Re-applying looked down on?

[kj8210]

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Hey guys I just had a quick questions. I was talking to a friend who just got into dental school and knows many kids who have gotten into medical school. I mentioned to him that if I don't get in anywhere this cycle that I might take a year off and apply again the next cycle. He told me that re-applications look bad and send red flags to admissions committees and that I am better off not applying this cycle and just saving my time and money applying next cycle. Is there any truth to the fact that re-applicants are looked down upon? I would really appreciate some feed back. Thanks!

 

[dsoz]

OHSU publishes the statistic that about 30% of each matriculating class is comprised of reapplicants.

But OHSU is known to be very nontraditional friendly, and has a very high average age (usually 26-7).

Good luck. Ask for exit interviews from schools where you were rejected from, then use those suggestions to improve your application for next time.

It may seem like forever, but you have lots of time to make this your career. I am starting at age 42, and expect to be doing this for the next 25-30 years. If you start in your 20s, you will be able to retire young, or explore a second career when you get older.

Good luck to you.
dsoz

 

[VictorAlpha]

I do not think re-applicants are looked down on. Maybe the opposite. It shows you are committed to your goal of becoming a doctor. Now, of course you want to submit an application that is better than the last one and in a significant way (add experience, letters, etc..).

the other thing that comes with re-application that (I think) is not lost on the ADCOM is life experience. You may be a little older and a little more mature than some of the other people applying and this could be worth something to the ADCOM.

Don't spam a school with applications year after year, that will look bad. But have a clear plan about improving your application and keep after it.

 

[music2doc]

Hey guys I just had a quick questions. I was talking to a friend who just got into dental school and knows many kids who have gotten into medical school. I mentioned to him that if I don't get in anywhere this cycle that I might take a year off and apply again the next cycle. He told me that re-applications look bad and send red flags to admissions committees and that I am better off not applying this cycle and just saving my time and money applying next cycle. Is there any truth to the fact that re-applicants are looked down upon? I would really appreciate some feed back. Thanks!

If you're not going to be ready DON'T APPLY. Reapplicants have a lower chance of getting in. Sure, it might sound nice to say that "it shows commitment" that you reapplied but the fact of the matter is that the schools to which you apply will see you are a reapplicant and will also be aware that this means you were unanimously rejected the previous cycle. In other words, why should they consider you when every other committee made the unanimous decision to NOT take you? They have a "supercommittee" giving them a recommendation. To be given serious consideration at that pt you need to be able to demonstrate significant changes since your previous application. In other words, if you're not going to be ready, WAIT.

 

[LizzyM]

I'd strongly recommend holding off until you are sure that your application is the best it can be. This process is too expensive, too time consuming and too emotionally exhausting to be done more than once. Do it right and you'll only have to do it once.

 

[clued]

OHSU publishes the statistic that about 30% of each matriculating class is comprised of reapplicants.

But OHSU is known to be very nontraditional friendly, and has a very high average age (usually 26-7).

Good luck. Ask for exit interviews from schools where you were rejected from, then use those suggestions to improve your application for next time.

It may seem like forever, but you have lots of time to make this your career. I am starting at age 42, and expect to be doing this for the next 25-30 years. If you start in your 20s, you will be able to retire young, or explore a second career when you get older.

Good luck to you.
dsoz

Actually, it looks like you're a NY resident so your chances at OHSU wouldn't be so great. Though, you have many great NY and nearby options.

To get back to your point about being a reapplicant, I don't think it raises red flags as long as you continue to improve yourself and your application going into the next cycle.

If you do end up reapplying, be ready to answer questions like, "what have you done since last year that has better prepared you this time around?" I would suggest revamping your personal statement and adjusting your secondary essays (to schools you reapply to). You can't just send in the same info and hope for different results - if you do, that would be a red flag.

 

[plumhill]

Being a re-applicant is only looked down upon if you don't improve your application from year to year. That being said, I agree with LizzyM. Its MUCH better to wait a year and strengthen your application than to spend thousands of dollars for each of two application cycles.

 

[gyngyn]

There are different types of re-applicants but one thing they share is evidence of a miscalculation. Whether it was not doing research on their compatibility with a sufficient number of schools or lacking interview skills there was enough lack of preparation or ability to rule them out.

Persistence alone is not a virtue.

 

[Mdtichen]

I was a reapp and I had a good cycle this time around. You will be fine if you have to reapply as long as you show that you have bolstered your application.

 

[music2doc]

If you're not going to be ready DON'T APPLY. Reapplicants have a lower chance of getting in. Sure, it might sound nice to say that "it shows commitment" that you reapplied but the fact of the matter is that the schools to which you apply will see you are a reapplicant and will also be aware that this means you were unanimously rejected the previous cycle. In other words, why should they consider you when every other committee made the unanimous decision to NOT take you? They have a "supercommittee" giving them a recommendation. To be given serious consideration at that pt you need to be able to demonstrate significant changes since your previous application. In other words, if you're not going to be ready, WAIT.

I'd strongly recommend holding off until you are sure that your application is the best it can be. This process is too expensive, too time consuming and too emotionally exhausting to be done more than once. Do it right and you'll only have to do it once.

There are different types of re-applicants but one thing they share is evidence of a miscalculation. Whether it was not doing research on their compatibility with a sufficient number of schools or lacking interview skills there was enough lack of preparation or ability to rule them out.

Persistence alone is not a virtue.

OP (and all the pre-meds saying "Just Do It!") -- are you seeing what I am seeing? Just a hint: look at the people in the two camps here. There is what appears to be a significant divide in terms of what people with experience (school admin, current med student, current physician) and those without (pre-meds) are suggesting. For a myriad of reasons, essentially planning to reapply is a very poor decision. Apply when you're ready and not before.

 

[red doctober]

A bad re-applicant is someone who up and applies right away the next year without making any improvements to their application. Schools that notice that you've applied once before are going to look for what you did to boost your application in the time between the two application cycles. Taking an extra year off between applications to improve the application is typically advised for re-applicants.

 

[music2doc]

A bad re-applicant is someone who up and applies right away the next year without making any improvements to their application. Schools that notice that you've applied once before are going to look for what you did to boost your application in the time between the two application cycles. Taking an extra year off between applications to improve the application is typically advised for re-applicants.

This. In essence, OP, if you apply now and don't get in, you have really lost 2 years instead of one since you'll need the year off in b/w to become a viable reapplicant. If you're not ready now, it makes sense to just wait the year in the first place instead of losing more time (AND MONEY!) unnecessarily.

 

[McNCheese]

The best advice I've ever received is, "Do it once; do it right". If you know that there are serious deficiencies in your application that could keep you from getting an acceptance, take some time to correct those before you apply.

 

[IncognitoGuy]

A bad re-applicant is someone who up and applies right away the next year without making any improvements to their application. Schools that notice that you've applied once before are going to look for what you did to boost your application in the time between the two application cycles. Taking an extra year off between applications to improve the application is typically advised for re-applicants.

For sure. But as LizzyM said if you do it right, you only have to do it once. So take advantage of the resources around you and make your application the best it can be.

Additionally, don't be afraid of taking a year+ off to strengthen your application. You might post a topic in the What Are My Chances sub-forum and see what people think.

 

[mvenus929]

Two thoughts.

1) If you happen to not get in, taking a year off to improve your application before reapplying is a great idea, as it will allow you time to really see if pursuing medicine is the path for you. Reapplicants aren't inherrently bad... there are some people who just got the short end of the stick and narrowly missed being admitted because they weren't in the right applicant pool that year. Several of my classmates, including myself, are reapplicants.

2) That being said, it SUCKS to reapply. It's a time sink, and a cash sink, and it's really a hassle to deal with, especially if, like me, you were out of school a full year prior to applying the second time, and trying to get fresh LORs. So, I'm echoing what others have said... if you don't think you can get in the first time, wait.

 

[pdxhopeful]

If yu know your app has significant weaknesses, wait until they're dealt with before applying. Yeah, you might luck out but the more common result is that you will not be accepted and you'll be out major dough you could have used to improve your app and pay application expenses next cycle and possibly look like you didn't bother to do the research to ADCOMS.

if you're just not Mr./Ms. 4.0 and 40 go ahead, with a well chosen school list. Your odds are much better in that case.

The absolute kiss of death is reapplying without having made significant efforts to become a more competitive applicant.

 

[dudeliness]

Edit:
Whoops. Somehow posted in the wrong thread!

 

[dudeliness]

I didn't see him in the presentation? I'd like to get more imput on age bias after 40. I don't think people are being forthright about this. I remember a while back there was one med student or so that mentioned some comments that alluded to this kind of bias during interviews.

It's an advantage to look younger for your age, but once they look at the numbers, it may certainly come up.

He wasn't part of our group in the fireside chat. Below I have attached a post of his. Feel free to check out his profile and message him. I know he wouldn't mind talking with you about his experiences.

It may seem like forever, but you have lots of time to make this your career. I am starting at age 42, and expect to be doing this for the next 25-30 years. If you start in your 20s, you will be able to retire young, or explore a second career when you get older.

Good luck to you.
dsoz

 

[dudeliness]

Ok, now this is just getting weird. How is it that when I post in another thread, quoting from this thread, it suddenly appears in this thread?

Anyway, dsoz, there is a guy in the guero fireside chat thread asking questions about being a 40yr old applicant. Guero and I were trying to direct him to you. That's all that's going on here. Nothing more to see folks, move along.