The cold, hard fact about applying to medical school is that most applications get rejected. Why? Because the student applications that any medical school receives are far more than the school can accommodate. Knowing that they can afford to pick and choose, the schools’ authorities are extremely selective when it comes to granting admissions and they will pick and choose only the best of the best. The result is your medical school application may be rejected for the smallest of slip ups and something that you may have completely overlooked. That does not mean you are not ever going to get admission. Giving up is the absolute wrong thing to do.

Here are a few things you can do to increase your chances of getting your re-application accepted. 

• Review your application. Often, when looking at it with fresh eyes you may be able to see more clearly where you possibly went wrong. Make notes of how you can improve it.
• Ask your pre-med advisor or any other academic advisor to review your application and suggest ways you can improve it.
• Call the Office of Admissions or better still, make an appointment and visit them personally and ask if it is possible to get an Admissions Counselor to appraise your application and give you advice for improving it to better your chances of being successful when you re-apply.

Take Action To Improve Your Application

While taking steps to improve the wording and presentation of your application is crucial, it is equally important to do something that will show that you worked hard on self-improvement during the year. If you are granted an interview the next year, one of the things the interviewers will want to know is what you did all year to help you on your career path.  Did you just ‘take a break’ or did you do something concrete that proves your commitment to becoming a doctor? If you can demonstrate the latter, it will solidify your chances of getting accepted.  

Strive to get higher MCAT scores 

Were your scores unsatisfactory the last time you took the MCAT? This is your chance to re-take the test and score better. Keep in mind though that the school you are applying to will only consider your most recent scores so retake the test only if you are confident that you can get higher scores. Otherwise, don’t.

Get some hands-on experience 

If your application was rejected because of the lack of any kind of experience or exposure into this career, this is your time to rectify that.  Do some volunteer work in a hospice, nursing home or home for the aged. Spend some time shadowing a doctor in a hospital or a private clinic. If you do not know any doctor personally that you can shadow, make enquiries at hospitals and other healthcare organizations. Do a medical placement through a professional organization. Doing a medical placement in a developing country will earn you  a lot of brownie points in the eyes of the admissions authorities as it shows a sincere commitment to medicine on your part and that is the first thing they are looking for.