Reapplying

[trigirl24]

In general, how do med school committees view reapplicants? What about 2x reapplicants? I am [anxiously] deliberating whether or not to apply this year. Last year I applied to a select number of schools (I am a CA resident, so I applied to all CA schools and a few of the more competitive private out of state schools), did not get in--in fact, did not get any interviews--however, because I was very foolish , my application was submitted very late (august) & not complete until Nov. due to transcript request "issues", so i'm not sure how good a yardstick that is. . .

While I realize there are not guarantees, my scores, grades, experiences, etc. are such that I should be able to get in somewhere--just possibly not into one of the top schools on my list. Nonetheless, I am considering applying again to a limited # of schools, with the thought that if I don't get in, I can continue with my research job, as well as double up on classes--perhaps even an mph program, since I would otherwise like to do a combined md/mph.

Main ? is: does it look bad to apply 3x or should I hold off? I figure if I do get into one of my top choices, i'm stoked & it saves a lot of hassle. If not, I can use the time to do something worthwhile & improve my application, then apply everywhere & cover all bases.

Sorry for the lengthy post; your advice is appreciated

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[2tall]

You should set up a meeting with the dean(s) at one or a couple of the schools where you applied. You want specific feedback on why you didn't get in and what areas of your app you need to improve. A review of your file can really guide you toward an answer of this year vs next year.

Apply early. If you re-apply this year, your AMCAS application should be complete by July (end of the July at the latest).

You need more variety in your school list. Applying to schools for name recognition, prestige, or because of US News rank is just not a wise idea. Just because a school's Top 20...doesn't necessarily mean it's the perfect fit for you. Choose schools that have programs that line of with your philosophy and career plans. So do your research AND apply to schools you'd attend. I hate when someone posts...My only acceptance is at Blank University School of Medicine; Should I go? That is sooooo annoying!

Schools are okay with re-applicants as long as they improve their applications. Some schools do limit the number of re-applications. I'm sure others will have more feedback for you.

Keep the faith.

P.S. The post wasn't that long. Have you seen some of the other ones? They write their autobiographies!

 

[Kazema]

I also have to recommend casting a wider net. Just because a school is highly ranked doesn't necessarily mean it is the right school for you - you can't know that until you've done considerable research on the school, and sometimes, not until you actually visit the school and meet some of the other students. But certainly don't apply to say, Wisconsin if you can't possibly live in such a cold area, or some school that you feel would be "beneath you" to attend. It may seem counterintuitive, but it is actually worse to get into a school, decline the acceptance and choose to reapply rather than just not get in anywhere and have to reapply.

You don't have to add a ton of schools, but consider a few more than just the top private schools outside CA.

 

[trigirl24]

I also have to recommend casting a wider net. Just because a school is highly ranked doesn't necessarily mean it is the right school for you - you can't know that until you've done considerable research on the school, and sometimes, not until you actually visit the school and meet some of the other students. But certainly don't apply to say, Wisconsin if you can't possibly live in such a cold area, or some school that you feel would be "beneath you" to attend. It may seem counterintuitive, but it is actually worse to get into a school, decline the acceptance and choose to reapply rather than just not get in anywhere and have to reapply.

You don't have to add a ton of schools, but consider a few more than just the top private schools outside CA.

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. It isn't really the prestige, much more the location that I am hung up on. It seems that the CA schools are all very competitive (though some slighltly more/less so than others) but ideally, I would really like to stay here. The out of state schools seem to be primarily either a)highly competitive (Duke, UVA, UNC, Vanderbilt, etc) b)somewhere really cold/unpleasant c)have a strong in-state bias.

I know it might seem mildly ridiculous that I am placing this much emphasis on weather, especially given the limited amount of free time in med school. "You won't even notice where you are, you'll be too busy studying. . ." However, I am not only an avid athlete and spend nearly all of my free time outdoors, but I also suffer from winter depression & therefore tend not to do well in cold climates. Therefore, I would really like to stay in either CA or the south/southeast. If you have any suggestions, in terms of schools I may have overlooked, please let me know

I will certainly be applying earlier this year. . .now off to work on the PS

 

[Kazema]

Oh I don't think it's ridiculous at all that you're placing a lot of emphasis on weather - I really think you have to be happy where you go to school. And I wasn't necessarily directing the little thing about prestige at you, but there have been quite a few posters who've posted about how they got into some school or other and want to reapply because they think they deserve to go to a better school .

But check out some other schools - there are quite a few that don't show too strong an in-state bias and are good schools. For instance the Philadelphia schools (though some are considered state schools) are pretty open to out-of-staters. And Philadelphia's not all that cold - it's not warm in the winter but it ain't Rochester . SLU and Tulane are two other schools that are in warmer areas that aren't too picky about where you're from.

In general I think I met more people from California during my interviews that from any other state. Adcoms know how hard it is for CA peeps.

 

[DukeDoc08]

Wake Forest is a great school (I personally loved it when I interviewed there) and it seems like they are making strides in almost every field and clinical and basic science research, as well.
NC has great weather in general and the Winston-Salem area is one of the better climates of NC. The scenery is pretty in some of the older neighborhoods and the downtown area is really starting to take off!
As far as in state/ out of state...they get people from all over....they are very interested in people very interested in them, so keep that in mind if apply there (hint hint)

 

[nockamura]

I liked Wake too, for a variety of reasons. The weather seems to be overcast a lot, but not particularly cold. It's my last hope for med school this year. I sent a LOI, but we'll see.

 

[jllander]

Yay Wake! I am a CA resident and Wake is really good about taking out-of-staters. It is private so that helps. I would definitely put that on your list.