reapplying to US

[mattg]

Hey,

This year will be my first time applying to med school (US and Can), and I would much prefer going to Canada... but I figure I will throw in a few (maybe 3) top US schools in case I get in... but I have heard that US doesn't like people who reapply... is that true / why? Is that refering to reapplying to the school, or the US in general... for example, if I applied to like Harvard, Yale, etc... got denied (as well as denied everywhere in Canada), and then reapplied to the states next year, but probably to more mid-tier schools (and a greater #), they would care that I got denied from Harvard and a couple top-tier schools the previous year?

thanks

[Slashsev01]

y would they

[a41]

My advice would be to apply broadly to the US the first time.

 

If you only applied to Harvard and Yale and got rejected the previous year, I'd have a hard time believing that you actually wanted to attend my school if I was interviewing you.

 

Doing this shows that you aren't serious about attending an American medical school. So either apply broadly, or not at all. Unless you have a 4.0 and 40+ MCAT.

[mattg]

are you sure it would really be looked poorly upon? i would think most US schools know that most Canadians would like to stay in Canada... is doing what I said much different than applying to only Cndn schools the first year or two, then adding in US schools for the next year (b/c in that case, they would know they are a backup as well)?

[token]

Re-applying in the US is VERY bad.

 

You have to prove that you've improved significantly the second time around.

 

It's different because American schools are unaware that you've applied in Canada before. But they will see that you've applied in the US before.

 

Either you applied broadly and still didn't get in - which raises the question of what have you done since then to improve your candicacy? Or you only applied to Harvard the first time, which makes you seem immature. You really should just go all out when you're ready and assume it's your only chance.

[a41]

are you sure it would really be looked poorly upon?

 

Do you want to take your chances or do you want to listen to two posters who have been accepted to American schools? It's up to you.

 

As token mentioned, US schools will not know you are a reapplicant after an unsuccessful Canadian cycle unless you tell them. I think you would be wise to use this to your advantage and not do something silly like applying only to HMS.

[foregoneconclusion]

Hey, so I applied last year but extremely late and half-assed some parts of the primary application. If I re-apply with a similar personal statement, a bunch of new activities and similar secondaries, will that really be frowned upon?

[token]

Hey, so I applied last year but extremely late and half-assed some parts of the primary application. If I re-apply with a similar personal statement, a bunch of new activities and similar secondaries, will that really be frowned upon?

It depends, are the new activities actually new, or did you just not put them on your application last year?

 

It seems like there's two schools of thought on this...some people think you should start from scratch and re-write everything. Others think you can pinpoint what was wrong and just fix that. I definitely prefer the former.

 

Think about it... anywhere you re-apply, the very first thing they'll do is pull out your file from last year and compare. They're not going to be impressed with a similar looking PS and the same essays.

 

Now if you only applied to a couple schools that's not such a huge deal, as you won't be re-applying to most schools this time. You will be tagged as a re-applicant though and you may have to have answers for why you didn't apply to these places last year.

[mattg]

Thanks guys, it sounds like you know what you're talking... I was probably planning on half-assing a few US apps this year (didn't know it would affect next year)... I guess I won't.

Just to make sure though, with respect to "reapplying", you are talking about reapplying to the US in general right? (ie. even to a lot of schools you didnt apply to the first time around) Not just reapplying to the same school(s)?

 

ps. I don't think Canada cares if you reapply (do they)? Why is the US such a ***** about it --- from what you guys have said?

[Luminaire]

I will say this, as I was a reapplicant to US schools. I didn't half-ass it the first time, but I wasn't 100% sure of the process. Needless to say, I didn't get in. I took some time off after undergrad, gathered my materials, and reapplied in force.

 

This cycle, I was very fortunate to be accepted to some very good mid-tier schools, including Case Western and Georgetown. I was also accepted to Wayne State, and as mentioned, it gets a lot more flak than it deserves. What changed? Well, I upped my GPA and MCAT, but I also completely overhauled my personal statement, letters of recommendation and activities. I also focused very hard on the secondary essays, and made sure that I stood out and didn't revert to generic pre-med ramble.

 

So, it is possible as a reapplicant, but don't think that you can apply selectively the first time and then cover your bases on your second attempt. Go for broke, or don't try at all. Me? I was very lucky this round, and I was able to get an acceptance in an Ontario school, so I'll be sticking around in Canada thank you very much!

[foregoneconclusion]

It depends, are the new activities actually new, or did you just not put them on your application last year?

 

It seems like there's two schools of thought on this...some people think you should start from scratch and re-write everything. Others think you can pinpoint what was wrong and just fix that. I definitely prefer the former.

 

Think about it... anywhere you re-apply, the very first thing they'll do is pull out your file from last year and compare. They're not going to be impressed with a similar looking PS and the same essays.

 

Now if you only applied to a couple schools that's not such a huge deal, as you won't be re-applying to most schools this time. You will be tagged as a re-applicant though and you may have to have answers for why you didn't apply to these places last year.

 

Hmmm... well I went from 3 months of clinical experience to a full year but other than that, most significant things that I have done were during university. I mean, I have no real chance to do much more new in between when I submit and now but I am reworking my essay and reformatting my 15 items. However, there is a lot of overlap. Should I add some random schools I didn't apply to last year?

[tryhard]

I agree with everyone who said its pretty important to go ALL IN.

 

It seems like some of you who have applied to both Canadian and American schools, and got into both, decided to go with the Canadian one. Im just wondering why did you decide stay in Canada? Was it mostly because of the cost? Or did you just like the schools better here? I know there are other things like family and stuff. I just mean the schools. Were they not appealing enough?

[Typical Premed]

I agree with everyone who said its pretty important to go ALL IN.

 

It seems like some of you who have applied to both Canadian and American schools, and got into both, decided to go with the Canadian one. Im just wondering why did you decide stay in Canada? Was it mostly because of the cost? Or did you just like the schools better here?

 

I got into Northwestern this past cycle. I absolutely loved the program, facilities, location, etc. (probably more than any Canadian school I interviewed at). However, in the end I decided to pick a Canadian school for a couple reasons. First of all the cost difference was astronomical. I calculated that it would have cost me around 200,000 more to go to Northwestern over MUN. Second of all I realized I would prefer to practice in Canada, so it is a bit of an easier path if you go to a Canadian school.

[Luminaire]

I agree with everyone who said its pretty important to go ALL IN.

 

It seems like some of you who have applied to both Canadian and American schools, and got into both, decided to go with the Canadian one. Im just wondering why did you decide stay in Canada? Was it mostly because of the cost? Or did you just like the schools better here? I know there are other things like family and stuff. I just mean the schools. Were they not appealing enough?

Cost was not a factor, nor was family. In a way, I do like the Canadian school system better. Upon receiving my acceptances in the US, I declined both Wayne State and Case Western, and I seriously considered Georgetown for a while. During my decision-making, I made sure to gather the opinions of many physicians and scientists, those Canadian and American.

 

The general consensus was that your undergrad institution is fairly irrelevant, especially if you plan on practicing in Canada afterwards. Furthermore, I talked to quite a few physicians and current residents who have or are currently completing residency on both sides of the border, and they were unanimous in their support to stay in the Canadian system for undergrad and residency, and then pursue an American fellowship if appropriate.

 

In the long run, ranking is fairly irrelevant. Thus, it's not worth going to a US school to "stroke your ego." If you got into a top 5 school, sure, that's an opportunity that doesn't come along very often. But, you need to recognize that getting into a Canadian school is equally as difficult.

 

In the end, it really comes down to one thing: would you rather work in the Canadian or American system? Residency is where you make your connections, and it's difficult, though not impossible to jump across the border. I chose the Canadian system, as I believe it's a better healthcare system and I can be a happier physician in Canada. You'll need to choose for yourself.

[tryhard]

I guess i should have asked that questions in the "waiting for canadian schools" thread. Sorry for hijacking

[hopefull]

I had a question that only kind of relates to this topic but i don't think its worth creating a new thread for it.

 

My mcat is on august 21st, and i'm not too sure if i will be ready for it by then. If I send my primaries out soon, and indicate that I am writing my mcat in August, but end up not writing it or voiding it, what would happen in this case? Is there an option to withdraw my primary application or does it count as applying once already so next year would be my second time applying? If I am not ready I would take it next year and apply next cycle, but what would happen to the current application that has already been partially made?

 

I guess my main concern is, I may be ready to take the mcat but I might run out of studying time as well. Any advice on what I should do in my current situation would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advanced.

[token]

I'm pretty sure once you submit a primary you're officially a re-applicant, however if you make a little note of what happened the schools may not mind.

 

What's more of an issue is that your scores would come out September 21st which would be quite late, even if you were able to get everything else in before then.

[hopefull]

I'm pretty sure once you submit a primary you're officially a re-applicant, however if you make a little note of what happened the schools may not mind.

 

What's more of an issue is that your scores would come out September 21st which would be quite late, even if you were able to get everything else in before then.

 

So it may not be worth it to apply this year anyways cause my mcat release date is so late? Should I just hold off for this year and make a huge push next summer or try this year but it probably won't be as good and early as next year? thanks

[token]

So it may not be worth it to apply this year anyways cause my mcat release date is so late? Should I just hold off for this year and make a huge push next summer or try this year but it probably won't be as good and early as next year? thanks

It's really tough to say....if you have a strong application it doesn't really matter how late you apply.

 

The best option would be to compress your studying time and try to take the exam earlier.

 

Alastriss I got that FU letter from NW as well I usually got my secondaries done within a couple of weeks anyway. Something about having a deadline makes being productive impossible.