Is it time to quit?

[East Wind]

How do you know when its time to quit?

This is my second go around, once when I was 2 years out of college and now I am 5 years out of school.

I have gotten rejections across the board, 5 schools the first time, 4 the second.

I thought that maybe having more experience would help but apparently not.

I thought that I was not the best qualified but at least competitive but apparently not.

I dont know if trying again next year will be productive. I've done 1 post rejection interview and didnt find it really helpful in terms of specific things I could do to be more attractive as a candidate.
Next year, I will be one year further from undergrad and I know the longer I am out of school will work against me.

How did you arrive at the decision to keep applying? Thanks for any input.

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[hbr1704]

You talked about gaining more experience between each application cycle which is great. What are your stats like in terms of grades and GRE? In that time did you retake any classes that you may have lower grades in?

And what type of additional experience did you gain? Did you vary your experiences or gain more experience but cont. to work or volunteer at the same clinic/lab/etc.?

 

[LetItSnow]

I'm think you need to understand better what is holding you back.

You have gotten 9 rejections total but only done one file review? That sounds like the obvious place to start.

 

[orca2011]

I'd also recommend doing more than one file review as some schools are way more helpful than others. Also, if you feel like you're not getting anything out of it, be up front. Ask for the top 3-5 things they'd like to see improved on and then see which ones you can realistically change.

Re-examine your personal statement and have additional people read it. Maybe there are some errors or flow issues that are making it seem not as well written as others.

Also, reconsider who your LORs are from. Is there a possibility that one of them said something negative? Could they all just be average? If you've interviewed, think about how you portrayed yourself during your interview. Did you fidget? Seem too rehearsed? Try doing some mock interviews.


As for when to quit, it's a personal decision based on whether or not you want to keep going through the process and often finances. No one can make that decision for you and there isn't a magical number as to how many times you should try. Some people try once and are done. Others try 7 times.

 

[Cyndia]

What everyone else said is pretty much what I was going to say. It's really up to you to determine when you want to quit, but I would strongly second the suggestion to follow up with as many of your schools as possible. I did several file reviews, one was totally unhelpful, but I remember in one of them he pulled out my file and told me if I was strong or weak in each area of the application, which was super useful. Also, I just want to add - don't necessarily think being further out of school works against you. It might be tougher in terms of adjusting to being back in school, and being out longer financially, but in terms of being accepted a lot of vet schools have candidates that are slightly older.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I second doing more file reviews. I was rejected from all of the schools I applied to in my first cycle, and I did file reviews at all of them. For one school, I spent an hour on the phone with the dean himself. Two other schools, about an hour on the phone with someone from the admissions office. The last two just sent me a pdf comparing my stats to the accepted student stats. You can see there that some schools are immensely more helpful with their file reviews than others.

If I were you, I'd contact those schools that rejected you and see if you can still get file reviews. Don't ever hesitate to ask questions, either. If you can get those file reviews, you should have a better idea of where you need to improve. That's probably the best way to decide whether or not you'd like to continue trying. Best of luck!

 

[rockatiel]

If you are somewhat intimidated about getting file reviews, don't be! The schools won't bite, and you may get ideas of how to improve your application that you would never think of. It doesn't make you inadequate to ask someone to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. It shows you're willing to work towards a goal. Don't give up and start working now! Good luck!

 

[LyraGardenia]

I started this thread just about two years ago when I was having doubts myself: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/how-many-times-should-i-apply-before-giving-up.1052822/
This cycle was my third time applying, and I very nearly gave up after one of my LORs didn't get submitted on time. Luckily I didn't (largely because I'd already spent the money to apply), and 3 out of 5 schools I applied to were willing to accept the late letter emailed to them, and I got an acceptance!

I had decided going in that this cycle was going to be my last attempt regardless. I was so tired of going through the application process and not knowing where my life would be in a year, plus it was getting to the point I would have to retake some of my pre-reqs. Some schools don't accept pre-reqs more than 6 years old, but this varies by school.

 

[Skimble]

You may also want to look at the school's you are applying to and make sure you are applying intelligently. Different schools emphasize different things. Maybe you applied to a school that doesn't accept many OOS students and has a super high GPA minimum for those OOS students, or you applied to a school that really likes to see research experience and you don't have any. Maybe you would be a better fit at a school that you hadn't previously considered.

 

[Osudairy]

You may also want to look at the school's you are applying to and make sure you are applying intelligently. Different schools emphasize different things. Maybe you applied to a school that doesn't accept many OOS students and has a super high GPA minimum for those OOS students, or you applied to a school that really likes to see research experience and you don't have any. Maybe you would be a better fit at a school that you hadn't previously considered.

This is a good point. Some schools are different in what they want from an applicant. My suggestion is the same as others; do multiple file reviews. Also, make sure you are doing the research on the schools your are applying to in terms of class stats, pre-reqs, and min GPA. It takes some time to go through all of the schools, but Google searches can turn up valuable info. For example, one piece of information I used was here. It compares a lot of schools side-by-side.

 

[moonlitmare]

If you're not getting interviews then you need to find out why you are not getting past that 1st sorting.
This is my 3rd consecutive round. (My 1st stint was over a decade ago)
I've learned much since then:
Always do a file review, every school, every time
All schools look for something different. Some are experience based, some are academic.
Most will tell you exactly how they score people. e.g. So many points for experience: 1 pt if its <40hrs 2pts if >40 and for each category small animal, large animal, exotic/research. Quant GRE score over "x" is worth 2 pts max, Verbal is always worth 1 (remember this is just an example)
When they add up all the points they take "x" amt of the highest scoring apps and give them interviews.
Part of it is luck. There's no set number of points you just have to be in the top end of that pool.
Hedge your bets...look at the stats for entering classes. See where your numbers fall, GPA, GRE, Age.
In state vs out of state, remember there's seats contracted out...see how many seats you're fighting for.
Don't apply places you have no shot. Hedge your bets. Everyone likes to go for the east or west coast. perhaps you should shoot for the middle?

Now I'm hoping 3rd times a charm here for me, but honestly, I'm working the numbers and even if I get my wish, I may have to come to very sad reality....BUT I've done a lot of the impossible in my life & I'm not done looking at them yet. If there's a way I'll find it. and really, I have to get accepted before its an issue.

I'm having a hard time being objective this round. My last file review turned up: nothing to do, nothing to improve, sorry about your luck, have a nice day. I was waitlisted the previous year and did everything I was told to do for my file review only to be rejected after the interview.
At the time of my interview I was 7months pregnant. Yep, a little hard to be objective......
BUT
This year I applied to a bunch of places, got a bunch of interviews, and have been well received. Maybe that one program just isn't for me; I'm going to get a free meal out of them anyway. Any maybe last year really was just a "very competitive pool" (funny their stats didn't show that) and they'll like me this time.

So keep going. Chase the dragon!
Meet new people. Perhaps this will take you into new circles and you'll find a new path. I've seen some crazy stuff since my 1st hiatus.
If they are not going to let you in, the least you can do is give them a good read every year. I have to say every year people comment my essays keep getting better than the year before. This process is awful and wonderfully exciting at the same time. Either way its better than 10 years from now sitting on the couch eating (insert snack) wondering where life went wrong. Cause if you're like me, it will haunt you. Everyone "wastes" money on something, why not this? Sometimes, you even get free meals

 

[pinkpuppy9]

If you're not getting interviews then you need to find out why you are not getting past that 1st sorting.
This is my 3rd consecutive round. (My 1st stint was over a decade ago)
I've learned much since then:
Always do a file review, every school, every time
All schools look for something different. Some are experience based, some are academic.
Most will tell you exactly how they score people. e.g. So many points for experience: 1 pt if its <40hrs 2pts if >40 and for each category small animal, large animal, exotic/research. Quant GRE score over "x" is worth 2 pts max, Verbal is always worth 1 (remember this is just an example)
When they add up all the points they take "x" amt of the highest scoring apps and give them interviews.
Part of it is luck. There's no set number of points you just have to be in the top end of that pool.
Hedge your bets...look at the stats for entering classes. See where your numbers fall, GPA, GRE, Age.
In state vs out of state, remember there's seats contracted out...see how many seats you're fighting for.
Don't apply places you have no shot. Hedge your bets. Everyone likes to go for the east or west coast. perhaps you should shoot for the middle?

Now I'm hoping 3rd times a charm here for me, but honestly, I'm working the numbers and even if I get my wish, I may have to come to very sad reality....BUT I've done a lot of the impossible in my life & I'm not done looking at them yet. If there's a way I'll find it. and really, I have to get accepted before its an issue.

I'm having a hard time being objective this round. My last file review turned up: nothing to do, nothing to improve, sorry about your luck, have a nice day. I was waitlisted the previous year and did everything I was told to do for my file review only to be rejected after the interview.
At the time of my interview I was 7months pregnant. Yep, a little hard to be objective......
BUT
This year I applied to a bunch of places, got a bunch of interviews, and have been well received. Maybe that one program just isn't for me; I'm going to get a free meal out of them anyway. Any maybe last year really was just a "very competitive pool" (funny their stats didn't show that) and they'll like me this time.

So keep going. Chase the dragon!
Meet new people. Perhaps this will take you into new circles and you'll find a new path. I've seen some crazy stuff since my 1st hiatus.
If they are not going to let you in, the least you can do is give them a good read every year. I have to say every year people comment my essays keep getting better than the year before. This process is awful and wonderfully exciting at the same time. Either way its better than 10 years from now sitting on the couch eating (insert snack) wondering where life went wrong. Cause if you're like me, it will haunt you. Everyone "wastes" money on something, why not this? Sometimes, you even get free meals

I feel this way about my IS. My stats are higher than/almost the same as their admitted stats every year, yet both years I applied I was rejected. Sometimes you really just aren't what they're looking for. Sometimes you have no idea why, other times you can tell based off of what they ask in their interviews/supplemental and what the class profiles look like. Remember that a 'competitive pool' is not limited to academic stats. Also, if a school really wants to, they can break their own rules and interview/accept people who don't necessarily have the academic stats, but have the crazy good experiences or a really moving essay (I've heard stories about both happening).

Also, about the 'hedge your bets thing,' I don't think it's wrong to ask schools what their initial cutoffs are if they don't make it clear on their websites. Usually, the first rejections that go out are purely academic cuts if your GPAs aren't above certain numbers (and these cutoffs often differ from the absolute minimum a school might have for your GPA, say a 2.75 for example). On top of that, some of the schools change their cutoffs every year.