Re-Applying to different schools

[alerk323]

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I've heard that being a re-applicant hurts your chances. That makes sense with schools you applied to the previous years. But what about schools that it is your first time applying too? Do they even know you're a re-applicant? Is it still a disadvantage, but not as much?

 

[theseeker4]

I've heard that being a re-applicant hurts your chances. That makes sense with schools you applied to the previous years. But what about schools that it is your first time applying too? Do they even know you're a re-applicant? Is it still a disadvantage, but not as much?

The biggest thing with being a re-applicant is you have to show you made significant improvements to your application in the time between cycles. If you can show and explain how your application improved, what you have done, your chances shouldn't be significantly lower than they would be if it was your first cycle with the same stats. If your application hasn't improved over last time, adcoms will justifiably ask what, exactly, have you been doing, and will view your lack of action as a lack of real interest in being serious about medicine.

 

[Catalystik]

Here is a good thread discussing this:

Who is a reapplicant: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=751302&highlight=reapplicant

 

[luckyducky87]

I'm not sure if it generally hurts your chances... In a way, I think it shows your commitment to medicine (because if you thought applying once was a pain, re-applying is far worse, both in that you get to spend more money and for me there was a lot of emotional memories of being rejected the first time). That's what I would like to think anyway. I think that is especially true if your application the second time is stellar. I am a second-time applicant and I had the same questions as you at first... I never got an answer really, but I decided to re-apply to ~8-10 of the same schools as last time + apply to 8-10 new schools.

So far, I have 2 acceptances (neither of which I applied to 3 years ago). I am also waiting to hear from 2 more schools I've interviewed at -- both of which I applied to 3 years ago, and 1 of them I interviewed at (and waitlisted) while the other 1 I did not even get an interview invite.

At a school I interviewed at (and later accepted... i.e. this is a school I did not apply to 3 years ago), my interviewer commented "I see that you're a re-applicant" and commented how he was surprised I didn't get in before, etc. Initially, I concluded that all schools must know of my previous AMCAS application then... because nowhere in my application did I mention my re-app status b/c I was also worried of the stigma. But it just occurred to me that one of my rec-letter writers might have mentioned it in their letters (maybe in the context of, I've known her for xyz years, she's re-applying and in the past 3 years I think she's really improved xyz). So I do not know whether schools have knowledge of my past application track, esp if I didn't apply there previously.

Anyway, but a point I want to make is that this school knew that I was a re-applicant, but I was accepted back in one of their earlier batches 🙂 As another poster said, I think it matters more how you've improved since then.

 

[RedSox10]

I've heard that being a re-applicant hurts your chances. That makes sense with schools you applied to the previous years. But what about schools that it is your first time applying too? Do they even know you're a re-applicant? Is it still a disadvantage, but not as much?

No it doesn't hurt your chances because schools wont know that you applied the previous year if you didn't apply to THEM. There is no magical database where schools can see if you are a re-app unless you applied to them. However, some schools will ask in their secondaries whether you applied to ANY schools.

 

[ppfizenm]

If you have improved your app then I don't think it hurts your chances. I believe that you have to mark a box saying your a re-applicant on the primary though