reapplying several years later

[ellindea]

Hi all,

So I applied to two linguistics graduate programs my senior year of undergraduate studies in Chinese and Spanish. I wasn't accepted, and one university provided the explanation that essentially I didn't have enough background/research experience in the field. I am reapplying to those graduate programs now five years later and am wondering a few things -- 1) if/how much I should discuss the denial. Should I explicitly mention it, so I can point to exactly how my application is different? Or just talk about my preparation without referencing the previous application? 2) I have taken three linguistics MOOCs, audited a phonetics course in the speech language pathology department, and completed a TESOL certificate program. However, I don't have for-credit equivalents to one program's several prerequisite courses. Again, should I reference this (obviously with emphasis on the positive)?

Thanks so much for your time, guys.