Withdrawing from schools after receiving first acceptance

[carolina910]

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So I am very excited to have received an offer of admission from my state school UNC! I could see myself being very happy there and the in-state tuition is going to be hard to beat. There are some schools I applied to that I didn't like nearly as much as UNC and would likely be more expensive anyway. For some of them, even if I could go there for free, I would STILL pick UNC over them.

I know this isn't a "problem" because I could just leave my application in there and forget about it. But I feel like withdrawing from these schools is the right thing to do, because my application shouldn't be clogging up the process when I already know I'd never go there. I think it's unfair to the adcom to spend more time considering me, and unfair to other applicants who are waiting to hear.

Should I withdraw from these schools? What is the protocol for this -- do I just call or e-mail the admissions office and say, "hey I'd like to withdraw"?

 

[y123]

The portals of most schools have a "withdrawal" option.

 

[WingedOx]

No need to be excessively altruistic unless you want to be. When all is said and done, open spots will find their way to people (even if they are waitlists). Ultimately you've earned the right to have options.

 

[Doug Underhill]

If you want to be a Good Guy (trademark symbol) and you know there is ZERO chance you will go there over UNC, the best thing to do is to withdraw. It ensures that people who are passionate about those schools will have a better chance of going there. You don't have to, of course. Nobody would fault you if you didn't.

Congrats on the UNC acceptance.

 

[DokterMom]

Go ahead and withdraw, either through the portal or by email. A simple "I've thrilled to have been accepted at UNC and will be matriculating there" is all you need to say.

Three good reasons: Thin the pipeline, leave more interview spots and acceptances for other applicants, and improve your own mental 'applications to acceptances ratio'. How much nicer to reject them instead of waiting around until they reject you?

 

[hypericum]

Seeing as how you probably paid $120 or so to each of these schools to be considered, I don't think it's fair to believe that you're somehow "clogging" up the process. Besides, how can you absolutely know you won't go to a school you haven't even visited?

If you get 4 acceptances and turn down 3, that doesn't mean you've kicked 3 people out of med school. Schools account for yield or can pull from the waitlist.

That said, I withdrew from 5 schools by email, mostly because I didn't see myself spending more money/time interviewing there. I wrote this: "Hi, I am an applicant for the current cycle (AMCAS ID --------) and I would like to withdraw my application, as I have received an acceptance to another medical school. Thank you for considering my application. Sincerely, Applicant"

 

[NickNaylor]

If there is zero chance you would attend another school over UNC, I say withdraw.

If there is any chance at all that you might attend a school over UNC, then I say go to the interview to check the school out if you have the time and money. You never know how a visit or more information might change your mind. The school I ended up attending wasn't even on my radar before I interviewed there.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Yeah, if UNC is in any situation higher on your list than School X, Y, and Z, you should withdraw. Just email them and politely thank them for the opportunity to apply but you wish to withdraw your application. You won't hurt their feelings, I promise.

 

[carolina910]

Thanks for all of the advice guys! I currently withdrew from two schools -- one of which I was invited to interview at but would be expensive to get to (and I'm not really interested in the school anymore), and one at which I already interviewed, because it really didn't fit well with me when I visited and I know I'd never go there over UNC. Might consider withdrawing from a few more that have been silent if I decide I wouldn't go to the interview even if they offered it at this point.

 

[IlDestriero]

As Nick said, you never know what might happen at an interview, and you never know who might offer you some scholarship money. I'd take the interviews and then see what they're offering.

 

[takeurmeds02]

Simply put, if you know you're not going to ANY of the other schools then withdraw. Otherwise, you're wasting your time and other individuals' resources.