Withdraw or Reapply if Deferring Anyways

[FluteDog]

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Hi SDN, I would like to kindly request your feedback. I have tried to search for this topic but I have yet to find something like this.

I am in a unique position where I have yet to be accepted to medical school and am currently waiting for one more post-II MD decision. But the catch is that some unfortunate things happened in my life and I had some new research / volunteer opportunities come up, so I am certain that I would like to defer if accepted this year. At this point in May I have already almost finished my backup primary application for next year. I'm mildly happy with the school I am waiting to hear back from, but to be honest, I learned so much about mistakes I made about my previous application, and I know I made extremely significant improvements this year. If I were to reapply, I am confident that I would have great success (please do not ask about what I did to improve my application because this is not what I would like feedback on). Of course, I am currently continuing the most optimal route at the moment, which is to work on reapplying and still wait for a decision.

At this point, there are three possible options for me:

1. Continue what I am doing and write my new app and wait to be accepted for this one school I am waiting for. Regret that I did not have many options to consider where I would spend the next 4+ years of my life if I reapplied. Another caveat is that since it's already May, I feel like it's difficult to proceed with my new application because I don't want to waste my letter writers' time and ask them to rewrite for an application that I may not send. This school is in NY and they're super delayed in their decisions because of the pandemic. Some people have recommended that if I were to be accepted, I can still just reapply, but it is common knowledge that this option is suicide for reapplying.

2. Wait to get rejected and reapply, in which I have no regrets. Oddly, this is the most optimal route for me as I would know that I had least waited for a decision and had the closure of trying my best.

3. Withdraw my application from the school before a decision is made, and reapply again so that I can have more opportunities to find a school that best fits me. Use the momentum that I currently have to write a better app with my best foot forward. Interestingly, I also don't mind reapplying - I made some mistakes in my first application, and I get a lot of closure in making another app knowing that I am trying my best here. Regret that more than likely, I may also not get a chance to interview again to that school I was mildly happy with. There is a rare chance also that I may not be accepted to any schools again.

Although it does seem like a classic "obviously wait for a decision because medical school is medical school and you don't turn down this opportunity", I am still planning to defer, so I will be going to medical school in 2021 regardless. Because I am deferring and because of my finances (fortunately), time and money are not important to consider for me. At this point, my question is should I wait to possibly be accepted to a school I am mildly happy at or should I reapply?

Edit 1: I have checked with the school and according to a phone call and their website it appears that they will accept the deferral for my research / service activities that I would like to do.

 

[KnightDoc]

Hi SDN, I would like to kindly request your feedback. I have tried to search for this topic but I have yet to find something like this.

I am in a unique position where I have yet to be accepted to medical school and am currently waiting for one more post-II MD decision. But the catch is that some unfortunate things happened in my life and I had some new research / volunteer opportunities come up, so I am certain that I would like to defer if accepted this year. At this point in May I have already almost finished my backup primary application for next year. I'm mildly happy with the school I am waiting to hear back from, but to be honest, I learned so much about mistakes I made about my previous application, and I know I made extremely significant improvements this year. If I were to reapply, I am confident that I would have great success (please do not ask about what I did to improve my application because this is not what I would like feedback on). Of course, I am currently continuing the most optimal route at the moment, which is to work on reapplying and still wait for a decision.

At this point, there are three possible options for me:

1. Continue what I am doing and write my new app and wait to be accepted for this one school I am waiting for. Regret that I did not have many options to consider where I would spend the next 4+ years of my life if I reapplied. Another caveat is that since it's already May, I feel like it's difficult to proceed with my new application because I don't want to waste my letter writers' time and ask them to rewrite for an application that I may not send. This school is in NY and they're super delayed in their decisions because of the pandemic. Some people have recommended that if I were to be accepted, I can still just reapply, but it is common know that this option is suicide for reapplying.

2. Wait to get rejected and reapply, in which I have no regrets except that I wasted many hours on an reapplication. Oddly, this is the most optimal route for me as I would know that I had least waited for a decision and had the closure of trying my best.

3. Withdraw my application from the school before a decision is made, and reapply again so that I can have more opportunities to find a school that best fits me. Use the momentum that I currently have to write a better app with my best foot forward. Interestingly, I also don't mind reapplying - I made some mistakes in my first application, and I get a lot of closure in making another app knowing that I am trying my best here. Regret that more than likely, I may also not get a chance to go to that school I interviewed at. There is a rare chance also that I may not be accepted to any schools again.

Although it does seem like a classic "obviously wait for a decision because medical school is medical school and you don't turn down this opportunity", I am still planning to defer, so I will be going to medical school in 2021 regardless. Because I am deferring and because of my finances (fortunately), time and money are not important to consider for me. At this point, my question is should I wait to possibly be accepted to a school I am mildly happy at or should I reapply?

I think you should withdraw. You don't really want to go to this school anyway, you haven't been accepted as of 5/2, and you intend to defer anyway. What would you do if accepted and they denied your deferral request? If you're accepted and you turn it down, you're correct that you will be creating a big problem for yourself in future cycles.

If you are so sure that your application will be so much better in future cycles, you really have everything to gain and nothing to lose (except the time spent applying this year, which is already a sunk cost), by withdrawing before you have a chance to receive an acceptance you don't even want at this point.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

I would propose the counter argument. You've put in the work and applied to the school, why not see if they'll take you. If they do, you can always ask for a deferment and because of the pandemic there is seemingly infinite ways to structure your argument that it should get approved. There is likely little reason you couldn't find a way to put up a strong argument for it.

The only way that I would recommend withdrawing is if you absolutely hate the school and would be actively unhappy being there for four years.

David D MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[Goro]

Be aware that getting deferments is hard, and some schools specifically have you write a contract that you will not reapply.

Why not just drop the wait list position now and let someone else who really wants to be a doctor get the seat.?
BTW, if you have no accepts now, you are rejected until you get that accept email in your Inbox. So you should be working on Plan B right now.

 

[KnightDoc]

Be aware that getting deferments is hard, and some schools specifically have you write a contract that you will not reapply.

Why not just drop the wait list position now and let someone else who really wants to be a doctor get the seat.?
BTW, if you have no accepts now, you are rejected until you get that accept email in your Inbox. So you should be working on Plan B right now.

P.S. -- It's not even a WL position!, He doesn't really want to go to the school, is not going to attend next year in any case, and believes he now has a much better application than he had last year! To me, it's not even a close call, especially if there is a possibility he might be a reapplicant who turned down an acceptance if he is accepted and isn't granted a deferral.

I am in a unique position where I have yet to be accepted to medical school and am currently waiting for one more post-II MD decision.

 

[Etopn23]

I don’t understand, do you want to become a doctor or a physician scientist? If it’s the former, there’s virtually no research opportunity worth missing out on an acceptance for.

I understand that you are mildly happy with the school you’re on the wl for, but the vast majority of people don’t choose where they go. Take the (possible) acceptance that you have in hand. Medical school is just going to get more competitive the longer you wait.

 

[FluteDog]

Thanks everyone for their kind feedback so far, which is very helpful. As a long-time lurker of SDN, I am familiar with and understand the risks that everyone should assume they are rejected until emailed otherwise and that many people don't get to choose where they go.

I'd like to pose a follow-up question: Hypothetically, if an applicant went through some bad times and withdrew from a school they interviewed at prior to a decision, would that same school be forgiving if the applicant reapplied to that school again?

 

[Talldoctor96]

Thanks everyone for their kind feedback so far, which is very helpful. As a long-time lurker of SDN, I am familiar with and understand the risks that everyone should assume they are rejected until emailed otherwise and that many people don't get to choose where they go.

I'd like to pose a follow-up question: Hypothetically, if an applicant went through some bad times and withdrew from a school they interviewed at prior to a decision, would that same school be forgiving if the applicant reapplied to that school again?

Uhhh probably not...I mean it literally tells them you chose not going anywhere over going there. Maybe they wouldn’t even put the pieces together but I can’t imagine it would ever be reflected on positively.

 

[KnightDoc]

Thanks everyone for their kind feedback so far, which is very helpful. As a long-time lurker of SDN, I am familiar with and understand the risks that everyone should assume they are rejected until emailed otherwise and that many people don't get to choose where they go.

I'd like to pose a follow-up question: Hypothetically, if an applicant went through some bad times and withdrew from a school they interviewed at prior to a decision, would that same school be forgiving if the applicant reapplied to that school again?

TBH, this question really doesn't make a lot of sense. Your OP was predicated on you not really wanting to go to this school. You edited the post to indicate that they WOULD give you the deferral if you asked. So why on earth would you withdraw now if you have any interest in going there? Because you want to take another shot with your new, improved application and see if you can do better, while having them as a backup if you can't? You think we are the only ones who can figure that out??? 🙂

Bottom line -- anything can happen, what you are asking is very school specific, and nobody here is on the adcom of this anonymous school to give you a definitive answer, but common sense dictates that you can't have everything. If you think you might need this school, let it play out and take the deferral if you get an A. Otherwise, withdraw, assume you will never be going to that school, and be pleasantly surprised if it's the best school that accepts you on a reapplication.

One thing is for certain -- if you get the A and turn it down (or, even worse, get the A, defer, and apply elsewhere during the deferral year), the odds will be high that you will never be attending medical school in the U.S.

Edit -- I'm certainly not an expert, and am just one pre-med talking to another, but I think you actually did yourself a huge favor by asking about the deferral, before you either had an A or made a commitment to them, which is against the advice of all the adcoms here. You basically signaled to them that you will not be attending next year.

Since it is 5/4 and you don't have an A yet, you should keep in mind that As at this point in the cycle are much more geared towards filling seats in the next class (as opposed to 2021) than earlier in the cycle. JMHO, but I think your chances of getting the A now are very low. If you really want to apply next year as a backup, I'd not withdraw now. The worst that can happen is you get the A and the deferral, and have a guaranteed seat in 2021 without having to go through another cycle, but I think the odds are high that you'll be able to reapply next year without the negativity associated with a withdrawal. Good luck!!!