Applying for the second time questions

[caliman10]

Hi guys, I applied this round in August and have 10 more schools that I haven't heard anything from since the secondary app. I am trying to get myself prepared to apply for the next round and had some questions.

I just graduated undergrad, can I use the same letters of rec for next pass? They are really outstanding
I letters I would like to use!

I will retake the DAT, and apply first week.

Any advice someone can give who applied twice or more?

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[y3nd0]

You can reuse your letters for another cycle, I believe. And it won't be frowned upon. I think if your letters end up being 3+ years old, then maybe you should consider getting new letters.

Normally when you reapply, schools are looking for a better application. This could mean a higher GPA, higher DAT, more EC's, more community work, research, etc. So it's up to you to pick and choose what you need to improve. You've already planned to retake the DAT, so that is a start. If you feel like your EC's are what held you back, you'll need to improve those.

From what I know, some schools do ask if you are a reapplicant on their secondary application, and they ask you, "What makes you a more competitive applicant this time?" So be prepared to answer that question in both secondaries and interviews (if the question comes up).

For the record, I'm not a reapplicant.

 

[caliman10]

You can reuse your letters for another cycle, I believe. And it won't be frowned upon. I think if your letters end up being 3+ years old, then maybe you should consider getting new letters.

Normally when you reapply, schools are looking for a better application. This could mean a higher GPA, higher DAT, more EC's, more community work, research, etc. So it's up to you to pick and choose what you need to improve. You've already planned to retake the DAT, so that is a start. If you feel like your EC's are what held you back, you'll need to improve those.

From what I know, some schools do ask if you are a reapplicant on their secondary application, and they ask you, "What makes you a more competitive applicant this time?" So be prepared to answer that question in both secondaries and interviews (if the question comes up).

For the record, I'm not a reapplicant.

Thanks for the reply! I have (what I think) are good ECs

250 hours shadowing
200 hours international volunteering

What do you think?

 

[y3nd0]

Hard to tell since I don't know the average number of volunteer hours accepted applicants normally have/the quality of your EC's. If you have time to squeeze in some more between now and when you reapply, definitely do it since it won't hurt. And plus, I don't know how schools will react when they ask, "So what makes your application different this year?" and you respond with "I got a higher DAT". They'll definitely wonder what else you were doing during your time off.

 

[caliman10]

Hard to tell since I don't know the average number of volunteer hours accepted applicants normally have/the quality of your EC's. If you have time to squeeze in some more between now and when you reapply, definitely do it since it won't hurt. And plus, I don't know how schools will react when they ask, "So what makes your application different this year?" and you respond with "I got a higher DAT". They'll definitely wonder what else you were doing during your time off.

Ya that's the thing! I am out of school and will make sure my DAT is stellar but other than more hours there's not much I can do.

 

[sjv]

Ya that's the thing! I am out of school and will make sure my DAT is stellar but other than more hours there's not much I can do.

Are you working? That should be part of the answer to the question.

 

[caliman10]

Are you working? That should be part of the answer to the question.[/quote

I work at Starbucks haha I tried and tried to get a job on a dental office but I am having a hard time because everyone needs RDAs.