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Reapplying to Medical School: Do's & Don'ts for Success

Posted by Scott Harrah
September 05, 2013

Not everyone gets accepted into medical school on the first try. Many prospective students of U.S. and Caribbean medical school reapply, but experts say before submitting applications again, ask yourself what went wrong the last time.

Some students seek out friends, family and colleagues for feedback, while others go back and ask the schools why they weren’t accepted. However, doing so can be problematic because not all schools will tell you why you didn’t make it.

An article by Veritas Prep in US News and World Report titled “Reapplying to Medical School: What You Should Do Differently” says, “It appears that there is an increasing trend among medical schools toward providing applicants with targeted feedback, sometimes even with suggestions for improvement—though don't count on every school providing such advice.”

If a school has a policy of not explaining why student applications are rejected, you will only create further personal frustration by telephoning or e-mailing the admissions office.

The article advises prospective medical school students to research the policies of each school and that, if an institution indeed has a policy of giving feedback, reapplicants should “call each school to gather opinions on why their previous applications were unsuccessful.”

Even if a particular school’s admissions office won’t give feedback regarding why applicants are denied, prospective U.S. and Caribbean medical students still have options.

UMHS Director of Admissions Sean Powers suggests speaking to people who have been successful. “Remember, the terms ‘weak’ or ‘strong’ when referencing your applications are only relative to each particular school and their own numerical thresholds,” he says. “Every school is looking for something specific in their candidates, and the trick is to uncover that thing that makes an applicant successful. Whether or not you are able to obtain specific feedback and actionable recommendations like we provide at UMHS, these days it is fairly easy to connect with current students at a given school to ask for their thoughts on what made them successful as an applicant.”

Evaluate What Went Wrong

'THE ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE IS UNAVAILABLE NOW': Save time & frustration by knowing a medical school's policy before calling to see why you weren't accepted. Photo: Winnond/FreeDigitalPhotos.netFollowing are factors Veritas Prep says reapplicants should evaluate:

Academic Records: Reapplicants may have GPAs and MCAT scores that didn’t meet the minimum requirements of a particular school. Entering a master’s or postbac program can sometimes increase one’s chances of success of acceptance into med school at a later date, but take your time. “Rushing to reapply with a weak academic record is never good; one A in an advanced organic chemistry course won't persuade admissions committees to overlook a four-year undergraduate record with a low GPA,” the article says.

(Photo, inset right above) 'THE ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE IS UNAVAILABLE NOW': Save time & frustration by knowing a medical school's policy before calling to see why you weren't accepted. Photo: Winnond/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Personal Statement:
This is the one thing over which reapplicants may have some control, but it’s crucial to highlight accomplishments and improvements you’ve made since the last time you applied. Also, never simply rehash or submit a previous statement because “schools usually place the two applications side by side to see what, if anything, has changed. Even schools you didn't apply to the first time can tell if a statement is probably recycled.”

Patient-Related Experience in Health Care Settings:
Oftentimes prospective U.S. and Caribbean medical school students are rejected because they did not have enough patient-related experience (such as shadowing a doctor) or volunteer work in health care settings. Faculty admissions committees see this type of experience as vital to understanding what it takes to be a doctor. “Use this time to strengthen your extracurricular activities—it will not only help you write a stronger personal statement, but it could also help you make your passions within medicine more specific, and thus more compelling,” Veritas Prep advises.

Interviews: Some students are rejected because they don’t have sufficient academic interviewing skills. “If you make it to the interview, you're very high on the consideration list, so you don't want an interview to knock you out of the running,” Veritas Prep says.

If you’re reapplying to a medical school, think about the academic interview objectively to evaluate your weaknesses. Were you properly prepared for the questions? Did certain questions stump you or make you nervous? If so, how would you answer them differently? Did you arrive on time and were you professionally dressed?

3 Major Reasons for Rejection to Med Schools

The website StartMedicine.com lists three other reasons why some students are rejected by medical schools:

  1. Insufficient preparation and an overall weak application. “You have to show improvements in your application, by increasing your MCAT score, doing more research, shadowing, etc.,” the website says. “You don't have to show improvement in each area, but overall your application should become stronger.”

  2. Applying to too few schools. Some students only apply to one or two med schools in their state, without considering others. “Although a few applicants still get into medical school by applying to only one or two schools, most applicants are putting themselves at a serious disadvantage if they do this. An average applicant should be applying to at least a dozen schools.”

  3. Applying only to top schools or the wrong set of schools. Everyone would like to attend an Ivy League medical school, but some have acceptance rates of just 5% to 6%, so unless you have a stratospheric GPA and MCAT score, your chances of getting in are slim. “Most applicants, whether very competitive or not, should have a good mix of schools they are applying to, including some of the less competitive schools,” StartMedicine.com says. “Apply and reapply accordingly. You can still include some top medical schools in the mix—and may well have a chance—but be sure to include mostly medical schools that take more average applicants and not just the most elite applicants.”

 

(Top photo) Photo: Deposit Photos 


About UMHS:

Built in the tradition of the best US universities, the University of Medicine and Health Sciencesfocuses on individual student attention, maintaining small class sizes and recruiting high-quality faculty. We call this unique approach, “personalized medical education,” and it’s what has led to our unprecedented 96% student retention rate, and outstanding residency placements across the US and Canada. UMHS is challenging everything you thought you knew about Caribbean medical schools.

Posted by Scott Harrah

Scott is Director of Digital Content & Alumni Communications Liaison at UMHS and editor of the UMHS Endeavour blog. When he's not writing about UMHS students, faculty, events, public health, alumni and UMHS research, he writes and edits Broadway theater reviews for a website he publishes in New York City, StageZine.com.

Topics: Admissions

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