Any idea why I had such trouble getting into med school?

[medstudent87]

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Had a 3.8GPA, 32 MCAT, research, volunteering, leadership positions, etc. I interviewed at 10 schools, got waitlisted at a few of them (mostly my NY state schools) and rejected by the rest.

What really pissed me off was how a few of my interviewers told me not to worry AT ALL about getting in since I'm a great candidate. I did mock interviews and was told I interview very well. The only thing I can think of which may have looked kinda bad was that whenever they asked me about research, I told them about my experience and then always said that I want to be a clinician instead of a researcher since I enjoy interacting with patients.

I talked to my dearest (sarcasm) pre-health advisor when I started getting the first few rejections by schools I should've easily been accepted into, and she told me that they knew I wasn't going to matriculate there so they didn't want to bother accepting me. I can't help but think about how happy I'd be at my dream school nearly everyday...its eating away at my brain. Someone please knock some sense into me. PLEASE.

I eventually got pulled off one of the waitlists, but I'm miserable in this city because I'm far from friends, family, BF, etc.



I'm also worried that I'm going to have similar luck when it comes to matching a residency 🙁

 

[sunset823]

lack of research would not have been an issue unless you were only applying to top 10 research programs, very few med students come in with much research. I had quite a bit and want to go into academics, but my numbers were not great (good MCAT, but horrible GPA) and I think my research really put me over the edge.

A lot of people think they interview better than they actually do. I know I do not interview well from experience, and through some straight advice from friends I'm trying to figure out how to improve this (I tend to like being by myself and don't regularly hang out in large groups, but I'm gonna have to get over this since I'm going to have to work closely with a potentially large group of fellow residents). No matter how well your mock interviews go, you might have some nervous habits/arrogance/whatever in the real ones that could be turning people off to you. Have some candid talks with your friends and figure it out.

Also, I know for med school I didn't come in with much clinical experience, and I dunno if that's a problem for you.

Anyway, you are already in med school, there's no use fretting about it now, just do some introspection, and do something about it.

Also, I'd add that you have to be flexible with where you end up. I move around a lot and though I'm very close to my family I have been pretty physically far away from them many times (including now) and many of my friends are literally scattered around the world and I talk to them mostly through Gchat. Though I'm not a socialite, I have made a couple of close friends in med school. You have to adapt to whatever situation you're getting into. From your previous posts it sounds like you (like me) have had some trouble with med school and are not getting perfect grades, and there are no guarantees you are going to end up in residency in the city of your choice where your friends/family/SO are, especially since a computer makes the decision for you instead of you making it for yourself. If you've not already made the attempt, at least try to make some friends within your own class.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

Had a 3.8GPA, 32 MCAT, research, volunteering, leadership positions, etc. I interviewed at 10 schools, got waitlisted at a few of them (mostly my NY state schools) and rejected by the rest.

What really pissed me off was how a few of my interviewers told me not to worry AT ALL about getting in since I'm a great candidate. I did mock interviews and was told I interview very well. The only thing I can think of which may have looked kinda bad was that whenever they asked me about research, I told them about my experience and then always said that I want to be a clinician instead of a researcher since I enjoy interacting with patients.

I talked to my dearest (sarcasm) pre-health advisor when I started getting the first few rejections by schools I should've easily been accepted into, and she told me that they knew I wasn't going to matriculate there so they didn't want to bother accepting me. I can't help but think about how happy I'd be at my dream school nearly everyday...its eating away at my brain. Someone please knock some sense into me. PLEASE.

I eventually got pulled off one of the waitlists, but I'm miserable in this city because I'm far from friends, family, BF, etc.

I'm also worried that I'm going to have similar luck when it comes to matching a residency 🙁

Well, no offense, but just from this post, it sounds like you thought you were entitled to being accepted to certain schools. But why? Your MCAT is average for matriculates and your GPA is slightly above average. How much clinical experience did you have? What kinds of leadership positions? Basically, what I'm saying is that your application was one of tens of thousands and nothing you've said here makes you stand out.

Also, who did your mock interview? Perhaps you came across entitled and arrogant in interview, especially at those schools that you "should have easily been accepted into."

 

[MCAT guy]

Well, no offense, but just from this post, it sounds like you thought you were entitled to being accepted to certain schools. But why? Your MCAT is average for matriculates and your GPA is slightly above average. How much clinical experience did you have? What kinds of leadership positions? Basically, what I'm saying is that your application was one of tens of thousands and nothing you've said here makes you stand out.

Also, who did your mock interview? Perhaps you came across entitled and arrogant in interview, especially at those schools that you "should have easily been accepted into."

On top of this, people saying you interview great doesn't necessarily mean you interview great.

Some people have more charisma or personal magnetism. If you really interviewed that great, I can't imagine you would get no (or 1) acceptance(s) off 10 interviews. It's improbable. Since most schools accept 20-40% of those who interview.

Good news is, you got into the field you wanted. You had to know there was a possibility you may have to go to an undesirable location when you filled out the applications to each school.

Be grateful you got in.

 

[myhandsarecold]

Had a 3.8GPA, 32 MCAT, research, volunteering, leadership positions, etc. I interviewed at 10 schools, got waitlisted at a few of them (mostly my NY state schools) and rejected by the rest.

What really pissed me off was how a few of my interviewers told me not to worry AT ALL about getting in since I'm a great candidate. I did mock interviews and was told I interview very well. The only thing I can think of which may have looked kinda bad was that whenever they asked me about research, I told them about my experience and then always said that I want to be a clinician instead of a researcher since I enjoy interacting with patients.

I talked to my dearest (sarcasm) pre-health advisor when I started getting the first few rejections by schools I should've easily been accepted into, and she told me that they knew I wasn't going to matriculate there so they didn't want to bother accepting me. I can't help but think about how happy I'd be at my dream school nearly everyday...its eating away at my brain. Someone please knock some sense into me. PLEASE.

I eventually got pulled off one of the waitlists, but I'm miserable in this city because I'm far from friends, family, BF, etc.



I'm also worried that I'm going to have similar luck when it comes to matching a residency 🙁

lol, you probably spoke in the same tone as now...entitled, privileged

 

[DoctwoB]

Had a 3.8GPA, 32 MCAT, research, volunteering, leadership positions, etc. I interviewed at 10 schools, got waitlisted at a few of them (mostly my NY state schools) and rejected by the rest.

What really pissed me off was how a few of my interviewers told me not to worry AT ALL about getting in since I'm a great candidate. I did mock interviews and was told I interview very well. The only thing I can think of which may have looked kinda bad was that whenever they asked me about research, I told them about my experience and then always said that I want to be a clinician instead of a researcher since I enjoy interacting with patients.

I talked to my dearest (sarcasm) pre-health advisor when I started getting the first few rejections by schools I should've easily been accepted into, and she told me that they knew I wasn't going to matriculate there so they didn't want to bother accepting me. I can't help but think about how happy I'd be at my dream school nearly everyday...its eating away at my brain. Someone please knock some sense into me. PLEASE.

I eventually got pulled off one of the waitlists, but I'm miserable in this city because I'm far from friends, family, BF, etc.



I'm also worried that I'm going to have similar luck when it comes to matching a residency 🙁

decent but not great stats, entitled, be happy that you got the acceptance. Med school is what you make of it, if you're unhappy where you are its highly unlikely it would have been better at your "dream" school

 

[Law2Doc]

... I started getting the first few rejections by schools I should've easily been accepted into,...(

Agree with the responses above. Very often if you actually have the attitude that you "should easily be accepted to" a certain school, you project that notion, whether overtly or subtly. Arrogance is the number one interview killer, ask any adcom. Nobody likes the interviewee who seems like he thinks he's "doing you a favor" by interviewing with you. Most adcoms really truly believe that their program is top notch, or they wouldn't be serving in that role, which for most of them is voluntary. They really think their program is great. So if you come in and project an attitude like "you'd be lucky to have me", "I think I can do better", either by words, actions, facial expressions, or whatever, you won't be high on their list. That's certainly enough to get you waitlisted. The fact that in your post you clearly have this attitude probably means that you were more transparent on interview day than you think. Somebody, either the interviewer, dean, the coordinator, or the senior students who gave you the tour got a whiff and you gave yourself away. Happens every year, and usually to folks with even better stats than you.

Med school is competitive and your numbers aren't enough to overcome in person foibles. When programs get literally thousands of applications for 150 seats, and half of all applicants don't even get in anywhere, it doesn't take much to get adcoms running for the hills. You tipped your hand. No way to know how, and it doesn't really matter -- fortunately you still are going to become a doctor -- but I'd stay away from serious poker games because you almost certainly have a tell.

 

[medstudent87]

OK, I realize I came across as very arrogant in the post, but I swear I didn't act that way AT ALL during these interviews. I am honestly a really nice guy who is very polite and courteous (or so I've been told).

I forgot to mention, though, that I got a B in sophomore orgo and a not-so-great score on my MCAT essay (one letter grade LESS than what Kaplan said you needed to pass by their radar). Could it have been those?

I'll also admit that I am not the most talkative person and I usually do not give very verbose answers to abstract questions. (I was never good in english class lol)

 

[Law2Doc]

OK, I realize I came across as very arrogant in the post, but I swear I didn't act that way AT ALL during these interviews. ...

How you think you came across and how you come across to others at a specific instance can be totally different animals. Most people have no clue how others perceive them. Adcoms tend to be more tuned in in terms of being yanked around than the typical person conducting a mock interview. It's totally not unheard of to do a great mock interview but be seen as insincere in the real thing. We do know from your last post that you actually do believe you ought to have been accepted by some of the schools that passed on you. So it's really not a stretch to think that you somehow subtly, or not so subtly, projected this. You can say all the right words and feel like you are being a perfectly "nice guy" and "polite and courteous", but this isn't about that -- you almost certainly have a tell that gives you away.

When an adcom is interviewing dozens of people for each seat, it only takes one bad vibe to pass on someone. The dude who comes across as grateful for the opportunity to interview is going to beat out the dude who comes across as giving a whiff of entitlement 100% of the time. I can guarantee you that there will be folks getting into those programs with worse numerical stats who simply came across better in the interview. Happens every year at every program and it's why folks doom themselves once they start thinking of places as "safety schools" or mentally thinking they belong at a certain "tier" of schools.

Doesn't really matter to your career, since you are going to be a fine doctor in any event, and probably will benefit from not having everything you expected handed to you, but perhaps you might want to approach residency differently. Use this as a learning experience. There is no such thing as a safety school/program. There are just "good fits" and "not so good fits". And you only get to decide your half of what is a good fit -- the program does the rest. It's the basis for the match -- both you and programs rank their fave's, and a computer ultimately tells you whether you ever had reason to feel confident. You very likely have a tell and aren't able to fool anyone. You know that now. May as well embrace it. If you can't be sincere about a place, you aren't getting into that place. That's cool -- you wouldn't have been happy there anyway. So if you think you are too good for a particular program down the road I'd probably not even bother.

 

[alwaysaangel]

Had a 3.8GPA, 32 MCAT, research, volunteering, leadership positions, etc. I interviewed at 10 schools, got waitlisted at a few of them (mostly my NY state schools) and rejected by the rest.

Sounds slightly above average. The fact that you got 10 interviews and so many rejections says its your interviews.

What really pissed me off was how a few of my interviewers told me not to worry AT ALL about getting in since I'm a great candidate.

What else would they say? You can't take stuff like this seriously.

I talked to my dearest (sarcasm) pre-health advisor when I started getting the first few rejections by schools I should've easily been accepted into, and she told me that they knew I wasn't going to matriculate there so they didn't want to bother accepting me.

Based on this I'm sure you sent some arrogant signals - either overt or subtle that turned the interviewers off.

Med admissions assume that you think they're wonderful. I've actually been told this by my admissions office at my school. They don't admit/reject people by thinking about whether or not you'll actually go there. They accept who they want and then they have waitlist movement. Period. The whole "they didn't accept you because they didn't think you'd go there is a myth spread on SDN and by advisors to make people feel better."

I eventually got pulled off one of the waitlists, but I'm miserable in this city because I'm far from friends, family, BF, etc.

Sorry to hear that. Keep working on making new connections and I'm sure you'll enjoy where you are better.

I'm also worried that I'm going to have similar luck when it comes to matching a residency 🙁

You might. You really need to take a close look at yourself and how you behave in interviews/how you come across to people. Something you're doing is turning people off.

In general there are a few things that mess up interviews:

1) You are more impressive on paper than in person. On paper your activities and grades look good but when they actually sit down and talk to you, you can't talk about your activities in a meaningful manner or discuss what you got out of them. You don't sound excited about the activities.

2) You are abrasive/arrogant/obnoxious in person and aren't hiding it well.

3) You are average on paper and average in interview knocking yourself behind those who are above average on paper or above average in interview.

4) You don't interview well and sound scared/nervous/rambling/dishonest.

5) You don't have a good answer to "Why Medicine?" "How are you going to pay for it?" "When are you going to have a family?" and "What if you don't get into medical school." These questions are excellent at weeding out people who really don't understand what it takes to be a physician and are not ready to make the choice to enter medical school.

The same will hold true in residency. Work on it now, and get some honest classmates/deans to give you feedback.

 

[Mr hawkings]

You might want to get some practice interviews with an objective person who can give you some honest feedback on how you come across before residency interview time gets here. You may not be a douche, but if the person interviewing you thinks you are, then they wont want you working with them

 

[IlDestriero]

It doesn't matter why you ended up where you did. Learn from the experience. Most people, in spite of what may get posted here, don't get their 1st choice medical school or residency. It doesn't matter at all. In the end you have to work hard and make the most of you opportunities. Even if you do get your 1st choice, it may not be all that you hoped it would be.
You sound just like my old medical school apartment mate. He was devastated to match in ortho at his last (15/15) ranked program. He thought he was a superstar and somehow got screwed by a mistake, etc. He actually almost didn't rank that program at all. He added it back on the last day after we all told him he was nuts not to rank all the programs he could potentially see himself training at (even if it was a "bad" location and not nationally known). Now he really is a superstar, married to a great woman he met at that program and living in his $2m+ waterfront mansion with all the toys. He almost didn't match at all, but he made the most of a "bad" situation. Ironically I'm sure that he still thinks he was screwed over some how.

 

[bongobingo]

Something you're doing is turning people off.

In general there are a few things that mess up interviews:

The same will hold true in residency. Work on it now, and get some honest classmates/deans to give you feedback.

I got a question about this #4. If #4 defines me do I not stand a chance at even moderately competitive residencies like ER? Should I just accept primary care and just chill throughout med school? I was going to give my best on gpa and step1. But either way I plan to travel the summer between 1st and 2nd year. But I don't want to wait until 4th year to figure out that my interview skills will cause me to scramble into FM. I'd rather do it voluntarily and choose a favorable location/program. Also I would not be surprised if I did well in years 1/2 because of hard work but got poor evaluations in year3 effectively pushing me into primary care.

 

[J ROD]

Sounds like personality.....or lack of clinical experience/volunteering.

 

[deleted191570]

The title of this thread is a little misleading because you didn't have trouble getting in to med school. You got in.

More like, "why didn't my dream school accept me?"

I eventually got pulled off one of the waitlists, but I'm miserable in this city because I'm far from friends, family, BF, etc.

Why did you apply there?


This happened to me when I applied to undergrad. I applied to six schools and got rejected from five-- ended up at my last choice. Which was still a top 25 university.

My self-pity led me to blow off the first year of college in favor of partying away my frustration, which led to bad grades, which eventually led to an uphill battle during MCAT studying and applying to med schools.

And in the end, I wouldn't change a thing if I could go back and re-do everything. Absolutely look back on college with fond memories.

So this is all anecdotal but quit feeling sorry for yourself or you're going to miss out on opportunities around you. And yeah, it sucks, but the great thing about life is that it's always moving forward! All good things come to end, but all bad things do too, eventually. Just that sometimes it requires working through it.

Anyway, head up, friend, and get your head in the game!

 

[Law2Doc]

I got a question about this #4. If #4 defines me do I not stand a chance at even moderately competitive residencies like ER? Should I just accept primary care and just chill throughout med school? I was going to give my best on gpa and step1. But either way I plan to travel the summer between 1st and 2nd year. But I don't want to wait until 4th year to figure out that my interview skills will cause me to scramble into FM. I'd rather do it voluntarily and choose a favorable location/program. Also I would not be surprised if I did well in years 1/2 because of hard work but got poor evaluations in year3 effectively pushing me into primary care.

First, if you are already expecting to have a better shot at a field because you see it as "even moderately" competitive you are missing the point of the above posts. The point is to not think of yourself as entitled. So if you think you are entitled to something because it's only "moderately" competitive, you are setting yourself up to come up short in an interview setting. Second, how you do in person/on interviews/in rotations is at least as important as how well you test in this field. It's an interpersonal service occupation. Testing well has it's place, but the folks who can chat up an attending or program director, and who the patients rave about, usually have a leg up on the stiff who gets good grades. That's just life, and you probably should have factored in when you chose a field that is so people oriented. There are plenty of scientists who don't communicate well, but doctor is a job which has its foot in multiple arenas -- part scientist but larger part interpersonal adviser and counsel. So yeah, you are going to get "graded" on that aspect very heavily on rotations.

 

[ruiner]

lol, you probably spoke in the same tone as now...entitled, privileged

First thought as well.

 

[bongobingo]

First, if you are already expecting to have a better shot at a field because you see it as "even moderately" competitive you are missing the point of the above posts. The point is to not think of yourself as entitled. So if you think you are entitled to something because it's only "moderately" competitive, you are setting yourself up to come up short in an interview setting. Second, how you do in person/on interviews/in rotations is at least as important as how well you test in this field. It's an interpersonal service occupation. Testing well has it's place, but the folks who can chat up an attending or program director, and who the patients rave about, usually have a leg up on the stiff who gets good grades. That's just life, and you probably should have factored in when you chose a field that is so people oriented. There are plenty of scientists who don't communicate well, but doctor is a job which has its foot in multiple arenas -- part scientist but larger part interpersonal adviser and counsel. So yeah, you are going to get "graded" on that aspect very heavily on rotations.

Ok. So I should just accept that I am going into primary care🙁

 

[bongobingo]

I think I am a little crazy, I guess aspie and/or something else. And I have noticed that when I am drunk I am socially much more competent. I mean I may still have trouble making small-talk but I am definitely more confident and more friendly. I certainly lose my stutter. So I wonder if something like a valium prescription could mask my "stiffness"(btw stiffness is a good characterization because it's not just my voice but also gesticulation that makes it evident I am not at ease)? I wonder if it would be possible to do it just for 4 weeks during audition rotations in the 3rd or 4th year so I could get a nice LOR and during the interview days? I would not want to become an addict, and I would quit the drugs as soon as I matched. Have any of you tried any psychiatric drugs? I guess it would be futile if I become tolerant quickly or if the dose is just too small to have a significant effect.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Whoa there, partner. Before you start popping benzos and slamming booze, maybe you should, you know, actively try to improve your social skills?

 

[Laryngophed]

Whoa there, partner. Before you start popping benzos and slamming booze...

You sure do know how to ruin an afternoon.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Valium and alcohol are for the birds. I wouldn't dare taint my body with that nonsense. I'm more of a cocaine guy, myself.

 

[Mace1370]

Valium and alcohol are for the birds. I wouldn't dare taint my body with that nonsense. I'm more of a cocaine guy, myself.

Cocaine is so 80s. It's all about crystal meth.

 

[CptCrunch]

Benzos and booze certainly would have made my Ob/Gyn experience more enjoyable.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Substance abuse is probably the only thing that could possibly make OB/GYN even remotely enjoyable. Then again, childbirth is terrible enough without the possibility of a freak-out/bad trip.

Anyway, to get this back on track, I would certainly be concerned about residency interviews, if I were you, OP. However, chances are that - assuming smart/broad application - you'll get quite a few more interviews this time around. Even if you keep up your interviewing cold streak, I'd be willing to bet that you'll find somewhere to go without too much problem. Med students aren't exactly known for their social grace. Ask people for honest appraisals of how you act, fix the problems, and you'll be fine.

 

[TobiasFunkeMDFACS]

At this point, just accept and move on. This retrospective analysis might be useful for your residency interviews, but it's not a priority right now.

But..2 things you could possibly have done differently:
1. apply early--My friends who have better stats than me applied late, and they're struggling.
2. I do think based on what you said, that you might have rubbed your interviewers the wrong way. I went into every interview thinking I would never get in to a particular school, including the really 'easy' ones. I think that makes a huge difference. Also, control for the "little things" like gestures, expressions etc. They're usually subconscious, so you have to be extra careful. In that regard, you really should tape your interview performance.

 

[shopsteward]

OP, you are posting to the effect that you are unhappy about something that happened nearly a year ago (getting into med school) and worried about something that won't happen until three years in the future (getting into residency). That sounds like avoidance activity to me. Instead, why don't you concentrate on getting on with your studying, keep up with family and old friends when you can, and do at least one thing each week which involves being social with people where you are - it's consistent practice over the years that makes being social a lot easier. Then when the time comes for residency interviews, study and practice for them as you would any other med school subject.

bongobingo, I am thoroughly confused as to whether or not you are the OP under a different name. Either way, I would suggest that trying a course of counselling (you are a student, there should be plenty available through your institution) would be a better solution than substance abuse. There isn't an addict anywhere in the world who started off thinking that they would become an addict, but it's part of the human condition to become addicted, and you are just another of us humans with the same natural tendency to addiction.

 

[richse]

OK, I realize I came across as very arrogant in the post, but I swear I didn't act that way AT ALL during these interviews. I am honestly a really nice guy who is very polite and courteous (or so I've been told).

I forgot to mention, though, that I got a B in sophomore orgo and a not-so-great score on my MCAT essay (one letter grade LESS than what Kaplan said you needed to pass by their radar). Could it have been those?

I'll also admit that I am not the most talkative person and I usually do not give very verbose answers to abstract questions. (I was never good in english class lol)

No way did those things keep you from the acceptances. The majority of my interviewers didn't know what the letter after my MCAT was. One even asked me what the M after my score meant. I laughed on the inside at that point because I had been so worried about my horrible writting score.

 

[bongobingo]

bongobingo, I am thoroughly confused as to whether or not you are the OP under a different name. Either way, I would suggest that trying a course of counselling (you are a student, there should be plenty available through your institution) would be a better solution than substance abuse. There isn't an addict anywhere in the world who started off thinking that they would become an addict, but it's part of the human condition to become addicted, and you are just another of us humans with the same natural tendency to addiction.

No, I am not him. Sorry. I just joined in this thread when someone listed a particular red flag that was apparent in my med school interiews and I know that it will not go away when I go on to residency interviews. Whether something like Valium is addictive or not, I would have to go over that with my doctor. And I would only consider it when I start those clerkships, so 2 years from now? But at the moment I just wanted to know if it's effective at making you a more likeable person for several hours without impeding your ability to drive or read a textbook.

 

[fahimaz7]

Personality problems? Sense of entitlement?

 

[jamo0001]

Might sound obvious, but:

At what point in the application calendar were you applying/interviewing? Were the schools where you were applying using rolling admissions?

 

[medstudent87]

Might sound obvious, but:

At what point in the application calendar were you applying/interviewing? Were the schools where you were applying using rolling admissions?

I applied as early as possibly....had my first interview in August

 

[shopsteward]

No, I am not him. Sorry. I just joined in this thread when someone listed a particular red flag that was apparent in my med school interiews and I know that it will not go away when I go on to residency interviews. Whether something like Valium is addictive or not, I would have to go over that with my doctor. And I would only consider it when I start those clerkships, so 2 years from now? But at the moment I just wanted to know if it's effective at making you a more likeable person for several hours without impeding your ability to drive or read a textbook.

Thanks for clearing up my confusion. As to your concern about social interaction in clerkships and residency interviews, you've got an idea of the possible issue well in advance. That gives you time to sort out the problem properly, rather than masking it with drugs at the last minute. (Two further reasons, besides the possibility of addiction, for not relying on drugs are that it will inevitably impair your performance (even if you yourself don't realise this at the time) and the medical professionals you will be around will have a pretty good chance of noticing that you are drugged up, which will end your career before it starts.)

As for being a "likeable person" in a work setting, the point here is that you are in a work setting, which means that you do not need to be the life and soul of the party - that's for after hours, and only if you want. At work (which includes clerkships and job interviews) all you need to do is to 1) demonstrate basic good manners and 2) get the job done well. Basic good manners means -

1)Turn up on time, clean and appropriately dressed, and
2) Say hello, goodbye, please, thank you (and sorry, if circumstances mean you need to) to co-workers and patients at appropriate moments, and add a smile to them where appropriate.

I'm fairly sure you can manage that already if you put your mind to it, but if you have any doubts you can practice over the next two years. And in case you think that can't possibly be all there is to social interaction at work, just you wait - you will come across a lot of people in your career who can't manage it, and make the people they work with miserable as a result.

 

[Perrotfish]

I think I am a little crazy, I guess aspie and/or something else. And I have noticed that when I am drunk I am socially much more competent. I mean I may still have trouble making small-talk but I am definitely more confident and more friendly. I certainly lose my stutter. So I wonder if something like a valium prescription could mask my "stiffness"(btw stiffness is a good characterization because it's not just my voice but also gesticulation that makes it evident I am not at ease)? I wonder if it would be possible to do it just for 4 weeks during audition rotations in the 3rd or 4th year so I could get a nice LOR and during the interview days? I would not want to become an addict, and I would quit the drugs as soon as I matched. Have any of you tried any psychiatric drugs? I guess it would be futile if I become tolerant quickly or if the dose is just too small to have a significant effect.

There are both medications and therapies that can help with social anxiety. If that's what you think you have you should get evaluated, I know my school has a staff psychiatrist and covers all expenses related to psych care and I think that many schools have something similar. Benzos are not the only medications you can use here.

 

[Jolie South]

There are both medications and therapies that can help with social anxiety. If that's what you think you have you should get evaluated, I know my school has a staff psychiatrist and covers all expenses related to psych care and I think that many schools have something similar. Benzos are not the only medications you can use here.

Yea, benzos are actually not optimal due to addictive potential.

 

[silas2642]

Had a 3.8GPA, 32 MCAT, research, volunteering, leadership positions, etc. I interviewed at 10 schools, got waitlisted at a few of them (mostly my NY state schools) and rejected by the rest.

What really pissed me off was how a few of my interviewers told me not to worry AT ALL about getting in since I'm a great candidate. I did mock interviews and was told I interview very well. The only thing I can think of which may have looked kinda bad was that whenever they asked me about research, I told them about my experience and then always said that I want to be a clinician instead of a researcher since I enjoy interacting with patients.

I talked to my dearest (sarcasm) pre-health advisor when I started getting the first few rejections by schools I should've easily been accepted into, and she told me that they knew I wasn't going to matriculate there so they didn't want to bother accepting me. I can't help but think about how happy I'd be at my dream school nearly everyday...its eating away at my brain. Someone please knock some sense into me. PLEASE.

I eventually got pulled off one of the waitlists, but I'm miserable in this city because I'm far from friends, family, BF, etc.



I'm also worried that I'm going to have similar luck when it comes to matching a residency 🙁

First of all, congratulations on your med school acceptance: welcome to the game.

Secondly, understand that everything that happened prior to med school is completely irrelevant on the first day of orientation. The playing field is for the most part equal. You're going to find that classmates who may not have looked as good on paper are going to be at the top of your class while others who had outstanding numbers and research backgrounds will struggle. Med school admissions is an imperfect science, so you may do great, you may do poorly, or (most likely), you may be average. And in med school, average is not a terrible place to be.

The first piece of advice would be to sit back, relax, enjoy your acceptance, and fit as much fun with friends and family as you can. If you have a little money tucked away, take a vacation, travel a bit, etc. There will be enough time for worrying about residency in the coming years.

You also want to keep in mind that residency, like med school admissions, is a crapshoot with an element of luck involved, but it's not completely random. What I have learned through personal experience and friends is that the one question you need to answer when applying to med school, residencies, jobs, etc, is "why should we accept you?" Every personal statement, every answer to every question needs to be directed at answering this simple question. You have to learn to distinguish yourself from hundreds, if not thousands of other very qualified applicants in a very short period of time.

Looking at your OP, it's not that you're not qualified, the problem is that there are too many qualified applicants for too few spots. How did you distinguish yourself? Why should a school accept you over the next guy wiht the same/better stats? Why should a school accept you vs. the guy with slightly lower stats but who is more personable/more dedicated, etc? Why are you unique?

 

[MedStudentWanna]

The first piece of advice would be to sit back, relax, enjoy your acceptance, and fit as much fun with friends and family as you can.

The guy's already a first-year. That's what makes this thread so weird. He's already started med school and months later, he posts about the schools he should have easily gotten into.

 

[medstudent87]

The guy's already a first-year. That's what makes this thread so weird. He's already started med school and months later, he posts about the schools he should have easily gotten into.

NOPE, worse...I'm a second year! Its only because I'm really starting to hate my classmates and this city that this thought (of why I wasn't accepted anywhere else) popped backed into my head....

Anyway...back to work.

 

[Bryan O’Blivion]

You know, I applied at Harvard, but they turned me down. Sometimes I wistfully think about this, but not very often, because it is thoroughly pointless.

 

[Bluesaurus]

I had a 34 (Q I think) and a little under a 3.7. Research, years of EMT IV tech experience, work at a clinic, foreign language skills, good letters etc,etc,etc, and I had trouble getting in.

Eventually I got into one school I wanted, but I realized that you have to be really careful about which schools to apply to. Large well known public Universities that take like 10K applicants are basically worthless to apply to because even though they often will give you an interview, then you have to provide a reason why you want that school specifically, which is difficult to do unless it's the one in your state. I kind of had to carefully sort through which schools were possibilities.

 

[medstudent87]

I had a 34 (Q I think) and a little under a 3.7. Research, years of EMT IV tech experience, work at a clinic, foreign language skills, good letters etc,etc,etc, and I had trouble getting in.

Eventually I got into one school I wanted, but I realized that you have to be really careful about which schools to apply to. Large well known public Universities that take like 10K applicants are basically worthless to apply to because even though they often will give you an interview, then you have to provide a reason why you want that school specifically, which is difficult to do unless it's the one in your state. I kind of had to carefully sort through which schools were possibilities.

I wasn't accepted by a single public school in my home state, and we (NY) have 4!! i got waitlisted by all 4 🙁

It just really pisses me off that my own state took a bunch of Californians instead of one of their own...one who paid taxes that partly fund their schools....

 

[johnmendes]

You know, I applied at Harvard, but they turned me down. Sometimes I wistfully think about this, but not very often, because it is thoroughly pointless.

I still wonder why Cambridge didn't take me...

 

[2012mdc]

I wasn't accepted by a single public school in my home state, and we (NY) have 4!! i got waitlisted by all 4 🙁

It just really pisses me off that my own state took a bunch of Californians instead of one of their own...one who paid taxes that partly fund their schools....

Do some sublimation and turn that anger into productivity. I ended up at a school I wasn't thrilled about (only knew 1 person in the area and immediate family as well as good friends are all 2,000+ miles away). I've been determined to kick ass as much as possible so the match will work out how I want

 

[johnmendes]

Do some sublimation and turn that anger into productivity. I ended up at a school I wasn't thrilled about (only knew 1 person in the area and immediate family as well as good friends are all 2,000+ miles away). I've been determined to kick ass as much as possible so the match will work out how I want

looking at your profile pic and rotations scheduled for 4th year... Radiology?

 

[2012mdc]

looking at your profile pic and rotations scheduled for 4th year... Radiology?

Yup but I'm not sure how me being a Laker fan helped with that conclusion lol.

 

[johnmendes]

Yup but I'm not sure how me being a Laker fan helped with that conclusion lol.

i forgot to add "in california" lol

 

[2012mdc]

i forgot to add "in california" lol

Ahh yeah, that is definitely the goal. Matching rads in cali will be tough coming from a Southern school w/ no home program but I believe I have done well enough to have a solid shot.

Coming into med school I didn't know what specialty I wanted just knew I wanted to go back to Cali. Wanting to get back to family and friends can be a pretty strong motivator during those long nights

 

[ACSurgeon]

I wasn't accepted by a single public school in my home state, and we (NY) have 4!! i got waitlisted by all 4 🙁

It just really pisses me off that my own state took a bunch of Californians instead of one of their own...one who paid taxes that partly fund their schools....

I'm sure they took enough " of their own" before taking a "bunch of Californians." Most state schools have to accept a minimum number/percent of instate students every year.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

I wasn't accepted by a single public school in my home state, and we (NY) have 4!! i got waitlisted by all 4 🙁

It just really pisses me off that my own state took a bunch of Californians instead of one of their own...one who paid taxes that partly fund their schools....

Interview.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

I still wonder why Cambridge didn't take me...

Isn't HMS in Boston, not Cambridge?