reapplicant question on secondary

[Arista.MD]

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I have noticed that some medical schools ask if you have previously applied for admission to medical school.
Will this count against us, who are reapplicants? Just curious...

 

[PMED99]

It could help you or hurt you. Depending on what you have done in the off year(s) makes it help or hurt. Suppose you increased your GPA, got a masters, helped an old lady across the street, and rid the world of HIV, then it would help you. But if you have done nothing to improve then it hurts.

What I believe they do is look at your file from last application cycle, and basically compare to see what is different.

 

[Arista.MD]

Last application cycle I only applied to one school. Does that mean that they are going to call up the school to request the file?

 

[MNgrrl]

no, they won't call the other school (especially because how are they going to know???) I think generally places just want to know if you are a reapplicant to their school only. I am a reapplicant, but I only put reapplicant if I actually applied to their school the first time around. They want to know so they can match you with the notes they have from past application cycle and decide if your application is improved.

 

[Arista.MD]

I had questions of the type

Have you ever applied to any medical school?

Keck is one who asks something like this.

If you are a reapplicant at that school, the school should know because you write that on the AMCAS anyway.

 

[PMED99]

Ya, sorry. That is for the school if you applied there before. Only they will have a file for you.

Sometimes a school may just want to know if you have applied before. Even if it was not at their school the last time, it could still be good for them to know that you have been through this before.

 

[Robz]

I would say that if you applied to a school and reapplied the next year they want to know how you have improved yourself. I applied last year to ETSU and got rejected presecondary. I traveled to the school to meet with the staff to talk about it. This year I recieved a secondary application (it had to completed in small time frame) and am waiting to hear back to see if I get an interview. I revamped a lot of my AMCAS application and made sure that it showed its strengths, making me shine. I think schools pay attentions if you reapply. It shows determination.

 

[Amy B]

I have seen applications that do ask if you have applied to their school before. Then they usually follow that question up with.... What have you done since the last time you applied to improve your application?