Too late- advice?

[Medapplicant89]

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Hey Everybody,

I've been following these forums for a couple years, but this'll be my first post:

So I have not submitted any of my secondaries yet, but I have submitted my primary application and received secondary invites. I know it's extremely late in the application process, so I'm wondering what my best options are.

Pertinent info: 34 MCAT, ~3.8 overall, ~3.65 science, graduated and teaching high school science (first year)

Since it's so late, I know I'm facing an uphill battle here, so I'm wondering what my best option is: go ahead and submit the secondaries or withdraw and get everything in next year?

I'm worried about being labeled a reapplicant next year. Does it make any difference if I submit the secondary or not in this regard? Any advice? I'd love to apply this year, but I'm wondering if these secondaries will have any bearing on next year's application cycle, if that ends up being necessary.

 

[Ismet]

I'd save the money and just apply EARLY next year.

I believe different schools have different policies regarding what makes you a re-applicant, but I'm not positive. Hopefully someone else can shed some light on that. I'm assuming that since you were never complete at the schools, you're not technically re-applying (unless they pre-screen, they've never looked at your AMCAS anyway), but then again I could be wrong.

 

[EarthtoneJon]

I was in your position last year. I went ahead and submitted secondaries, but only to my top 5 choices. I ended up getting an interview invite, but got wait listed. Who knows, maybe you'll have better luck.

But if you don't, you're worried that you will be labeled a "re-applicant." Sorry if this sounds naive, but I seriously doubt that matters too much to admissions people. If anything, it shows drive and commitment- so long, of course, as you improve your application during the gap year (shadow, do some relevant work or volunteering, etc.) For example, I was a re-applicant this cycle to my state school. In the interview, they asked why I thought I wasn't accepted last cycle, and I was blunt: "because my MCAT score was terrible, and my application was late." My interviewer replied with something like "well, you improved your MCAT by 6 points and your application is on time now, so...nicely done." A month later, I got the acceptance letter. Moral of the story: I doubt re-applicants are discriminated against simply because they are re-applicants. It only causes problems if you are a stagnant re-applicant, not showing signs of improvement or adjustment. Again, I could be wrong. In your case, your MCAT and GPA are already in great shape, so "improvement" for you might be doing some research, or volunteering at a hospital.

I hope it works out for you next cycle, if not this cycle. If you end up having to sit this one out, enjoy your gap year. Have fun, but also do something relevant to your application...but mostly have fun!

Best of luck.

 

[IslandStyle808]

I was in your position last year. I went ahead and submitted secondaries, but only to my top 5 choices. I ended up getting an interview invite, but got wait listed. Who knows, maybe you'll have better luck.

But if you don't, you're worried that you will be labeled a "re-applicant." Sorry if this sounds naive, but I seriously doubt that matters too much to admissions people. If anything, it shows drive and commitment- so long, of course, as you improve your application during the gap year (shadow, do some relevant work or volunteering, etc.) For example, I was a re-applicant this cycle to my state school. In the interview, they asked why I thought I wasn't accepted last cycle, and I was blunt: "because my MCAT score was terrible, and my application was late." My interviewer replied with something like "well, you improved your MCAT by 6 points and your application is on time now, so...nicely done." A month later, I got the acceptance letter. Moral of the story: I doubt re-applicants are discriminated against simply because they are re-applicants. It only causes problems if you are a stagnant re-applicant, not showing signs of improvement or adjustment. Again, I could be wrong. In your case, your MCAT and GPA are already in great shape, so "improvement" for you might be doing some research, or volunteering at a hospital.

I hope it works out for you next cycle, if not this cycle. If you end up having to sit this one out, enjoy your gap year. Have fun, but also do something relevant to your application...but mostly have fun!

Best of luck.

+1

Absolutely true. The whole re-applicant thing is just a myth (you can show me the stats but I can debunk them with reasoning). OP you have pretty much everything together so just apply. If you don't feel confident then apply early next year (it is really up to you).

I knew 3 people who got into my state school after applying 2 twice (in fact all applied the following cycle). I in fact knew a person who got into my state school after 3 times of applying (he had a 3.7 GPA and tutored at kaplan, so he definitely had a high MCAT).

You can do this!

 

[A Nony Mouse]

I was in your position last year. I went ahead and submitted secondaries, but only to my top 5 choices. I ended up getting an interview invite, but got wait listed. Who knows, maybe you'll have better luck.

But if you don't, you're worried that you will be labeled a "re-applicant." Sorry if this sounds naive, but I seriously doubt that matters too much to admissions people. If anything, it shows drive and commitment- so long, of course, as you improve your application during the gap year (shadow, do some relevant work or volunteering, etc.) For example, I was a re-applicant this cycle to my state school. In the interview, they asked why I thought I wasn't accepted last cycle, and I was blunt: "because my MCAT score was terrible, and my application was late." My interviewer replied with something like "well, you improved your MCAT by 6 points and your application is on time now, so...nicely done." A month later, I got the acceptance letter. Moral of the story: I doubt re-applicants are discriminated against simply because they are re-applicants. It only causes problems if you are a stagnant re-applicant, not showing signs of improvement or adjustment. Again, I could be wrong. In your case, your MCAT and GPA are already in great shape, so "improvement" for you might be doing some research, or volunteering at a hospital.

I hope it works out for you next cycle, if not this cycle. If you end up having to sit this one out, enjoy your gap year. Have fun, but also do something relevant to your application...but mostly have fun!

Best of luck.

No being a re-applicant can sometimes hurt you. I was told by an Admissions counselor that at their school reapplicants went into a separate pile and were less likely to be looked at as frequently.

My advice: If you have $1000+ available at your disposal risk it and apply BROADLY because at this point you might not get to be picky and even then it's a risk. If you can't afford two years of this wait for next year and you should get in.

 

[MilMD01]

I'd at least risk it at a couple schools.

Most schools save 1 or 2 spots for highly qualified applicants, and I think you'll fit those standards.
I can hardly wait to start Med school next year... can't imagine waiting 2 years when you have a chance this year.

Aint nothin' to it, but to do it.

 

[JoeM]

Whether being a reapplicant helps or hurts, since you submitted your primary, you would be considered a reapplicant. It may depend on the school as to whether or not you have to send a secondary to be classified as such. However, I don't think I could honestly select "not a reapplicant" on AMCAS if I had submitted a primary to that school in a previous cycle.

 

[Medapplicant89]

Thank you, Everybody. I appreciate the feedback. I think I'm going to fill out the secondaries for a few of my top schools and hope for the best! Planning on doing this again in JUNE...

 

[gyngyn]

+1

Absolutely true. The whole re-applicant thing is just a myth (you can show me the stats but I can debunk them with reasoning). OP you have pretty much everything together so just apply. If you don't feel confident then apply early next year (it is really up to you).

I knew 3 people who got into my state school after applying 2 twice (in fact all applied the following cycle). I in fact knew a person who got into my state school after 3 times of applying (he had a 3.7 GPA and tutored at kaplan, so he definitely had a high MCAT).

You can do this!

Re-applicants with good stats are actually especially disadvantaged. Screeners will assume with high stats that interviews were granted in the failed cycle (with poor results). They might reasonably conclude a similar result if they were to grant an interview, or worse, that their ability to detect defects is weaker than the schools that already interviewed him!

 

[Lollygag]

I agree that you should apply to a few of your top choice schools just for the heck of it. But I'd have to disagree about the re-applicant part. As another poster mentioned above, I have heard about re-applicants and regular applicants being placed in separate piles. It may not be like that in the literal sense but at some school's a re-applicant will be evaluated differently than others in the sense that they will be examined on how much they improved since they last applied; if there isn't a significant improvement then they are likely to be rejected again.

As far as how many schools do this is beyond me but I am certain that some do this as I've heard it happening multiple times. I do know one of the school's I want to apply to only allow you to apply 1 time. (meaning that you are complete 1 time). Some others have a maximum of 2 times that you are allowed to apply. These school's clearly are keeping tabs on which of their applicants are re-applicants and which ones are new.

Just something to consider thats all.

 

[487806]

Hey Everybody,

I've been following these forums for a couple years, but this'll be my first post:

So I have not submitted any of my secondaries yet, but I have submitted my primary application and received secondary invites. I know it's extremely late in the application process, so I'm wondering what my best options are.

Pertinent info: 34 MCAT, ~3.8 overall, ~3.65 science, graduated and teaching high school science (first year)

Since it's so late, I know I'm facing an uphill battle here, so I'm wondering what my best option is: go ahead and submit the secondaries or withdraw and get everything in next year?

I'm worried about being labeled a reapplicant next year. Does it make any difference if I submit the secondary or not in this regard? Any advice? I'd love to apply this year, but I'm wondering if these secondaries will have any bearing on next year's application cycle, if that ends up being necessary.

Typically, it's a better idea to apply early in the first place, so you don't have to deal with that re-applicant burden... You shouldn't have applied right now since it's late, but instead use that time as a gap year. That would help a lot.

 

[Perrotfish]

Thank you, Everybody. I appreciate the feedback. I think I'm going to fill out the secondaries for a few of my top schools and hope for the best! Planning on doing this again in JUNE...

This, to me, seems like the worst possible option. Applying broadly now (and turning all your secondaris around within a week of getting them) might be worth the risk of not getting in and being labeled as a reapplicant. While the plan might fail it has a reasonable chance of success, considering your stats, and might be worth it to avoid sitting out another year of your life just waiting for school to start. However applying to just 'a few of my top schools' seem like you're torpedoing next years application for an almost negligible chance of improving this years app.

If you're only really willing to go to your top schools, or don't have the money to do this correctly twice, I don't see why you would do this at all.

Just a thought. I'm not on an ADCOM