Staying Sane During the Wait

[Glassdyr]

At first, I thought the worst part of applying was the grind. The MCAT; the grades; the ECs; the emails asking for LORs that get no response; the polite follow-up to the LOR request with notes of panic between the lines.

After submitting my secondaries, though, I've realized it's the waiting. We've set our ships sailing and are just watching them from shore. The long gaps of silence between IIs, interviews, and admissions decisions are interminable and agonizing, waiting for the ball to drop with no warning. Where will we be next year? At home with our alma mater? Glowing at a lavish, prestigious T10? Lease hunting in a state we've never been to for an OOS school we've never seen? Yes, there's no sense in worrying since the application is sent -- we've laid our flat cards on the table -- and we've done the best we can. That would be the logical thing. But anxiety is anything but logical!

I'm going nuts. Absolutely moose testicles. I wish I could go back to grinding just so I could keep my head down and focus on what's right in front of my feet, instead of the vast uncertainty of the future.

So, what's everyone doing to stay sane, especially those of us on gap years? With my free time, I've starting working out more and picked up writing again (gains 'n brains bro) along with more for my research resume. I'm hunting for new ideas and am curious what everyone else is up to.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Goro]

Strongly suggest that you stay busy and work on improving your app. As of right now, you're rejected.

 

[gyngyn]

Strongly suggest that you stay busy and work on improving your app. As of right now, you're rejected.

Maybe I'm reading their signature wrong, but it looks like they have already been accepted...

 

[FluffyCat1212]

Get off SDN (AND reddit, premed fb grps), log out of your email, put the laptop down, and back away slowly.

Limit yourself to checking your email maybe twice a day- or even turn on notifications on your phone so that you're not constantly checking it.
Other than preparing for a reapplication if necessary and writing updates/LOIs, there's not much you can do at this point...except wait.

Find someone to vent to, whether it be a family member, friend, or therapist. Spend time with people you care about (both premed and non-premed). Get outside. Go do something you've wanted to do for a long time, but just have never gotten around to. Volunteer at your local animal shelter. Find little ways to keep yourself busy so that you're not stuck at home staring at your computer screen 24/7 trying to will an II or A into existence. Remind yourself that there's a great big world out there, and that your medical school application is just a teeny tiny miniscule part of it.

Hang in there.

 

[skeptastic]

At first, I thought the worst part of applying was the grind. The MCAT; the grades; the ECs; the emails asking for LORs that get no response; the polite follow-up to the LOR request with notes of panic between the lines.

After submitting my secondaries, though, I've realized it's the waiting. We've set our ships sailing and are just watching them from shore. The long gaps of silence between IIs, interviews, and admissions decisions are interminable and agonizing, waiting for the ball to drop with no warning. Where will we be next year? At home with our alma mater? Glowing at a lavish, prestigious T10? Lease hunting in a state we've never been to for an OOS school we've never seen? Yes, there's no sense in worrying since the application is sent -- we've laid our flat cards on the table -- and we've done the best we can. That would be the logical thing. But anxiety is anything but logical!

I'm going nuts. Absolutely moose testicles. I wish I could go back to grinding just so I could keep my head down and focus on what's right in front of my feet, instead of the vast uncertainty of the future.

So, what's everyone doing to stay sane, especially those of us on gap years? With my free time, I've starting working out more and picked up writing again (gains 'n brains bro) along with more for my research resume. I'm hunting for new ideas and am curious what everyone else is up to.

Lots of exercise, time with family, working, and binging shows on various TV apps. I actually have felt some relief lately, as it'd been years since I'd been able to breathe, look up, and take in life outside of medical school app preparation. Some days are more difficult than others, as you are correct about the agony of uncertainty, but hobbies and loved ones definitely take up enough time to make the wait more tolerable.

What do you do for fun? What do you do for mental and physical wellness? These may have already been answered and I will continue reading the thread after posting this, but those are the questions I felt necessary to ask, in an attempt to help you focus on things we could all be doing to better our lives, even if we weren't after a med school acceptance.

 

[skeptastic]

Just a heads up to everyone in the thread that OP has been accepted to one school (and a fantastic one, at that). I think this post is more about the anxiety that can come with not knowing where you will eventually end up, which school is best, how you'll fit in, and that kind of stuff. @Glassdyr please correct me if I'm wrong.

Anyway, I just thought it might be helpful for folks to realize that OP isn't in a state of panic because they haven't been accepted anywhere.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Didn't I mention "While You Are Waiting "in my signature yet?

It is a marathon, not a sprint. It is a mental grind. I'm not sure what one can do to make it less stressful. But you can keep worrying about the future before you realize the future passed you by. For wellness sake, appreciate the present (my suggestion).

 

[LunaOri]

Live life as though the current A is the only one you will get. Forget about all the others and try to enjoy yourself.

 

[Rachapkis]

I find hitting refresh obsessively on my email inbox to be extremely relaxing. Something else I enjoy is repeatedly revisiting past decisions and wondering if I made a mistake.

 

[skeptastic]

I find hitting refresh obsessively on my email inbox to be extremely relaxing. Something else I enjoy is repeatedly revisiting past decisions and wondering if I made a mistake.

The honesty! I'm digging it!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I find hitting refresh obsessively on my email inbox to be extremely relaxing. Something else I enjoy is repeatedly revisiting past decisions and wondering if I made a mistake.

That's like what I did when I tried to get Taylor Swift tickets. See how that worked out?

 

[Rachapkis]

That's like what I did when I tried to get Taylor Swift tickets. See how that worked out?

There are analogies to be had between the medical school application process and dealing with Ticketmaster!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

There are analogies to be had between the medical school application process and dealing with Ticketmaster!

Dental school admissions decisions are no longer embargoed as of midnight ET on December 15 (now). I'm quite familiar with many applicants refreshing their portals around that time.

 

[DarkBluMage]

It’s so interesting seeing different perspectives for application season. I couldn’t imagine feeling any kind of stress while already having an acceptance. I would have kicked back and been throughly enjoying myself knowing I was going to be a doctor regardless of how the rest of the cycle went.

 

[inwantstobeadoctor]

Get off of SND! I checked SND every single day, refreshing the forums 2-3 mins. I’m in medical school now and I STILL check SND. It’s a bad forming habit friend. Don’t do it 😫

 

[Glassdyr]

Maybe I'm reading their signature wrong, but it looks like they have already been accepted...

Yup, A received. I'm definitely keeping busy with two jobs, but I'm so used to studying every second... Studying comes so easy to me that I really miss the structure of it.

Like @skeptastic mentioned, I'm getting back into writing and hiking on my time off. The recommendation for animal shelter volunteering is a good one; I miss my cats.

Live life as though the current A is the only one you will get. Forget about all the others and try to enjoy yourself.

I like this a lot. Thank you.

It’s so interesting seeing different perspectives for application season. I couldn’t imagine feeling any kind of stress while already having an acceptance. I would have kicked back and been throughly enjoying myself knowing I was going to be a doctor regardless of how the rest of the cycle went.

For me, I'm totally stoked. When I got the acceptance email, I defecated enough bricks to put a second story on my house. I still can't believe it and I know there's entire seas of premeds waiting for even an II, let alone an A. For me, if I get to stay in-state (California), I'll get a tuition waiver for medical school. It's a life-changing amount of money on the line, and the odds are just so stacked against me with California med schools.

But it's out of my hands, yeah? Let the big bearded dude upstairs decide and all that. It's just hard to really internalize that mentality.

 

[Glassdyr]

That's like what I did when I tried to get Taylor Swift tickets. See how that worked out?

I really, really hope you got those tickets

Then resold them for $$

 

[skeptastic]

For me, I'm totally stoked. When I got the acceptance email, I defecated enough bricks to put a second story on my house. I still can't believe it and I know there's entire seas of premeds waiting for even an II, let alone an A. For me, if I get to stay in-state (California), I'll get a tuition waiver for medical school. It's a life-changing amount of money on the line, and the odds are just so stacked against me with California med schools.

But it's out of my hands, yeah? Let the big bearded dude upstairs decide and all that. It's just hard to really internalize that mentality.

I am definitely rooting for the CA acceptance! I'm in Texas with two very early pre-matches, and hoping against hope that either of them offers some major scholarship loot. Life-changing, indeed!