Is it too late to START my application now?

[Jaigantic]

I know AMCAS has already opened for submission. I suppose technically I wouldnt be starting from scratch as I am a reapplicant. Initially my plan was to take a year off and really strengthen my app. But I am considering applying again to a handful (less than 10) schools that I didn't apply to last year, as I won't show up as a reapplicant in their system.

I am wondering if submitting my primary by the end of June/beginning of July would put me at a significant disadvantage because of the length of time it would take to be verified or if I would still be early. Despite having my primary ready from last cycle, I am planning on rewriting all of my activities and PS so this may take some time.

I know under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be too late. But for extra context, I am an international student so I am hypersensitive to any factors that may even slight hurt my chances.

Thanks in advance!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[HomeSkool]

It wouldn't put you at a disadvantage because of the timing in this cycle. The real disadvantage would come from applying to new schools without having improved your competitiveness. Do you have a good reason to believe you'll be more successful at that handful of schools than you were with the others last cycle? Because it seems to me you're setting yourself up to fail at those schools, too, and then be a reapplicant with them later. If I were you, I'd spend a year strengthening my application and then apply to all those schools for the first time as a stronger candidate.

 

[Jaigantic]

It wouldn't put you at a disadvantage because of the timing in this cycle. The real disadvantage would come from applying to new schools without having improved your competitiveness. Do you have a good reason to believe you'll be more successful at that handful of schools than you were with the others last cycle? Because it seems to me you're setting yourself up to fail at those schools, too, and then be a reapplicant with them later. If I were you, I'd spend a year strengthening my application and then apply to all those schools for the first time as a stronger candidate.

I'm considering reapplying to these new schools because I spoke to an admissions recruiter (not committee member, I don't think) from one of the schools that rejected me, and he told me that my application is already competitive as is, it was just a matter of luck/highly competitive cycle that I ended up with no acceptances.

The main way i've improved my competitiveness is by increasing my volunteer hours. I have several quality ECs that have now reached into 100+ hours, whereas last cycle they were at ~50 hours. Also, I have a publication in the works but it would have to be in the form of an update later on in the cycle. Do you think these warrant a sufficient increase in competitiveness?

 

[Kpw101]

You should improve all weaknesses in your app as much as you can and just prepare for one strong cycle imo. The committee you talked to said that it was only by chance that you were rejected so you should have a very bright season after a focused gap year.

If you think you can't improve your application anymore then throw your chips in the table but from what it sounds like you're not ready to fully commit a cycle yet.

I got side-tracked and didn't answer your question. If you choose to apply this season you're still early! Consensus is that you're fine as long as you submit secondaries before a certain holiday later in the year. (I forget which but there are a few threads on sdn about this topic.)

 

[stickgirl390]

I was a reapplicant. Many schools will ask if you have applied to ANY medical school before, not just theirs. Just a heads up.

 

[HomeSkool]

I'm considering reapplying to these new schools because I spoke to an admissions recruiter (not committee member, I don't think) from one of the schools that rejected me, and he told me that my application is already competitive as is, it was just a matter of luck/highly competitive cycle that I ended up with no acceptances.

I question what he told you. If you're plenty competitive and missed out on his school from simple bad luck, that would be one thing. But to miss on every school? That probably means there's something more holding you back. With a competitive application and an appropriate school list, I'd expect things to break your way somewhere.

The main way i've improved my competitiveness is by increasing my volunteer hours. I have several quality ECs that have now reached into 100+ hours, whereas last cycle they were at ~50 hours. Also, I have a publication in the works but it would have to be in the form of an update later on in the cycle. Do you think these warrant a sufficient increase in competitiveness?

I couldn't say without knowing more about your application. GPA? MCAT? ECs? School list? State of residence? The more info you provide, the better I can advise you.

 

[Lawpy]

It wouldn't put you at a disadvantage because of the timing in this cycle. The real disadvantage would come from applying to new schools without having improved your competitiveness. Do you have a good reason to believe you'll be more successful at that handful of schools than you were with the others last cycle? Because it seems to me you're setting yourself up to fail at those schools, too, and then be a reapplicant with them later. If I were you, I'd spend a year strengthening my application and then apply to all those schools for the first time as a stronger candidate.

I question what he told you. If you're plenty competitive and missed out on his school from simple bad luck, that would be one thing. But to miss on every school? That probably means there's something more holding you back. With a competitive application and an appropriate school list, I'd expect things to break your way somewhere.


I couldn't say without knowing more about your application. GPA? MCAT? ECs? School list? State of residence? The more info you provide, the better I can advise you.

If someone applied and got several interviews but ended up with straight waitlists that failed to materialize into acceptances for whatever reason, would it be reasonable for that applicant to reapply immediately the following cycle? Since the issue with their outcomes is likely their interviews and not their application.

 

[Jaigantic]

I question what he told you. If you're plenty competitive and missed out on his school from simple bad luck, that would be one thing. But to miss on every school? That probably means there's something more holding you back. With a competitive application and an appropriate school list, I'd expect things to break your way somewhere.


I couldn't say without knowing more about your application. GPA? MCAT? ECs? School list? State of residence? The more info you provide, the better I can advise you.

I'm quite sure what is holding me back is the fact that I am an international student. Which makes it so that my school list is necessarily composed of mostly top tier private schools, since these are the only schools that accept internationals to begin with. That said, there were a good handful of schools that I applied to that would normally be "safeties" where I was well above the median GPA and MCAT (the recruiter who told me to reapply was from one of these schools). If you like, I can post the whole school list to give you a better idea.

My cGPA was around 3.96 and sGPA around 3.94. They are basically the same now. MCAT is 516. I have several hundred hours in both clinical and nonclinical volunteering, a lot of which are in disadvantaged latino communities, hospice, etc. ~60 hours shadowing. thousands of hours of research (no pubs, but with one potentially in the next few months). No state of residence because I am an international student.

I did get only one interview last cycle at a top 10 school which ended in a waitlist and now rejection a few days ago. So there are no red flags or anything (as the recruiter also told me). I felt the interview went very well, the interviewer was very interested in me as a person, my hobbies, etc. but who knows maybe there was something I didn't catch on to. So the fact the whole cycle I only got one interview from such a high ranked school makes me think the international status had something to do with it.

That's why I was considering reapplying to these few schools that I didn't apply to last cycle, to maximize my chances. Albeit, the reason I didn't apply to them last cycle is because although they consider them, they had little or no acceptances of international students.