2022-2023 Waitlist Support Thread

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Historically, there is drastic WL movement at my top choice school this Friday/Saturday. I sent in my 2nd LOI/update letter and am buckled up. I shall manifest an A.

countdown GIF
 
waitlist_hopeful said:
This is probably partially because my parents are from another country, and they don’t have DO’s there. Probably a familiarity thing.
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Help them understand it. ...or not.
 
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waitlist_hopeful said:
Sorry, this app cycle I only applied to two schools since those were the ones I previously received interviews/waitlists from
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This is not a strategy consistent with success. We can hope that (against all odds) this somehow results in a favorable outcome for you, but it is not logical or recommended.
 
waitlist_hopeful said:
To top it all off, I met my current fiancé, who is a physician at school Y.
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Did your fiancé give you any advice at all during this process?

waitlist_hopeful said:
Sorry, this app cycle I only applied to two schools since those were the ones I previously received interviews/waitlists from
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Those two schools ultimately did not offer you admission, after interview/WL. There were other applicants more desirable than you. So, that could easily happen again. That's why it would be important to apply broadly to many more schools, who might find you to be desirable.
 
waitlist_hopeful said:
Long post ahead

Hey guys. I’m posting in here because I could really use some support. This is my first post on any Internet forum of any kind, lol. I’ve been a lurker here for a while and it’s been nice to see some of the support that others have gotten and to see the celebrations of others that have persisted and finally gotten accepted. I’ll try to summarize as best as possible.

I’m a reapplicant who is nearing the end of the 3rd application cycle. The first year I applied, I (miraculously) was waitlisted at one of my top choices, choice X. My grades from a very competitive undergrad school were a 3.2x and my MCAT was a high 50x. I KNOW those aren’t stellar stats. I went through a lot in undergrad, and that definitely reflected academically. I tried to apply to specific schools that fit my wants/interests which is what I think contributed to my waitlist in the first place. The main feedback I got from my first cycle was to take more science classes and raise my GPA. Fair criticism. I contacted my undergrad and asked about SMPs vs post bacc, and I ultimately decided on an SMP because I already had significant shadow, volunteer, research and extracurricular experience since I went into undergrad wanting to go to med school. I applied to two programs, one of them being choice Y and another (unimportant) school. I picked choice Y because of a lot of personal factors, better fit for me, and it was one of the schools I was initially very interested in.

When I was talking to my undergraduate school about 1 year SMP versus post bacc, they were very straightforward in saying that I had to be very real with myself in knowing that I could get a good GPA (3.5-6+) in the SMP program to stand a chance at getting into medical school. I was told that SMP‘s do have a high success rate in acceptance to medical school, but only if you do well. I knew I could do it, so I decided on school Y. I took it as a chance to hone my study skills, and really invest myself in learning.

I reapplied during the year of my SMP at the advice of the advisors in the SMP. I applied very broadly like many applicants do, but I had my eye on the two original schools, school X and school Y where I was currently a student. That school traditionally had a strong linkage. I was devastated when the day after submitting my secondary application to school X, I was immediately rejected. I must have just been filtered out unfortunately. Given that I was previously waitlisted, I was completely blindsided, but I decided to focus on school Y because I was adjusting and really getting to know the school. I was doing very well grade wise, and I thought I would be able to see myself at school Y as a medical student. To top it all off, I met my current fiancé, who is a physician at school Y.

Throughout the year, all of us students had meetings with various advisors, talking about our progress and expectations. I never once received an ounce of bad feedback. I was even asked to teacher assistant for some classes after I did exceptionally well in a few of them. I was told that I had a fantastic interview and would be a fantastic medical student.

Near the end of last year, I was told by the program advisor who sits on the medical school admissions committee that I would either be accepted this year (now last year) or definitely next year (now this year). I was very stressed to hear that I might have to apply again. I was told to be patient and wait on their waitlist because I had a strong application for their school.

I asked the program director if I absolutely had to apply again, if I had any areas to improve, and I was told no. I also said that I only wanted to apply to school X from my original application year and this school (school Y) because applications were expensive, and these were the only two schools that I had a real passion about and would really go to. I was told that that was appropriate and that my statistics for those two schools were on target. I ended the program with an on target GPA (3.6+) and I fully expected to be admitted. I waited the entire summer with the expectation of being admitted, but I was ultimately rejected and I was devastated. I had to scramble to find a job last minute and sign a lease for a year without a job. I ended up finding a great job for me, and reapplied after having school Y review my application one more time. School Y, while one of my in-state schools, is an area that I have no family and no friends in, but I decided to stay in the area because I fully expected to be admitted and I wanted to stay with my fiancé.

In September, I received interview invites for school X from my original year and school Y, as expected. I was very excited and looking forward to being finally admitted after doing everything possible for myself. I stayed in touch with admissions committee, and my current job wrote a fantastic letter of recommendation for me. My interviews at both schools I felt went very well and I was complemented during them for my persistence and the quality of my application.

Fast forward to now and I am currently waitlisted at both schools AGAIN. I have sent many update letters, many new letters of recommendation, met with many people at both schools, including the dean of both schools and told that I am a fantastic student, and would be an asset to any class, but I have yet to be accepted.

I am absolutely devastated. This process has taken every ounce of self-confidence, trust, and work ethic out of me. My MCAT score is also expiring this year and I am miserable thinking about retaking it. On top of that, this process has drained so much energy, money and happiness from me, that I feel like I am being a terrible fiancé. He is trying to be as supportive as possible but he is also at a loss. It physically hurts to talk about being on a waitlist again to family and friends that I’ve only ever thought that I would be such a great physician. Many physicians, that I have shadowed and worked with have also said the same thing that they don’t understand this process.

I understand that this process is tough on everyone. I also enjoy seeing people finally get accepted after years of hard work, but I wonder why it hasn’t been me. I feel lied to and duped by this whole process. I feel like I was promised something by a lot of people, and then let down. There have been so many supportive people that have helped me along the way, and I feel like I have just let every single one of them down. I know this is nobody’s fault, but I’m just so upset.

I also feel like I was receptive to feedback at various points during this process and the only feedback I ever received was to take more science classes and improve my GPA, which I did. I genuinely don’t know what to do and I’m starting to just crumble.
To anyone who made it all the way to the end. Thanks for listening. I hope you all get accepted to your schools and I would appreciate any words of encouragement.
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I’m really sorry you’re in this position, this process can be so draining and frustrating. The practical advice I could offer is to apply to a wider range of schools, dedicate yourself to something truly meaningful for you this year (something you’re passionate about that you can do for the sake of its enjoyment and challenge rather as solely an application booster), and spend some time developing the story about yourself and your journey you want ti share with adcoms.

But you asked for encouragement and I think you’re due for some. You sound like a thoughtful, intelligent, driven person. But more importantly, it sounds like you’ve made a lot of sacrifices for this dream, often at the expense of other meaningful aspects of your life. Perhaps you’ll get in at one of your schools and you’ll feel validated and relieved. Maybe you won’t and will have to consider whether to apply again, and it will be disappointing but I promise it won’t be the end of the world, it may even give you the freedom to outside things you wouldn’t have otherwise. At her commencement speech at Harvard in 2008 (I think) J. K. Rowling (I know she’s said some morally reprehensible stuff but she makes a good point in this speech) she shares that when she felt like the most abject failure, when all her worst case scenarios had come true and she felt as though she’d hit rock bottom, it became the “solid ground in which {she} rebuilt her life.” They’re incredible freedom in realizing that the thing you fear the most might not actually have the power to destroy you. We’re notoriously poor predictors of how unhappy our worst case scenarios will make us, and for how long that disappointment will last. I encourage you to think of this time as a ****tily wrapped gift, once that is bittersweet but still meaningful and important. It may be an opportunity to nurture your relationship with your partner and spend time being you, rather than the version of yourself that’s been single-mindedly pursuing this goal for years. Maybe you’ll read this and resent that I’m trying to find silver linings in an undoubtedly frustrating situation. I don’t mean to invalidate or minimize how heartbreaking this kind of prolonged rejection can be. But finding things to be grateful for and to look forward to is the only way to stay sane and find joy through such a difficult process. If you decide to continue pursuing medicine, this ability to find peace and joy beyond your circumstance will not only make you an incredible physician, but a great human your patients and coworkers will feel lucky to know. I really hope it works out for you, I’m crossing my fingers.
 
2024 or 5 ? said:
If I had to do this again, I would have applied to DO schools. I did not know anything about them, and thought DO was basically MD lite. I have been enlightened, and now I would have preferred to go to a DO school. But no way in hell am I doing this again!
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me 🤝 getting zero love from DO schools

(still waiting to hear back from one but at this point it’s likely an R)
 
if waitlist hopeful ever sees this, I’m sorry that this happened. I am keenly aware of how damaging it is to sacrifice your present for false hope. But I am confident in our abilities. And I don’t believe we have sacrificed in vain. Hoping we both get off our WL. Wishing you the best of luck
 
PseudoAmerican said:
I've gotta get this off my chest - I feel so conflicted about whether it is even worth going through the hassle of re-applying this cycle. I really don't have anything major to add to my application if I were to re-apply. I also need to re-write my MCAT in order to re-apply this cycle because my score is expired now. This means that my app won't be considered until September (at least I think that's how it works). But September is still earlier than when I had my secondaries complete this year. I'm just having a hard time stomaching the reality of another two full gap years by not re-applying this next cycle.

At the same time, I want to put my best foot forward if I have to re-apply. To make things more ambiguous, I was also told by admissions for the school I'm WL at that they got to my spot on the alternate list in previous years, including last year, and that I'm in a relatively good spot...so there's reason to be optimistic. But I really don't want to place all my bets on this one waitlist cuz nothing is guaranteed.

What would you guys do? Do you think I should just start my re-app tomorrow? Would this give me time to still get my primary into the verification queue on time?
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I would start studying for the mid July Mcat !
 
I honestly need some place to vent… I only applied MD this cycle because I didn’t really know what DO was since my schools pre med advisors suck badly. I feel like I would have had a decent shot at DO as I only got on the WL for my state MD and am still waitlisted. This whole process has drained me, I have cried more in the past several months than since I was a baby probably. And to make matters worse, if I don’t get in I need to retake my MCAT because it’s not good. At this point I don’t even know if I want in this cycle. I’m planning to room with a best friend and work in a hospital for the next year and maybe reapply. Maybe DO would be my better bet next cycle as my state also has a few of those. Anyways, tmi, but I needed somewhere to vent to people who actually understand this process and what I’m going through because none of my friends or family really do.
 
Hi guys, I'm still on my 6 WL unfortunately and I've gotten really far in the reapp but I'm having a really hard time approaching a rewrite of my personal statement. Half of my personal statement is just my life story and how I got into medicine so I don't really want to change it and I think it would be disingenuous to do so, but the last part is an anecdote from a time time in the clinic when everything clicked for me. Would it be okay to keep the PS the same when it got me 6 interviews after being complete in October? The most maddening part is half of my advisors tell me to completely rewrite it, and the other half are like there's nothing really to rewrite here and just send it in as is.

Confused Rooster Teeth GIF by Achievement Hunter
 
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polarelephante said:
Hi guys, I'm still on my 6 WL unfortunately and I've gotten really far in the reapp but I'm having a really hard time approaching a rewrite of my personal statement. Half of my personal statement is just my life story and how I got into medicine so I don't really want to change it and I think it would be disingenuous to do so, but the last part is an anecdote from a time time in the clinic when everything clicked for me. Would it be okay to keep the PS the same when it got me 6 interviews after being complete in October? The most maddening part is half of my advisors tell me to completely rewrite it, and the other half are like there's nothing really to rewrite here and just send it in as is.

Confused Rooster Teeth GIF by Achievement Hunter
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on the same boat with 5 WL-- same thoughts like the PS was obviously good enough to get 5 MD interviews lol but maybe wasn't good enough at the end of the day plus other factors to get in. I changed around about half of my PS for this time around adding in a new experience that I had during my gap year
 
ayoooooosauce said:
on the same boat with 5 WL-- same thoughts like the PS was obviously good enough to get 5 MD interviews lol but maybe wasn't good enough at the end of the day plus other factors to get in. I changed around about half of my PS for this time around adding in a new experience that I had during my gap year
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I guess yeah that's good advice but I was just working a job all year while applying I wasn't really doing anything significant to change my app you know what I mean. Do your schools have good historic movement?
 
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