Will applying twice hurt my chances?

[Arkhias]

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So, here's the deal.

I am pretty much a non-traditional student already (will be 26 when I graduate with my BS next May) and looking to get into medical school as soon as possible (life is too short, as is).

My GPA is 3.9 (science and cumulative) and I am expecting a 35ish MCAT score (we'll see). However, my extra-curriculars are very weak. I have an engineering major (chemistry, mathematics, and Japanese minors) and engineering work/leadership experience, but relevant clinical experience is virtually nonexistent. Pretty much limited to dealing with some extended family health problems and a couple months of shadowing/volunteer.

I originally thought it would be piece of cake with my academics, but further investigation and these forums have put a pretty depressing outlook on my chances, so I'm kind of bracing myself for not getting accepted this year.

What I'm curious of is it better to apply anyway and hopefully matriculate in 2012? Or can reapplication potentially hurt my chances overall, and instead is it better to save the money and hassle by waiting a year to shore up my clinical experiences?

Thanks for any feedback/opinions of any kind!

 

[mauberley]

So, here's the deal.

I am pretty much a non-traditional student already (will be 26 when I graduate with my BS next May) and looking to get into medical school as soon as possible (life is too short, as is).

My GPA is 3.9 (science and cumulative) and I am expecting a 35ish MCAT score (we'll see). However, my extra-curriculars are very weak. I have an engineering major (chemistry, mathematics, and Japanese minors) and engineering work/leadership experience, but relevant clinical experience is virtually nonexistent. Pretty much limited to dealing with some extended family health problems and a couple months of shadowing/volunteer.

I originally thought it would be piece of cake with my academics, but further investigation and these forums have put a pretty depressing outlook on my chances, so I'm kind of bracing myself for not getting accepted this year.

What I'm curious of is it better to apply anyway and hopefully matriculate in 2012? Or can reapplication potentially hurt my chances overall, and instead is it better to save the money and hassle by waiting a year to shore up my clinical experiences?

Thanks for any feedback/opinions of any kind!

Conventional wisdom on SDN would be to make sure your application is the strongest it can be before you apply. You're certainly in no rush, so I'd take a year to strengthen your ECs.

 

[Astarael]

Being a reapplicant may or may not hurt your chances. There seems to be some data out there (I've never seen it) that suggests that reapplicants get accepted at a lower rate than first timers, but that's more than likely due to the fact that if you are reapplying you probably have a borderline application to begin with.

As for your specific case, I think you'll find it difficult to get an acceptance without a reasonable amount of clinical experience. That can be volunteering in a hospital, working as a nursing assistant or an EMT, volunteering at a free clinic, etc. Without that, though, it would be tough to actually show that you want to be a doctor (that old saying comes to mind: Show me, don't tell me).

Also, just out of curiosity, what makes you think you'll get a 35 on your MCAT? That's 90th percentile or so, so unless you've gotten that on practice tests, I wouldn't expect it as your actual score, or you might be disappointed.

 

[Cristobal16]

There's always the possibility of getting in as much volunteer and shadowing experience as possible while you work your way toward interviews. If you actually pull off that MCAT score, with a 3.9 GPA, writing and demonstrating desirable attributes in your essays, I could see you getting interviews during which you show the adcoms what you've been up to since applying.

 

[bajastapler]

I think if you're willing to attend whatever med school you get into, then finish up your application for this cycle.

If you have your mind specifically set on a few schools I would wait the extra year to strengthen your ECs.


gl!

 

[Medicine4Bruhs]

With those grades and purported MCAT score, you should be fine. With regards to your question, whether they say so or not, reapplicants are normally held to a disadvantage when reapplying. Not only does every secondary asks reapplicants to list how they have improved their applicant from the previous unsuccessful application cycle, but some schools have unspoken requirements for reapplicants that they do not advertise. For instance, my local top 25 state school requires 30 extra credit hours for reapplicants who were initially interviewed and are applying again to be eligible for another interview. Do you think they let students know this? Hellnaww! I hope those students are not grad students cuz I wonder how they fit in 30 more credit hours in another academic year on top of their research/TA requirements. This is just another example of the BS med schools throw at you and why the system sucks.

 

[SisterDisco08]

It honestly depends on where you're applying. I will be a reapplicant (I was a young nontrad to begin with). A lot of the schools I applied to told me they wanted to see another year from me (I did my BS in 3 years instead of 4), and told me they wanted to see me as a reapplicant. Another school told me don't bother applying.

You best bet would be to make advising appts at as many of your prospective schools as possible, after you have a tangible MCAT score.

I also have a hunch that many people who don't get in each year do no end up reapplying, so perhaps that is another reason why they say it's harder to get in as a reapplicant. But really, with about 60% of the app pool not getting in each year, a good portion of that 40% has to be made up of reapplicants.