<p>I am studying biomedical engineering at the University of Michigan and I should be able to graduate in three years without too much stress. I plan to apply to several graduate schools in my third year, my top two choices being MIT and Stanford. If I'm not happy with the graduate schools I make it into, I can spend a fourth year of Michigan doing more research and graduate coursework, getting job experience, etc. The only issue with this is if graduate schools frown upon people who have already been rejected. Is this so? Has anyone reapplied to a school and made it in the second time, grad or undergrad?</p>
<p>Thanks for your input!</p>
<p>Here’s my two cents: having just gone through the process of applying to science related grad schools myself, you don’t want to plan on doing it twice. It’s a b*tch the first time around - GREs score sending (costs $$), transcript ordering, SOP writing (for each school - must be specific to that program), LOR gathering, applications filling (dealing with ridiculous character - not word- counts on some apps), waiting for interviews, interview traveling (airports, hotels, etc), and finally choosing a school. So, ask profs/people in the know about what they think your chances are and if you really don’t think you are going to get in after three years and seriously think there’s a good chance that you might have to do the app process a second time, I would just wait a year and do it once. Applying is a big undertaking.</p>
<p>I see, that makes a lot of sense. I’m surprised to find out that you can discuss your chances with professors, though. That would be a big help. The application process does seem a bit much to do undertake twice. Thanks for that perspective!</p>
<p>Well - the profs I am talking about are your profs (like the people who know you, the strength of your potential app, LOR writer-types). You should be asking them if your school list (the schools you plan on applying to) is a good list (aka, too much of a reach, good fit, or you could apply to more selective schools. Take what they have to say with a grain of salt - they may think you are a better applicant then you are if they haven’t been in the grad school admissions game for a while… Yes, it’s a game. But if they write LORs for students every year, have had a good number of past students go to grad school in the last few years, they should have a good idea of how good an applicant you are…).</p>
<p>I have a friend who had a similar plan. He applied to the top graduate programs in his field after his third year in college, with the intention of staying for a forth year and reapplying to a wider range of graduate programs if he didn’t get in initially. He will be attending MIT next year. 
I should probably mention that he took a full course load of graduate classes in his third year in college, so he was definitely well prepared for the top programs (which he would not have been if he had only completed the minimum requirements for his major).</p>
<p>It really is stressful to re-apply. I had to re-apply last year for history PhD programs. I thought the second time around would be easier but I was wrong. It was so much work ordering transcripts and GRE scores as I was doubling the number of schools I was applying to and getting in touch with professors from different places (probably a total of 10). And the waiting was even more anxiety-ridden!</p>
<p>Michigan is truly a wonderful place and I think you should really stay for your 4th year and take every opportunity that you have at a top-notch engineering program.</p>