What would you do if you didn't like the only school that accepted you?

[KatMan]

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Say you went to an interview, and realized that the school really isn't for you, and you don't see yourself being happy there.

Fast forward to the end of the cycle, and it's the only school where you were accepted. Would you take it, or try again next cycle? Pretend money isn't an issue (i.e., you're not factoring in how much it'll cost to reapply). Do you accept it figuring 'at least I'll be an MD', worried that you might not get ANY acceptances next time you apply, or do you hold out and hope that you find a better fit next go 'round?

 

[rafflecopter]

Kick ass at whatever crappy school accepted me and go to the residency of my choice.

 

[rHinO1]

I'd become a doctor, duh!

 

[Prateek]

You would be a fool to turn it down

 

[NickNaylor]

You don't really have a choice. Not going would be a horrible decision.

 

[KatMan]

You don't really have a choice. Not going would be a horrible decision.

Well, your choice would be to reapply. Obviously a lot of factors would go into the decision, but say...

1) You applied pretty late the first time...maybe you'd have better luck applying super early next year.

2) You're doing interesting things in the meantime that enhance your application.

If you are confident that you will be a stronger candidate next time, would you still accept the offer?

 

[Geekchick921]

Well, your choice would be to reapply. Obviously a lot of factors would go into the decision, but say...

1) You applied pretty late the first time...maybe you'd have better luck applying super early next year.

2) You're doing interesting things in the meantime that enhance your application.

If you are confident that you will be a stronger candidate next time, would you still accept the offer?

Rumor has it turning down your only acceptance and reapplying is a HUGE mistake, and great, big black mark on your application. I'd suck it up and go.

 

[rhesuspieces]

Wow, this is a really good question and one I've thought about myself. The right answer would be to not apply to any schools that you aren't completely confident you would go to if accepted. But sometimes an interview can completely change your perception of a school. Or sometimes you just throw that one extra school in for good measure.

EDIT: Actually, I take that back. If my interview sucked and I really couldn't see going to that school, I'd withdraw.

 

[KatMan]

Rumor has it turning down your only acceptance and reapplying is a HUGE mistake, and great, big black mark on your application. I'd suck it up and go.

You can kiss off applying to that school again, obviously, but how would other schools know you were offered a spot and turned it down? Most apps I've come across just ask "have you applied to this school before?", or sometimes "are you a reapplicant?" (in general). I haven't seen anyone ask "have you been accepted and turned the offer down?".

 

[sylvanthus]

First off its foolish to apply to a school you wouldn't consider. Secondly, you study on your own for the most part and likely will be skipping class anyhow, so it doesnt really matter what school you go to. Take the acceptance and run.

 

[Perrotfish]

1) Turning down an acceptance may blacklist you. Don't risk your career for something as minor as this.

2) It probably doesn't matter whether or not your medical school is a good 'fit' for you. If your medical school doesn't have required lecture attendance there's a very good chance that you're not ever going to see the inside of it except on lab days and test days, and I promise you that third years at different schools are like the bottoms of different septic tanks: the similarities will far outweigh the differences.

3) Adapting to un-ideal situations is secret of medical education. If you don't think that you can adapt because your school is in a city that you don't like then what are you going to do when you find out your surgery attending likes to throw chairs when he's angry?

 

[NickNaylor]

You can kiss off applying to that school again, obviously, but how would other schools know you were offered a spot and turned it down? Most apps I've come across just ask "have you applied to this school before?", or sometimes "are you a reapplicant?" (in general). I haven't seen anyone ask "have you been accepted and turned the offer down?".

AMCAS asks on the primary if you were accepted to any medical school in the past. Answering yes with no explanation other than a school wasn't your first choice is probably not what you want to do.

 

[ksmi117]

If you know you wouldn't go to a school even if they were the only acceptance you got, withdraw before they can accept you. Turning down an acceptance to reapply is a horrible idea.

 

[KatMan]

AMCAS asks on the primary if you were accepted to any medical school in the past. Answering yes with no explanation other than a school wasn't your first choice is probably not what you want to do.

Ah, okay, forgot about that.

 

[gravitywave]

AMCAS asks on the primary if you were accepted to any medical school in the past. Answering yes with no explanation other than a school wasn't your first choice is probably not what you want to do.

not only that, but they have a database of everyone that's ever been accepted to an LCME school. If you decline an acceptance and then try to reapply to any other LCME school, they will know this.

If you've been accepted but didn't go, you'd better have a hella good reason. All the legit reasons I can think of are reasons that a school would allow you to defer for (death in the family, cancer etc). If it's just in hopes that you can "trade up" next cycle - you'll never get into an LCME school again.

 

[Ottovon]

Would it even be a logical option to deny the acceptance?

 

[KatMan]

not only that, but they have a database of everyone that's ever been accepted to an LCME school. If you decline an acceptance and then try to reapply to any other LCME school, they will know this.

If you've been accepted but didn't go, you'd better have a hella good reason. All the legit reasons I can think of are reasons that a school would allow you to defer for (death in the family, cancer etc). If it's just in hopes that you can "trade up" next cycle - you'll never get into an LCME school again.

Oh wow, okay. So basically you shouldn't turn down an acceptance unless you have another one, or are content with never being an md.

I guess a better scenario for the poll would be...


You have one very late interview, and have already been rejected by all of the other schools to which you applied. You go to your last interview/last hope, have a phenomenal interview, but realize that the school is not for you. Would you withdraw to reapply, or wait to hear from your last school, having little choice but to attend if you get in?

 

[rHinO1]

Oh wow, okay. So basically you shouldn't turn down an acceptance unless you have another one, or are content with never being an md.

I guess a better scenario for the poll would be...


You have one very late interview, and have already been rejected by all of the other schools to which you applied. You go to your last interview/last hope, have a phenomenal interview, but realize that the school is not for you. Would you withdraw to reapply, or wait to hear from your last school, having little choice but to attend if you get in?

You're being pretty fast and loose with the word "better." You are like a stoner sitting on a couch asking "what if..." questions. Just thank your lucky stars if you get in anywhere and be grateful for the opportunity!

 

[CoolWhipp]

Turn them down, that'll teach em.

 

[KatMan]

You're being pretty fast and loose with the word "better." You are like a stoner sitting on a couch asking "what if..." questions. Just thank your lucky stars if you get in anywhere and be grateful for the opportunity!

"Better" as in "more appropriate to poll" not "a superior situation to be in".

 

[RogueUnicorn]

not an issue if you don't apply to schools you wouldn't like

 

[ksmi117]

not an issue if you don't apply to schools you wouldn't like

Sometimes you think you'll like a school and hate it at an interview. That's when you should withdraw if you know that there's no way in hell you'd go there.

 

[morning]

Sometimes you think you'll like a school and hate it at an interview. That's when you should withdraw if you know that there's no way in hell you'd go there.

You can't make an INFORMED decision just from a single interview. Remember that said decision impacts the rest of your life.

 

[Nuckles]

not an issue if you don't apply to schools you wouldn't like

This is a tall order for some people, don't you think? Maybe it's a bit unrealistic to think that 21 year olds know enough to know what they'll like, what they don't like, before they even go on an interview. People should be able to change their minds if they haven't committed to anything.

The issue is compounded for prospective MD/PhD students - I applied last year, and ended up withdrawing because they didn't have the research I wanted. Instead I got a job doing that research and now I'm reapplying to places where I know I'll be able to pursue my area.

 

[ksmi117]

You can't make an INFORMED decision just from a single interview. Remember that said decision impacts the rest of your life.

Well, that's basically the only interaction you have with a school. If there's a chance you'll go, don't withdraw, but there are times when people go to an interview and realize that they just couldn't be happy. It doesn't happen a lot, but it does happen.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

This is a tall order for some people, don't you think? Maybe it's a bit unrealistic to think that 21 year olds know enough to know what they'll like, what they don't like, before they even go on an interview. People should be able to change their minds if they haven't committed to anything.

The issue is compounded for prospective MD/PhD students - I applied last year, and ended up withdrawing because they didn't have the research I wanted. Instead I got a job doing that research and now I'm reapplying to places where I know I'll be able to pursue my area.

like smee said, you can always withdraw post-interview if you absolutely hated it

 

[Nuckles]

Well, that's basically the only interaction you have with a school. If there's a chance you'll go, don't withdraw, but there are times when people go to an interview and realize that they just couldn't be happy. It doesn't happen a lot, but it does happen.

Personal matters could also influence things. Family could drive someone away from a school - spouse gets a job somewhere else, etc. This is a more complex issue than it's given credit for, and it should be addressed in a way that's sensitive to personal needs than it is.

 

[ksmi117]

Personal matters could also influence things. Family could drive someone away from a school - spouse gets a job somewhere else, etc. This is a more complex issue than it's given credit for, and it should be addressed in a way that's sensitive to personal needs than it is.

Something like a spouse getting a job somewhere else could be spun in a way that it's not so bad that someone turned down an acceptance. That's why there's a place to explain why you turned down an acceptance if you did. But not liking a school alone is just not a good reason.

 

[orthomyxo]

I'm surprised that people have voted for "reapply." Are you kidding me? So you want an MD, but only if it's from certain schools? Anyone would be a damn fool to turn down an acceptance, considering that doing so would completely screw you over when you reapply.

I: "So I see here you were accepted to XYZ School of Medicine, but you withdrew. Why was that?"

A: "Well they didn't have a Starbucks on campus, and you know how I roll. I need my venti Mochachino or I'm just useless!" 😕😕😕😕

 

[Beets]

I think this question is fairly short sighted, as others have mentioned.

You've applied to schools because you want to be a doctor. Any school that accepts you will get you there. So maybe it doesn't have a Cheesecake Factory or a super sweet skatepark nearby... it's only temporary if you don't like it. Worst case scenario? You suck it up, get your degree, and move on to greener pastures for residency.

That really is the worst case scenario though. Most people can, believe it or not, adapt to their environment and actually end up LIKING it, even if it seemed strange or uncomfortable to begin with. You start to find the little things that you like, and eventually those little things end up making a place feel like home. If it can happen in rural Maryland for me, it can happen anywhere... Haha.

That's a really long way of saying, no, I would never ever turn down an acceptance, since I think I could end up being happy almost anywhere. Maybe that's just me because I've moved around and traveled a fair amount, though.

 

[crixx]

If you have an acceptance, embrace the positive things about the school and learn to like it. Go into it with an open mind and optimistic attitude and you'll come out successful wherever you go.

 

[Enoko]

Urgh, I don't get people that are like "Going to the wrong school affects the rest of your life!"

No it doesn't, same with college. The years you spend at college (or med school) are but a sliver of your life, what really matters is what degree you get. This is twice as true with med school, you only really spend 2 years there! 3rd and 4th year are done in hospitals, not in the med schools.

Bottom line, what if you turn it down and next year you apply and its a stronger class you are applying against and you don't get any acceptances next year? (this is entirely possible and you will find stories of this happening to people all the time). I mean you could apply again the 3rd year but by then you wasted 2 years of your life and you could have been a M3 by then and no longer attending that med school that you didn't like.🙂

 

[gravitywave]

Urgh, I don't get people that are like "Going to the wrong school affects the rest of your life!"

No it doesn't, same with college. The years you spend at college (or med school) are but a sliver of your life, what really matters is what degree you get. This is twice as true with med school, you only really spend 2 years there! 3rd and 4th year are done in hospitals, not in the med schools.

Bottom line, what if you turn it down and next year you apply and its a stronger class you are applying against and you don't get any acceptances next year? (this is entirely possible and you will find stories of this happening to people all the time). I mean you could apply again the 3rd year but by then you wasted 2 years of your life and you could have been a M3 by then and no longer attending that med school that you didn't like.🙂

😕

tl;dr?

 

[hiyaman]

I would go to any school that accepted me, what would be so horrible about a school that would make someone want to not go if it was their only choice?

 

[frescoengano]

I would go to any school that accepted me, what would be so horrible about a school that would make someone want to not go if it was their only choice?

i'm wondering the same thing...

 

[Poliscidoc]

Don't apply to schools that you wouldn't attend. Seems pretty resonable to me...