withdraw from all of my schools (Except top 25 schools) and re-apply?

[Tibor]

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thank you all for your responses.

 

[Phoenix.]

If you would absolutely rather reapply next year than go to UIC or Rush, I think you should definitely withdraw from those schools ASAP. I don't know if your assessment of needing to go to a top 25 school to go into academia is accurate, so I won't make any comments on that. Good luck with whatever you decide.

One more thing: Did you apply early this year? And are your ECs your weakness? If you applied early, and you already have solid ECs, there's no guarantee that next year will be any different.... If you will be applying substantially earlier and/or filling in some much needed gaps in your app, then I guess you could go for it.

 

[drizzt3117]

Here is my question: do you think I it would be fine to withdraw from both Rush and UIC right now (before they have the chance to possibly accept me), hold on to my waitlist at Pitt, and wait to hear from the other top schools? I thought I would be more lucky in this app process, but it doesn't seem like it will turn out as good as I expected.

Why did you apply to schools you didn't want to go to?

This way, if I don't get accepted to where I want to go (any top 25), I can just re-apply for next year (with alot more ec's and better research), and will NOT be looked down upon (or even outright rejected from most schools) for refusing an acceptance for the sake of trying to get into a higher ranked school (since I feel it is likely I will get accepted to UIC or Rush).

That's basically what you're doing in any case. If you're only going to apply to top tier schools next cycle, then fine, but you shouldn't have applied to schools you weren't willing to attend. To be honest, depending on what you're trying to get into, it's either going to not make that much of a difference, or be very unlikely that you'll get into such program regardless of what institution you attend unless you're a MD/PhD from a top 5 program, in any case. I can't think of too many programs that would be easy to get into if you were at a top 25 program (as reported by US News) but difficult if you weren't.

 

[Jolie South]

I personally don't think you should gamble with acceptances like that, but if you absolutely would not go to a school not in the top 25 then you have little choice.

Things you should consider:
*cost of reapplying
*no guarantees that you'll get in to Top 25 next cycle
*is it worth it to put this off one year?
*will you be able to improve your app?

 

[foster033]

Rush is a very good school. Why would you think you couldn't get a decent residency out of this? It's all about how hard you work while you're at medical school, not necessarily where you go. I know a Rush graduated who was a neurology resident at Hopkins and ended up as Chief Resident. Just one example, I know, but it's definitely possible.

Go to school if you get accepted and stop worrying what rank it is, your education is what you make of it. If you work hard you'll get to where you want to be, but not if you keep acting this arrogant.

 

[Kthanksbye]

I have a urgent question:

I applied to about 15 schools. Most of them were reach schools. I have been interviewed at 3 (UIC, Rush, and University of Pittsburgh). I am on "hold" at UChicago. I was waitlitsed at both Rush and University of Pittsburgh, and am still waiting to hear from UIC. I want to enter an extremely competitive academic residency after medical school, and feel that if I attend any school that is not ranked in the top 25 (USNEWS), that achieving this goal will be far more harder than it should be.
Here is my question: do you think I it would be fine to withdraw from both Rush and UIC right now (before they have the chance to possibly accept me), hold on to my waitlist at Pitt, and wait to hear from the other top schools? I thought I would be more lucky in this app process, but it doesn't seem like it will turn out as good as I expected. This way, if I don't get accepted to where I want to go (any top 25), I can just re-apply for next year (with alot more ec's and better research), and will NOT be looked down upon (or even outright rejected from most schools) for refusing an acceptance for the sake of trying to get into a higher ranked school (since I feel it is likely I will get accepted to UIC or Rush).



I have a balanced mcat (between 29 and 34), and high GPA.

Personally, I think it's going to be "far more harder" for you to get into any medical school if you are only willing to attend the US news top 25. Tackle your residency programs problems after you have attended medical school. This hurdle is more important right now.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

An mcat bw 30 and 33 is gonna make it hard to get into a top 25, I wouldnt do it if i was you.

 

[cleothecat]

The logic of withdrawing and then re-applying to reach schools is not one I would expect from someone who really wanst to be a future physician.

Perhaps your drive to be "academic" is better suited to a PhD in one of the aligned sciences.

 

[DoctorNB]

I believe every residency program is super competitive based on the sheer fact of the number of people applying for a very small number of spots. Do you feel you can obtain acceptance to a "Top 25" school? I believe no matter what school you go to, it is what YOU make of it, how much YOU are willing to work for it. Every school, "Top 25" or not, has ways to improve/grow. Are you willing to give up an acceptance to a great school that may be the best fit for you to learn the max amount to be a better doctor for the gamble of possibly getting into a "Top 25" school?

Whether you go to a "Top 25" school or not, you are still going to be working your a** off to study for your classes and preparing for Step 1. At this point of the game, if you withdraw, it will be more money, one year behind and possibly more competition the next cycle (higher GPA/MCAT scores, etc). 29 to 34 MCAT score is a wide range when you are on the waitlist of schools who rank based on GPA and MCAT. Unless you are going to take a year to SIGNICANTLY improve your application and apply as soon as the gates open (ie research, more upper level science classes or retaking the MCAT), I would take an acceptance, provided you do get off the waitlist, and make the best of it.

Whatever you do, good luck.

 

[gotmeds?]

OP, what are you going to do if you get into school #23 and then it drops in the rankings to 26 the next year? 😱 You'd have to transfer! Seriously, picking a school based on ranking is a bad idea. I can think of a few top 25 schools that I wouldn't go to unless they were my only options. I actually had a friend who did what it sounds like you're going to do -- enroll at the highest-ranked school where she was accepted (it was top-10 or top-15 at the time). She was so unhappy there that she ended up transferring to a much lower ranked school (where she ended up being happier).

 

[BCLumas]

Wow.. that's one of the worst ideas I've ever heard. Absolutely not.

 

[Vihsadas]

You already have an acceptance and you want to give it up? No way dude, that's a horrible idea.

 

[engineers]

this is what i've heard from multiple professors (md and md/phds) - you can get into a great residency from anywhere because med school is really what you make of it. what really matters long term is not where you went to medical school but where you do your residency. if you were a md/phd and wanted to get a tenture track academic position at a major research center then where you do your md/phd matters.

as one of my mentors told me when i found out i didn't get into a certain highly ranked school and will most likely go to my state school (which i am really psyched about) - 'congratulations! you just saved yourself $100,000!'

 

[DulyNoted]

I will echo what everyone else is telling you: don't do it.

If you're able to vastly improve your ECs and research in 6 months time, they are probably not spectacular in the first place. I don't want to discourage you, but unless you plan on retaking the MCAT and scoring 5 points higher, you'd still be looking at a small chance of acceptance at schools whose reputations will significantly affect the outcome of your residency applications.

 

[Mayday]

I would think that if schools see that you were accepted and then withdrew the year before, they would be even LESS inclined to give you a spot. Besides, why did you apply if you don't want to go there?

 

[Phoenix.]

I would think that if schools see that you were accepted and then withdrew the year before, they would be even LESS inclined to give you a spot. Besides, why did you apply if you don't want to go there?

You already have an acceptance and you want to give it up? No way dude, that's a horrible idea.

From my recollection (before the OP altered their first post), they do not have an acceptance yet. They are on three waitlists, and are considering withdrawing from two waitlists, and letting the third ride to see if they get in.

And I don't think there's anything wrong with someone deciding to withdraw their app post interview or post waitlist. It happens all the time. We all apply to schools that we think might be a good idea at the time, but either after interviewing there, or after receiving more information, we decide it's not a good fit. I'm not going to judge the OP's decisions, but certainly applying to a school that they would now not want to go to is not inconceivable. Kudos that they decided to withdraw now than wait until they're accepted.

 

[Vihsadas]

From my recollection (before the OP altered their first post), they do not have an acceptance yet. They are on three waitlists, and are considering withdrawing from two waitlists, and letting the third ride to see if they get in.

And I don't think there's anything wrong with someone deciding to withdraw their app post interview or post waitlist. It happens all the time. We all apply to schools that we think might be a good idea at the time, but either after interviewing there, or after receiving more information, we decide it's not a good fit. I'm not going to judge the OP's decisions, but certainly applying to a school that they would now not want to go to is not inconceivable. Kudos that they decided to withdraw now than wait until they're accepted.

Yes, that's definitely a different situation. In the situation I was arguing (which apparently does not exist haha) if the OP were to withdraw from all of their acceptances then they would most likely be blacklisted next year. It would be near impossible to get in to any school. I'm sure you know that, just for the OPs benefit.

 

[Phoenix.]

Closing per the OP's request.