Second Time Around

[jaxzwolf]

Just wondering how many other people on this forum are in the same boat-- I applied to PhD programs (7) in the biological sciences last year and was summarily rejected from each. I reapplied to PhD programs (8) this fall. It seems most biological science applicants start hearing back on admissions decisions between mid-January and mid-February, and although I haven't started obsessively checking my email yet, I'm nearing the 'constantly thinking about applications' phase. I'm trying to stay positive this time round. I received an invite for an interview at one of my top-choice schools, and even though interviews aren't synonymous with acceptance, it's much farther along than I ever got last year. (I am, however, nervous, as they're interviewing 50 candidates for 10-16 spots.)

So-- how many of you out there are submitting/waiting on applications for a second, third, etc. time? I wonder how common it is to be rejected in the first go-round but accepted in the second. How many people really do end up applying more than once?

I think it would also be interesting to hear what you've done with your failed application year, if you've had any neat experiences, how you've felt you've grown, etc. There may very well be first-time applicants on this forum who end up facing a failed application year of their own. Might be encouraging to others to read positive stories about how we've spent our time and how an extra year off has been beneficial.

I, for example, had the opportunity to work on a horse ranch. Not my ideal career choice, but I learned to rope cattle and barrel race, and those are two things I definitely never thought I'd do, and I've had a lot of fun learning about they western/rodeo culture! I also did a bit of traveling and had the opportunity to participate in some really neat research this winter. I definitely would have preferred to have started grad school this past fall, but I've done a lot of stuff this past year I never would have had the chance to do otherwise.

[newms]

I'm on my second go around. I was rejected from all 4 places I applied to last year and I'm applying to 10 places this year - I think it's common enough for people to apply more than once. There are quite a few people on this board that are in their second or third go arounds.

[PrettyVacant]

I'm on my second go around as well. I only applied to one school during the 2009 season, and I ended up getting rejected. Truth be told, I didn't put a lot of effort into that application, so the outcome wasn't a big surprise. My research interests were not in tune with the institution I applied for, but I still applied because it was the only university in my city. I think adcoms have a way of figuring out you are only applying to a school because, well, there is no other choice.

The rejection turned out to be a blessing in disguise: I had originally applied to do my M.A in English Literature, so when I got rejected, I decided to apply to a completely different program: TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language). I got accepted right away, but the school was in a different province, so I ended up selling everything and moving there. I graduated a few months ago, and I loved every minute of it. I discovered I had a passion for language learning/second language acquisition, so now I want to continue in that field which is why I'm applying to do my M.A in Applied Linguistics.

This time around, I'm also applying to one school, but in a different field. I spent months working on my application, and I definitely feel more confident. Grad school is a highly competitive process, so if I don't get in this year, I'm sure there will be something good waiting around the corner.

[A. sesquipedale]

This is my second attempt as well. My first go I didn't really know what I was doing. I didn't narrow down my research interests enough, I didn't convey fit at all. My SOP was all over the place because my interests were too. This year I did everything I could to improve my app. So far I have yet to hear from any school, but I'm more optimistic than last year, that is for sure.

[Eli-]

This is my second go round. Last year I applied to 6 English/American lit Ph.D. programs and received 6 rejections, though I did receive 2 offers of admission to consolation-prize (i.e., unfunded) Masters programs, which mostly sort of pissed me off. I was just finishing up an MFA at a school whose Ph.D. program happens to be pretty darn good, and my professors were all like, "Good heavens, Eli, of COURSE you'll be admitted..." blah blah etc., which of course did not help matters come April, when I received my final rejection letter.

I'm of the sort who always has an extra plan in his pocket, but all my proverbial basket-eggs had been crushed, and I had no idea what else to do. I was bitter and irritated with myself for ever wanting to apply (even though I've wanted to for like 10 years). To make matters nastier, my engagement broke off around prime rejection-receiving time. I spent a few months doing a lot of Scotch-based research. But I was able to finagle summer teaching at my MFA institution, and then, contrary to what everybody and their ugly uncles were saying about the job market, I found university teaching jobs at two amazing institutions for the fall semester and was pretty jazzed, even though adjuncting = super unstable lifestyle. I was just happy not to be working in a grease pit (again), you know?

It wasn't until July or August that I could even really think about applying again, and when I did, it wasn't so much "Oh gee, time to think about applying" as it was "Hmm, I really feel like parking my tush in the library tonight and reading about xyz." Soon I was so damn interested in XYZ (yes, the same XYZ I'd applied to study before) that I couldn't help but want to reapply. But I feel differently about it now, in these ways:

* The writing sample I submitted last year had been written for a grad seminar that was utterly coincident with my interests - but it was too short (14-ish pages) and sort of facile in its theoretical orientation for the simple reason that I hadn't yet had the opportunity to research deep enough into my subfield (which I guess you could call post-emergent?). It contained some decent close-reading type passages, but it wasn't complete in itself. And it wasn't very entertaining.

* Teaching as a faculty member and not as a TA has made me a lot more confident about both teaching and about finding jobs. I just moved across the country (long story...remember that break-up I mentioned?) and picked up two classes at a university here, plus another interview (results tbd) within a WEEK of moving. It's not an ideal situation, but I now know that 1) it is possible to USE the master's degree which everyone said was so useless, and 2) the job-finding process is a lot less scary than I thought. Though I know that tenure-track jobseeking and -landing is a lot more involved than finding adjunct spots, there's a certain kind of professionalized interfacing involved and experience with that can't be bad.

* My interests are more focused, and I was able to fit the arc of their development (as in MY LIFE) more thoroughly into my SOP. I think. I still feel like my SOP sucks...

* I had more time to research programs and faculty, and I care a LOT less about things like reputation and bigshotness. What I do care about: 1) fit/ faculty; 2) funding; 3) library facilities!; 4) placement rates.

I'll be bummed if I don't get in to any of the 11 ($!!) programs I applied to, but whatev. Lots of good life to be lived outside the academy, I'm told... The real problem right now is that I'm itching to make my next move, and I can't do that if I don't know for sure that I'm rejected/accepted!!

Keep on truckin, y'all.

Edited January 20, 2011 by Eli-

[Count de Monet]

This is my third attempt. The first one yielded a Masters program acceptance from a great program. Last year, I was basically shut out. This year...well, here's to hoping that something comes through

[Medievalmaniac]

My blog is about my second round of applications this year. It really is just as bad. No - it's worse, because we KNOW we can be shut out. Last year I really thought I was the ideal candidate - 4.0 GPA at the master's level, publications, conference papers, teaching experience. This year, like my signature says - just reading tea leaves and consulting the oracle. Hang in there - we'll all know soon!!!

[kaykaykay]

Do not worry, these things can be very idiosyncratic!. My current advisor could not understand why I did not get in anywhere in my first attempt. He kept asking me whether I changed my application a lot becasue he completely loved it. Ok my writing sample was different but otherwise it was entirely the same, and I got several good offers. (I know what happened first time though I applied at the last minute and I have not researched the programs enough, but I cannot tell him that)

[CogEdPsych11]

This is my second time applying, and this time around could not be any more different from the first. Two years ago, I applied to PhD programs in Human Factors Psychology without really having any idea of my interests or what I wanted to do. I was rejected to all of them, and in hindsight, it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. In the last two years, I got my master's, gained a lot more research experience (e.g., publications (including master's thesis), experience with grant writing), and put a lot of effort into figuring out my true research interests (which happen to be in cognition and instruction, specifically within multimedia learning environments, educational games/simulations, etc.). I also retook the GREs (this time studying a lot before) and improved my score quite a bit, from 1100 to 1370. Finally, I conducted a comprehensive review of every possible PhD program for which I might be interested and was very careful in only choosing programs/potential advisors that I knew fit me very well. Oh, and make sure you contact via email all your potential advisors well in advance to let them know that you're interested and make sure they will actually be accepting students.

I hope this is helpful to anyone out there who is applying for the first time (or for that matter, second or third) and wasn't successful. I can honestly say that as disappointed as I was the first time, I could not be happier that I wasn't accepted then. Plus, it's a good story to put in your SOP. This time around I've already been getting some good feedback, being accepted to UCF (the school for which I received my bachelor's and master's) and was invited (expenses paid) by my dream advisor to my dream school, UC Santa Barbara, for their recruitment weekend. So, don't stress too much over whether you'll get in somewhere because it is definitely possible to improve your application significantly for next time.

[BillyPilgrim]

This is my second round.

Last year I applied to several Comp Lit programs and two English. I was rejected form the two Eng, but of the CL, I received one unfunded offer and one acceptance, but from my last choice school and by the time I received it I had already become comfortable with reapplying this year. After more research before applying this year I found that my interests were more suited for English programs, so now I am applying to 9 English programs and reapplying to the comp lit program where I was offered the MA admission (I deferred enrollment to reapply for PhD funding/fellowships).

I improved my GRE scores this time around. Still not great for my programs, but good enough. My writing sample and my SOP I know are much better than they were. That gives me more confidence than I had last year, but there is still that afore-mentioned wavering between confidence and despair.

I take comfort in the fact that there will be many first-time applicants this year whose applications will be of the same quality as mine was last year and seeing as though I know I have improved my app, I have a better chance of standing out.

Since not taking the offers from last year, I have been managing a UPS store. Not a great job (I feel lucky to just have a job), but good enough and I have been able to save enough money so that if I end up having to take an unfunded MA offer, I will have enough dough to last for a year or so.

I am curious to know how other second-timers handled their letter of recommendations. Did you ask your profs to write another one? Reuse the same one? I have a letter service with my undergrad uni, so I just had them send the exact copy from last year. I hope the fact that they were written last year does not negatively affect how they are read by the adcoms. Thoughts?

[ZeChocMoose]

This is my second attempt as well. I applied 3 years ago to cognitive psychology programs. Thankfully, I didn't get in anywhere. Thank you adcomm -- I honestly didn't know what I was thinking and I know now that I would not have been happy in that field.

Instead, I ended up getting offered a job that I really enjoy, I have refined what I want out of a doctoral program, and I am more financially stable (yea for savings!). My job has allowed me to hone and refine my writing and research skills. I have had the opportunity to present at several national conferences and prepare manuscripts for publications. Also I am ready mentally to go back to school (I was pretty burnt out after my master's).

I agree with the poster above that said it was a blessing in disguise. Not getting in anywhere allowed me to move back to where I grew up and where my family still lives. A couple months after I moved, my family found out that my dad needed a bone marrow transplant. He had the surgery and my dad did really well the first year after the transplant. Every thing was looking promising and the family's spirits were high. Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the worst a couple months after he passed his one year mark. I ended up moving back in with my parents when my mom found that being the primary care giver was too difficult for her to carry alone. Things were challenging, but we grew stronger as a family. This summer my dad's liver began to fail and he passed away in September.

It's been hard to make sense of it all. The thing that I am so thankful for is that I got the gift of time with my dad. I was able to live with him in the last year and half of his life and that is something that I will always treasure. If I had been in a graduate program far away, I wouldn't have gotten this time with my dad.

I don't know what is going to happen for my doctoral apps take 2-- but I like to think that it will all work out for the best even if it is not apparent in the moment.

Edited January 21, 2011 by ZeChocMoose

[OnceAndFutureGrad]

This is my second go-round because I initially applied for PhD programs, thinking that I was ready for upper level graduate work right out of undergrad. Nope!! Thank goodness I applied to UConn anyway (where MAs are terminal, but readmission is frequent), as I got rejected everywhere else!

But two years have given me more than enough time to realize who I am, what I am doing, and how very, very little I know. Not to be self-effacing of course; I think being aware of the vast amounts of unconquered territory is a sign of greater wisdom.

Anyway, two years of work has helped me figure out just what I'm in for, and also to learn the jargon and current state of the field, which I had absolutely no clue about last go-round and probably made my application an early rejection. In fact, there is only one overlap between the schools I am applying for this year and 2009. I don't remember them all now, but it's like I picked them from a hat. Notre Dame? Cornell? Suuuure.

I have to say, UConn was a last minute "let's throw an app at it and see what happens" school, but I really, truly lucked out. I was able to do the early medieval studies that I couldn't at my undergrad. And there is also a conversational Irish group here to help me practice, and it's only an hour from Higgins Armory where I've greatly honed my western martial arts skills! But then I wonder, if I had gone somewhere else, would I just have adapted differently, and then not be able imagine life any other way?

That's why I'm trying to just stay serene about the 2011 PhD scramble. Whatever happens, even if it's rejection across the board, I will adapt and make the most of it. Other posters wrote about how a rejection year made them go in an unpredicted direction in their life and they seem to be the richer for it. I'm confident that I will do okay, wherever I am this summer and fall.

...but just to be clear, a paid internship at the Met and a fully funded PhD at Penn would be nice!

[cerebellumsdayoff]

This is also my second time applying to PhD programs. I got my BA from NIU in 2009 and sent out a bunch of applications to both MA and PhD programs. In hindsight, I'm not surprised that I got denied by all of the PhD programs but accepted by all three MA programs I applied to. My research interests were all over the place, as in I had no idea what I wanted to do exactly. I ended up going to a fully funded MA program and it turned out to be the best decision I have made in my life.

I am about to get my MA this May, with a dual concentration in Social Psychology and Quantitative Psychology. I also was able to hone in my research concentration (which was the type of research that got me into social psychology in the first place), and conduct such research under the direction of one of the top names in the field.

During my time here, I got a publication (as a first author), currently working on more publications and a book chapter and encyclopedia entry. I also did several conference presentation, obtained teaching experience, and got some reviewing experience (for top social psyc journals such as JPSP and SPPS, as well as becoming an ad-hoc reviewer for three journals; I also reviewed student poster and grant competitions). It is safe to say that I did my best to put these two years to good use to make myself a worthy candidate. I, however, decided not to take the GREs (which may or may not have been a stupid move) so I applied with all that experience and the 1160 I got. We'll see what happens now. The waiting sucks.

Edited January 25, 2011 by cerebellumsdayoff

[UFGator]

Good luck to all you second and third timers. I'm not sure how you are dealing with the stress of waiting. It is definitely plaguing my every waking moment.

[newms]

Good luck to all you second and third timers. I'm not sure how you are dealing with the stress of waiting. It is definitely plaguing my every waking moment.

The only thing that's keeping me sane is that from last year's results the schools I applied to aren't likely to send out any admits until mid February at the earliest. I'm going to be a mess when that time comes around

[TMP]

Thanks for this thread! It's a comfort to know that there are a number of us in the same boat. This is my 2nd/3rd time, depending how you read my signature. But just going through the applications for the third time, in general, was very, very exhausting. I had to double the number of schools form the past because I just really wanted to get into a PhD program and achieve my dreams and goals.

This is my third attempt. The first one yielded a Masters program acceptance from a great program. Last year, I was basically shut out. This year...well, here's to hoping that something comes through

That's what happened in my first round.

My writing sample and my SOP I know are much better than they were. That gives me more confidence than I had last year, but there is still that afore-mentioned wavering between confidence and despair.

I take comfort in the fact that there will be many first-time applicants this year whose applications will be of the same quality as mine was last year and seeing as though I know I have improved my app, I have a better chance of standing out.

Amen! I see so much of it in my area's forum. I do feel that this is the strongest application that I could possibly put together. My writing sample was edited to death even though it's the same context as last year's. I just polished it a lot more with the help of a critical professor. Writing the SOP was a challenge in a way because I've been in this field for so long that I felt that I needed to show how I connected all the seemingly different dots within my broad interest. I also wanted the adcoms to understand how I think as a historian and solve problems.

I am curious to know how other second-timers handled their letter of recommendations. Did you ask your profs to write another one? Reuse the same one? I have a letter service with my undergrad uni, so I just had them send the exact copy from last year. I hope the fact that they were written last year does not negatively affect how they are read by the adcoms. Thoughts?

Two of my LOR writers were absolutely on board right away. They strongly believed that I should try again and get into a PhD program. I wavered a lot about my 3rd LOR writer even though I knew it couldn't be bad as two DGSs told me last year that there was nothing seriously wrong with my application. My 3rd LOR writer wanted me to experience life for a while and just get out of academia. But I couldn't think of anyone else suitable given that she knew me very, very well compared to another possible professor. So I had to have a heart-to-heart conversation with her over the phone and we each laid out everything on the table. She laid out her deepest concerns and I showed her what I had done since graduating with my MA the spring before. At the end, she finally said that she thought I should most definitely try again given how long and hard I've worked for this.

I also had to admit to her that the outcomes from last year were certainly a blessing in disguise, although I didn't think so at first. My summer was extremely difficult with the job hunting. In the fall, I changed gears and resolved to do things I've always wanted to do that I would not be able to do in a PhD program. So I took up volunteering at a therapeutic horseback riding center near me (I tell people not that it's my second career if PhD fails me this year!). It was so, so, so wonderful to be around horses again as I rode for 15 years before stopping halfway through college. I also put in serious time training for the NYC marathon. Finally, I did what I had thought about for several years since graduating with my BA: Go to Germany and learn German. And this is precisely what I am doing now! I feel so incredibly lucky to have this chance to live in Europe (although scraping by a bit...) and, as a historian, see history all over the place. It's also my first time living in a city during the winter so this definitely is giving me an insight of what my life can potentially be like should I get into an urban school for the PhD as I've always lived in college towns, the suburbs, and rural areas, but never in a city.

Now, OP, I want to know how exactly you got that gig. I wouldn't mind working on a ranch for the summer just to be around horses!!!

[Tiglath-Pileser III]

Good luck to all you second and third timers. I'm not sure how you are dealing with the stress of waiting. It is definitely plaguing my every waking moment.

I'm on my second round. There's no stress, simply hopelessness.

[ZeChocMoose]

For all of the second and third and (perhaps fourth timers), will you try again if it doesn't work out for you this time? I guess I am trying to decide if I am not successful again, is it worth the mentally energy, time, and money to keep on putting in applications?

Right now, I think it would be really difficult to go again for the 3rd time around as I am not sure what I could do to improve my application in a year-- but maybe I'll feel differently in another couple of months. I would love to hear your thoughts! Do we just keep on pluggin' and hoping perseverance pays off?

[jaxzwolf]

I really appreciate all the responses this topic has received. It's comforting to know you're not alone, and it seems as if many of us second-time applicants have benefited from an additional year or two before giving the application process another shot.

* My interests are more focused, and I was able to fit the arc of their development (as in MY LIFE) more thoroughly into my SOP.

* I had more time to research programs and faculty, and I care a LOT less about things like reputation and bigshotness. What I do care about: 1) fit/ faculty; 2) funding; 3) library facilities!; 4) placement rates.

Same here-- my research interests became much more tailored over the course of this last year, and it really showed when I revised my SOP. Not only was I able to give committees a few project ideas, I was able to more clearly show how my previous experiences informed my current research interests, and how the things I've been doing have prepared me to undertake specific research projects. I also had a much better opportunity to really thoroughly narrow down my choice of school/POIs, and to make sure I communicated with every POI in some fashion before applying. It's not something I had time to do the first time I applied, and I'm hoping that extra communication will give me an edge when committees/professors begin to review applications.

Do not worry, these things can be very idiosyncratic!. My current advisor could not understand why I did not get in anywhere in my first attempt. He kept asking me whether I changed my application a lot becasue he completely loved it.

My references more or less said the same thing-- they were all wondering how I managed to get overlooked the first time. The more I've revised my SOP and really critically looked at my applications this past year, however, the more I've agreed with admissions. I see where I would be a good candidate, but I can also see now what I was lacking, and I know it's gone a long was to strengthen my overall application.

I am curious to know how other second-timers handled their letter of recommendations. Did you ask your profs to write another one? Reuse the same one? I have a letter service with my undergrad uni, so I just had them send the exact copy from last year. I hope the fact that they were written last year does not negatively affect how they are read by the adcoms. Thoughts?

I just assumed my references would act on my behalf again, though I did check with them early in the fall to make sure they were still willing. I know two of three individuals edited their letters to take into account some of the things I've been doing in the last 12 months. The other, I'm not sure about... I would be nervous sending the exact same application letter along for two reasons 1.) If letters are being sent to the same schools you applied to before, there's a chance (albeit small, depending on the number of applicants they receive each year), that the letter will be recognized. 2.) If you've been improving your credentials (e.g. working on publications, doing field-relevant work or internships, taking courses, etc.) you'll want your application to reflect that, and it shouldn't be too hard for your references to work something in to what they've already written to reflect your continued interest in and work toward being accepted to grad school.

For all of the second and third and (perhaps fourth timers), will you try again if it doesn't work out for you this time? I guess I am trying to decide if I am not successful again, is it worth the mentally energy, time, and money to keep on putting in applications?

This is a tough question. Last year I had high hopes when I started, but by the middle of February I was sure I wasn't going to be accepted anywhere. I feel much better about my applications overall this year. I think this year I'm a much stronger and more compelling applicant, and part of me can't see now why I wouldn't be accepted. For that reason alone (as illogical as it may be) I think I'd have a hard time trying again. I have a couple backup plans this time around, although neither or them are terribly serious. I suppose I'll just wait and see how crushed I feel this time if I don't get in anywhere. If I deal with another 8 rejections and after all that there's any part of me that still wants to give grad school a try, I'll definitely slog through the whole application process again. After all-- by the time I do end up getting accepted somewhere I'll be more than ready to make the most of the opportunity.

[space-cat]

So nice to see there are others hanging out with me in this boat! For what it's worth, two of my LOR writers reminded me that it's getting very common for people to need 2-3 tries to get a good offer for a PhD program.

I applied last year, at which time I had been out in the "real world" for about a year and a half. 3 rejections and 1 consolation prize, and of course I was crushed for about a week. In retrospect, I was relying too heavily on my academic background to get me in ("but, but, I'm a really good student!"), and didn't use my SOP to talk about what I can and will do in the future, not that I really knew beyond a few general subject areas. I was also really shocked by the sudden surge of applications from people with a lot more work/academic experience, since anthropology is one of those fields where you generally enter a PhD program with just a BA.

This year, I actually stumbled in to a great potential research topic while sitting in a work-related seminar. I decided to pitch that in my SOP, drawing on my professional experience, training, and connections as "fieldwork" to back it up. I actually work in a pseudo-academic field that is very closely related to my future area of study. Do not ask me why it took so long for me to connect the two. I think I was just so emotionally attached to my original research interests from undergrad that I completely missed what was right in front of my face. Lesson learned: flexibility is necessary in academia.

In any case, I turned in my last app right before Christmas, and got my first offer the first week of January. All told, I spent less than two weeks in "what if they STILL don't like me?" purgatory, even though I'm still waiting on the 7 other schools I applied to. MILES ahead of last year. So, yes, going back a second time made a HUGE difference in the quality of my application.

Best of luck to all of you!! Sounds like we're all on much firmer ground this time around, and thank god for that.

[Tiglath-Pileser III]

For all of the second and third and (perhaps fourth timers), will you try again if it doesn't work out for you this time? I guess I am trying to decide if I am not successful again, is it worth the mentally energy, time, and money to keep on putting in applications?

Right now, I think it would be really difficult to go again for the 3rd time around as I am not sure what I could do to improve my application in a year-- but maybe I'll feel differently in another couple of months. I would love to hear your thoughts! Do we just keep on pluggin' and hoping perseverance pays off?

I somehow doubt that I'll try again. The price for trying has been very high both emotionally and financially for both me and my family. If I do try again, it will probably be in a field with less competition and in a year when the economy is better.

[squirreltalk]

Great post. Props to jaxzwolf for bringing it up.

I have a question for the repeat applicants:

Is it awkward in any way to apply to the same schools and POI's a second (or third) time? Do you feel that your 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) round application is weakened by your previous applications?

[woolfie]

This is my second time. Last time it was four programs, this time it's 16. If I don't get in this year, my partner and I are moving to a bigger city to find jobs. I've decided I will try one more time, a third time, applying to schools in the area. If the third time still gets me no results, I will give up. I've already spent thousands of dollars on apps, I would need to focus on getting a well paid, satisfying professional job at that point. I don't think I could handle a fourth year...

[newms]

Great post. Props to jaxzwolf for bringing it up.

I have a question for the repeat applicants:

Is it awkward in any way to apply to the same schools and POI's a second (or third) time? Do you feel that your 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) round application is weakened by your previous applications?

I evaluated schools from scratch this time around and came up with a list of schools that I thought gave me the best mix of application success versus research quality and fit. It turned out that the schools I found to be best for me to apply to this year were different from the schools I applied to last year - I really didn't choose my schools well last year. I'm not sure how I would have approached applying to the same school again though - or even if I would have tried to.

[jaxzwolf]

I have a question for the repeat applicants:

Is it awkward in any way to apply to the same schools and POI's a second (or third) time? Do you feel that your 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) round application is weakened by your previous applications?

I applied to three of the same schools; the other five were different. This was based on several factors: one school I applied to last year I became disenchanted with during the application process when I found the department and POI to be uncommunicative and a little rude. A second professor made the decision to take a two-year long sabbatic, and the other two to which I did not reapply were accepting students last year but for funding and space issues were not accepting students this year.

Many of the five new schools I chose this year were schools I was interested in last year but did not apply to because the professors I wanted to work with weren't accepting applicants then; this time around, those same individuals are. After a lot of digging, I found a couple new schools/POIs to pursue.

As for the three schools to which I'm reapplying-- Last year, after receiving my final rejection letters and giving it some time, I sent emails to the professors whose programs I knew I'd reapply to work in. The emails all looked something like this:

Dear Professor,

I wanted to let you know that, although I did not gain admission to (program) this year, I am still strongly interested in your and your student's ongoing research. [More info here about why I like their program.]

I would still very much like the opportunity to work in your lab, and I plan on reapplying for admission in the fall. Also, if a technician position in your lab becomes available at any time during the coming year, I would be interested in applying for the position.

Sincerely,

jax

All three individuals responded very positively to this email-- I was not asking "why didn't I get in?" or complaining or bemoaning my situation, I was simply reaffirming my interest in their work. All three encouraged me to reapply, and I even ended up having a lengthy phone conversation with one individual wherein I received a lot of helpful tips about how to word my SOP to best stand out for the admissions committee at the school. One of the three professors even admitted to me that he had to apply multiple times before he was accepted, too! I think professors understand how difficult it can be-- after all, they're responsible for sifting through hundreds of applicants each year and are usually only able to admit one or two students. I'm not sure, but I would hope that they might look favorably upon repeat applicants, especially if someone has continued to work on their credentials and make themselves more appealing candidates. It shows that you really do want to go to their school. I was nervous at first about it being awkward, but I didn't have any trouble at all, and I definitely don't regret contacting those professors again or reapplying to their labs.

Now I just have to hope that one of them will actually pick me this year!