My app was pending August 31st but I didn't want to rush and be complete later in the cycle but I had already submitted my primaries. So now even without MCAT score I"m going to be considered a reapplicant at those schools I applied to. How bad does being a reapplicant affect chances?
UGH! I withdrew my app without MCAT score now are my chances lower as reapplicant?
- Thread starter milnila
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The bias against reapplicants is mostly SDN hype.
Just show improvement.
Just show improvement.
LOL I had the improvement I just didn't have an mcat score
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My thoughts:
- Being a reapplicant in and of itself doesn't mean much. However, there are usually reasons why someone needs to reapply, whether it be inadequate GPA, MCAT, school selection, essays, interviewing skills, late application, IA, etc. So being a reapplicant serves as a potential (but not foolproof) indicator that there was a flaw somewhere. The flaw is usually pretty obvious.
- You are judged on your application at the time of each submission. As long as you have addressed whatever sunk your application the first time (in this case, the late application / MCAT score), you will be given a fair shot.
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There are schools whose best matriculants are re-applicants.
There are also plenty of other schools (often private, though in CA they can also be public) who have the luxury of viewing re-applicants as "previously screened."
There are also plenty of other schools (often private, though in CA they can also be public) who have the luxury of viewing re-applicants as "previously screened."
what do you mean?
Honestly this is the stupidest thing. Without an mcat how can someone be rejected to be considered as reapplicant
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If you submitted an application and were not admitted, you are a re-applicant.
I withdrew it without being looked at, I didn't give them oppoprtyuniy to say yes or no with they can't without mcat score. this is the most ridiculous policy to not be able to withdraw if you never had mcat score
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Sadly, you are still a re-applicant as long as AMCAS verified the application.
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You may not agree with the policy, but your (and my) opinion about this are irrelevant. Quite frankly, this policy is fairly straight-forward. It also pales in comparison to most of the bureaucracy and paperwork that clinicians are expected to deal with in order to provide patient care. Life's training wheels fall off after college.
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One of my friends got an II at Wake Forest two cycles ago about 5 months after being complete. He applied there again last cycle and got an II almost immediately despite having applied around the same time of the cycle (mid August).
Do you think his II the cycle before played a role in how fast he got an II the second time? MCAT and GPA were same both times.
Gonna tag @Moko since she is part of this thread too.
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I really don't mean to beat you when you are down, and I totally agree with you that it is unfair in your situation, and definitely not as bad as being rejected on the merits, but if a school is looking for a reason to give you extra scrutiny as a reapplicant, a justification could be that you showed poor judgment by submitting a first application before it was ready.
People change their minds and changing to your mind doesn't show poor judgment
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You didn't "change your mind". You made a poor decision and realized a little too late that the decision was a poor one.
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Changing your mind might be fine, but submitting more than a throwaway without an MCAT score is bad judgment.
Look, it is apparent how upset you are (which is why I really don't want to come off as critical), and it really will not be the end of the world if your application is good when you finally submit it, but asking the same question in multiple variants in multiple threads isn't going to change anything for you, and it's not as if if you win the online debate here that all of a sudden you won't be a reapplicant, so why are you subjecting yourself to this? You asked the question and received the answer from several people trying to help, including a few adcoms, so what else is left here?
I don't happen to think your situation is terrible, someone else might disagree. So what? Are you not going to worry if I tell you you're fine? Are you not going to apply if someone else tells you you're doomed? With all due respect, why not just chalk it up as a learning experience and move on?
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The people who posted above are all right in that you did show poor judgment in trying to wing it, which is essentially what it was given that you didnt even know what the MCAT outcome would be. You already knew that a major leg of the application was the MCAT, without which your chances are basically zero.
Having said that and in looking to the future, now that you will be a reapplicant anyway, I would focus on REALLY MAKING SURE that when you do take the exam, it is absolutely SOLID. Do not take the MCAT until you have a consistent range of scores from practice tests. The only thing worse than being a reapplicant would be retaking the MCAT multiple times with mediocre results. Do it once and get it right. As you prepare for your app next year, it may seem like a lot of time but a year can fly by. Spend the time to build ECs, shadow and do things to strengthen your application.
The past is already done. Work on moving up from here.
Having said that and in looking to the future, now that you will be a reapplicant anyway, I would focus on REALLY MAKING SURE that when you do take the exam, it is absolutely SOLID. Do not take the MCAT until you have a consistent range of scores from practice tests. The only thing worse than being a reapplicant would be retaking the MCAT multiple times with mediocre results. Do it once and get it right. As you prepare for your app next year, it may seem like a lot of time but a year can fly by. Spend the time to build ECs, shadow and do things to strengthen your application.
The past is already done. Work on moving up from here.
It's al.l because of the doc I work with, I initillla applied t throwaway School then thought it'd be best to get people to look at my app from the advice s I added the rest of the schools. Will schools I didn't apply to this year know I've previously submitted an AMCAS?
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Yes, it is unfortunate you added multiple schools. Bad advice from the doc you work with. Would strongly suggest seeking advice from anyone but that doctor moving forward
Will schools know if you are a reapplicant? Some ask you directly in the secondary when and where you have applied previously.
Need more details?
Swing over to this other thread unfolding as we type. And you shall find your answer...
Applied 20 different schools from previous cycle, am I reapplicant?
>Be me, apply to 5 schools underprepared and get rejected to all 5 schools >Retook MCAT: 494 -> 517; applied following cycle >Did not apply to the previous 5 schools in the 1st failed cycle; applied to 20 new schools When those schools ask if I ever applied to any medical schools, will they...
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Since I've already applied should I schedule for September test date and finish the cycle? I should be ready with my mcat with September MCAT but will this considered too late?
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Your withdrawal from this cycle was final. You don't get to throw your hat back into the ring.
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You won’t be complete until October, which is very late. You’re also risking rushing your MCAT which you absolutely shouldn’t do.
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Didn't submit my application on time? Good.
I think my mcat should be fine with 3 weeks I should be ready for it, been studying for some time and I've already applied wouldn't you say? What's better option in your opinion wait until next year and just leave this app incomplete or do what I suggested?
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Regardless, applying that late is a huge disadvantage. If you feel ready to take the MCAT and hitting your target scores, then go for it. I still wouldn’t spend the time or money on secondaries afterward to be marked complete in October.
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So what scores are you getting on your FL tests? Are you consistently hitting at or above your target goal? If not you aren’t ready to take the MCAT. You really only want to take it once.
But to take it in September is just another example of poor decision making and poor judgement. You wouldn’t get your score back until sometime in October and your secondaries wouldn’t be complete until sometime in November. I’m certainly not going to tell you one way or another what to do but ...
But to take it in September is just another example of poor decision making and poor judgement. You wouldn’t get your score back until sometime in October and your secondaries wouldn’t be complete until sometime in November. I’m certainly not going to tell you one way or another what to do but ...
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The title of this thread and your earlier post said you withdrew.
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OP has been verified by AMCAS so can’t press the withdraw button. It was rec that OP send an email to each school withdrawing. Guess that didn’t happen.
I sent the email to two schools so far.
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If you want to withdraw send one email to all the schools at one time. But I’ve decided you really want to apply so this is all a moot discussion.
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Unless this is referring to Keck, is this true for the UC's (unless there are other CA public schools you're referring to)? I have II at 2 California schools that previously rejected me pre II. If they viewed me as previously screened, there's no way this would have been the case.
What are your thoughts?
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I think what everyone is try to say is that you should forget about completing applications this cycle, regardless of whether or not you have withdrawn, because, since you won't have an MCAT until October, and you haven't submitted any secondaries yet, you will be very late at best, and too late at worst.
That said, you should take the MCAT whenever you are ready, without rushing it, for the next cycle, whether it's in September or sometime else before next May.
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I wasn't just referring to CA.
Public schools do tend to be more forgiving.
