I think I shot myself in the foot this cycle by applying so late to be honest. Last cycle my low MCAT was definitely the problem. So I re-took and raised my score at the end of this July and began a full time job. I have been so incredibly busy w work, and also had to save up to re-apply. So I have been really behind on apps. I just finished submitting all of my secondaries (completed a few at the end of Sept and the rest the first couple weeks of October). I applied to about half the amount of schools as last year bc of financial issues(this year I applied to 15, last year I applied to like 28). Last cycle i got 3 II's (1 was WL--> R and the other 2 I just stayed on the WL and didnt get off) and submitted WAY earlier, I was finished in July last year. I cant help but have a nagging fear that how late I was this cycle will result in even fewer interviews than last year, if any at all. Preparing for a round 3 :/
2020-2021 Re-Applicant Support Thread
- Thread starter sun_flower580
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Congrats on being done with secondaries and major kudos for juggling so many different hats over the past few months. I hope you got a chance to celebrate when you submitted your last one! Or at least just bask in the glory of ending the work day and getting to veg out versus dive into a secondary prompt
Earning three II last cycle is no joke, that's really impressive. Clearly you bring a lot to the table. It's so hard to judge timing this cycle as Covid has changed things. Undoubtedly applying early has advantages, but this whole process can be so unpredictable. Regarding preparing for round 3, I think that's a mindset all of us should be in, as exhausting as it sounds. Not obsessively, but just staying plugged into our extracurriculars, coursework etc. Sending hugs your way!Honestly in the same boat and feel as dismal as I can remember. Tough times recently... Girlfriend broke up, pursued a shadowing opportunity which I booked an AirBNB for which didn't fall through, and on top of that still haven't received my updated committee letter. This puts me at "complete" around 9/24 but with LORs sent separately. 3.3/509 and my MCAT expires after this cycle so have to maybe retake but honestly banking on getting in this cycle. Out of all things, I recently got admitted for shadowing a chiropractor and PT and will get another letter soon but that was 6 months of being out of work and treating my sciatica.
Applied to: PCOM, LECOM, OUHCOM, NYITCOM and that's it.
So I'm right there with you. Feeling as hopeless as I can be recently but thinking about just studying for the MCAT again so I can apply earlier and better next cycle. But also feeling de-motivated as I watch everyone I know accel ahead.
Thank you fam-oCongrats on being done with secondaries and major kudos for juggling so many different hats over the past few months. I hope you got a chance to celebrate when you submitted your last one! Or at least just bask in the glory of ending the work day and getting to veg out versus dive into a secondary prompt
it is indeed very unpredictable with COVID... I wasn’t expecting way more applicants this cycle so there’s the first major curve ball. Guess we will see what happens. Good luck to you too, I hope a third cycle is not in either of our futures sighMan that sounds rough. Also really hoping you don’t have to take that mcat again... fingers crossed hoping for the best!!!
I know it’s still really early in the cycle but I need to vent. I am fortunate to have one interview coming up, but it’s also my third time applying to medical schools and I’m scared of getting rejected yet again. At this point, I’m highly considering applying to the Caribbean next year if I don’t get in anywhere. These last few years have been such an emotional roller coaster, rejection after rejection. I feel especially hopeless today after getting a rejection email from a school I was hoping to get an interview from.
Do you guys know if it is frowned upon to talk about being a reapplicant in an interview? I assume it is best to be candid but not sure if I should be avoiding it until maybe the interviewer brings it up? or if I can talk frankly and openly about it.
Definitely avoid it unless they bring it up. General rule of thumb is to not draw attention to negatives of your app.
Applying to medical school will literally tear you down emotionally until it feels like you have nothing left to you. You pour your heart and soul into these applications, you spend 5+ years planning and working towards building a competitive application, you build a network of supportive people that constantly try to reassure you that "you will get in, don't worry" and all your hopes and dreams come crashing down the moment you get those rejections.
Sorry if that seems dramatic but I wanted to vent. I am a reapplicant this year, I interview at two schools last year and was waitlisted then rejected, now I have four interviews this cycle and I just received my first waitlist notification and all the same feelings I had last year came rushing back. Getting put on a waitlist is like being told "You're just not good enough." As if I haven't worked hard enough the past 5 years for this single moment. Just knowing that not only am I not a school's "top choice" but I may not get in this year or any other year for that matter. It really just fuels all my insecurities and imposter syndrome that I have worked so hard to overcome since the last cycle.
Applying to medical school is not for the weak folks. This process sucks. Hoping for something to turn out this cycle. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
Sorry if that seems dramatic but I wanted to vent. I am a reapplicant this year, I interview at two schools last year and was waitlisted then rejected, now I have four interviews this cycle and I just received my first waitlist notification and all the same feelings I had last year came rushing back. Getting put on a waitlist is like being told "You're just not good enough." As if I haven't worked hard enough the past 5 years for this single moment. Just knowing that not only am I not a school's "top choice" but I may not get in this year or any other year for that matter. It really just fuels all my insecurities and imposter syndrome that I have worked so hard to overcome since the last cycle.
Applying to medical school is not for the weak folks. This process sucks. Hoping for something to turn out this cycle. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
I think it can honestly be a strong point of your app if you spin it right. You have to emphasize your resiliency and passion for still pursuing medicine even after being rejected before. I have brought it up in my interviews because it was a huge part of my journey.
First time posting on this site but been following this forum for a while. I feel like I have to respond because I have seen so much well-intentioned but bad advice... it is truly the blind leading the blind on sdn! I am re-applicant who applied in 2018-2019 and took a whole year off before reapplying. I mentioned being a reapplicant in my personal statement and currently have 15+ interview invites and multiple acceptances from MD schools, including a couple top 10/ top 20 schools. I talked about being a re-applicant at every school I interviewed at, even schools that I am not technically a reapplicant because it is my first time applying to them. I even re-interviewed and was accepted from a school that waitlisted me 2 cycles ago! Every school has viewed being a re-applicant positively because of the growth I have done (except for maybe the places that have rejected me pre-interview, but WTH knows lol?).
I am ORM, cookie cutter EC's, research but no publications, 3.7 GPA, Illinois resident. I applied with a 518 MCAT last time and had to retake it this cycle because it expired... my new MCAT, which was taken this year, is 522+ (I am mentioning this to give hope to "high stat" reapplicants because I have seen it baselessly repeated on this site that there is a strong bias against us... obviously I am only one data point, but this seems to be total BS at most schools: even Stanford, which is arguable the hardest school in the country to get accepted, has a re-applicant essay!)
I want this post to give hope to re-applicants and quell some insecurities about SDN advice that may very well be myth (re-applicant bias, etc.). I've realized that there is a very fine line between applicants who get accepted verse rejected and an even finer line between people who get accepted verse waitlisted. Keep working toward your goal and eventually you will cross this line! Don't worry about things you can't control like "reapplicant bias," high MCAT retake bias" (if your situation happens to be similar to mine), "multiple MCAT attempt bias," "schools don't re-interview applicants bias," or "cookie cutter EC bias" (I might have made some of these up, but I hope you get still my point haha). My final advice and response to your post is to not hide being a re-applicant in your application and interviews, they are a part of your life story, own that **** and talk about it confidently!
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As someone who got in on his third try, I can say with absolute clarity that there’s no shame in being a reapplicant. If you’re not getting the interview love you’ve hoped to receive or even if you are, think critically about yourself. What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? Why medicine? Why do you think you’ve qualified for this profession? What could you have done better? Sure many of these are interview questions but they’re also tools to help you improve your app. If you can’t answer why medicine in a compelling way, can’t show your passion for helping people, etc fix that.
If your writing skills don’t look like they’ll stand out, fix that by improving your writing skills and find people actually invested in your success to look over your personal statement etc. I can’t stress the importance of strong writing skills. If your writing style is boring, unimaginative, and/or lacks personality, how and why do you think someone should take a chance on you? That’s one of the only windows they have into who you are as a person so don’t overlook any detail. Same for your interviews. For those interviewing, don’t just settle for answering practice questions and doing some mock interviews. Really dig down, analyze every aspect of your answers. Don’t answer for the sake of answering. Answer with purpose and with clarity. Normally I’d offer interview prep (for free because I don’t believe in getting paid to help others) but I’ve got my hands full with medical school.
Just so everyone here knows, I didn’t have any interviews my first two cycles and I’m now attending a T10. Granted I made poor school lists and I had no idea how to apply, but point is, you’ll get in if and when you’re ready. So for the love of god (I’m not religious), if this is what you want, dig deep and be critical of yourself and strive for improvement rather than taking your shot and simply wishing for the best.
If your writing skills don’t look like they’ll stand out, fix that by improving your writing skills and find people actually invested in your success to look over your personal statement etc. I can’t stress the importance of strong writing skills. If your writing style is boring, unimaginative, and/or lacks personality, how and why do you think someone should take a chance on you? That’s one of the only windows they have into who you are as a person so don’t overlook any detail. Same for your interviews. For those interviewing, don’t just settle for answering practice questions and doing some mock interviews. Really dig down, analyze every aspect of your answers. Don’t answer for the sake of answering. Answer with purpose and with clarity. Normally I’d offer interview prep (for free because I don’t believe in getting paid to help others) but I’ve got my hands full with medical school.
Just so everyone here knows, I didn’t have any interviews my first two cycles and I’m now attending a T10. Granted I made poor school lists and I had no idea how to apply, but point is, you’ll get in if and when you’re ready. So for the love of god (I’m not religious), if this is what you want, dig deep and be critical of yourself and strive for improvement rather than taking your shot and simply wishing for the best.
Hi! Does anyone have any insight on whether re-interviewing at a school impacts anything in anyway? I’m wondering if it hurts, helps, or makes no difference at all
I assume it depends on the school. I re-interviewed at two schools this cycle and one asked me a ton of "why us again" questions and the other never brought it up. I got in to the school that didn't mention the re-applicant bit, so take that as you will lol
I got hit with 2 R’s today. One was my top choice. Not feeling all that great, especially being a 3rd time applicant
Just remember all it takes is 1 A, try and keep the hope alive
yes good point, i always have to actively remind myself that. i think it's always hard when you get R after R :/ but thank you for your positive outlook
Hmu privately if you want to have discussions about your application. I am a re-applicant after getting ONLY 1 interview my first cycle which resulted in a WL and then a rejection. I re-applied this cycle to MD & DO schools with a total of 7 interviews so far. 2 from MD and 5 from DO. I was accepted to 2 DO schools, rejected from 1 post-interview, and wait-listed at another. 1 rejection from MD so far (Pre-Interview Rejection).
I can also speak to you via Discord verbally or if you want to talk over the phone. I prefer talking over discord or phone because I can go into more intricate/descriptive details.
I can also speak to you via Discord verbally or if you want to talk over the phone. I prefer talking over discord or phone because I can go into more intricate/descriptive details.
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Question for you guys about sending updates to schools. I have seen a lot of websites saying you should start sending updates/letters on intent to help your case around December. I am nervous to do this because I just recently moved to a new state and I am still looking for a new job. I am fearful this move will reflect poorly on me because I accounted for volunteer/research hours through May on my AMCAS application. So in my update I would essentially be saying "Hey so all those hours I put on my app? Yeah, they aren't going to happen anymore." My plan is to hold off on my update until I at least get a new job in research so I can say all those research hours are still going to happen, just in a new lab, but I am not sure how to address the volunteer hours I had planned on. What do you guys think? Accepting any and all advice pleaseeee
Lol this cycle of doom is starting to feel VERY repetitive. Just got hit with a waitlist from my only interview and I’m getting ptsd from last cycle, where I had 3 WL and didn’t get off any. Ugh. This is so frustrating. This school pulled zero people off of the waitlist last year btw
Hey everyone. Thought I'd join in this thread. This week I got my 3rd rejection. What made this one really sting was that it came from one of the four schools that waitlisted me last cycle..
I hope the rest of you are doing better than I am as reapplicants!
I hope the rest of you are doing better than I am as reapplicants!
Third time applicant here and this cycle has been a massive success for me so far. 2 MD IIs to very good state schools, and 4 DO IIs. No word post interview from any of them yet. I still have yet to secure the A but I'm feeling much better. Last year I got 1 MD interview with a subsequent R.
3 interviews. 2 waitlists.
Just finished a first draft of my new personal statement for the 4th cycle
So I used the same rec letters for the past 2 cycles. I heard for third cycle we should get them updated; but these letters are from professors that I haven’t really spoken with in a long time so honestly there’s nothing for them to update. Do y’all think I can just re-use mine again and try and get a new one added or will that look bad
Just email them and ask them to update the date, and maybe talk a little about what you've done since you took their classes. This is my third cycle and I had to get whole new letters cuz TMDSAS doesn't let you use again after 2 years. Idk if thats the rule for AMCAS for AACOMAS though
I have had two DO IIs, one of them is at the end of this month. I have really been hoping to get a late MD II. I have had a lot less early Rs this year and a lot of the schools I applied to interview through March and April but I don't want to be too optimistic. This really sucks. I am not getting any younger. Best of luck to everyone!
I’m in TMDSAS too, do you know if we can use committee packets again after 2 years?
I am really hoping for a late MD II-A but I am beginning to become a doomer. I hate this process
omg I am so sorry. I am applying to MD and DO schools and fortunately a lot of schools I applied to interview through March and April but I do not want to be recklessly optimistic! best of luck to you!
When you reapplied, did you completely rewrite your personal statement? How about your activities or secondaries? How about anyone else on this thread? What did you rewrite and why?
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Not completely. I re-wrote it but talked about the same experiences. Some of my first personal statement was wordy, and despite proofreading it a bunch of times, I somehow still managed to have some grammatical and spelling errors. I obviously fixed all of those minor errors the second time around. I also moved some paragraphs and reworded some of my paragraphs. I doubt any schools actually have the time to read your previous personal statement; however, just to play it safe, it is probably best to change it a little. Sticking with the same topics shouldn't be a problem (it wasn't with me) because if there is a genuine reason why you want to be a doctor, it is unlikely that 1 or 2 years will change this reason or make you arrive at an entirely new reason. Sorry for taking a while to reply and hope this helps!
Yesterday, I got accepted into one of my top choices (a private IS school and my only A). I originally applied in the 2018-2019 cycle, only got one interview (my state school and alma-mater) which resulted in an R. The feedback they gave me was to get more clinical experience. I got a job as a medical lab assistant where I’ve worked for the past 2 years, gaining incredibly meaningful medical/clinical opportunities! Unfortunately, my state alma-mater rejected me without interview this time...however, a few days after that R I got an II at the school I will be attending. This has been a crazy journey, and things didn’t go as I originally had thought when trying to “plan out my life” 4-6 years ago, but I couldn’t be happier where I’ve ended up. Good luck to everyone and keep up the hard, grueling work
Thanks so much! How about your secondaries and/or activities. If the activities are the same, I'm thinking I don't have to rewrite them. Also, did you rewrite secondaries, like "Why this school" or "Your most impactful clinical experience"?
So Im currently sitting on 3 WLs, TMDSAS match is coming up next week and I had 4 IIs for it so Im hopeful but there are people who get 4-5 IIs and dont match, so if it doesnt happen idk what I'll do, probably cry in the corner. 3 time reapplicant and I really just hope Im done with this stuff.
