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Reapplicants

Every year there are qualified applicants who are denied admission to medical school. To apply to medical school and be denied admission can be a great disappointment to premeds after all the effort they have devoted to their academic studies and fieldwork, not to mention to the application process itself. Though no one will feel it as keenly as the applicant, the Premedical Committee shares in the disappointment of an unsuccessful application.

At the same time, the Committee remains steadfast in its faith in our students' potential to gain admission to pursue study in their professions of choice. It will, however, require careful thought and further hard work by these students to compile a successful reapplication. The purpose of the reapplicant toolkit is to guide prospective reapplicants toward this end.

Reapplicant Guidelines

A student who applies to medical school with the support of the Premedical Committee, but is not offered admission, normally retains that support upon reapplication. However, a student retains their eligibility for committee support for no more than four years after the first general application cycle in which they become eligible for it.

The GS Premedical Committee will not support the reapplication of a candidate who was admitted to medical school in a prior application cycle and declined the offer of admission.

The Premedical Committee recommends that students planning to reapply wait until they are confident they have addressed any weaknesses in their initial applications. The goal is for applicants to come across as “new and improved,” rather than as the same applicant one year later. Students must not assume that reapplying immediately is in their best interest. Mere persistence yields nothing and might cost the reapplicant a lot. Therefore, it is essential that prospective reapplicants discuss their plans with their advisors.

Reapplicant Toolkit

The Reapplicant Toolkit is designed to guide prospective reapplicants through a comprehensive and honest assessment of themselves as applicants and thereby prepare them to submit strong and compelling reapplications, should they choose to do so. Well-prepared, thoughtful Premed students who submit their reapplications in a timely manner tend to succeed in gaining admission to medical school.

Maintenance of Status

Postbac reapplicants are required to be enrolled in a second year of Maintenance of Status (unless they are otherwise enrolled in courses at Columbia).