What if I don't want to go to that SCHOOL??

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deanthedream17 said:
Now I know that it is quite hard to get into medical school as it is, but I ask you to hold off your judgement and give me an honest appraisal of my situation.

I have very good grades. I go to a well known good state school and as long as I do well on my MCAT there is no reason why I won't be able to get into a few medical schools (I am assuming state schools). However, deep down, idk if its because I was subjected to my godfather's bravado of the top tier schools and med school he graduated from that has always made me really want to go to a top medical school. I honestly feel at this point that I would not be happy going to a school not ranked in the top 25 maybe top 35. Yes my dream has always been to be a doctor, but I want the degree from the top school to get him to stop acting like he is better than anyone else. Would it be bad if I don't get into the school I want to go to say UPenn for example to take a year do what I can to make my application better (maybe getting higher mcat scores) and applying the following year even if I get a medical school acceptance.


I am a white kid and the rest of my application is strong.
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Your patients won't care, and you wouldn't care if you actually had genuine reasons for going into medicine.
 
As long as your dreams are aligned with your stats and background, it doesn't hurt to shoot for the stars. Don't be unrealistic and don't put all your hopes and dreams into a handful of schools. With how unreasonable this process is, it's very easy to be 'disappointed' with your outcomes.

Dropping an acceptance for a reapp to try and get into a top-tier school however is foolish.
 
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deanthedream17 said:
Genuine reasons? really your questioning my motivations? My father is a physician/surgeon, my mother a nurse. I have three siblings but I am the only one out of the children going into medicine since we have been discouraged throughout my entire life. I know more about the medical establishment and current medical issues then all premed/med students and even some doctors i know. You don't understand what it feels like when somebody you look up to in your life (godfather) just tries to make it known that you will never measure up and yes regardless of what you think people do look at your CV and will choose to go or not to go to you based on your credentials. My gf just had a surgery done and the deciding factor was the schools he was educated at and she couldn't have been happier with the decision.
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then why are you asking us
 
deanthedream17 said:
Genuine reasons? really your questioning my motivations? My father is a physician/surgeon, my mother a nurse. I have three siblings but I am the only one out of the children going into medicine since we have been discouraged throughout my entire life. I know more about the medical establishment and current medical issues then all premed/med students and even some doctors i know. You don't understand what it feels like when somebody you look up to in your life (godfather) just tries to make it known that you will never measure up and yes regardless of what you think people do look at your CV and will choose to go or not to go to you based on your credentials. My gf just had a surgery done and the deciding factor was the schools he was educated at and she couldn't have been happier with the decision.
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If you had genuine reasons, showing up your godfather shouldn't even be part of your school choice.

If you really wanted to go into medicine, you would be happy with an MD acceptance. You can match into competitive residencies from any US MD school.

If your gf based the decision on the medical school, I can't really say much. I think his reputation in the community, or at the very minimum, where the doctor did his residency/fellowship should come before where he went for medical school when deciding.
 
Noone is going to tell you it's a good idea to base major life decisions on seeking validation from someone like that. It's not worth it and you will be disappointed.

Do what makes you happy and what you believe will get the best experience out of.
 
deanthedream17 said:
Genuine reasons? really your questioning my motivations? My father is a physician/surgeon, my mother a nurse. I have three siblings but I am the only one out of the children going into medicine since we have been discouraged throughout my entire life. I know more about the medical establishment and current medical issues then all premed/med students and even some doctors i know. You don't understand what it feels like when somebody you look up to in your life (godfather) just tries to make it known that you will never measure up and yes regardless of what you think people do look at your CV and will choose to go or not to go to you based on your credentials. My gf just had a surgery done and the deciding factor was the schools he was educated at and she couldn't have been happier with the decision.
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:laugh:

0/10 and definitely wouldn't read again
 
deanthedream17 said:
Now I know that it is quite hard to get into medical school as it is, but I ask you to hold off your judgement and give me an honest appraisal of my situation.

I have very good grades. I go to a well known good state school and as long as I do well on my MCAT there is no reason why I won't be able to get into a few medical schools (I am assuming state schools). However, deep down, idk if its because I was subjected to my godfather's bravado of the top tier schools and med school he graduated from that has always made me really want to go to a top medical school. I honestly feel at this point that I would not be happy going to a school not ranked in the top 25 maybe top 35. Yes my dream has always been to be a doctor, but I want the degree from the top school to get him to stop acting like he is better than anyone else. Would it be bad if I don't get into the school I want to go to say UPenn for example to take a year do what I can to make my application better (maybe getting higher mcat scores) and applying the following year even if I get a medical school acceptance.I am a white kid and the rest of my application is strong.
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You are asking us if you should take a year off to bring up the MCAT scores you don't even have to get into schools you haven't even applied to yet. How are we supposed to answer that?
 
deanthedream17 said:
Genuine reasons? really your questioning my motivations? My father is a physician/surgeon, my mother a nurse. I have three siblings but I am the only one out of the children going into medicine since we have been discouraged throughout my entire life. I know more about the medical establishment and current medical issues then all premed/med students and even some doctors i know. You don't understand what it feels like when somebody you look up to in your life (godfather) just tries to make it known that you will never measure up and yes regardless of what you think people do look at your CV and will choose to go or not to go to you based on your credentials. My gf just had a surgery done and the deciding factor was the schools he was educated at and she couldn't have been happier with the decision.
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Take the chip off your shoulder.

That being said, MD is MD is MD. If you're immature enough to let some desire to one-up somebody or an inferiority complex guide your decision to shoot exclusively for top schools, I can't begin to imagine how that will translate to other aspects of your application. Think about it this way - when will it ever be good enough?

Give yourself the peace of mind and apply where you would want to go, not where you think others think you should go.

Also, if you search around here, there is a very very big stigma from adcoms about foregoing acceptances and going for another cycle. We're not questioning your devotion to medicine, but when you have the opportunity and flatly refuse it (for whatever reasons), how flaky would that appear to others?
 
deanthedream17 said:
Would it be bad if I don't get into the school I want to go to say UPenn for example to take a year do what I can to make my application better (maybe getting higher mcat scores) and applying the following year even if I get a medical school acceptance.
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I'm not going to belittle someone asking a question. Either ignore it or answer it honestly people!

As for the question quoted. YES, it would be bad. Many schools ask if you have ever applied/been accepted to a medical school. Explaining your way through "I applied to and was accepted to a school I never planned on attending" is going to be rough go. You simply should never apply to a school you would not attend if accepted. HEED that warning. It is not cool to those making an honest effort, and it is not in your best interest either.

Just some wise advice from a stranger that does not know you: It seems as though you are going to make a serious life choice based on a superiority complex, all the while being semi-consious of it. I would consider speaking to someone (a counselor, therapist, good friend, parent, etc.) about this. I'm not trying to belittle or speak down to you, just giving peer-to-peer advice with good intentions. This is what I would tell my best friend. This is not a very grounded way of critical thinking and you may want to work through it now.
 
Ryu17 said:
You are asking us if you should take a year off to bring up the MCAT scores you don't even have to get into schools you haven't even applied to yet. How are we supposed to answer that?
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.
 
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deanthedream17 said:
Genuine reasons? really your questioning my motivations? My father is a physician/surgeon, my mother a nurse. I have three siblings but I am the only one out of the children going into medicine since we have been discouraged throughout my entire life. I know more about the medical establishment and current medical issues then all premed/med students and even some doctors i know. You don't understand what it feels like when somebody you look up to in your life (godfather) just tries to make it known that you will never measure up and yes regardless of what you think people do look at your CV and will choose to go or not to go to you based on your credentials. My gf just had a surgery done and the deciding factor was the schools he was educated at and she couldn't have been happier with the decision.
Click to expand...

The only thing really wrong with your statement is the underlined part.

I know you grew up looking up to this person. That's the attitude it's time to second guess.
 
Remember, LESS THAN HALF get accepted every year, so you should be thanking the stars for getting one acceptance. Therefore, if you are "stuck" with one acceptance, and the only acceptance is below the Top 25 threshold, run away with it and become a physician.

Since after all, the main goal is to be a physician, that's the primary factor.
 
deanthedream17 said:
Genuine reasons? really your questioning my motivations? My father is a physician/surgeon, my mother a nurse. I have three siblings but I am the only one out of the children going into medicine since we have been discouraged throughout my entire life. I know more about the medical establishment and current medical issues then all premed/med students and even some doctors i know. You don't understand what it feels like when somebody you look up to in your life (godfather) just tries to make it known that you will never measure up and yes regardless of what you think people do look at your CV and will choose to go or not to go to you based on your credentials. My gf just had a surgery done and the deciding factor was the schools he was educated at and she couldn't have been happier with the decision.
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Haha!

1) http://grammarist.com/usage/than-then/

2) Very bold claim to make, Young Skywalker.
 
but in all seriousness the general rule is: don't apply anywhere you don't actually want to matriculate

that eliminates your problem
 
deanthedream17 said:
Genuine reasons? really your questioning my motivations? My father is a physician/surgeon, my mother a nurse. I have three siblings but I am the only one out of the children going into medicine since we have been discouraged throughout my entire life. I know more about the medical establishment and current medical issues then all premed/med students and even some doctors i know. You don't understand what it feels like when somebody you look up to in your life (godfather) just tries to make it known that you will never measure up and yes regardless of what you think people do look at your CV and will choose to go or not to go to you based on your credentials. My gf just had a surgery done and the deciding factor was the schools he was educated at and she couldn't have been happier with the decision.
Click to expand...

All the lulz. Pre-meds suck.

Love,

Another pre-med
 
deanthedream17 said:
I am saying it for the reason that at this point I can't see myself getting a 35+ on the exam unless I get really lucky on test day or I spend part of the gap year just studying for it. My question was originally posed because my gf is prevet and it seems that a lot of prevets at my school will do exactly what I asked about which is to take a year off or two do something else and then finally get accepted to the school you want to go to.

I'm not looking for hostility so please calm down!
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If your heart is really set on top tier I wouldn't bother applying to anything but top tier which eliminates the problem of withdrawing acceptances. IMO, there are plenty of good schools you can get into with a sub 35 but do what you gotta do.

deanthedream17 said:
cool man. your comment doesn't even make any sense
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He is saying he rates your post a 0 out of 10 and he wouldn't read your post again.

and :laugh: means he is laughing
 
deanthedream17 said:
I want the degree from the top school to get him to stop acting like he is better than anyone else.
Click to expand...

This is one of the first things you revealed about yourself and your motivation to go into medicine.

deanthedream17 said:
Genuine reasons? really your questioning my motivations?
Click to expand...

Of course, see above. Especially because that's essentially all you've revealed thus far.

deanthedream17 said:
I know more about the medical establishment and current medical issues then all premed/med students and even some doctors i know.
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I don't even know where to begin. Claiming that you know more about something than all of any demographic is seriously laughable.

deanthedream17 said:
You don't understand what it feels like...
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Again, you have assumed that an anonymous user can't possibly have the insight that you have for no legitimate reason.

deanthedream17 said:
My gf just had a surgery done and the deciding factor was the schools he was educated at and she couldn't have been happier with the decision.
Click to expand...

I'm glad to hear it went well. What if you went by reputation, or by rating. How many trained surgeons do you think leave their patients dissatisfied? Why do you automatically attribute a single outcome to where the surgeon attended medical school? Why not where they went to undergrad? Or where they trained? Or how tall they were? Or what kind of car they drove?
 
Your godfather is not going to stop acting like he is better than everybody else if you get into a top school. Grow up.
 
What if some high school junior said to you, "No offense, but I don't want to go to (your state school) because my parents would rather have me go to an Ivy League school. My dream was always to go to college, but I just wouldn't be happy if I wasn't at Harvard or even Stanford if it came down to that."
 
deanthedream17 said:
Now I know that it is quite hard to get into medical school as it is, but I ask you to hold off your judgement and give me an honest appraisal of my situation.

I have very good grades. I go to a well known good state school and as long as I do well on my MCAT there is no reason why I won't be able to get into a few medical schools (I am assuming state schools). However, deep down, idk if its because I was subjected to my godfather's bravado of the top tier schools and med school he graduated from that has always made me really want to go to a top medical school. I honestly feel at this point that I would not be happy going to a school not ranked in the top 25 maybe top 35. Yes my dream has always been to be a doctor, but I want the degree from the top school to get him to stop acting like he is better than anyone else. Would it be bad if I don't get into the school I want to go to say UPenn for example to take a year do what I can to make my application better (maybe getting higher mcat scores) and applying the following year even if I get a medical school acceptance.

I am a white kid and the rest of my application is strong.
Click to expand...

UPenn?

Harvard or bust.

But seriously, if you want to shoot for the stars, that's fine. Just dont apply then plan on reapplying if you're not happy with the results. Take a couple years off and make your app as strong as possible BEFORE you apply.

The peace corps is always accepting applications...
 
Aerus said:
If you really wanted to go into medicine, you would be happy with an MD acceptance.
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Heck, you'd be happy with a DO acceptance, too.

I know what you mean, OP, but at the end of the day, what matters is how well you do in med school, not where you go.
 
sinombre said:
This is one of the first things you revealed about yourself and your motivation to go into medicine.



Of course, see above. Especially because that's essentially all you've revealed thus far.



I don't even know where to begin. Claiming that you know more about something than all of any demographic is seriously laughable.



Again, you have assumed that an anonymous user can't possibly have the insight that you have for no legitimate reason.



I'm glad to hear it went well. What if you went by reputation, or by rating. How many trained surgeons do you think leave their patients dissatisfied? Why do you automatically attribute a single outcome to where the surgeon attended medical school? Why not where they went to undergrad? Or where they trained? Or how tall they were? Or what kind of car they drove?
Click to expand...

First and foremost you rated my post 0/10 aka get off. I never said that I know more about it then a whole demographic I said of those "i know". You are looking for a fight for no reason. Get a new avatar pic, get a gf and get a life while your at it.

And the reason why I attribute it comes down to the old boys network once into a great school everything follows. If your from a top undergrad, you will tend to go to a top medical school and 'then' to a top residency. All in all it all comes together making your CV look better than somebody else who went to lower ranked programs. Now am I saying that the one who went to all those top programs is necessarily a better doctor?? Of course not, but you sure as hell have more opportunities and more doors will open up for you compared to your counterpart. I want to go into the management of a hospital department and I know program reputation will matter
 
deanthedream17 said:
First and foremost you rated my post 0/10 aka get off. I never said that I know more about it then a whole demographic I said of those "i know". You are looking for a fight for no reason. Get a new avatar pic, get a gf and get a life while your at it.

And the reason why I attribute it comes down to the old boys network once into a great school everything follows. If your from a top undergrad, you will tend to go to a top medical school and 'then' to a top residency. All in all it all comes together making your CV look better than somebody else who went to lower ranked programs. Now am I saying that the one who went to all those top programs is necessarily a better doctor?? Of course not, but you sure as hell have more opportunities and more doors will open up for you compared to your counterpart. I want to go into the management of a hospital department and I know program reputation will matter
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your immaturity is showing
 
alpinism said:
UPenn?

Harvard or bust.

But seriously, if you want to shoot for the stars, that's fine. Just dont apply then plan on reapplying if you're not happy with the results. Take a couple years off and make your app as strong as possible BEFORE you apply.

The peace corps is always accepting applications...
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Lol but no I don't need to go into any of those schools I just used it as an example
 
deanthedream17 said:
c'mon man. I'm not trying to be immature. The poster straight up insulted me what would you like me to say 'thanks for the insulting comment, keep them coming"
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It's an internet forum, you can always just ignore the bad advice and accept the good. No one has ever won a fight over the internet. The second half of your argument was perfectly reasonable without the first.
 
Ryu17 said:
Really? "get a gf and get a life" is the comeback you decided to go with? You sound like a kid throwing a fit because he got told.
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I'm sorry, SDN needs to relax and stop taking everything as an insult
 
I've always judged people for using this acronym, but I feel it is actually appropriate in this context:

SMH.
 
OP, lets say hypothetically you don't get into a top 25 school (I'm not saying you won't). Would you be less happy going to a mid-to-low tier school or no medical school at all? Serious question.
 
Internet fight!!

funny-gif-little-kids-fighting-karate.gif
 
mnhockeyfan said:
OP, lets say hypothetically you don't get into a top 25 school (I'm not saying you won't). Would you be less happy going to a mid-to-low tier school or no medical school at all? Serious question.
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Hopefully this does not get anyone mad or does not make anyone think I am immature.
 
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deanthedream17 said:
Hopefully this does not get anyone mad or does not make anyone think I am immature. Yes of course I would be happy. I just think I would live with a regret when I am older.
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My advice: apply to the schools you could only really see yourself attending. The last thing you want to do is get an acceptance to only schools you wouldn't want to attend. But I wish you the best in getting accepted to the schools you most want to attend.
 
deanthedream17 said:
Hopefully this does not get anyone mad or does not make anyone think I am immature. Yes of course I would be happy. I just think I would live with a regret when I am older.
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Nobody is hating on you for shooting for top tier. It's some of your other comments that started the flame war. When asking for advice you generally get better results when you come off as humble.
 
mnhockeyfan said:
My advice: apply to the schools you could only really see yourself attending. The last thing you want to do is get an acceptance to only schools you wouldn't want to attend. But I wish you the best in getting accepted to the schools you most want to attend.
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Thank you very much!🙂 I wish you the very best as well in all your endeavors
 
I get what you're saying, and I agree with mnhockeyfan that you should probably not apply to schools that you'd ultimately turn down even if they were your only acceptances. However, if you have a failed cycle under your belt and are facing reapplication with the possibility of failing again, you may regret this decision as well. Your attitude could easily change from, "I want to get into the top medical school," to, "I want to get into a medical school," within the next couple years, and believe me, getting in as a re-applicant is harder than the first time.
 
red doctober said:
I get what you're saying, and I agree with mnhockeyfan that you should probably not apply to schools that you'd ultimately turn down even if they were your only acceptances. However, if you have a failed cycle under your belt and are facing reapplication with the possibility of failing again, you may regret this decision as well. Your attitude could easily change from, "I want to get into the top medical school," to, "I want to get into a medical school," within the next couple years, and believe me, getting in as a re-applicant is harder than the first time.
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But not if you apply to different schools. Assuming he widens the net the second time around to include fish not of the "Top 20" species, the reapplicant issue wouldn't really affect him.

Either way, it's ridiculous to fixate on arbitrary rankings for the purpose of impressing your relatives.
 
Mt Kilimanjaro said:
But not if you apply to different schools. Assuming he widens the net the second time around to include fish not of the "Top 20" species, the reapplicant issue wouldn't really affect him.

Either way, it's ridiculous to fixate on arbitrary rankings for the purpose of impressing your relatives.
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Some schools ask if you have applied anywhere before, but I suppose it's a minority.
 
deanthedream17 said:
Now I know that it is quite hard to get into medical school as it is, but I ask you to hold off your judgement and give me an honest appraisal of my situation.

I have very good grades. I go to a well known good state school and as long as I do well on my MCAT there is no reason why I won't be able to get into a few medical schools (I am assuming state schools). However, deep down, idk if its because I was subjected to my godfather's bravado of the top tier schools and med school he graduated from that has always made me really want to go to a top medical school. I honestly feel at this point that I would not be happy going to a school not ranked in the top 25 maybe top 35. Yes my dream has always been to be a doctor, but I want the degree from the top school to get him to stop acting like he is better than anyone else. Would it be bad if I don't get into the school I want to go to say UPenn for example to take a year do what I can to make my application better (maybe getting higher mcat scores) and applying the following year even if I get a medical school acceptance.

I am a white kid and the rest of my application is strong.
Click to expand...

tl;dr you can't stand up to goddaddy.
 
mnhockeyfan said:
My advice: apply to the schools you could only really see yourself attending. The last thing you want to do is get an acceptance to only schools you wouldn't want to attend. But I wish you the best in getting accepted to the schools you most want to attend.
Click to expand...

This is the correct answer. It's pretty simple: regardless of OP's reasoning or motivations, he should be discouraged from applying to any school he wouldn't be comfortable attending. Problem solved.
 
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