3+ time applicants

[KitCat]

For those that have applied 3 or more times what did you do to get in? Did you keep applying year after year or take a couple (or more) years between cycles? Did you gain a Master's degree? Did you broaden the schools you applied to (international)? What did you do to mentally keep putting yourself through another application cycle? etc.

(If I do not get offered a seat off the waitlist I'm currently on I will be looking at a 3rd application cycle).

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[WulfpackChica]

This year was my 3rd time applying and I finally got in.

I took a couple years in between each application cycle because I was wishy washy about applying again the next year. If I did not get in this cycle, I honestly do not know if I would have tried again. I did not specifically get my Master's to make myself more a competitive applicant, it was my plan B. My Master's and previous experience would have set me up for a pretty decent job making a decent pay check... I think that I could have been happy.

It is rough going from cycle to cycle mentally. I know did not have the most excellent grades (I think that me doing well in the Master's program helped me personally with my IS, NCSU), but I did have some decent experiences. I knew that I was not going to do international schools, just because of the ultimate debt load once I got out and I just turned 30. I did not really do much in undergrad, but there was nothing that I could do about it but suck it up and deal with my choices. It definitely helped having a really excellent support system through it all.

I did not find SDN until after my second time applying around interview time , being on here both helped and hurt (but mostly helped). I compare myself to others a lot more than I should, so when going though successful applicants I would only concentrate on those that had great grades and well rounded everything else and it made me sick to my stomach. I did not really focus on those that took a couple times to get in and had stats like mine. Once I did, I for once made me felt like I was in good company.

Have a Plan B and take time to figure out how much longer you want to invest in this process. It really does come down to personal opinion. I spent many agonizing nights trying to figure out how much more I was going to invest in the process and how many more years I was going to take. But no one can make that decision but you, because ultimately it is your life and you will have to live with the decision that you make.

Hang in there!

 

[DVMDream]

I applied 3 times.

First year I applied to only 4 schools and to be honest, I wasn't very smart with which schools I applied to. I was waitlisted and never got off the waitlist.

Between first and second year, I retook the GRE (my verbal score was horrendous). I improved that score by an ok amount. I also looked for more large animal experience and started to do some volunteer work with horses.

Second year, I applied to 6 schools, got a few interviews, waitlisted at one school, never got off the waitlist.

Between second and third year, I researched the schools more. Focused my application to schools that I was more likely to be accepted to. I also gained a little equine veterinary experience and continued the volunteer work with horses. I had plenty of small animal experience, so that was not a point I needed to address. I did retake the GRE again, and I improved my verbal score by a bit more. I also reworked my Personal Statement and the essays on the supplemental applications. I have an issue with stating why I am a good candidate and not being shy about it, I didn't want to come across as "full of myself" when in reality, I just needed to show that I believe in myself and that I do believe I can succeed.

Third Year: I applied to one international school and 6 US schools. I was on two waitlists in the US. I was accepted internationally.

As how to mentally prepare for it, it kind of became like riding a bike to me by the third year....

After falling, you have to just get back on and keep pedaling.

 

[Lab Rat83]

Also a successful 3rd timer. As a Canadian resident I was only eligible to apply to one school. Each year I worked on my application. Improved my GRE scores, increased my GPA and got more vet and community experience.

First year I was given a big fat NO. Second year I was unsuccessfully wait listed and 3rd year they were like "fine, we'll let you in".

 

[twelvetigers]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...nt-stats-c-o-2015.776924/page-5#post-10926550

 

[yogapony]

I think back to my first application and I just cringe. What was I thinking?? I had basically redirected my career and applied kind of on a whim. I didn't get in.
Thankfully, I got some good feedback from the schools I applied to. I was encouraged to go for a Master's to make myself more competitive, since my undergrad grades were only so-so (3.2).
I took 3 years between my first and second application cycles, and in that time I retook the GRE and did a year of post-bacc classes, added a ton of experience, and had started my graduate degree. Still didn't get in.
I applied again after finishing my Master's with a 4.0. I added more research, more volunteering, and used that time to network. I changed my personal statement and my LORs. I got a new job in veterinary research. I collaborated with friends while working on our applications so that nothing I submitted went unread or unedited. I wasn't interested in applying internationally, so I actually narrowed the list of schools I applied to, so that I focused on ones that look at the application more holistically, or have grade forgiveness.
This time, it finally worked.

 

[KitCat]

Muchas gracias everyone

I will definitely be viewing this thread over the coming months for ways to improve myself as an applicant.

 

[WelshCob]

Three timer here. I got a unique masters that no one else had. Business. I got in or wait listed everywhere I applied on my third try.

 

[LetItSnow]

I think a relatively common mistake that multi-time-applicants make is not taking a realistic and objective approach to evaluating why they didn't get in. I've seen a lot of people not get in, get grumpy about it, make (incorrect) assumptions about why they didn't .... then they're screwed because they're working from a faulty assumption.

There's no one right answer for what to do when you don't get in, because it all depends on why. So therefore, the very best thing to do is try your best to <objectively> understand why you didn't get in. Then, either fix that problem as best you can, and/or change the expectations for your application by changing where you're applying.

But there are a lot of people who just keep banging their heads against the wall by submitting mostly the same application to the same places year after year.

 

[Hotfillyky]

This was my 4th application and I finally got in.

 

[Minnerbelle]

This was my 4th application and I finally got in.

Just saw that on the Rave thread. Congrats!!! You've worked very hard for this, and thanks for letting us know

 

[KitCat]

Did any of you discuss in your explanation statement on VMCAS what you did to strengthen your application after each denial?

 

[Jamr0ckin]

Did any of you discuss in your explanation statement on VMCAS what you did to strengthen your application after each denial?

It took me 4 times to get in. I strengthened my application, obviously, but that's not what I used my explanation or personal statement for, rather I was asked about it during my interview. Be prepared to talk, not write, about how you became a better applicant.

Good luck!