With the increasingly competitive nature of the health school admissions process, the reality of not getting accepted into health school is one felt by a majority of applicants each year. You shouldn’t throw in the towel just yet. Most applicants on average take at least two application cycles before being accepted.
What if I didn’t get in?
If your first attempt at applying to professional school wasn’t successful, you may consider applying again during the next cycle. There are many factors you should consider when making your decision.
First, ask yourself a few questions:
Why do you think you were not admitted? What were your weaknesses?
There are many factors that could have contributed to the outcome of your first application. Did you apply late? Did you only apply to a small number of schools? Are your GPA’s and test scores competitive? Are your extracurricular activities and letters of recommendation strong? Did you put together a quality, error-free application? Many schools will give feedback to denied applicants on ways you can improve your application. Check school websites to see if this is an option for you, and take advantage of it. Self-Assessment worksheet
Have I improved my application in the year(s) since I originally applied?
If you identified your weaknesses, did you improve upon them? There is little sense in re-applying right away if you are submitting essentially the same application as you did the first time. When you re-apply, you want the new application to be stronger, and to have addressed your weaknesses. Otherwise, why would you expect a different result?
Am I prepared to submit a quality application EARLY in the application cycle?
If you plan to reapply in the year directly following your first application, be sure you have enough time to ask for letters of recommendation, revise your personal statement, etc. prior to the time that the application opens for submission.
If you decide to reapply, it’s important to keep a few things in mind:
Don’t submit the same application!
You will not get a different result, if you submit the same application. You should see to find what about your previous application was lacking, and work to improve it before applying again. You can sometimes seek the advise of admissions committees that reviewed your application and denied it. Some admissions committees are open and willing to help unsuccessful applicants know what they need to improve for better consideration next time.
Revise your personal statement.
Even if you think you had the most stellar personal statement of all time, it’s best to change it when you re-apply. After all, you want to send the message that something has changed between this year and when you first applied.
Ask for new letters of recommendation.
Some of your letter writers can be the same, but all of your letters should be updated, and no more than 6-12 months old. It’s best if you have at least one new letter writer.
Make improvements.
Improve your application. Can the descriptions of your extracurricular activities be improved? Did you use the space you had available
wisely? Did your application tell your story and highlight your strengths? Did you directly answer the questions that were asked on secondary applications? Were there
typos or other errors in your application?
Apply to a reasonable selection of schools.
You want to be sure you are applying to a sufficient number of schools, and to a smart combination of in-state and out of state programs. If you are pre-med, did you only apply to allopathic programs? Have you considered applying to Osteopathic or off-shore (Caribbean) schools?
Apply EARLY!
Don’t let timing be a factor in the admission decision. Always apply early for your best chance of admission.
