Completely unprepared- should I just apply anyway?

[ronnicus]

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So I was originally planning on taking a gap year because I thought I wouldn't be competitive enough this year, but should I just apply anyway? If I get rejected I can always just apply again next year right, with a higher gpa and more clinical experiences.

 

[HybridEarth]

Re-applicants are at a disadvantage. Apply when you're ready. The first time is always your best chance of getting in. If you reapply, you need some significant change to your application.

 

[LizzyM]

Would you like to spend hundreds of hours preparing your application and secondary applications and spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on applications only to be sitting here a year from now having to do it all over again?

Do it right, do it once. Do NOT apply unless you think you have the best possible application you can have and that you can rise to the top 40% of your peers because that is where you need to be to get an offer.

 

[Mad Jack]

Crossposting is against the SDN TOS, for the record.

Don't apply until you are ready, as reapplicants are evaluated differently than first time applicants and are at a serious disadvantage. Plus you'll just be wasting tons of time and money.

 

[MrLogan13]

No. Apply when you feel you are ready and competitive. Not only will you waste several hundred to thousands of dollars on application fees, you'll waste your time because you'll have to do it again next cycle. Apply once. Don't apply with the intent of reapplying next year.

 

[MerciMerci]

If your original plan was to take a year off, it was for a reason. If you yourself didn't think your application was good enough, what do you think somebody else is going to think?

 

[Goro]

People who make good choices will always have an advantage in the admissions process.

You can save a lot of time by simply flushing your app fees down the toilet. Better to treat your mom to a nice Mother's Day dinner and apply next year when you're fully ready.

So I was originally planning on taking a gap year because I thought I wouldn't be competitive enough this year, but should I just apply anyway? If I get rejected I can always just apply again next year right, with a higher gpa and more clinical experiences.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Wait until you're ready.

 

[NeuResurgens]

The title of your post is all I need to give a resounding "no."

Applying when you're ready is key in this game. Don't rush into it.

 

[LJN Ltd.]

Do it. We need people like you in our cycle to keep the competition down.