Can you reapply to a school that you turned down a previous year?

[curious7891]

This year has been a weird one for virtually everyone, I imagine. After getting an average MCAT score this summer, my confidence in my application was pretty low. After talking with my advisor, I felt like I could only apply to only one or two schools. After sending in my application, I got a clinical job that has been extremely eye-opening and has made me more confident in my career path. The clinic I work at has been struggling to fully staff their floor for a while and it has only gotten worse with the current situation. I want them to be able to count on me to stick around a bit longer plus I feel the more I work there, the more I am learning and know what kind of caregiver I want to be. That being said, I feel like going back to school this next fall may not be the right decision for me. I find myself in a very strange predicament. If I reject the one school I applied to/was accepted to this year, will they still be receptive to a reapplication in the future? I was fully ready to accept when I applied, but a lot has happened since then. I just don't want to throw away an opportunity that I am extremely grateful for and did not expect.

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[Osteosaur]

They'll see you got accepted and turned it down. Having "a clinical experience" doesn't really make you a great applicant because everyone has that. You got really lucky. You might not be so lucky again. What are your stats?

If you want to be a doctor, got to medical school.

 

[lumya]

Can you apply for a deferment? If you reject this school and try to re-apply again, it will not be looked upon favorably. Take the acceptance you have and run with it. Nothing is guaranteed in the future.

 

[Goro]

This year has been a weird one for virtually everyone, I imagine. After getting an average MCAT score this summer, my confidence in my application was pretty low. After talking with my advisor, I felt like I could only apply to only one or two schools. After sending in my application, I got a clinical job that has been extremely eye-opening and has made me more confident in my career path. The clinic I work at has been struggling to fully staff their floor for a while and it has only gotten worse with the current situation. I want them to be able to count on me to stick around a bit longer plus I feel the more I work there, the more I am learning and know what kind of caregiver I want to be. That being said, I feel like going back to school this next fall may not be the right decision for me. I find myself in a very strange predicament. If I reject the one school I applied to/was accepted to this year, will they still be receptive to a reapplication in the future? I was fully ready to accept when I applied, but a lot has happened since then. I just don't want to throw away an opportunity that I am extremely grateful for and did not expect. I would also like to apply to more schools next time because, with my new clinical experience, I am a much better applicant than I gave myself credit for the first time around.

Turning down an acceptance is the single worst decision a pre-medical student can make, and yes you would be black balled at that school, and deservedly so.

If you are not ready for medical school now, withdraw your application, and apply next year. That will not be held against you.

And make better choices

 

[deleted1066189]

If I reject the one school I applied to/was accepted to this year

You only applied to one school and got in? You don't know how lucky you are...

 

[deleted1066189]

The clinic I work at has been struggling to fully staff their floor for a while and it has only gotten worse with the current situation. I want them to be able to count on me to stick around a bit longer

The CVS pharmacy I've been working at, wishes I always take random extra hours on my off days. The few times I did, we're understaffed anyway, and it doesn't permanently fix the mess that corporate is responsible for. I've learned very quickly, how to keep a balance of being helpful and hardworking, but also not letting my week be dictated by erratic scheduling.

You need to learn how to say no, or take on only as much as you're willing to take. Be sure to step up when you want, but don't be a pushover either, and don't feel guilty for not planning to stay long-term. Make sure you're still pursuing your goals in life!

 

[GoSpursGo]

Looking at poster's history, I think it is possible that this is not a "traditional" US-based med school...

If you reject an acceptance, you absolutely will never get accepted there again. If the school you are accepted at is a UM MD or DO school, then declining an acceptance is foolish. If it's NOT, and your goal is to practice medicine in the US, there's a decent chance that you never should have applied to that school in the first place (though I admit, I'm not super familiar with the program you may be talking about).

In any event, feeling bad that you're leaving your current job is not a good reason for making your decision. There's no way that another year working this job will be as meaningful as an actual year in med school.

 

[CaliGal777]

Unless you were part of the panel to make the Covid19 vaccine, nothing will be that impressive. I know students who applied to 10 schools and got rejected 10/10. If this post is true, you should go to vegas since you do have luck on your side. A clinical job? You do realize, once this covid19 goes away, there will be massive healthcare layoffs. What if you get laid off come 11/2021. You are jobless and potentially drained that one chance to go to medical school. Clinical decision making and acumen are very important No clinical job will ever teach you that on its own. You need to know information and apply it as such. A job is just a job. You are a pawn. You can easily be replaced or let go overnight. I sense other issues at hand but I do not know your entire situation.

Eitherway be happy you have an acceptance, if not move out the way so the next guy/gal in line get this well deserved seat.

 

[curious7891]

Thank you all for the feedback, these are excellent points! I have not yet been accepted to the school but feel that the interview couldn't have gone better. I am incredibly grateful for the potential opportunity to go to medical school and I do feel excited and ready to start. My main hesitation was leaving the clinical job after working for less than a year(and am almost 100% certain I will not be laid off after covid). This may seem a bit absurd knowing the end goal is medical school, but I feel working there full-time is helping me to better understand the healthcare system, dynamics between team members, and the art of connecting with patients. I am worried about missing out on what can be gained from that full-time, firsthand perspective before going to medical school. Perhaps that is foolish thinking and if I don't get acceptances in the future, I would undoubtedly be shooting myself in the foot.

For stats: I got a 505 MCAT (so I would retake if I didn't accept this year), 3.6 sGPA, 3.8 cGPA, a set of weird extracurriculars and hobbies that I have excelled at, meaningful volunteering, and clinical hours.

With that being said, I am heavily weighing the options and trying to make a decision long before they send out acceptance/rejections so that I am not taking up that chance for someone else. Thank you again for your advice and input, it is greatly appreciated.

 

[GoSpursGo]

My main hesitation was leaving the clinical job after working for less than a year(and am almost 100% certain I will not be laid off after covid). This may seem a bit absurd knowing the end goal is medical school, but I feel working there full-time is helping me to better understand the healthcare system, dynamics between team members, and the art of connecting with patients. I am worried about missing out on what can be gained from that full-time, firsthand perspective before going to medical school. Perhaps that is foolish thinking and if I don't get acceptances in the future, I would undoubtedly be shooting myself in the foot.

I'm sorry, but because you used the term--this is foolish thinking. You are learning a lot about the healthcare system because you know nothing to start with, but you would learn much more in school-->residency-->practice. Don't delay/risk an acceptance for this job, that is crazy.

Bottom line, if you get accepted and it's a reputable program, you should matriculate. Period, end of story.

 

[curious7891]

I'm sorry, but because you used the term--this is foolish thinking. You are learning a lot about the healthcare system because you know nothing to start with, but you would learn much more in school-->residency-->practice. Don't delay/risk an acceptance for this job, that is crazy.

Bottom line, if you get accepted and it's a reputable program, you should matriculate. Period, end of story.

This is a fair point. I have decided if I am accepted, I am going! I think this year has maybe contributed to a twinge of crazy thinking but honestly thanks to this thread and some of the harsh but true comments for helping me find my head again. Life is short and I don't want to chance not being able to fulfill my dreams.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Is this one of the newer schools? Your stats are very competitive for any DO school and could be competitive for MD with a ~512

I’m also curious what this school is. OP, is this a US MD or DO school?

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Prior posts suggest the school is UQ Oschner. That probably changes much of the advice in the thread.

 

[DNAJB6]

For stats: I got a 505 MCAT (so I would retake if I didn't accept this year), 3.6 sGPA, 3.8 cGPA, a set of weird extracurriculars and hobbies that I have excelled at, meaningful volunteering, and clinical hours.

With that being said, I am heavily weighing the options and trying to make a decision long before they send out acceptance/rejections so that I am not taking up that chance for someone else. Thank you again for your advice and input, it is greatly appreciated.

If it's a US medical school, it is foolish to turn it down especially with a MCAT score that low.

 

[deleted1082375]

This year has been a weird one for virtually everyone, I imagine. After getting an average MCAT score this summer, my confidence in my application was pretty low. After talking with my advisor, I felt like I could only apply to only one or two schools. After sending in my application, I got a clinical job that has been extremely eye-opening and has made me more confident in my career path. The clinic I work at has been struggling to fully staff their floor for a while and it has only gotten worse with the current situation. I want them to be able to count on me to stick around a bit longer plus I feel the more I work there, the more I am learning and know what kind of caregiver I want to be. That being said, I feel like going back to school this next fall may not be the right decision for me. I find myself in a very strange predicament. If I reject the one school I applied to/was accepted to this year, will they still be receptive to a reapplication in the future? I was fully ready to accept when I applied, but a lot has happened since then. I just don't want to throw away an opportunity that I am extremely grateful for and did not expect.

You can always ask them to defer to the next cycle. People do that for various reasons. Can't hurt to ask.

But if I were you, I'd take the acceptance and not look back.

 

[Dr Meow]

Prior posts suggest the school is UQ Oschner. That probably changes much of the advice in the thread.

Is this school going to be regarded in the same way as a Caribbean MD?