Deferrals and Reapplicants

Applicants who went through the PATH process and are deciding to wait to apply, or, were unsuccessful in their first application to a health professional program: 

We think this is a great plan! We always encourage applicants to apply when they truly feel ready and when they are most competitive. 

If you’ve gone through the PATH process once before, you will complete an updated (shorter) process this time around. You won’t have to complete all of the steps you did the first time, but instead, will complete the following:

Letters of recommendation and committee letters are only good for the year you are applying. You’ll need to either request updated letters from your previous writers, or request new letters from different writers.

Requesting new or updated letters of recommendation:

  • Send an email to your letter writers from this cycle with the following:
    • Thank them for writing your letter, and explain your plans
    • Stay in touch with them throughout the year (a quick update on what you’ve been doing, etc.). 
    • Request updated letters during application season next year

Asking new letters writers:

  • Ideally, you still should still have 2 letters from science faculty.
  • However, you might have new experiences throughout your growth year(s) that provide an opportunity for new, updated letters that might better reflect who you are as a candidate now, rather than last cycle.
Asking for letters of recommendation

  • Update experiences on your Handshake profile, detailing the experiences you’ve had throughout your growth year(s)
  • Complete a deferral/reapplicant readiness and reflection form in Microsoft forms, providing additional information on who you have become as a candidate in your growth year(s).
  • You’ll be prompted to include your updated personal statement, resume/CV and unofficial transcripts from all institutions (this includes any coursework you’ve done since graduating from URI, for instance, a master’s program).
Deferral and Reapplicant Form

Deadline:

The steps above need to be completed by May 1 (if the deadline falls on a weekend, please have it completed by the following Monday).