because on the AMCAS they ask you if you have EVER matriculated into ANY medical school. Even if you lie on this question, AMCAS has a record of where you matriculated.

Therefore, Pritzker will know that you had matriculated at another medical school. I don't think this looks good, because they will think that you performed poorly and are trying to reapply...

If you got into a medical school, just go. I don't think it's worth repeating a whole year. You would waste $ on tuition (2 X for 1st year of medical school) and your own time...

You should write Pritzker to let them know how much you are interested...

Best of luck.
 
Hmmm....I am usually very positive and tell people not to give up yet, but this sounds like it might be very, very difficult to pull off. Most schools don't want people who've matriculated elsewhere and have very few, if any, transfer slots. What about transferring after the second year? I know someone who was at USC who transferred to Pritzker because her husband got into grad school at the University of Chicago.

Have you exhausted all other outlets: letters of intent or appeal, additional letters of recommendation, updates on your activities, etc.? Seems like it'd be better to try everything now...Sorry if you've already been rejected post-interview and I missed that somewhere. At most schools you can appeal up until a post-interview rejection.

Any chance you could find out who's on the AdComm? Sometimes if you do a search in the school's phone directory for "admissions" you can find out some important names. Someone who is now at Yale who appealed a rejection, got waitlisted, then finally got in said she wrote the Dean of Admissions directly via email to convinced him to give her a chance. Ballsy, but then again, if you want to go badly enough, maybe ballsy is good.

In any case I wish you good luck!

SarahL
 
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Probably not. Med schools usually will not take applicants who are currently enrolled in other graduate programs. It's called "poaching", because it steals students from programs that were counting on their students remaining in their program until completion, and most medical schools won't have any part of it. I suspect that it is taken even more seriously when that other graduate program is another medical school. If you really want to go to Pritzker and have a year to waste, you might want to look up an adcom on their website and volunteer to work in his/her lab for year. If I were you though, I wouldn't get too hung up on going to any one school. There's always residency if you really want to be there.
 
My opinion on this (which admittedly means nothing) is that it would be incredibly foolish to repeat a year of med school. But let me start at the beginning...

1. If you attend a med school, even briefly, you have to check the box on the AMCAS application. They will thoroughly check out your background with AAMC and find out your situation. You cannot apply to another school as a non-transfer unless you truly are a non-transfer (or med school dropout or flunkee)...no exceptions.
2. So...you apply as a transfer student. Some schools do accept transfer students. Others do not, while still others say they will consider accepting transfers but in fact never actually admit a transfer. You'd need to find out which category pritzer fits into.
3. Most schools that do accept transfers will only accept transfers into the M3 year (after your second year), with an applicant success rate of ~50% to these particular schools. The success rate for a M2/after first year is much much lower (though I do know someone who managed it).
4. Schools accepting transfers want a legitimate reason for the med student to be transferring. Simply wanting to attend a different school is not good enough. Such reasons include marriage/family/pregnancy/hardship, etc. The premise is that you want to be a doctor, and that if you are not willing to attend the school that accepts you (assuming only one school accepts you), you must not be too serious about becoming a doctor if you're willing to turn down an opportunity to do so. All US med schools are good schools and train doctors well.
5. If the curriculum between the two schools does not match up, your chance of acceptance goes down significantly.
6. OK, assuming you've crossed all these hurdles no problem and get accepted to pritzker as a M2. Good for you!
Alternate 6. Let's say you have to repeat your M1 year...a)why are you willing to add debt on? b) first year is not that fun...I'd want to move on, not do an instant repeat of a year's worth of material c)if you are willing to repeat the med1 year again, why not just wait another year and re-apply to pritzker and save yourself a year's work and money? d) residency programs will probably look at your two med schools, with a repeat of first year included, and wonder what was going on, why you were so eager to do that, and what pritzker thought was wrong with your original M1 year's education. This could really work against you...for instance, why would a residency program choose you when there may be a chance you'll want to transfer out of their program to another program you liked better? They may think you'd try to go elsewhere and thus you could end up unmatched. Granted, this is a bit extreme, but it could very well happen.

I'm not trying to be negative, but I am trying to be realistic...your plan is not very feasible. Talk to a med school admissions office or an advisor for more info.
 
Thanks guys for the great responses. I must admit I told my dad that I didn't think it was possible because of the AMCAS question. By the way just to claify I was trying to say that I would work my ass off the first year at UF and show them my good grades from the 1st year at UF. By the way I sent a letter directly to the Dean of Admissions telling them why I want to go there so bad. I have sent them updates. I will call and talk to him soon. I am getting an addtional letter also. I was just wondering what If all of this didn't work. But you guys are right, if I get into ANY med school I will make the best of it. Thanks again.
 
Perhaps you may first want to contact someone (or a couple people) on the admissions committee at Pritzker and see how they might recieve this technique.

Even if they advise you against it they will at least talk about you (probably in the tone of disbelief at what you would do to get in) and this might lead to a positive review of your file. Peace.
 
doesnt sound like a good idea to me . . . why repeat another year of med school ... ugh . . .
 
and--of course--I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has anything to say on this.
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by appomattox:
•and--of course--I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has anything to say on this.•••••people obsessed with medical schools...thanks for another incentive to go into psychiatry :)
 
What are some other rather outrageous tactics that have been tried (successfully or not) in the past? Or should this be a whole new thread?

I sure hope you get into Pritzker....
 
PelicanMan,
If you've been in contact with Lombard or Sylvia Robertson, I would (should you end up getting rejected) ask them this question. If they said it would be possible then that's ok. I would highly doubt that it's something they would be supportive of. Try your best to get off the waitlist, if you do, awesome, and I'll look forward to meeting you next year, but if not, then be happy with UF, Its a good school, and you're still learning to be a doctor and that's what it's all about. good luck
 
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PelicanMan,

I decided after an interview at a certain school that I definitely wanted to go there. I didn't like most of the other schools as much, and some I really disliked. But I was worried that I might get into a school I didn't like and NOT get into the school I loved. I figured that if that happened, though, I could just refuse the offer, wait another year, and reapply to the school I loved. The health careers advisor at my school said this was a bad idea, though, as schools will interpret your refusal of the other school as evidence that you aren't really serious about medicine. This seems stupid to me, but the advisor said not to refuse an offer just because you didn't get into the school you wanted.

Thankfully, I got in, so I don't have to worry about this now. If it were up to me, though, I would tell you to refuse the other school and reapply to the one you like next year (if you don't get in). No point in settling on a school you don't love.
 
PelicanMan,

Dude, this is bordering on insane!! Repeat a whole year of med school just to get into Pritzker? I wouldn't do that for any school, not even Harvard. Like others have said, most schools only accept transfers during 3rd year, and even then, it's only for exceptional reasons. Not simply, I like your school more than I like my own. If you get into UF and not Pritzker, then go to UF and be thrilled with your choice. It's a good school, and will give you a great education at less than half of what Pritzker costs! Trust me.
 
Doesn't it seem more insane for him to go to a school that he doesn't love?
 
You guys are great but deva has a point.

I guess you guys don't realize my level of obsession on Pritzker. I would be the happiest person in their class. However at this point I am not even sure if I will get into UF. By the way there is another school Emory that I am on hold at. I really DIDN'T like Emory at ALL. Maybe I met the wrong people but I was like I wouldn't want to go here. I'm afraid of what will happen if only Emory accepts me.

Papa Smurf. I am crazy enough to repeat the whole first year of medical school just to get into Pritkzer. You don't understand I would reject Harvard in a second given the opportunity to go to Pritzker.

Keep the suggestions coming.
 
Why is Pritzker so great? Cool anatomy labs, yes, but what else? Aren't you from Florida?
 
I know of two casses where a DO student applied, was accepted, and started as a 1st year at MD schools after finishing a year of med school. If it is possible from DO to MD, why not MD to MD?
 
I didn't read the other posts yet, so I apologize for any repeat info.

There is a student at MCO who started at another Ohio school. He was so utterly miserable at this first school, and MCO was willing to meet with him and was understanding, but would only accept him as a first year student. He has just finished his second year at MCO and is VERY happy he transferred and does not regret having to repeat his first year. Good luck!!!
 
Its not like undergrad.... either accept the UF offer and try to transfer after the 2nd year or re-apply next year.
 
Why do you love Pritzker so much anyway? Are the roads paved with gold with faeries and unicorns playing together underneath the tree of unending happiness?
 
•••quote:•••Originally posted by Dave:
•Why do you love Pritzker so much anyway? •••••Well, that's easy. Pritzker is the hot elusive babe and UF is the girl that's been around for a while. As for me, they both are girls I'm looking to get to know better, though I agree Pritzker's got the better package. :D Still confused?

<a href="http://www.studentdoctor.net/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=28;t=002227" target="_blank">http://www.studentdoctor.net/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=28;t=002227</a>
 
Sorry to bump this after the topic was abandoned so many hours ago, but...

PelicanMan, Do you mean that you are on the waiting list at Emory? And if so, why are you remaining on it? If you really hated the school then take yourself off the waitlist!

I have a lot of respect for you and would hate to see you end up at a school that you didn't love. Don't go anywhere but Pritzker. After I found the school that I really loved, my mom told me to withdraw all of my other applications. I didn't quite have the guts to do that (and I was sort of curious about what the other schools would say), but I would have been incredibly upset if I had been rejected from the school I loved and accepted to a school I hated. I am probably in the minority, but I say that if you know you want Pritzker, withdraw the other applications.
 
Deva

I hear what your saying.
However at this time I do not have any acceptances. As far as the Emory waitlist thing is concerned. They tell you straight out that there waitlist is huge. I don't think they reject anybody until like the very end. I think my chance of getting into Emory is very slim. As Far as UF goes. They haven't made a decision on my application yet. I may get rejected without haveing to withdrawal my application. Actually it wouldn't be bad to get rejected from UF and Emory because then I wouldn't have to decide between them. I am going to do everything I can to get off the waitlist at Pritzker.

I am amazed at how supportive everybody has been for me. It seems like everyone is rooting for me to get into Pritzker. I can't wait to post a topic saying "THE PELICANMAN HAS BEEN ACCEPTED TO PRITZKER" :rolleyes: That will be the day.
 
Have faith in God. He knows what is best. Even if you don't get it, you will look back 10 years from now and say, "Hey, everything turned out alright."
 
PelicanMan, in the letter you sent (letter of intent?), did you state that you would withdraw all other applications if accepted to their program, and that you can guarantee that you will attend? I'm sure you did since you are so set on this school, but if not, it might be a good idea. I don't know if it would affect your financial aid package, but it doesn't sound like that is the issue anyway, so it probably wouldn't hurt.

About the repeating 1st yr of med school, you could always call the admissions office and mention this to them to see what they think. IMHO, even if UF or Emory are the only schools you get into, I would accept the offer to attend SOMEwhere, even if it isn't your top choice. As someone posted earlier, if you pass up the chance to start this yr so that you can get into a better one next yr, adcoms might frown upon this, thinking you aren't dedicated to medicine.

Whatever you decide, good luck..I hope you get into Pritzker! :)
 
Yes Nebula, I said in the letter that If I am accepted that I will withdraw my applications from all of my other schools. Hopefully this works.
 
Doesn't a lot of this seem like 6th grade dating rituals? How do I know if she likes me? Should I tell her that I like her? Should I send an email or a letter, and what do I put in it?! If I go and visit her will I seem desperate?!? Will she reject me if I seem desperate?!?!!

Pritzker, please accept PelicanMan.
 
Pelican Man,

Instead of repeating a year of med school, why dont you just withdraw from uf and emory waitlists and then if you dont get accepted to pritzker, apply again. You cant turn down an offer just to apply again..it looks bad and you can get in trouble. If I felt the way you do, I would seriously only remain on the pritzker list, then you dont put yourself in a bad position. If youre just going to apply again anyway, then do it without being in trouble and take yourself off the other waitlists before they accept you. How can you lose?

Goodluck!! I am very familiar with how you feel.
 
Nap good point and well taken.

I have thought about that trust me.

The only problem is that there is no gurantee that I will get into Pritzker next year if I apply again. I may not even get an interview. I am bugging Pritzker alot and I have high hopes that Pritzker will accept me. Plus even though I love Pritzker sooooooooo much. My little brother is going to go to UF next year and it would be cool having him with me. We are really tight. At Atlanta I have an older brother. And I have come to the realization that I know that no matter where I go to med school that I will excel. I am good at adapting I have done it many times in my life. I will make the best of the situation and I am a generally happy guy. So even if I end up going to some other school (which will really suck) I will get over it eventually. But as of now I am trying to do everything I can to get into Pritzker. Getting another letter of Recommendation.

Thanks for your support.
 
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