Mentioning that you are a reapplicant looks bad?

[rudziutki]

---

Members do not see this ad.

At a school I interviewed at recently I was asked a question about time I received criticism and what I did in response. This was at a relatively high ranked school to which I did not apply previously. I told a story of reapplying to medical school.

My interviewer, who was mostly smiles during the previous 20 mins, suddenly turned frowny and contemplative. I felt like I was being judged for being a reapp.

What do yall think? Does coming out of the 'reapp closet' at a school who would never otherwise know that you are a reapp look bad?

 

[Mr Avante]

He was paying attention to your story

 

[pietachok]

What do yall think? Does coming out of the 'reapp closet' at a school who would never otherwise know that you are a reapp look bad?

They can tell from your AMCAS that you're a reapplicant even though you didn't previously apply to their school.

In the future, it's probably not the best idea to draw attention to something that casts doubt on you -- you wouldn't say, "other schools thought I wasn't worthy of admission," because it makes someone wonder what those schools saw that was unappealing. This is the only opportunity to sell yourself to an adcom, and you need to be careful not to raise any extra concerns. If they ask about it, then address it in a way that reflects well upon your analytical skills, self awareness, and constructive improvement. You should pick something less intimately related to medical school applications to respond to such a question.

The response may have had more to do with details of what you said than the simple fact you were a reapplicant. You may be over-analyzing the expressions and viewing them from a perspective of unnecessary anxiety.

 

[Donald Juan]

I don't think it looks that bad...it shows you are serious about getting into med school. There are many reasons why someone doesn't get into med school the first round and if anyone understands that it's an adcomm member.

I'm not saying that you want to make it the first thing you shout as you extend your hand when meeting your interviewer, but if the best way for you to answer a question sincerely and honestly is to mention your previous application/interview experiences, then by all means tell the story.