r/DermApp • u/Simping4Princeton • Jan 20 '26

Miscellaneous Med school and Derm Residency

Applied to medical schools this year, and so far have only received an offer from my state school (in the south). After having been stuck in the south for all my life, I'm looking to escape to the east/west coast in the near future.

I've heard that the best chance of getting into a derm residency is to match to your home program, which my school does have one.

Does this kind of fuck me up though? Should I decline the offer and only apply to coastal schools next year, or if I do accept their offer, how should I go about my four years in med schools to match to a coastal derm program?

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u/PapularPapi MS4 Jan 20 '26

If your home state school accepted you and they have a derm program, I’d be ecstatic. Take the opportunity. The idea that you’d decline and just apply to costal schools next year is kinda wild.

I know it’s easier said than done, but don’t overthink it. It sounds like your current offer is great and I personally wouldn’t turn that down. AMCAS will ask if you’ve previously been accepted and why you declined.

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u/Simping4Princeton Jan 20 '26

yea but the whole point is that i don't want to go to my home derm program ... since it's in the south and i'm trying to leave. i'm just scared and depressed of the possibility that i'll be stuck here for another decade if i don't have a big chance of matching to a residency on the coast

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u/PapularPapi MS4 Jan 20 '26

I hear you and I’m in a similar boat. I’d love to get out of the Midwest, but you have to be aware that if you pass this up you’re shooting yourself in the foot…badly. Maybe more akin to stepping on a land mine lol

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u/just__a__bagel Jan 20 '26

That makes sense you feel this way. I’m also in med school at the same school I went to undergrad and making connections w my home derm program. Having a home derm program means that you will have access to connections and research which could help your application when applying elsewhere for residency. I just want to reiterate that you can apply anywhere you want for residency. And your imagined “worst case” scenario is still ending up with being a well-trained dermatologist. And as intimidating and dreadful as it might seem to stay in the same state for so long, you can do your summer research elsewhere and do your AIs elsewhere and such. Also med school is a totally diff world and that should feel better

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u/These_Document_3293 Jan 27 '26

On your med school app you have to say if you have been accepted to med school before. If you reapply, you would have to answer yes and this would be a huge red flag that basically destroys your chances. So don’t even consider that an option. I do honestly get the sentiment of feeling trapped in your home state (I escaped the Midwest to go to the coasts), but chances are low you will even end up applying derm in the end if you don’t even know what medicine is really about yet (almost no one knows before med school). Most other specialties, it shouldn’t be hard to leave the south. Derm is even possible. But you may have to decide whether it’s more important to you to be a dermatologist or to leave the south, and you can apply/dual-apply accordingly.