Mentioning previous application in an interview

Started by GlowCloud
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GlowCloud

GlowCloud

ALL HAIL
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5+ Year Member
So far this cycle I am fortunate to have two interviews at schools where I have not previously applied. Should I mention my previous applications from 2013/2014 in my interviews? Obviously I will be honest if asked about it directly, but I don't know if I should bring it up on my own when discussing my path to medicine or general background. I didn't mention it in my personal statement and I don't want to draw attention to a negative, but at the same time it did play a role in helping me reevaluate my motivations for going into medicine. Thoughts?
 
Have an answer ready but don't bring it up.

It can't gain you anything. "But I've improved since my last catastrophic failure! Look at my grit!" isn't nearly as attractive as just being a bright-eyed young person with a lot of interesting stuff to say. Don't leave them feeling negative or awkward about you.
 
Osteosaur said:
Have an answer ready but don't bring it up.

It can't gain you anything. "But I've improved since my last catastrophic failure! Look at my grit!" isn't nearly as attractive as just being a bright-eyed young person with a lot of interesting stuff to say. Don't leave them feeling negative or awkward about you.
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Okay yeah...when you put it like that I can see why it's a bad idea. I won't mention it!
 
GlowCloud said:
So far this cycle I am fortunate to have two interviews at schools where I have not previously applied. Should I mention my previous applications from 2013/2014 in my interviews? Obviously I will be honest if asked about it directly, but I don't know if I should bring it up on my own when discussing my path to medicine or general background. I didn't mention it in my personal statement and I don't want to draw attention to a negative, but at the same time it did play a role in helping me reevaluate my motivations for going into medicine. Thoughts?
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I'm thinking that this type of mention shows that you have a lot of determination does not balance out the issues the information raises as to why you didn't get into medical school in the first time, or even the wisdom of bringing this up. So be conservative and don't bring this up unless asked.
 
I agree with the above posts, don’t bring it up unless asked but have a strong response prepared. I think that if prepared properly, the “reapplicant” question can really prove positive; determination, perspective, perseverance, resilience, failure- all things learned and will be beneficial as a future med student and physician. As a reapplicant myself, I was also anxious about this topic! From my experience this interview season, only 1 out of 4 schools had an interviewer directly ask me about being a reapplicant but I think that my response added strength to my application (and I was accepted!). Feel free to message me for any more info! Best of luck!!
 
popcorn1096 said:
I agree with the above posts, don’t bring it up unless asked but have a strong response prepared. I think that if prepared properly, the “reapplicant” question can really prove positive; determination, perspective, perseverance, resilience, failure- all things learned and will be beneficial as a future med student and physician. As a reapplicant myself, I was also anxious about this topic! From my experience this interview season, only 1 out of 4 schools had an interviewer directly ask me about being a reapplicant but I think that my response added strength to my application (and I was accepted!). Feel free to message me for any more info! Best of luck!!
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I'll definitely have an answer prepared. I did learn a lot from the experience, but I can understand why it's perceived negatively. I guess I was worried it would come up no matter what, but I'm glad to hear this is not always the case. Thanks for the encouragement and congrats on your acceptance! 🙂
 
GlowCloud said:
I'll definitely have an answer prepared. I did learn a lot from the experience, but I can understand why it's perceived negatively. I guess I was worried it would come up no matter what, but I'm glad to hear this is not always the case. Thanks for the encouragement and congrats on your acceptance! 🙂
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No one asked me. Not even at a school I re-interviewed at. Not to say you shouldn't have a good answer, you already probably had to provide one on your application... but don't stress or be on the defensive!
 
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Re-applicant who got recently got in. Don’t bring it up. Just talk about how whatever you did during that time further influenced you to pursue medicine and brought clarity without mentioning the failed application process. If asked, be honest. I got into a school where I re-applied and the 1st question they asked was “why do you think you didn’t get in last year” and I was honest and stated what I thought was wrong and why it was important and how I filled in the gap. Good luck!
 
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