Anyone reapplying?

[julia9109]

I was wondering if there are any current Fall 2011 applicants on this forum who are reapplying (i.e. you've been through this process before). It would be great if you could talk about your experiences.

All the schools I'm applying to are top programs with low admission rates (for example, Woodrow Wilson accepts 8%) so while I have a solid application, I realize that I might not get accepted to the programs that I really want to go to. If this happens, I plan on reapplying for 2012 and spending next year improving my application (retaking GREs, taking econ courses, etc).

For people who have been through this process before, how did you go about improving your application? Did you take night classes, volunteer, work abroad, etc? I'd really appreciate any advice you have since come March, I might be back at square one.

Thanks!