withdraw post acceptance = no chance in future?

[dogfacewhizza]

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Hypothetical question – let’s say you interview at a school and are unsure about it, then by the time the acceptance comes you have decided its not the place for you. Let’s also assume that it is the only school you got into this round. It seems that if you withdrew and applied in the next cycle you would obviously not have a chance at that school again, but could it have an effect on the way other schools view you? Do med schools communicate with each other? I'm picturing a memo with my name and picture on it saying "don't let this guy in, he wasted our time" going out to schools across the country. Does this happen?

 

[THH]

I've heard that this is a red flag to adcoms. So yes, it can affect your chances next year.

 

[DocDocGooseM]

Additionally, if you only receive one acceptance this cycle, what makes you think you'll get in elsewhere next cycle? Med school is only 4 years, your career will span decades. Why risk it?

 

[dogfacewhizza]

Thanks for the thoughts, trying to stay away from the "why would you do this?" line of questioning. Really trying to find out if adcoms will ever even know if you've been accepted to other programs, if med schools communicate about this issue, or if you have to self report that info.

 

[TheElement]

From personal experience, my cousin got into Texas tech one year and rejected it hoping to get a better offer the following year. He wound up matriculating there and was at the top of his class. Go figure.

 

[PlayMeSomeMusic]

Does AMCAS ask or is just if you have matriculated into a program?

 

[TarHeel55]

Some med schools ask on their secondaries if you have ever been accepted to medical school. I recall this question on the Albert Einstein and Duke secondaries, for example.

 

[Maxprime]

Some med schools ask on their secondaries if you have ever been accepted to medical school. I recall this question on the Albert Einstein and Duke secondaries, for example.

I recall usually being asked if I had ever matriculated before, but just accepted was more rare.

It's one of those things that I bet is tougher to hide. If you have good enough numbers to get in, they're going to wonder why you didn't get in anywhere (I would). From what I've heard on SDN (take from that what you please) it is something you just don't do.

 

[derArzt]

Would you let someone in if they turned you down before? I wouldn't

 

[Jolie South]

something to think about. . .

is getting into a "top" school worth delaying your career?

if the only acceptance i got was to a school i didn't like, i would still run with it.

 

[Depakote]

While it certainly is not advisable to pass up an acceptance to take a crack at another school the next year... this debate comes up every year and there is always some anecdotal evidence that passing up an acceptance is not the death of your application.

AMCAS does not ask about prior acceptances, just previous matriculation (unless the questions have recently changed).

This doesn't stop them from asking in secondaries/interviews... in that situation, your best bet would be to answer truthfully and hope they'll see your logic. While it is possible it could come up, I doubt it will.

Do schools talk, yes. But I doubt this would come up... You're one of thousands of applicants. I think you'd have to commit some level of application fraud for one school to actively poison your application to others.

 

[dogfacewhizza]

Would you let someone in if they turned you down before? I wouldn't

As I said above, you clearly couldn't expect to get into the same school you turned down again. I’m wondering if that school would then contact all the other schools out there, or if there is a student blacklist floating around.

I do remember having to state if you have matriculated before, but of the 12 or so schools I applied to they didn’t ask if I had been accepted. I did hear that about Einstein app as well though.

And, Jolie, it wouldn't be a matter of getting into a "top" school, what if you interviewed, didn't like the students or location and felt the program wasn't for you. Could even be a "top" school. Let’s say a top ten school was your only acceptance and you thought everyone was way too competitive?

Again, just a hypothetical, hasn't happened, hopefully won't happen, just thinking out loud.

 

[Jolie South]

As I said above, you clearly couldn't expect to get into the same school you turned down again. I’m wondering if that school would then contact all the other schools out there, or if there is a student blacklist floating around.

I do remember having to state if you have matriculated before, but of the 12 or so schools I applied to they didn’t ask if I had been accepted. I did hear that about Einstein app as well though.

And, Jolie, it wouldn't be a matter of getting into a "top" school, what if you interviewed, didn't like the students or location and felt the program wasn't for you. Could even be a "top" school. Let’s say a top ten school was your only acceptance and you thought everyone was way too competitive?

Again, just a hypothetical, hasn't happened, hopefully won't happen, just thinking out loud.

for me, I would just go rather than wait, but I'm in a different situation than you. I've already taken time off, done other stuff, and just want to go back to school NOW.

if i was applying as a junior in college, maybe i would think differently.

 

[Crixivan]

I don't believe that they talk to each other about past cycles, but they will see when you took the MCAT and when you finished your premed studies, so what you've been doing in the meantime will probably come up in an interview.

As for the school that you declined, you should probably have a good reason for the pseudo-deferral, and I suspect that it would depend on how high up on their list you fell and whether or not you are a state resident if it is a state school. In my experience with interviewers, it seemed to me like they expect that if you're committed to medicine, then you'll take an acceptance wherever you can get one.

The only plausible scenario in which I could picture this is if you only got into a lesser desired state school and was hoping to upgrade in the next cycle. If that's the case, take what's offered. Not only is state tuiition cheaper, but you're probably not going to do much better as a re-applicant.