Application Cycle Venting

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Divine Furor

Divine Furor

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Is this brutal? Or is it just me? I'm a little older than most applicants, and I went to a riotously nonconformist undergraduate school. My grades both UG and postbac were excellent, my MCAT scores were neither exceptional nor subpar--except for the highest possible essay score, and my personal life experience just seemed so....hmmm...rich when I was filling out the AMCAS and secondaries. I'm well-traveled, working hard, giving it my all...

And from the schools....nada. Silence. A great void of non-response.

Sigh...I guess I just want to know: how do you remain happy? I get up each day as the weeks crawl by and grit my teeth and check my emails/voicemail/snail mail and then do it again. I harass my premed advisor and try to be totally upbeat when my colleagues/coworkers/significant other ask, "So, did you get into med school yet?" I give little spiels to the uninitiated about what the process entails, and nod wryly when they exclaim about how difficult all this waiting must be! Sheesh. I feel like I'm losing the better parts of my personality the longer I wait....

This is grueling. Dreamlike and fantastic and totally rough. For those of you waiting, what are you doing? What do you think about? Are there any new television shows I should get obsessed with? Is there some megalomaniacal project I should undertake, like writing an operating system in binary, to take my mind off this?


 
Oh, divine.. welcome to that craptastic experience known as med school applications. I, too, was "a little older" than the regular applicant. Many folks here have had exceptional lives and "interesting" transcripts. One fearless leader, for example, had a GPA of 0. Yup, 0. NO GRADES. But she had a stellar MCAT (like a 40+). Still, there were schools that wouldn't look at her because of her choice of undergrad institution and their lack of grades in classes.

Be patient. Pick up a new hobby. I really think that adcoms blindfold themselves and play "pin the application in the interview spot" game. If your adcom member doesn't get your app in an empty timeslot, you don't get an interview. Hey, could be true. 🙂

As for how to stay happy -- look at it this way: no news is no rejections either.
 
Hey thanks for the quickie response....at this point I'd almost welcome the rejections so I could get all blustery and mad about something. I wonder...years ago I heard a fascinating rumor that on a certain cold December night in Princeton the youngest dean would stand on the desk in Nassau Hall with the pile of application folders and throw them in the air...and the ones that landed on the desk were in. Total rumor, great mental image. It does make you wonder what all the rigamarole is for, and where all the money is going...
 
You could spend your time making theories as to who gets interviews, who get secondaries.. and then... who gets accepted.

Personally I'd start baking or pick up knitting. the first will make you VERY popular with your friends (but might result in needing a new larger wardrobe), the second will keep your fingers busy but certainly isn't as tasty. Or you could pick up chipcarving. A cheap chipcarving knife is $10 or so, a blank 10"x8" piece of wood, a pencil, and a how-to book. It's totally addictive, and you can make inexpensive lovely things for your friends and family for gifts when you get good at it. I'd still love to get good enough to carve myself a lovely front door. *sigh* I need more hours in the day.
 
It frustrates the hell out of me. I'm in the same bandwagon, but I've been keeping myself busy: I teach (and, in fact, am negligent in getting back midterms for two of my classes), I'm writing a textbook in critical care with my research group, revising my dissertation for publication, etc., etc. Definitely find something else to keep yourself occupied: I've gotten one hit so far (Pitt), but I have to wait until January just to interview.
 
Yes very frustrating... I try not to think about it too much, but I do find myself checking my status page for each school that has online updates. I'm starting to get worried that I won't get in anywhere, but I haven't gathered the courage to call any of the schools yet. :laugh:
 
This might be the worst thing I've dealt with...and I've had Cancer...

I absolutely cannot stand not having control over things...and this is pretty much totally out of my hands...now if my LOR's would just get there.
 
OP, I feel ya. I am a non-traditional applicant as well with good GPA and good MCAT (not stellar) and rich life experience (I think). The silence from the schools I applied to just gave me lots of stress. I applied to about 20 schools, got 2 early rejections and that's it. The thing I can't figure out is that if the school don't want me, why not just send a rejection letter now in stead of hold on to it and send it 5 monthes later!
I try to be as good as I can be. But maybe that's not good enough. Maybe raise my MCAT to 38 will somehow make me a better doctor? (or getting into medical school?)
I am trying to learn the art of patience. One need lots of mental endurance and positive energy in this process.

<peace>
 
Fish, you're right on. Why, oh why, won't they just send a letter saying they don't want me? I understand they like to keep everyone in the hot seat until March because there's a chance, in theory, that the offers of matriculation will be turned down in droves...but come on!

Anyway, I've found something...turns out one of my schools wants a full year of college math (math? is being a fulltime computer programmer not enough of a demonstration of math skills?) so now I'm off to do a night class to supplement my nonexistent math curricula. Should be good. Me and a scad of apathetic 17-yr-olds in a room that smells like middle school. I should be pretty up to date on the latest ringtones by the New Year.
 
How many schools did you apply to?

Did you apply to any DO schools?

Did you apply to any carribean schools?

The act of getting an interview is a mathematical combination of your GPA and your MCAT. So there is something about those numbers that is keeping you from getting an interview.
 
Divine Furor said:
Me and a scad of apathetic 17-yr-olds in a room that smells like middle school. I should be pretty up to date on the latest ringtones by the New Year.
Click to expand...

That's something new that startled me when I returned the academic environment nine months ago: cell phones ringing constantly during class. (OK, once in a while you forget, we've all done it, but I'm talking about way more often than that.) I've even seen people ANSWER them during class! Didn't their mommas teach them better than that?

And, on the subject of the main post, this is a hugely ego-crushing experience. And the ego-crushing comes without detailed explanation, too, so you're left with an all-encompassing feeling of inadequacy. I'm holding off feeling really worthless until the TX schools start admitting. :scared:
 
I also went to a non-traditional undergrad school with no grades, and it was painful to see the 0 as my GPA on AMCAS even though I took some classes off campus (I went to a school a five college consortium) for a grade. I have gotten one reject from MD schools the rest are SILENT! One interview from the DO schools...keeping my fingers crossed! I have turned to reality TV...lovin America's Next Top Model, Project Runway, even the Bachelor Rome....it must be bad:laugh: good luck to you!
 
From one who went through the process three times, it is incredibly difficult putting yourself out there and risking as much as you all do. When all of the waiting gets hard to take, console yourself with the fact that you're chasing a dream and you're doing something that takes a lot of courage.
 
I've decied to get some pleasure reading done while I wait. I'm about halfway through Guns, Germs, and Steel, and I have Collapse (also Jared Diamond) on deck. Upton Sinclair, Gogol, and Dostoevsky are also waiting.
 
Quix said:
Gogol, and Dostoevsky are also waiting.
Click to expand...
excellent. 2 of my favorite short stories are "the overcoat" and "the honest thief." they're great to read back to back. :laugh:

last book I read was gladwell's "the tipping point," which, sadly, didn't meet my expectations. up next is supposed to be "lady chatterly's lover," but i've been too busy recently to get started on a long novel. 🙁
 
wrong_answer said:
...up next is supposed to be "lady chatterly's lover," but i've been too busy recently to get started on a long novel. 🙁
Click to expand...
I read (most) of this book and I wasn't impressed. I guess you had to be in Victorian England to appreciate how racy some parts are.
 
yeah this process blows. i've moved from depression to anger. i'm much more comfortable being angry. for distractions I've got two sick puking kids and I enjoy: Heroes, Jericho, and Lost. They're all quite addictive. :luck: to all of us
 
Never, ever underestimate how boring compiling a chapter on preserving renal function in critical care can be. I've been sitting in Panera at the Waterfront for the past four hours inputting data from various sources for this chapter, and the screen is starting to swim in front of me. Urgh.
 
MiesVanDerMom said:
yeah this process blows. i've moved from depression to anger. i'm much more comfortable being angry. for distractions I've got two sick puking kids and I enjoy: Heroes, Jericho, and Lost. They're all quite addictive. :luck: to all of us
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear no luck on the apps... 🙁 There's definitely some good TV out there, and I also enjoy Heroes. But... they don't make TV like they used to. I miss shows like Cheers and Seinfeld where you don't have to watch every episode to understand whats going on. If I could afford a Tivo, I wouldn't be such a slave to the tv. 🙄

Q: you live in the homestead area? I can't stand driving out to the waterfront since they started the work on the grey's bridge.
 
Hey, former premed here. I remember how tough it was....after all the hardwork, the MCAT, and finally, you get done with the application and turn it in early....then nothing. It sucks, like no one's noticed how hard you worked to get to where you are. To make it worse, some kid down the street just got his 4th interview. Ugh. And then top it off, us nontrads may have none of the support networks that traditional applicants may enjoy (fellow premeds to commiserate with, supportive parents, premed counselors etc). But it's all worth at the end. The day you get your acceptance letter.....well, I won't forget the first day I got my letter with the 'congratulations!' on it. It was GREAT. You never let loose that feeling of acceptance. IT WILL HAPPEN. Cheers. 🙂
 
wrong_answer said:
Q: you live in the homestead area? I can't stand driving out to the waterfront since they started the work on the grey's bridge.
Click to expand...

Nah, I just study there. A lot. The walking path, Panera Bread, Barnes and Noble and Loews are great for when I can't read anymore.
 
Divine Furor said:
Is this brutal? Or is it just me? I'm a little older than most applicants, and I went to a riotously nonconformist undergraduate school. My grades both UG and postbac were excellent, my MCAT scores were neither exceptional nor subpar--except for the highest possible essay score, and my personal life experience just seemed so....hmmm...rich when I was filling out the AMCAS and secondaries. I'm well-traveled, working hard, giving it my all...

And from the schools....nada. Silence. A great void of non-response.

Sigh...I guess I just want to know: how do you remain happy? I get up each day as the weeks crawl by and grit my teeth and check my emails/voicemail/snail mail and then do it again. I harass my premed advisor and try to be totally upbeat when my colleagues/coworkers/significant other ask, "So, did you get into med school yet?" I give little spiels to the uninitiated about what the process entails, and nod wryly when they exclaim about how difficult all this waiting must be! Sheesh. I feel like I'm losing the better parts of my personality the longer I wait....

This is grueling. Dreamlike and fantastic and totally rough. For those of you waiting, what are you doing? What do you think about? Are there any new television shows I should get obsessed with? Is there some megalomaniacal project I should undertake, like writing an operating system in binary, to take my mind off this?


Click to expand...
No, it is not just you. The med school app process sucks so much that it's a veritable black hole in the pre-med universe (which no doubt answers the question of where some of our apps go 😛 ). I would definitely have had serious second thoughts about applying to medical school in the first place if I had known what I was about to subject myself to before I began. On the bright side, as others have said, once you do get in, it's the best feeling in the world. I think someone could have told me that I was getting a root canal the day I got my first acceptance, and I'd have been like, wow, that sounds like a lot of fun! 😛

My suggestions: Start telling people that you will not hear from any schools until the end of May, and try to think of that as the date in your own mind too. It will help you preserve your sanity this winter. You can always go around crowing about your "early" acceptance when it happens. And stay in contact with the schools. I don't have any further evidence beyond my own anecdotal experience and my own gut feeling. But FWIW, I got a lot further at the schools where I had regular contact with the admissions people versus the ones where I didn't. Send them updates when you start your new hobbies. Most importantly, if you take Shy's suggestion to start baking, you can send those cookies to me. 😉
 
Gee, Q, you never asked for any of my cookies. I sent a WHOLE bunch off to a few other folks last year during the app process!

And now... well, now I just mainly bake coffee cake and the like so I can take it with me for breakfast in the morning. Last week was fresh cranberry-raspberry coffee cake. Next week it'll be apricot white chocolate scones.
 
Have to agree. This is one of the most misrible experiences I've had the pleasure to put myself through... However, there is that old adage "No news is Good news!" 🙂 Good Luck to all!!!
 
ShyRem said:
Gee, Q, you never asked for any of my cookies. I sent a WHOLE bunch off to a few other folks last year during the app process!

And now... well, now I just mainly bake coffee cake and the like so I can take it with me for breakfast in the morning. Last week was fresh cranberry-raspberry coffee cake. Next week it'll be apricot white chocolate scones.
Click to expand...

Wow, I'd love the recipe for apricot white chocolate scones. Those sound good! I always find cooking therapeutic when I'm stressed-out studying... and since this is midterms AND the time when Just How Screwed I Am in the med school admissions process is beginning to set in... my husband has been eating pretty well. 😉
 
ShyRem said:
Gee, Q, you never asked for any of my cookies. I sent a WHOLE bunch off to a few other folks last year during the app process!

And now... well, now I just mainly bake coffee cake and the like so I can take it with me for breakfast in the morning. Last week was fresh cranberry-raspberry coffee cake. Next week it'll be apricot white chocolate scones.
Click to expand...
Hi everyone, I want you to meet Shy, my new best friend. 😀 Cranberry raspberry coffee cake sounds so good that I am salivating just thinking about it. 😍 Seriously, if I had known I could get goodies like that out of you.... 😉
 
I think the white chocolate apricot scones are MUCH better - I put a pinch of nutmeg in the dough this time. YUMMMMMY!!!!!!!


oh- ask gdbaby about the cookies. sent her a whole box right before christmas.
 
I'm submitting my first 3 secondaries today, and should have the other 9 out by the end of the week. I hope they get more than just a blank-look from the adcoms. I know how you feel as I am not looking forward to the 1-4 month wait that is in store for me. I'm just pouring myself into my remaining schoolwork and hoping that leaving a career to embark on the medical school adventure will pan out.
 
So sick of waiting.... I'm becoming obsessed with SDN and checking e-mail and status pages. I thought that waiting for MCAT scores was bad! ha ha

At least I had a few interviews- HOPEFULLY I hear something positive soon!! I need that to get my butt in gear so that I can actually finish my grad work by July. Ahhh- obviously I should be doing that now instead of complaining 🙂
 
I'm certain that most of y'all will get in to your dream school - it may be two days before classes start. Just be sure to let them know that they're your dream school.

My school is still interviewing the compulsively anal premeds who filled out their secondaries when they were 12. Just hang on, do something fun/cool, write the admissions office about it, and for god's sake, get off these forums. they only make you craaaaaazy.
 
I found out my premed office won't finish my LOR packet until next week, so I'm holding off on sending in my secondaries so I can do more tweaking. It won't matter anyways because incomplete is incomplete, no matter what it is holding up the works.
 
Like the rest of you, i'm anxiously awaiting news. I think I have done all that can be done for now, including sending off a Letter of interest and update to the one school that I have been interviewed/waitlisted at. Now all I can do is continue to get more EC's so I can broaden my exposure to medicine and community service.
 
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