Dealing with no acceptances

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phraud

phraud

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So I think I'm going through the stages of grief right now. I may be going through it out of order though.

After Dec 1st, I went through a quick bout of denial, and then quickly sank into depression. Now it's Feb 2nd, and I still have nothing. After hearing that I didn't get into VCU, I went straight into depression, and now I just realized about a minute ago that I'm going through anger.

I think acceptance is the next stage. I'm not quite there yet. Yeah, I'm sure I'm not at acceptance yet because in my head I just said "F*ck that, I'm not accepting ****!" I'm definitely still in anger.

Okay, maybe the word "depression" is a little over dramatic. I'm not really depressed, I'm just very upset.
 
Don't be so hard on yourself. There's next year. One year isn't going to kill you.
Once you get over it call the schools to see why you were rejected and find out what you need to do to be successful next year. It's not the end of the world. There are plenty of people out there in the same situation.
 
Wow phraud, I am surprised at your situation. Your gpa and DAT are solid, are there any glaring omisssions in the rest of your application?
 
i remember when i first found sdn and began reading all the DAT threads, i saw your score thread phraud and i was totally blown away by your score. I said to myself that guy is def gonna get in. Im honestly very sorry and confused as to why schools are showing you no love. Your GPA is not horrendous and your DAT more than makes up for it. IN any case im sure a spot at NYU at the very least will open up once people decline their acceptances. There is still much hope. People get accepted up till the day before class, hopefully you wont have to wait that long 🙂
 
Well he did go to SDSU...... just kidding had to throw that in there being that i went to UCSD...... Anyway seriously last year I was in the same position..... it was a real wakeup call to me..... I highly recommend calling and asking what you can do to improve your chances of getting in next year, and make sure you apply earlier next year. Your scores are better then mine, so i doubt it is your scores. If you are still in SD, then i recommend you come to UCSD's pre-dental society meetings..... you will have the opportunity to meet face to face with deans/assistant deans of many popular schools... I am pretty sure me meeting with Dr. Lippman (NOVA) was definitely helpful... And one last thing ,don't let this stop you from becoming a Dentist.....if you are truly passionate about Dentistry you will find a way to make it happen
 
hey man!!
Dont worry your in a way better position that i am. Atleast you've interviewed at places and heard something about your application. I know it may not have been what you wanted, but atleast you got some form of closure.
I got nothing man. No interviews nothing. I keep contacting the schools and all they say is "you are under review."
So ya. I understand your anger and frustration.
 
Very strange that you have not been accepted yet. You've interviewed at NYU, so there is still a 90% chance that you'll have an acceptance, come May. Good luck to you! Things will work out in the end, I'm sure.🙂
 
You guys are great. I just want to hug all of you! (in a very heterosexual way, of course... maybe the whole shake and one-arm hug, if you're more comfortable with that)
 
hahaha.. dont worry we mite be canadians and yes a lot of stuff is legal in canada.. but ya.. dont worry most of us still follow the straight path..😉
 
phraud, I feel your pain, bro. This is the second year in a row I have been through this. The positive side is that we haven't been rejected, although it is hard to keep that optimism.
 
I thought my application was pretty good. The only red flags on my application were my first semester grades and my junior semester that I took off. My first semester in school I was put on academic probation for receiving a 1.8 GPA, but the very next semester I brought up my GPA to a 3.4 with course forgiveness. And I took that junior semester off of school because my mom had ovarian cancer, which I explained on my application and my personal statement.

I have over 80 hours shadowing a periodontist, a bunch of undergrad research (no publications though), I work full-time at a pharmaceutical research company, did hospital volunteer work in china, was VP of Finance for my school's College of Science Student Council, President of my school's Field Biology Club...

I'm pretty sure that I interview well. I'm polite, articulate with my words (but only just enough to where I don't sound like a total douche), my mom thinks I'm hilarious, and I've been told many times that I am so damn huggable.

Wow, I've never written so much about myself before. Now that I'm reading what I've typed, I'm actually an amazing person! On a scale of 1-10 on humbleness, I'm like an 11!

(you should ignore the last paragraph, I'm totally kidding)
 
lemoncurry said:
phraud, I feel your pain, bro. This is the second year in a row I have been through this. The positive side is that we haven't been rejected, although it is hard to keep that optimism.
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If you can get through it, then I guess I can too! If we both don't get in this cycle, we should just start our own dental school. I mean, how hard could it be?
 
phraud said:
If you can get through it, then I guess I can too! If we both don't get in this cycle, we should just start our own dental school. I mean, how hard could it be?
Click to expand...

Ever watched the movie 'Accepted' ? 😀
 
I definitely feel your pain, and it's hard to stay positive - the only relief I've found though, is to stay busy. I've been working like a dog, writing my new personal statement in my spare time now for over a month, and it's tough to accept that this cycle might be over. From the looks of it, I have one more interview left to attend, and then it's just waiting again till AADSAS starts up in May or a school responds with good news. You did what you could by rebounding from a difficult situation, and applying early - not much else you can ask of yourself.
 
phraud said:
I thought my application was pretty good. The only red flags on my application were my first semester grades and my junior semester that I took off. My first semester in school I was put on academic probation for receiving a 1.8 GPA, but the very next semester I brought up my GPA to a 3.4 with course forgiveness. And I took that junior semester off of school because my mom had ovarian cancer, which I explained on my application and my personal statement.

I have over 80 hours shadowing a periodontist, a bunch of undergrad research (no publications though), I work full-time at a pharmaceutical research company, did hospital volunteer work in china, was VP of Finance for my school's College of Science Student Council, President of my school's Field Biology Club...

I'm pretty sure that I interview well. I'm polite, articulate with my words (but only just enough to where I don't sound like a total douche), my mom thinks I'm hilarious, and I've been told many times that I am so damn huggable.

Wow, I've never written so much about myself before. Now that I'm reading what I've typed, I'm actually an amazing person! On a scale of 1-10 on humbleness, I'm like an 11!

(you should ignore the last paragraph, I'm totally kidding)
Click to expand...

Well, one problem in your application's that you didn't shadow a GP. Schools aren't there to train specialists. Most are there to train GP's, so you must be demonstrate that you love being a GP. If you only shadow specialists, they notice that.

I'd find a way to do a mock interview. Lots think that they're good at interviews, while the truth may be quite different. The interview has many purposes: to test your communication skills and to screen for weird people. Even weird people think they're normal. Did you also stay mature? Some person told Nova he wanted to go to the school because of hot girls. Ever done stand up comedy and have the room stare at you in blank quietness? I'm sure it sounded funny in his own head.
 
I have been there before guys, so i know how hard it can hit you and how disappointing it is to not get accepted! Don't give up, try again next year and make sure to better your application in whatever your weak point was. Many people at my interviews were reapplicants. If dentistry is what you really want to do, you will be able to do it. Good luck and keep your heads up!!
 
I admit to not knowing much about adcoms, but I don't always think it is the stats/experiences etc. Interviews are HUGE!!! They already know you are qualified when you get that far. I mean, in my opinion, reality is this... there is an increase in applicants for one, and for the second, if you apply and get over a couple of interviews and didn't get in, you may have to (like a previous poster implied), reevaluate your interviewing techniques...even if you think they are good. They wouldn't even interview you if they thought you were sketchy, anyhow.

Most people I see at VCU are very clean cut, serious students who have a bit of a light side when brought out but not overwhelming at first sight...friendly and respectful. I can't speak for myself bc I don't know how others view me. I applied twice. First time, I applied late to very few schools and didn't get any interviews. Second time was better. Just don't give up and it may help to contact adcoms before the app cycle and ask what you can do to improve your app.
 
sometimes it's just not your time, this was my second go round. last year 3 interviews and no acceptances. this year 8 interviews and 6 acceptances. last year my problem was decding what to do next. this year it is deciding where I'm going to go. when it rains it pours just got to make it through the drought
 
Hotshot12 said:
sometimes it's just not your time, this was my second go round. last year 3 interviews and no acceptances. this year 8 interviews and 6 acceptances. last year my problem was decding what to do next. this year it is deciding where I'm going to go. when it rains it pours just got to make it through the drought
Click to expand...

i totally agree
 
phraud said:
If you can get through it, then I guess I can too! If we both don't get in this cycle, we should just start our own dental school. I mean, how hard could it be?
Click to expand...

Hey Phraud, I'm not going to tell you, "there's always next year" as I'm sure that is the last thing you want to hear and I remember when people were telling me that not only 2 weeks ago but also the first time I applied and how shockingly crappy it made me feel. Plus, I still think you have a shot this year anyway so I don't think you should throw in the towel yet. Remember, UNLV hasn't even sent their second rounds and a ton of people who were accepted in the first apparently don't want to go there so I'm sure they'll have plenty of seats. They're coming up around the 15th so I'm sure you have a shot with them seeing how a lot of other people like me have already decided to go elsewhere. Also, I just got my official letter of acceptance to VCU in the mail today stating that I have until the 15th to deposit which is coming up soon. Right after that they'll probably meet again to send out more invites. Taken together, you still have options left and I wouldn't migrate to the "acceptance" stage quite yet. Just be patient man, I believe in you and am pulling for you. Good luck!! :luck:

-BTW, both USC and NYU have a ton of seats and I've seen people at BYU with way worse stats then you getting into USC. Dude, you'll totally get in this year if you ask me...and I'll be celebrating all over SDN for you when it happens, as you well know.
 
Just hang in there buddy! I totally know the feeling. Although this is my first time applying in the US, but I've been through the exact same situation in Canada 3 times already before I decided to apply across the border as well. Just keep at it and you will make it 👍👍👍
 
microserf123 said:
Just hang in there buddy! I totally know the feeling. Although this is my first time applying in the US, but I've been through the exact same situation in Canada 3 times already before I decided to apply across the border as well. Just keep at it and you will make it 👍👍👍
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The reason i was very upset with UBC was not coz i didnt get in. I mean yes i was a lil upset, but the fact that i didnt get a rejection email the same day as everyone else got their stuff. So i went to the office and the lady says: " rejects get their letters tomorrow."
That just threw me off the edge. So thats why ive become soo anti-UBC.
But now that i think about it. UBC is a great school. I enjoyed my ugrad and im sure u did too. Its just students end up being a number and sometimes get treated as one.
Good Luck to everyone who applied to UBC. And good luck to us all.
Hopefully once we becomes dentist, we can look back at all this time of our lives and take it as a learning experience.
 
UCSF2012 said:
Well, one problem in your application's that you didn't shadow a GP. Schools aren't there to train specialists. Most are there to train GP's, so you must be demonstrate that you love being a GP. If you only shadow specialists, they notice that.

I'd find a way to do a mock interview. Lots think that they're good at interviews, while the truth may be quite different. The interview has many purposes: to test your communication skills and to screen for weird people. Even weird people think they're normal. Did you also stay mature? Some person told Nova he wanted to go to the school because of hot girls. Ever done stand up comedy and have the room stare at you in blank quietness? I'm sure it sounded funny in his own head.
Click to expand...

I also spent 12 hours shadowing a GP, and about 30 hours shadowing a GP in China. I didn't mention it earlier 'cause I didn't want to go into too much detail.

You have a good point about interviewing. I've never had a mock interview before, so I've never had any feedback about my interviewing skills. But so far, most of my interviews were more like conversations (with very few difficult questions), and I'm almost sure that I'm pretty good at conversing with people.

I don't think I'm a weird guy. At least I'm not weird enough to where I make people uncomfortable.

And I know I make an excessive amount of jokes in my posts, but given a certain situation I know when it's appropriate or not. My answer to "Why do you want to be a dentist?" wasn't "Chicks!"

But with all of this said, I know it's difficult to honestly critique yourself, so it's a good possibility that I'm wrong with some things I've said about myself.
 
denticus said:
Hey Phraud, I'm not going to tell you, "there's always next year" as I'm sure that is the last thing you want to hear and I remember when people were telling me that not only 2 weeks ago but also the first time I applied and how shockingly crappy it made me feel. Plus, I still think you have a shot this year anyway so I don't think you should throw in the towel yet. Remember, UNLV hasn't even sent their second rounds and a ton of people who were accepted in the first apparently don't want to go there so I'm sure they'll have plenty of seats. They're coming up around the 15th so I'm sure you have a shot with them seeing how a lot of other people like me have already decided to go elsewhere. Also, I just got my official letter of acceptance to VCU in the mail today stating that I have until the 15th to deposit which is coming up soon. Right after that they'll probably meet again to send out more invites. Taken together, you still have options left and I would migrate to the "acceptance" stage quite yet. Just be patient man, I believe in you and am pulling for you. Good luck!! :luck:

-BTW, both USC and NYU have a ton of seats and I've seen people at BYU with way worse stats then you getting into USC. Dude, you'll totally get in this year if you ask me...and I'll be celebrating all over SDN for you when it happens, as you well know.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I wasn't saying that it's over. I was just venting when I made this thread. Oh, and I hope people don't think that I stand on a bridge every night debating on whether to jump or not. I'm upset, but not that upset. So yeah, there's still a lot of hope for me of getting into a school. But in all honesty, it's not getting into VCU that really disappoints me. I moved to Richmond because my girlfriend goes to VCU for med school. I'm trying to make plans to propose to her, but I can't until I know where I'm going to be this Fall. I need a definite plan before I can do it -- not just for me, but for both of our ASIAN parents (I'm not going to explain, you're either going to understand it or not).

Thanks for not saying "there's always next year."
 
It's not over yet! Don't worry.

Good luck (with both dental school and your proposal...and the whole ASIAN parents thing)
 
Phraud, I really hope you get into NYU this fall! You sound like a fun guy and I'm rooting for you. I think your chances at NYU are still pretty good 👍 Hang in there and I'll probably see you next year in NY!
 
keep up the hope, this year is not over yet!!! I know you you feel though...I was pretty down at this time last year, no interviews even. Things can happen.
 
phraud said:
If you can get through it, then I guess I can too! If we both don't get in this cycle, we should just start our own dental school. I mean, how hard could it be?
Click to expand...

Ya, I'm looking for chairs on craigslist and I'm thinking about opening a clinic out of my garage. What do you think? Also, I feel your pain. It's my first time applying and I was pretty upset after Dec 1 cuz my interviews went so well I thought for sure I would be offered a spot but nope. I think the hardest thing is there are so many qualified applicants that there is probably about twenty qualified applicants all fighting for the same spot. I think there is some amount of luck thrown into the whole acceptance equation, especially if you are an average applicant (like me, your DAT is super duper unlike my 18/19). The advice I got from all of my dental student friends is just to not take it personal and to not let it get you down. Easier said then done, I'm batteling with it righ now as well.
 
Hang in there and stay put, op.
Last year, I had no acceptance, 2 waitlisted. (both interview was early March and I applied like early August) (My stats are 3.6 and 24/24/20)
I tought I could get in at least one dental school but that was my personal hope. I had to wait one more year and now I got in every school that I've applied to. (One school waived the interview b/c I went to the interview last year and they were satisfied w/ the result. Funny thing is I have applied to dental school w/ exact same stat and application from last year. Also, interviewer from the school that I went for interview asked me why I didn't got in last year. I told them I had no idea and all of them told me I should have got in last year. I was little angry first but wth imo I guess it's matter of luck. So, hang tight and be positive. Even if you don't get in this cycle, you have a good stat.
 
Hang it there Phraud, it'll be your turn next!
 
send some love over here also ladies and gents! got waitlisted at NYU as well..i am definitely confident of getting in though. Pretty much all those who who got waitlisted on predents have acceptances to other schools..so that frees it up a bit for the rest of us.
 
I heart all of you. Thanks for the support.
 
Hey phraud, I feel you. I'm not getting any love from the schools either. This part of this cycle gets so depressing.
 
You are definitely not alone. There are a few of us in that boat 🙂

Me: only applied to 4 schools, 2 swift rejections, 2 "under reviews" as of present, 0 interviews.

So it looks like I'm out of the game for this round. I've been upset about it, but now I'm taking it as a 'blessing in disguise' to have the year off. I'll make some money and hopefully save up some of it, do more shadowing and get to spend some time volunteering since I won't have school AND work to worry about. Granted I am going to apply as EARLY as possible so most of that stuff won't be in my app, but it'll be a good personal experience.

I have spent the semester so far being nothing but super stressed out because I need to get all A's this semester to graduate cum laude. (IDK how other schools work but need a 3.6 at my school for cum laude... I have a 3.55 and that apparently doesn't round up) ... but now I'm starting to realize that even if I just have a 3.5, I should still be able to get myself in next year.

It gives me the chance to improve! Retake DATs and do better, improve personal statement, and apply to more schools.

Of course I am still trying not to lose hope that I will get that very magic interview invite... :laugh:

Anyway the point of my long rant is - you can try at least to make 'rejection' turn out to be not the worst thing in the world. I think you have realized that already judging from above posts.
 
Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think you should've gotten in December 1st.......... actually, November 30th even! 😀

Everything always works out eventually so keep your head up! People focus too much on the destination and they forget to enjoy the journey. I heard that somewhere... 😛
 
uvaGirL07 said:
Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think you should've gotten in December 1st.......... actually, November 30th even! 😀

Everything always works out eventually so keep your head up! People focus too much on the destination and they forget to enjoy the journey. I heard that somewhere... 😛
Click to expand...

Like from a fortune cookie? :laugh:
 
I would give you a hug if you went to VCU for your undergrad 😛
Good luck to ya man
 
yo lemoncurry, congrats on LLU!! about time man. with stats like yours, it was starting to scare me applying this year......
phraud, sorry to hear about the situation. but i agree with above posters, spots should open up starting in early summer. nyu has tons of seats i feel like that will be freed up come may 1st. good luck and keep us posted.
 
Hotshot12 said:
sometimes it's just not your time, this was my second go round. last year 3 interviews and no acceptances. this year 8 interviews and 6 acceptances. last year my problem was decding what to do next. this year it is deciding where I'm going to go. when it rains it pours just got to make it through the drought
Click to expand...

Hey, wow I saw your stats on predents, hotshot12. You've got AMAZING stats and I'm surprised you got no acceptances last year (and TOTALLY understand why 6 universities and dying to have you this year). Did you find out why you weren't accepted last year? late application or what?
 
When you are in your third year, like myself applying, I will sympathize with you. It is a good test to really find out how bad you want it. If you hang in there after a first year of not being accepted you will be even better prepared to survive the rigor of school.
 
Hi Phraud still no luck? sorry to hear that! you still have not heard back from NYU? Looks like you still have few schools left....good luck! hope you get in👍 I have probably said this many times but I love your DATs!!!
 
Maybe you should change the unicorn picture!!! 😛

jk thats probably the best avatar on this website.
 
Not according to a recent poll.
 
USU24 said:
Not according to a recent poll.
Click to expand...

Polls, shmolls... I'm riding a freak'n unicorn!


...man, that is the gayest picture in the world. Even my gay friends told me that - no joke.
 
Meh, its okay. Very realistic.
 
Same here. What's wrong with me? I was on waiting list for three consecutive years but no acceptance yet. I have taken almost all the upper science classes with B's and above; such as biochemistry, neurobiology, histology, embryology, pathology, pharmacology, medical terminology and next is animal physiology and immunology (Spring 2008). I have worked in dental office for almost 10 years. What's next????????? Should I just simply give up dental school or should I dig myself a hole? I mean, WTF?? I AM OUT OF PATIENCE! MY HOPE FOR DENTAL SCHOOL IS ALMOST DRAINED IN THE TOILET.
 
I give up. there is no hope for me. i have no idea what i am going to do now. there is no way i can survive reapplying.
 
ya gotta do what ya gotta do...or at least that's why im telling myself. haha.
 
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