I made mistakes but got accepted!! You can too!

[muzzy44]

So I'm basically writing this hoping that others will read it someday and realize that they're gonna be ok. There are so many rumors about what is/isn't acceptable during the app process, and while you should obviously try to minimize the number of small errors you make, it is also important to realize that some of these errors are going to happen over the course of years of courses/tests/apps - don't destroy yourself over them!! Here are some "mistakes" I made, and even so I received 7 II this cycle (first time applying) and have 3 post-interview acceptances so far

1. spelling mistake in my personal statement - not something obvious (was proofread by 4 people, no one caught it) - but I obviously agonized over this for at least a week after realizing
2. didn't wear stockings to my first two interviews cuz I just didn't realize that was a thing - was accepted at both schools
3. got a C+ in a science pre-req + its associated lab in the same semester
4. didn't form great relationships with a lot of my professors (big lectures and never went to office hours) so I thought I was screwed for LORs, but I made it work by e-mailing a prior professor and simply asking to meet with him about my career aspirations/talk about my resume, and he liked what I had to say so he was willing to write me a rec (I had also gotten As in 2 of his classes, but I didn't have a relationship with him prior to this) **disclaimer - I had some other great recs from people who I DID have good relationships with, but I needed another science course rec and this guy pulled through**
5. I took the MCAT without feeling prepared the first time and KNEW I could have done better. Took it again and improved, but really wish I would have waited and only took it on that second date when I felt prepared
6. literally zero clinical experience (not even shadowing) until my senior year (switched to pre-med during my sophomore year) due to confusion/bad advice/my involvement with other activities - eventually managed to get over 1,000 hours
7. so many little stupid things lol

Long story short, please don't beat yourself up over things that won't, at the end of the day, make or break your future. I was accepted to one of my dream schools last week and my mom cried with happiness, and she laughed saying "remember when you called me crying because you got that C in physics, saying you were never going to get into med school? now look at where you are" ------ SO TRUE. Don't let this process drive you nuts - you're gonna need some of that sanity to take care of patients and change peoples' lives someday

FEEL FREE TO POST YOUR MISTAKES AND SUBSEQUENT SUCCESSES BELOW TO ADD TO THIS LIST!!!!

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[Officer Farva]

Awesome thread!
1) Two minor spelling mistakes in my "greatest challenge" essay. Could not find them even though I obsessively edit.
2) Reapplicant
3) Took the MCAT twice. Ok that is not too bad, everyone I know took the test 2-3 times.
4) 3.0 my first semester freshman year.
5) W in a pre-req
6) Due to poor advising at my school, I did not have any respectable ECs until my Sophomore year.

One acceptance at a top 10 out of 7 II. Everything else was a rejection/wait list post-II, or still pending. I applied broadly across top, mid, and low tier MD programs.

 

[anthonycrispino]

1.) 2.0 in a prerequisite class (Orgo I, RIP).
2.) Very limited shadowing.
3.) Alcohol related institutional action.
4.) No LOR from a physician. No LOR from a non-science professor.
5.) Reapplicant ORM status.
6.) Applied very narrowly (completed secondaries at 8 total schools)

Multiple acceptances this cycle (both MD, DO, MD/PhD interview coming up)

I felt like sharing too. Too often we see posts with just a single one of my flaws with the title "Is it over?" or "Am I screwed? Need help pls"

 

[heybubbaa]

.

 

[Lannister]

Cried during interview. Got accepted.

Edit: currently attending the school I cried at. Love it. Still cry at school frequently. Med school is great.

 

[muzzy44]

Cried during interview. Got accepted.

you win

 

[Lannister]

you win

Lolol. I feel so bad for the little old lady who was interviewing me. I was crying because the last station (MMI) I had done was really emotional so when I just randomly started sobbing in the middle of her station she probably though I was a total weirdo.

 

[bananafish94]

Lolol. I feel so bad for the little old lady who was interviewing me. I was crying because the last station (MMI) I had done was really emotional so when I just randomly started sobbing in the middle of her station she probably though I was a total weirdo.

Haha how emotional can an MMI be?

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

Great thread!

1) Failed bio on the first try, retook for a B. Got a C in gen chem, and B-s in both orgos. Applied with a 3.2 sGPA when all was said and done
2) Didnt even know 3 professors to write LORs. Had to promise a guy I'd work in his lab for 6 months for free postgrad just to get my 3rd one.
3) Applied to a host of low yield schools, OOS state schools with no ties, and schools were I was below the 10th percentile (IIs at Tulane, U South Carolina, Emory, Miami)
4) Applied with a significant other and was successful at getting into the same school (not a mistake, but people on SDN usually say its near impossible)

SDN loves to say even one mistake can sink you, and while sometimes it can, many times it wont. Dont stop, beleeeeiiivinnnnnnnn'

Still waiting on some results, but so far I've had 10 IIs and 6 MD acceptances. Cant even describe the level of gratitude

 

[Lannister]

Haha how emotional can an MMI be?

HIS MOTHER WAS DYING OKAY?

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

Okay, I'll bite.

1) Wanted to be a doctor since HS but fell in love with underwater basketweaving in college. Didn't take a single science course. Amassed a truly insane amount of student loan debt.
2) Worked for several years, got some pretty great EC's but decided med school was too scary. Applied to NP school. Got in. Couldn't go through with it! Decided I really wanted to be a doctor.
3) Took Orgo I over the summer while working full-time. Got a C+.
4) Worked full-time while trying to self-prep for the MCAT and finish prereqs at the same time.
5) Took the MCAT in July. Scored much lower than I'd hoped. Pre-med advisor told me to retake and apply next cycle.
6) Applied anyway to a bunch of schools I had no business applying to with a below average, unbalanced MCAT. (But good GPA.)

3 II's, 1 MD acceptance so far. Not devoting enough time to serious MCAT prep was my biggest mistake. So grateful that I've been able to overcome that!

 

[bigoliver101]

I got a 2.6 undergrad gpa, still accepted.

 

[Celestia]

Switched to premed from prePhD junior year (no relevant medical or volunteer experience)
Few hiccups in grades including a C in science class
Totally clueless and studied wrong things for MCAT (like all the things I was good at already- ignored bio. Who the heck writes practice essays for fun? Such a waste of time)
Applied super late
Postponed my first interviews for stupid reasons (further delaying when application underwent final review)
Finally got off WL at top 10 school in April

This post of course omits the things I did right, but yes, happy endings can happen even with mistakes.

 

[prehealthadvisor55]

I got a 2.6 undergrad gpa, still accepted.

I want to hear more about this...

 

[Womb Raider]

So I'm basically writing this hoping that others will read it someday and realize that they're gonna be ok. =

What is your final GPA, best MCAT and race?

I got a 2.6 undergrad gpa, still accepted.

Pics or it didn't happen.

 

[order66.exe]

Pretty light course loads (13-14 credits)
Not that much "traditional" clinical volunteering
Never sent a thank you letter after an interview
Way too many typos in my secondaries ( I cringe so much re reading these before interviews)
Accidentally withdrew all my letters of recommendation on AMCAS (thank god they still send them if you have them uploaded though otherwise I'd be SOL, all my letter writers are now "Dr. Letter Writer The First" haha)
Somewhat late application (secondaries sent out in September)

Currently have 5 acceptances and multiple top 20 twenty interviews.

 

[bigoliver101]

What is your final GPA, best MCAT and race?


Pics or it didn't happen.

It did happen for me. Hard work and persistence paid off for me at the end.

Undergrad gpa 2.6
Post bac gpa: 3.9
MCAT: 30
Strong EC's
Race: Over Represented Minority

 

[Celestia]

What is your final GPA, best MCAT and race?


Pics or it didn't happen.

I read the intent of the thread as about listing mistakes, to reassure people that they don't need to be perfect to get into med school. Given how neurotic people on here tend to be, I think it is a noble idea. With the focus on mistakes, clearly there is less of a focus on what is right about an application. Of course there needs to be some redeeming quality that led to an acceptance- and I'm sure no one here would discourage people from finding what that is (or could be) in their own application and developing or capitalizing on it.

But good news for all us mere mortals, mistakes can be redeemed!

 

[Celestia]

Oh I forgot to mention - at school I ended up attending - I flubbed the book question in the interview. Apparently along with tons of other premeds, if the worst interview moment thread is at all accurate.

-Oh I love reading
-what books have you read recently?
- awkward silence.

 

[Officer Farva]

Oh I forgot to mention - at school I ended up attending - I flubbed the book question in the interview. Apparently along with tons of other premeds, if the worst interview moment thread is at all accurate.

-Oh I love reading
-what books have you read recently?
- awkward silence.

I messed up that question in a different way. I said "The Great Gatsby" and my interviewer scoffed at that as a total lie (I honestly was reading it), since it sounded like I pulled some random book from high school out of my head.

In the future, do not answer with books that are typically read by high school kids haha

 

[CellPowerhouse]

Took all my pre-reqs except for Physics I and II at a community college (got straight Bs in all my chemistry classes there too) before transferring to a four-year. I remember posting on WAMC using my old account right before transferring (I had a 3.4 cGPA then and hadn't taken the MCAT yet), and everyone was like "Oh no you went to a CC and took all your pre-reqs there and didn't get a 4.0? That was a mistake!!!!!!1!!!!"

Attended 4 interviews so far, and my time in community college has never been brought up at all.

 

[prehealthadvisor55]

It did happen for me. Hard work and persistence paid off for me at the end.

Undergrad gpa 2.6
Post bac gpa: 3.9
MCAT: 30
Strong EC's
Race: Over Represented Minority

Do you mind sharing where you did post bacc? An issue some of my students are running into is that there's a 3.0 minimum for post-bacc acceptance. At least for formal SMP or Master's programs.

 

[Germanicus89]

1)Egregious grammar mistake in AMCAS primary essay. The sentence didn't even make sense. Not even close.

2) Sub 3.0 freshman year.

3) Didn't send thank you notes. They felt brown nosy/oleaginous. Maybe I'm just an ungrateful *&^hole.


Multiple instate and out of state MD acceptances.

 

[horse__pills]

Cried during interview. Got accepted.

+1 except it was my third mmi station ("sorry my eyes are red, terrible allergies" through the rest). still accepted ayyy

 

[dexmedetomidine212]

1. First semester in college gpa = 1.9

2. Below average mcat score

2 MD acceptances

 

[Officer Farva]

http://gomerblog.com/2016/01/tudent-doctor-network/

 

[XxThaDoggxX]

1. First semester in college gpa = 1.9

2. Below average mcat score

2 MD acceptances

WTF am I doing wrong?

 

[bigoliver101]

Do you mind sharing where you did post bacc? An issue some of my students are running into is that there's a 3.0 minimum for post-bacc acceptance. At least for formal SMP or Master's programs.

At my public state college

 

[aalamruad]

Took all my pre-reqs except for Physics I and II at a community college (got straight Bs in all my chemistry classes there too) before transferring to a four-year. I remember posting on WAMC using my old account right before transferring (I had a 3.4 cGPA then and hadn't taken the MCAT yet), and everyone was like "Oh no you went to a CC and took all your pre-reqs there and didn't get a 4.0? That was a mistake!!!!!!1!!!!"

Attended 4 interviews so far, and my time in community college has never been brought up at all.

Reported.

jk (of course)

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

Right out of HS was was ill prepared for college (great in class but zero study skills) plus I was undiagnosed bipolar. Dropped out with abysmal grades. Managed to get diagnosed and somehow get my grades changed to Ws for psychological reasons.
Worked menial jobs in the real world for 10+ years.
Went back to college got 4.0 and killer MCAT. Now I'm an MS-1

 

[Turkishking]

So I'm basically writing this hoping that others will read it someday and realize that they're gonna be ok. There are so many rumors about what is/isn't acceptable during the app process, and while you should obviously try to minimize the number of small errors you make, it is also important to realize that some of these errors are going to happen over the course of years of courses/tests/apps - don't destroy yourself over them!! Here are some "mistakes" I made, and even so I received 7 II this cycle (first time applying) and have 3 post-interview acceptances so far

1. spelling mistake in my personal statement - not something obvious (was proofread by 4 people, no one caught it) - but I obviously agonized over this for at least a week after realizing
2. didn't wear stockings to my first two interviews cuz I just didn't realize that was a thing - was accepted at both schools
3. got a C+ in a science pre-req + its associated lab in the same semester
4. didn't form great relationships with a lot of my professors (big lectures and never went to office hours) so I thought I was screwed for LORs, but I made it work by e-mailing a prior professor and simply asking to meet with him about my career aspirations/talk about my resume, and he liked what I had to say so he was willing to write me a rec (I had also gotten As in 2 of his classes, but I didn't have a relationship with him prior to this) **disclaimer - I had some other great recs from people who I DID have good relationships with, but I needed another science course rec and this guy pulled through**
5. I took the MCAT without feeling prepared the first time and KNEW I could have done better. Took it again and improved, but really wish I would have waited and only took it on that second date when I felt prepared
6. literally zero clinical experience (not even shadowing) until my senior year (switched to pre-med during my sophomore year) due to confusion/bad advice/my involvement with other activities - eventually managed to get over 1,000 hours
7. so many little stupid things lol

Long story short, please don't beat yourself up over things that won't, at the end of the day, make or break your future. I was accepted to one of my dream schools last week and my mom cried with happiness, and she laughed saying "remember when you called me crying because you got that C in physics, saying you were never going to get into med school? now look at where you are" ------ SO TRUE. Don't let this process drive you nuts - you're gonna need some of that sanity to take care of patients and change peoples' lives someday

FEEL FREE TO POST YOUR MISTAKES AND SUBSEQUENT SUCCESSES BELOW TO ADD TO THIS LIST!!!!

I hope I can successfully matriculate one day. That would be the best moment of my life.

 

[MikeyDub]

Dropped out of high school, kicked out of house, many years out of school, accepted to first choice medical school.

 

[Ecronum]

3.65 cGPA
3.4 sGPA
26 MCAT <--- lethal... but only one interviewer brought it up!
CA resident

8 II's, 4 acceptances, 1 waitlist! (1 top 15, the rest are 40-70) but I can't complain!

To be fair:
AMAZING**** LoR's
Great EC's
Unique personal statement

 

[medbunny56]

3.65 cGPA
3.4 sGPA
26 MCAT <--- lethal... but only one interviewer brought it up!
CA resident

8 II's, 4 acceptances, 1 waitlist! (1 top 15, the rest are 40-70) but I can't complain!

To be fair:
AMAZING**** LoR's
Great EC's
Unique personal statement

congrats!! how many LOR's did you have? i have similar gpas and I am deciding whether or not to take an extra and do a masters to help those :/

 

[redferrari]

I spelled two words wrong in the first sentence of a secondary essay. I was also OOS and this was for a TX school. Got accepted. We are human, adcoms know this. One mistake (or two) does not make a good application bad.

 

[Edentern11]

mistakes are fine ... its the big red flags that you cant get away from

 

[Ischemia1032]

Just gonna say, everyone gets stressed over grades, and you should be, a mistake here or there or one bad semester(especially freshman year), a lot of medical schools will write it off unless it is really terrible, like a 2.0 GPI during your junior year.

 

[muzzy44]

Just gonna say, everyone gets stressed over grades, and you should be, a mistake here or there or one bad semester(especially freshman year), a lot of medical schools will write it off unless it is really terrible, like a 2.0 GPI during your junior year.

Yeah that kind of stuff really can hurt your chances, but I'm not talking about severe red flags. I thought my chances at med school were shot when I got a C in a pre-req (I had never looked at SDN or any similar sites to get input) because I was paranoid and convinced myself that I needed a perfect app. I just want to remind everyone that you don't need a PERFECT app - it's a near impossible feat. Confidence is so important while test-taking and during interviews, and I think people will overall do better if they forgive themselves for their mistakes, recognize that they're still worthy candidates for med school, and proceed with confidence. I don't want people to be OVER confident, because that will make them blind to their weaknesses and less able to improve their applications, etc, but I feel like the majority of pre-med students are extremely self-critical and are aware of their weaknesses, and I want to give those neurotic people some hope haha. Literally wish you guys could read the texts I sent to my best friend right after I realized the spelling error in the powerful closing sentence of my personal statement

 

[Necr0sis713]

What would constitute as an ORM?

 

[Efflorescence]

One of the professors from whom I asked for a LOR straight up told me that she didn't know me very well and could not write that strong of a letter. I was out of time and professors so I had her write it anyway.

Result: 3 acceptances so far! Thank goodness for committee letters lol.

 

[Celestia]

What would constitute as an ORM?

Probably Asian.

 

[Germanicus89]

What would constitute as an ORM?

No. We're not steering this thread into the depths of h*((. Not again. Not this thread. Use the search bar.

 

[Celestia]

No. We're not steering this thread into the depths of h*((. Not again. Not this thread. Use the search bar.

Haha ok no idea that my comment would trigger that kind of reaction. Best leave it alone. I like this thread and wouldn't want to ruin it.

 

[pageantry]

There are lots of things I could mention but getting a B in my very first semester of my post-bacc would have been a crushing blow if I hadn't been so proud of pulling it up from my midterm grade. Which was F. I had no idea there was a difference between pre-medical and pre-engineering calculus at my school. Whoopsie!

Then, in the summer, I went to the Amazon and experienced my own death and met God (figuratively?) and was like "WHO NEEDS TO STUDY ORGANIC CHEMISTRY?! GONNA STUDY BUTTERFLIES." So I got into a butterfly lab and got a B in Orgo. Luckily I came to my senses somewhere around my 90 billionth PCR and pulled my Orgo II grade back up.

I know a couple B's probably aren't that big of a deal, but I feel like my first one, especially, was the kind of clusterfark that other people might experience, and could make some people consider quitting at the outset. But, I've been accepted to three MD schools so far, including a UC and another school with a full scholarship. No one ever asked me about the B's.

 

[swearonmemum]

Also cried during a (non-MMI) interview. Not just teared up, but straight up cried for a few minutes. Interviewer handed me a box of tissues.

This was at my top choice. Got in

 

[TBV]

1.) Wrote every amcas essay wasted, didn't proofread and submitted

 

[gyrfalcon]

Undergrad: < 3.0 GPA including 5+ classes below a C-, multiple Ws.
Had to explain two career switches.
Old enough that I was asked some uncomfortable questions in interviews.

Having a good MCAT, postbac and grad GPA, research, and ECs saved me. 9 MD interviews with 2 acceptances so far.

 

[horse__pills]

1. barely 100 clinical volunteer hours listed on amcas AND didn't start until senior year (holla @ gap yr)
2. shadowing done exclusively in the month before amcas submission
3. somewhat downward GPA trend (one interviewer addressed it)
4. non-science major with only two science electives on top of pre-reqs (got more Bs than As in pre-reqs)

LizzyM 71
10 MD IIs, five acceptances so far

looking back, i wish i had done these things differently
i really really don't recommend #1 or #2

 

[aalamruad]

1. barely 100 clinical volunteer hours listed on amcas AND didn't start until senior year (holla @ gap yr)
2. shadowing done exclusively in the month before amcas submission
3. somewhat downward GPA trend (one interviewer addressed it)
4. non-science major with only two science electives on top of pre-reqs (got more Bs than As in pre-reqs)

LizzyM 71
10 MD IIs, five acceptances so far

looking back, i wish i had done these things differently
i really really don't recommend #1 or #2

How many shadowing hours were you able to get in that last month?

 

[jqueb29]

1. Personal statement somehow ended mid-sentence. I'm 99.9% sure there was nothing wrong when I submitted it, but looked back later and discovered the last 3-4 words missing.
2. 5 W's on my transcript
3. 3 C's (including a C in a class I dropped the year before because I was going to get a B instead of an A...whoops lol)
4. Studied poorly for my first MCAT and got a very mediocre score on it