Question about reapplying...

[ToledoPike]

Hey everyone,

I tried to look for a topic about this using search but couldnt find many concrete things. Anyways, here i go...

This may be kind of a stupid question, but I was wondering if there is any consequence from reapplying if you dont get in your first time? I am mentioning this because I just found out that I can most likely graduate a semester earlier than I expected (so Spring 2008 instead of Fall 2008) which is great news. One thing I am worried about though is that I havent taken the MCAT yet (doing so in August) and have not really gotten anything together yet for applying for med school.

Now, I am going to make sure that this graduation can happen that Spring before I do anything, but if so, am I way too late to start the process? How soon or when can I start to apply and such? Also, I am guessing the answer to this is yes, but am I quite hindered from not having my MCAT out of the way yet?

Also, a main thing is that if I apply and dont get accepted this time around, does that stick with me in the future for reapplying?

Please just let me know any thoughts you guys may have!

Thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[xylophone]

OMG nooooo...

why would you even think of re-applying before you've even started? if you don't feel ready this around, its better just to wait and build your application and be a really strong applicant next round. it is never an advantage to have reapply. if a school has already rejected you one time, you have to give them a REALLY good reason to consider you again. and yes, not having your MCATs right now will put you at a disadvantage.

i can speak from experience, the application process is EXPENSIVE. and you don't want to have to do it more than once. if i were you, i'd wait and be really on top of it next year.

 

[xylophone]

wait, ToledoPike, I didn't read your post carefully enough... you said you're applying spring 2008?? and then later you said "this application cycle"... I'm confused.

if you are applying spring 2008, then disregard my previous post -- that's ok, a year is plenty of time to take the MCAT in august and get LOR and everything.

 

[ToledoPike]

I meant that I can graduate in Spring 2008 most likely rather than the Fall, which was kind of delaying what I can do.

Anyways, it is not that I am nto confident in myself or anything in thinking that I wont get in, its just how late I may be in the process. I have a 3.96 GPA in Chem. Eng along with good EC's and a large amount of volunteering. I am also pretty confident about how well I will do on the MCAT this August.

I am mainly just wondering if it is too late to get rolling on this (I have a lot of free time so I could dedicate myself to it) or if I should wait until next summer, which would mean that I would have a whole year off of school (which I really dont want).

 

[xylophone]

i'm no expert, but your stats sound pretty good. and if you're pretty confident you can do well on the MCAT then there is no reason to wait. spring 2008 is a whole year away. that's plenty of time to prepare to apply. i'm just saying that you should not reapply if at all possible. it's no fun.

 

[caprisun]

.

 

[ToledoPike]

bump...

Thanks for the replies, still wondering if there are more opinions out there!

 

[TheRealMD]

if i read your post correctly.. you are thinking of applying now for matriculation Fall 2008. if this is incorrect then just disregard what i say.

but otherwise, you are not late in the process of applying at all. the AMCAS application was only released a little while ago and you will still be considered early if you apply by mid summer. as for your MCAT in august, many people traditionally took the paper in August and had to wait for their scores even after applying during the summer so it's not really that late either to submit your AMCAS and then take your MCAT's in august. furthermore, the computer-based MCAT's report their scores sooner too. if you feel like you can do a good job on your AMCAS, i don't see a reason not to apply right now.

there may, however, be a couple of problems you might encounter that might not ALLOW you to apply. many colleges that write committee letters require your recommendations, AMCAS rough draft, paperwork, etc to be turned into the career services (premed advisers) early in the summer. so you should definitely check with your school if you missed any deadlines with them.

xylo is right in that if you apply and get rejected, schools are looking for you to be really improved the second time around. that would be your only disadvantage. actually for some schools, ive heard they will reject mediocre apps just to test their resilience so it may even be a benefit to reapply (but that is probably a silly rumor). either way if you have good numbers and EC's, youre not too late. gluck.

One thing though that makes this application cycle much different: The MCAT is now offered many more times per year than in the past. If someone wanted to retake their MCAT twice, they could have already done so by now and gotten their score back. So you ARE at a disadvantage come August.

But, apply when you think you are ready.

 

[Lauriann]

I had a question about reapplying and letters of recommendation. My letters for the last cycle were not sent to my undergraduate letter service until mid November. Do I have to get new and current letters from the recommenders for this cycle all over again. It seems ridiculout to ask the letter writers to write letters again less than six months later.

 

[Law2Doc]

Hey everyone,

I tried to look for a topic about this using search but couldnt find many concrete things. Anyways, here i go...

This may be kind of a stupid question, but I was wondering if there is any consequence from reapplying if you dont get in your first time? I am mentioning this because I just found out that I can most likely graduate a semester earlier than I expected (so Spring 2008 instead of Fall 2008) which is great news. One thing I am worried about though is that I havent taken the MCAT yet (doing so in August) and have not really gotten anything together yet for applying for med school.

Now, I am going to make sure that this graduation can happen that Spring before I do anything, but if so, am I way too late to start the process? How soon or when can I start to apply and such? Also, I am guessing the answer to this is yes, but am I quite hindered from not having my MCAT out of the way yet?

Also, a main thing is that if I apply and dont get accepted this time around, does that stick with me in the future for reapplying?

Please just let me know any thoughts you guys may have!

Thanks

There is a reapplicants board where you can probably get better info on the ins and outs of being a reapplicant. The goal should always be to apply only once and get in, not just "give it a shot". Being a reapplicant is a disadvantageous status as you tend to have to show substantial improvement since the last application, and some schools don't look at reapplicants the same way as first time applicants. Thus it's almost always smarter to lose a cycle and improve your app so that you get in as a first time applicant in a later year rather than just throw things up and see what sticks. This is not a race and the folks that treat it as one more often get burned.

 

[xylophone]

I had a question about reapplying and letters of recommendation. My letters for the last cycle were not sent to my undergraduate letter service until mid November. Do I have to get new and current letters from the recommenders for this cycle all over again. It seems ridiculout to ask the letter writers to write letters again less than six months later.

If there were sent to an undergrad letter service, then that letter service should still have your letters on file. you can use them again, but if you're applying to the same schools as last year, you may want to get a couple new ones as well, from new activities you've been doing.

Or if you are still in touch with your recommenders, get them to send the same letter with a new date. Though to me November sounds current enough.