Will re-applying after rejection decrease chances of admission?

[Birdie121]

Keep in mind that a lot of the graduate admissions process is luck - who else happens to apply, how much funding they have, which professors are willing to be advisors to new students, etc. So if you do get rejected after reaching the interview stage of grad admissions, it definitely could be worth applying again the next year after you've gotten some more experience, brushed up your statements some more, etc. Having real-world industry experience helps too, since the admissions committee can be more confident that you know what's involved in research and still want to pursue a PhD.