How many times can one reapply?

[sunflower79]

Is it true that schools start to see you as a "loser" if you apply for the 3rd time? That is what my premed advisor (who is new at her job) told me. Or is applying to med school like most other things-- what do you have to lose if you apply again?

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[StitchEM]

Um, that's not true. If at first you don't get in, you find out why and try and correct the problem then re-apply,once, twice and so on. Some high tier schools may have procedures for re-applicants, call and see. But most schools won't hold it against you and in fact are impressed by people who keep trying.
The stats show that most don't get in on the first try. The only thing to do is find out why by calling the admissions office and talking with the dean and trying to rasie that gpa or mcat or do more community service or whatever.
I too have been cursed by inept pre-med advisors who don't know thier job,or are retireing and don't give a damn anymore. Keep pushing and eventually you'll get through.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Some schools will only allow you to apply twice. Other schools will gladly take your money every year.

 

[relentless11]

From what i get, you'll LOOK like a loser if you take the MCAT more than 3 times in the eyes of the med schools. Unless you took it 3 times when you graduated college, then took it again years later. You can apply as many times as you want though. In regards to the MCAT, scores no longer work after 3 years anyways, so........don't really worry about taking the exam 3 or more times anyways.

I've talked to an MD, he applied 5 times with scores of something along the lines of GPA 3.4, MCAT of like 28-30. Something like that. Personally i think the med schools like to see some sort of persistance. I believe someone in this forum stated that if you're gonna give up after being denied the first time, why did you apply in the first place? Besides, med schools are usually happy to get your money, like any other school in this world. Hehe.

 

[Georgey]

I think Homer brings up a crucial point. Check the MSAR school for school when you are applying and see how schools perceive reapplicants. Some will say that a third application is discouraged. Some will even say a third application will not be accepted. Others however will say that reapplicants will not be penalized. I think it depends on the individual school you are talking about. Good luck.

 

[gmendese]

Not to be confrontational, but that comment about being a loser if you take the MCAT several times is BUNK! Get your head out of your a#@! How DARE you say that someone is a LOSER because of their tenacity?! Sure, if you have a 2-something gpa and low MCATs on repeated tests, then it would probably be a vain effort to try and raise your scores. But if you have a great GPA and are perhaps weak in a section or two and are maybe advised to take the MCAT again by admissions committees and advisors(for the fourth time in my case), then clearly you're not a loser! I can't get over how so ignorant and pompous some of the people are in these forums. "My MCATs are 34+ and my GPA is 3.9 from Yale". You never see people posting scores like 26 and 3.2 GPAs, do you? Wonder why...

 

[cipher]

Originally posted by Georgey
Check the MSAR school for school when you are applying and see how schools perceive reapplicants. Some will say that a third application is discouraged. Some will even say a third application will not be accepted. Others however will say that reapplicants will not be penalized.

This is a pretty old thread that I'm bumping up, but I did some searches for this info and couldn't find much. I'm trying to figure out which schools I shouldn't waste my money applying to for this, my third, application cycle (), but so far UCLA is the only school I've come across that says, in bold letters: A THIRD APPLICATION IS DISCOURAGED (it's on their website, not the MSAR). If anyone knows offhand any schools that don't like receiving a third application, could you please post them so I won't waste time and money applying to them? Thanks.

 

[doctorperez]

Add Harvard to your list

 

[Samoa]

Most schools won't say it in the MSAR, unless they actually prohibit reapplication after a certain point. But the school websites are usually more up-front about what they look for, and the admissions office staff the most forthcoming of all--their interest lies in REDUCING their workload, not adding to it by soliciting noncompetitive applications.

There ARE schools out there who will favor a reapplicant over a first-time applicant, all else being equal. But there are also schools that'll do the exact opposite. It's a matter of each particular school's educational philosophy.

The other question you need to ask is whether they keep your old apps on file, and just add the new one to the file, or whether they dump the files and if so how frequently? If they keep them for any length of time, then give some thought to whether there may be things in that old app (for example, damaging LORs) that make it pointless to reapply even if all other circumstances are favorable AND you have an improved application.

 

[Lil IceBoy]

Yea, after talking to someone in the office for UCI med, she let me know that at least in the eyes of UCI, third time applying is pretty much the cut off.

However, I have heard of many people who have tried and gotten in after the third time.

 

[SonGoku]

Add Einstein and Rochester to the list as well. If you can't find the info in the MSAR, just call the school. Sometimes pre-med advisors can give out wrong information unintentionally, so I would double check everything. Mine told me a math professor could not write a non-sci LOR, but all but one of the schools I am applying to said that it was ok.