Accepting Rejection and Getting Better

[hkb96]

I received my first rejection letter and most likely will be getting a couple more soon. I know I can't be the only one in this spot - how are y'all in my shoes coping and how do you plan on making yourself more competitive?

Additionally, for those who aren't living in a state that offers a DVM program, do you just reapply and hope to beat the odds? Do you do something crazy like move to a school you really hope to attend down the road so you can apply as a resident?

Thanks for the feedback Trying to stay positive

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[mmmdreamerz]

I received my first rejection letter and most likely will be getting a couple more soon. I know I can't be the only one in this spot - how are y'all in my shoes coping and how do you plan on making yourself more competitive?

Additionally, for those who aren't living in a state that offers a DVM program, do you just reapply and hope to beat the odds? Do you do something crazy like move to a school you really hope to attend down the road so you can apply as a resident?

Thanks for the feedback Trying to stay positive

The first school I heard from when I applied in 2016 was a rejection. I may or may not have sobbed in the barn while cleaning stalls and lamented to my mentor at the time that if that school didn't want me, no school would want me. (Yes, dramatic...it hurt!). I subsequently got into the 3 other schools I applied to that year and am now graduating from vet school in 5 months.

One school's rejection does not equate to all schools being a rejection.

Promise.

And if it isn't the year you get in, it definitely doesn't mean that the dream is over by any means. LOTS of people take multiple years to get in.

I know how hard this time of year is, but staying positive is the only way to get through it. You've got this!

 

[PetVet23]

I received my first rejection letter and most likely will be getting a couple more soon. I know I can't be the only one in this spot - how are y'all in my shoes coping and how do you plan on making yourself more competitive?

Additionally, for those who aren't living in a state that offers a DVM program, do you just reapply and hope to beat the odds? Do you do something crazy like move to a school you really hope to attend down the road so you can apply as a resident?
Thanks for the feedback Trying to stay positive

I know it's tough but try to keep your head up! I spent two years getting nothing but rejection letters, and now I'm halfway through second year. Turn what you're feeling around and use it as motivation to improve, in the long run it has made me much more confident in myself and where I am.

As far as what to do to improve/become more competitive, don't hesitate to reach out to the admissions team! Most schools will offer some kind of feedback and I had very positive experiences with this. My feedback was about interviews so granted things will look a little different this year, but they were able to tell me comments that my interviewers had made, what my strong points were, where I could improve, etc.

Bottom line, a rejection does not define you! Hang in there!

 

[cdo96]

I applied to 5 vet school and got rejected from all of them but one. All you need is one yes!

rejection sucks. I don’t have any tips or tricks to make it better, it sucks. It feels like the ultimate failure that you can’t control and yet you feel like it’s your fault. But you gotta dust off your boots and get back to work. And you can’t be afraid to try because of the fear of rejection.

 

[thankdog]

Thank you all for your encouragement!

 

[supershorty]

I wasn't admitted the first time I applied. I still remember how awful it felt when I got the rejection letter from the program I thought I had the best shot at - I still had 2 schools left, but I knew I wasn't getting in there either. Others have already said the important things, but I have a couple that I'll add.

Don't be afraid to let yourself hurt and grieve for a night. I had to really come to terms with it and be comfortable with the fact that NOT getting into vet school didn't mean I would never be a veterinarian, or that I didn't deserve to go to vet school. But part of that, for me, was crying that evening and having some ice cream & cookie dough.

File reviews are very helpful - I didn't do them with every school, but I did with the ones I knew I'd reapply to (some of the ones I applied to in my first round were VERY reach and I knew I wouldn't apply again). The file reviews were incredibly helpful and tailored how I'd work on fixing my application for future years. I got in the next time I applied.

@thankdog , @hkb96 , rejections usually come first in the cycle. It's not over until it's over. Chin up! You'll be a great vet

 

[thankdog]

I wasn't admitted the first time I applied. I still remember how awful it felt when I got the rejection letter from the program I thought I had the best shot at - I still had 2 schools left, but I knew I wasn't getting in there either. Others have already said the important things, but I have a couple that I'll add.

Don't be afraid to let yourself hurt and grieve for a night. I had to really come to terms with it and be comfortable with the fact that NOT getting into vet school didn't mean I would never be a veterinarian, or that I didn't deserve to go to vet school. But part of that, for me, was crying that evening and having some ice cream & cookie dough.

File reviews are very helpful - I didn't do them with every school, but I did with the ones I knew I'd reapply to (some of the ones I applied to in my first round were VERY reach and I knew I wouldn't apply again). The file reviews were incredibly helpful and tailored how I'd work on fixing my application for future years. I got in the next time I applied.

@thankdog , rejections usually come first in the cycle. It's not over until it's over. Chin up! You'll be a great vet

Thank you! I kind of jumped on the bandwagon here. Thanks to OP @hkb96 for starting this thread!

 

[Cats4Lyfe]

I received my first rejection letter and most likely will be getting a couple more soon. I know I can't be the only one in this spot - how are y'all in my shoes coping and how do you plan on making yourself more competitive?

Additionally, for those who aren't living in a state that offers a DVM program, do you just reapply and hope to beat the odds? Do you do something crazy like move to a school you really hope to attend down the road so you can apply as a resident?

Thanks for the feedback Trying to stay positive

I have a very low gpa, but otherwise a pretty competitive application. I was rejected from all seven of the schools I applied to last year. I had 10+ friends apply that cycle as well. Every single one of them got in and most had multiple school and scholarship offers. Many of these people were students I had mentored. I also started my undergraduate degree before them.

Rejection sucks. Even if you get in elsewhere, every rejection letter stings. Just remember that it's not personal. There were over 10,000 applications submitted to VMCAS this year. That's a crazy amount when you look at how few spots are available. Some schools have initial screening filters that your application must pass before a real person even begins to look at it. A lot of the system is honestly a numbers game combined with some luck. It has no bearing on your ability to be a good veterinarian. Many of the best veterinarians I know took multiple application cycles to get into vet school. This includes WSU's CVM head of admissions, who is an amazing person and a wonderful veterinarian.

If you don't get in this year, schedule file reviews and see where you can improve. It's best to plan on not getting in so you can use the wait time to improve your application. If you assume you will get in and you're rejected, there will only be a few more months until VMCAS opens again. It's always best to prepare for the worst.

As for applying a second time, the hardest part for me is the emotion involved. It's very draining to fill out applications and spend months waiting to hear back. As long as you are prepared for the emotional stress of applying again, then go for it! Sometimes an extra year allows you to save up money or gain valuable experience that you would have missed out on if you had been accepted the first time around.

 

[LetItSnow]

If you don't get in this year, schedule file reviews and see where you can improve. It's best to plan on not getting in so you can use the wait time to improve your application. If you assume you will get in and you're rejected, there will only be a few more months until VMCAS opens again. It's always best to prepare for the worst.

That advice deserves being highlighted.

Don't sit around waiting to find out from every program you applied to. Hope for the best (getting acceptance somewhere else), plan for the worst (not getting acceptance).

Start doing what you can now to be a stronger applicant next year. Whether that's more expertise, developing stronger connections for better recommendations, whatever ... start now. Worst case you get yourself more experience about the field you want to go into anyway, so it's not wasted effort. Scheduling 'file reviews' is great, but don't wait for that (especially since many admissions directors want to defer those meetings until their life settles down after the application cycle).