Advice for re-applying after withdrawal?

[daisychain]

Hi everyone
Sorry to jump in new to the forum with a bit of a predicament but was hoping for some advice and to see if anyone has been in a similar situation.

I was accepted and placed to be on the programme last year 2013-14, however the month before I was due to fly out I lost a family member very suddenly, which affected my family and caused a number of issues following their death. I spoke to my co-ordinator about what happened and they agreed that withdrawing was the best option for me until I felt ready to re-apply down and confirmed that I could when circumstances were better.

I'm now considering re-applying with my partner this year, and was wondering if I do put in an application whether I should mention this situation in my statement or not. I was considering writing that I had previously been accepted and explaining briefly why I withdrew, and then mentioning what I have done to overcome the past year and put myself in a better position to apply. I do genuinely feel that this could help me and I would love to be out there with my partner as I know it is something he has always wanted to do (if I weren't able to get out there with him via JET, I'd look at alternative options however I'm just trying to figure out what I can do atm )

Do you think that talking about this will hinder my chances? I'm already worried that previously withdrawing will have given a negative impression, but I couldn't go out there at the time.

Thanks for reading

[Gizmotech]

Explain it, support it, show you are a better person now. In my prefecture there is an alt who came for a month and then went back home, and came back on jet again the next year (some family member died suddenly)

[SomePeopleJustSaySnow]

I would mention it. As Gizmotech pointed out you can spin the gap as having made you into a stronger candidate, and it was a backing-out that you discussed with coordinator first (rather than just cutting and running) which should work in your favour.

[Page]

Statement aside I'm feel like there is a question about this on the application somewhere (I also withdrew, though before placements were out).

I don't know how much you really need to talk about it, tbh. Everyone loses family, it might just seem like you have issues letting go and moving on more than anything to whomever is reading it. Unless it has some kind of direct connection with working on the JET program I don't think I'd dedicate any space to it in your SOP.

[daisychain]

Thanks a lot everyone! Good points for and against, I appreciate it ^^ I'll write something about it while I'm drafting it up but if it doesn't seem to contribute or strengthen my statement I'll take it out, see what works best.

[miamicoordinator]

Hi everyone
Sorry to jump in new to the forum with a bit of a predicament but was hoping for some advice and to see if anyone has been in a similar situation.

I was accepted and placed to be on the programme last year 2013-14, however the month before I was due to fly out I lost a family member very suddenly, which affected my family and caused a number of issues following their death. I spoke to my co-ordinator about what happened and they agreed that withdrawing was the best option for me until I felt ready to re-apply down and confirmed that I could when circumstances were better.


I'm now considering re-applying with my partner this year, and was wondering if I do put in an application whether I should mention this situation in my statement or not. I was considering writing that I had previously been accepted and explaining briefly why I withdrew, and then mentioning what I have done to overcome the past year and put myself in a better position to apply. I do genuinely feel that this could help me and I would love to be out there with my partner as I know it is something he has always wanted to do (if I weren't able to get out there with him via JET, I'd look at alternative options however I'm just trying to figure out what I can do atm )

Do you think that talking about this will hinder my chances? I'm already worried that previously withdrawing will have given a negative impression, but I couldn't go out there at the time.

Thanks for reading

Page is correct here. On the actual application, there is a question that straight up asks you if you have ever been offered a placement on the JET Program. So, there is no way to avoid it. However, we do understand emergencies happen. Withdrawl only leaves a negative impression when you back out because "oh i really wanted a city placement, not inaka" and you drop out. Deaths in your family though should not have any negative impact.

[mothy]

Agree with people saying it shouldn't be a problem. But also don't take it for granted that just because you were accepted last time you'll be accepted this time. Number of available positions and number and quality of applicants change year by year. So I'd recommend doing something with your time that makes your application stronger.

[windar]

Agree with people saying it shouldn't be a problem. But also don't take it for granted that just because you were accepted last time you'll be accepted this time. Number of available positions and number and quality of applicants change year by year. So I'd recommend doing something with your time that makes your application stronger.

(Obvious?) (I always wonder why people seem compelled to offer the negative caveat -- just to be able offer some unsolicited advice?)

@OP: I was a re-applicant and was in a similar situation with my SOP. I left after a year from a village and was now requesting an urban placement. I explained that I left because a very close family member was in a coma and I returned to help them. It was a sentence or two. After that I went into detail about experiences since then that would make me a successful candidate. I don't think a sentence would hurt you, because it is part of your story, your connection to Japan, and your connection to JET.

Best of Luck!

[Jiggit]

(Obvious?)

Ask an obvious question...

[Ini]

a very close family member was in a coma and I returned to help them.

you're a neurosurgeon?!?!? What are you doing wasting your time on JET?

[Jiggit]

[SomePeopleJustSaySnow]

Keep the love strong, Mothy! Don't let the haters get to you!

[SomePeopleJustSaySnow]

He does have a point. And we try to stay positive on these forums - try to resolve this amicably.

Keep the love, and good luck to you both.

[windar]

He does have a point.

Which is...?

[SomePeopleJustSaySnow]

Other than having a personal story how is what I said different than what you said?

...

[windar]

You guys are too funny. I suggest that there's no need to give the OP advice they didn't solicit ("By the way, you need to beef up your resume before you re-apply..."), am subsequently told off by Mothy for my comment, and I'm supposed to make a thorough accounting of my actions and intentions, and am otherwise told that I suck?

My point was that there's no reason to assume the OP has no idea that she won't be automatically accepted into JET and hasn't been doing things to make herself a strong candidate. You could, rather, assume just the contrary: that the OP knows she's not guaranteed admission, and that is why she is toiling over how best to word her SOP.

I mean, of course, when a question's asked, answer it ("Am I guaranteed re-acceptance?" "No, that depends on the number of positions and quality of applicants and varies year by year," etc.) But there's no reason to use someone's willingness to ask an anonymous forum a very particular question as a chance to remind them of other things they may or may not already know.

[Ini]

so we should only answer questions with yes or no answers in case we offend your delicate sensibilities? I dont think you have fully grasped what a forum is. Dont worry sugar tits, I'm sure people will be killing themselves to help you next time you have a question.

[SomePeopleJustSaySnow]

You guys are too funny. I suggest that there's no need to give the OP advice they didn't solicit ("By the way, you need to beef up your resume before you re-apply..."), am subsequently told off by Mothy for my comment, and I'm supposed to make a thorough accounting of my actions and intentions, and am otherwise told that I suck?

My point was that there's no reason to assume the OP has no idea that she won't be automatically accepted into JET and hasn't been doing things to make herself a strong candidate. You could, rather, assume just the contrary: that the OP knows she's not guaranteed admission, and that is why she is toiling over how best to word her SOP.

I mean, of course, when a question's asked, answer it ("Am I guaranteed re-acceptance?" "No, that depends on the number of positions and quality of applicants and varies year by year," etc.) But there's no reason to use someone's willingness to ask an anonymous forum a very particular question as a chance to remind them of other things they may or may not already know.

Rather than offer a lengthy / angry response, I'll just say that extra information / reminders about things can either be ignored, or they can be useful. If they're ignored, they don't matter - nothing has been lost, no harm, no foul. If they're useful, that's great... and they often are. That's why it's common practice in a conversation to go outside of the question/answer boundaries and offer something extraneous that might be pertinent ("Did you remember to lock the door?" "Yes, and I turned the gas off as well"). The OP got an answer, and some free advice, and thanked people for it.

The only person that seems to have a problem with that is you. So I would just... reassess, maybe, before you criticize people who are trying to help.

[Ini]

Pile on!

Attachment 4154

Get Him A Body Bag Yeah! Sound Clip and Quote - Hark

[mothy]

@OP: I was a re-applicant and was in a similar situation with my SOP. I left after a year from a village and was now requesting an urban placement. I explained that I left because a very close family member was in a coma and I returned to help them. It was a sentence or two. After that I went into detail about experiences since then that would make me a successful candidate. I don't think a sentence would hurt you, because it is part of your story, your connection to Japan, and your connection to JET.

Best of Luck!

Yeah what I said was so different than this.

You guys are too funny. I suggest that there's no need to give the OP advice they didn't solicit ("By the way, you need to beef up your resume before you re-apply..."), am subsequently told off by Mothy for my comment, and I'm supposed to make a thorough accounting of my actions and intentions, and am otherwise told that I suck?

If you think this is what I said you have serious reading comprehension issues that can only be resolved through remedial classes. I know you didn't request the advice for remedial classes, so this may upset you as apparently carrying a conversation in a natural way to another point confuses and angers you. But I just urge you to keep calm, remember this advice comes from a place of love and concern for your well-being.

My point was that there's no reason to assume the OP has no idea that she won't be automatically accepted into JET and hasn't been doing things to make herself a strong candidate. You could, rather, assume just the contrary: that the OP knows she's not guaranteed admission, and that is why she is toiling over how best to word her SOP.

I mean, of course, when a question's asked, answer it ("Am I guaranteed re-acceptance?" "No, that depends on the number of positions and quality of applicants and varies year by year," etc.) But there's no reason to use someone's willingness to ask an anonymous forum a very particular question as a chance to remind them of other things they may or may not already know.

May or may not. In situations like these it's best to consider consequences. For example. The man may or may not know that I mine my frontyard. Potential consequence if he does not know? Death. Potential consequence if he does know? None. It would be completely stupid of me not to say anything. If the OP already had this in mind, no harm done. My saying so, any sane person would agree, is merely in case of the more dangerous may not.